The Road to World Bowl XXIII began today with Wildcard Weekend and it was all about home cooking. All four home teams won, but now must go on the road to play the teams who got first round byes. Let's see what happened.
Chicago Blitz 26 Oklahoma Outlaws 24
Oklahoma got the ball first and wasted little time denting the scoreboard as Robert Hill found Craig Icenhour for a 68 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead on the 2nd play of the game. Chicago was forced to punt and this time the Outlaws scored in one play as Hill found Icenhour for an 80 yard TD. Chicago would get a FG and a pair of Hill interceptions, though the Blitz didn't capitalize on the first turnover. The second INT gave Chicago the ball just outside the red zone and Ronald Brown found Ian Gordon with a 19 yard TD pass 3 plays later, cutting the lead to 14-10 Oklahoma. That was all 1st qtr action and the rest of the half saw just a Chicago FG to pull within 14-13.
Chicago got the ball at the start of the 3rd and they kicked a FG after a 10 play drive to take a 16-14 lead. Oklahoma went back to what worked earlier in the game as Robert Hill found Craig Icenhour again for a 74 yard TD to take the lead back 21-16. Chicago followed that up with another long drive but Evan Joseph was wide left on a 43 yard FG try. Oklahoma FB James Godoy fumbled running after a catch and the Blitz took over near midfield. As the 3rd quarter was coming to an end, Ronald Brown fired a 7 yard TD pass to Darren McElyea, retaking the lead 23-21.
Early in the 4th, Chicago's Dale Davis lost a fumble, setting up Oklahoma in scoring position. Robert Hill threw a 34 yard TD pass to Craig Icenhour but a holding penalty negated the score and the Outlaws ended up punting. Late in the 4th, Oklahoma was driving deep in Chicago territory when the drive stalled inside the 10. Oklahoma opted to take the lead with a FG, which was good. Chicago would get the ball back with a little over 2 minutes to play and they drove into FG range. Brown ran the 2 minute drill to perfection, taking all but a few seconds off the clock so time expired as Evan Joseph's 46 yard FG sailed through the uprights, sending Chicago on to the next round.
Robert Hill completed 17/39, 315 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs with Craig Icenhour (4-232-3) doing most of the work on the other end of those completions. Ronald Brown completed 41/70, 369 yards and 2 TDs for victorious Chicago, spreading the ball around to 8 different receivers. John Gates ran for 103 to pace the Blitz running game.
Houston Gamblers 24 Portland Storm 17
Tony Dean is known for playing big in big games, but things started off poorly for Dean today. Houston got the ball first and were driving in Storm territory when Dean threw his first INT of the game. Houston's defense forced a three and out but Dean promptly threw his 2nd INT, setting up Portland inside the Houston 10. The Gamblers defense came up huge, intercepting Melvin Driggers in the end zone to keep the game scoreless. The good Tony Dean finally showed up, getting the Gamblers into the red zone in one play, then finishing the TD drive on the 2nd with a 13 yard pass to Ozzie Newsome. Houston would extend the lead to 10-0 with a FG later in the 1st.
Tony Dean had the Gamblers driving at the end of the 1st qtr, but when they switched sides for the 2nd qtr, Dean was sacked by Raymond McDonald, causing a fumble which David Jaquez returned 48 yards for a score. Portland would later add a FG, tying the game at 10 then late in the quarter, Dean threw his 3rd INT, thwarting a potential scoring drive as the teams went into halftime tied.
Fast forward to late 3rd qtr when Jeffrey Frost lost a fumble deep in his own end of the field. Houston recovered at the Portland 7 and 2 plays later Tony Dean found Jett Black for a 5 yard TD and a 17-10 lead. Early in the 4th, Driggers led Portland on a 12 play TD drive that ended with a Grady Babin 1 yard TD run on 4th and goal, tying the game at 17. A couple of punts later, Houston got the ball at their own 10 with under a minute to play. Houston used their timeouts on this drive but still found themselves far from FG range with 0:15 left at their own 33. WR Jim Dallas faked out CB Clifton Mabon, getting behind him and Dean found him in stride. Dallas did the rest, sprinting into the end zone and sending Houston on to the next round.
Dean finished 30/47, 341 yards, 3 TD and 3 INT and RB Donald Turner ran for 112 yards with 64 more receiving to pace the Gamblers offense.
Shreveport Steamer 12 New York Stars 6
New York came into the game firing away, continuing their all aerial offense that got them into the playoffs in the first place. Shreveport was ready for it though, as they held Damien Oleary to 22/50 passing for 186 yards, sacking him 3 times. WR Albert Olson was held to 20 yards on 3 catches as the Stars managed only a pair of FGs today. Offensively, Shreveport didn't crack the end zone either, but they had ball control, possessing it for 43:29. The Steamer ran 42 times for 151 yards, led by Scott Randall's 116 and George Marcil was a very efficient 26/33, 184 yards in the air. Shreveport had the drive of the game early in the 4th, nursing a 9-6 lead. Taking over at their own 6 with just over 10 minutes to play, Marcil led a 16 play drive that took over 8 minutes off the clock. Facing a 4th and goal inside the 1, Shreveport banked on their defense, opting for a FG to force the Stars into needing a TD. The FG was good but the decision almost backfired as Oleary quickly got the Stars inside the 10 yard line with a 53 yard pass to Wayne Ryals. That was followed by a sack, penalty, 2 incompletions and another sack for a turnover on downs. Frank Roberts got both of those sacks to help Shreveport advance to the next round.
Washington Federals 28 Orlando Renegades 9
Washington spent most of 1996 searching for an identity on offense, and even the QB switch to Tristan Arnold only sometimes sparked the offense. Many wondered if the Federals could make another World Bowl run with their shaky offense, and Washington responded today by asking what shaky offense. Tristan Arnold got Washington on the board first with an 80 yard TD pass to Andrew Favela. Orlando was driving inside the red zone when Anthony Milan fumbled it away, costing the Renegades at least a chance at 3. Milan led Orlando with 64 yards rushing and 101 receiving, but that fumble hurt a little bit. The Orlando defense held and the Renegades came back with a FG, cutting the lead to 7-3. Tristan Arnold responded immediately with a 75 yard TD pass to Jonathon Fuller, extending the lead to 14-3. That was our score after 1 quarter and we saw just an Orlando FG in the 2nd, for a halftime score of Washington 14 Orlando 6.
Orlando got the ball to start the 3rd and they drove for a FG to cut the lead to 14-9. On the ensuing kickoff, Danny Mike and James Dunn almost gave Orlando a huge break. Mike missed his blocking assignment, causing Dunn to get blown up and fumble the ball. Mike made up for his mistake by falling on the loose ball, keeping possession for the Federals. Washington would get a 5 yard TD run by Jayson Shepherd for a 21-9 lead after 3 quarters.
In the 4th qtr, Arnold was intercepted but the Washington defense intercepted Trey Lyons a few plays later, keeping the score 21-9. With 3:23 to go, Jonathon Fuller's 3 yard TD run put the game away for Washington as they advance. Tristan Arnold completed 21/27, 302 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT to lead the Federals offense.
