Week 16 closes out the 23rd season of USFL/WFL football and we sent version 4.5 out with a bang. Glen Hampton upped the receiving record by 1,200 yards and broke the TD record by 12. That's a nice season for most WR, 1,200 yards and 12 TDs, and it's safe to say that 4,075 yards will stand for awhile, if not forever. Don Ferguson threw for a league record 64 TD passes in 15 games and likely would have led the league in passing yards had I let him play today. Prior to this season we had 13 QBs throw for 6,000 yards or more in a season and 1996 saw that list grow by 3. Thomas Jacobi of Georgia threw for 2,347 yards to non Hampton receivers for a total of 6,422 and 52 TDs. Ferguson was 2nd in yards with 6,364 and those 64 TD passes while Damien Oleary threw for 6,248 and 45 TDs. Oleary also threw 11 TDs in 1 game, something only done once before and never in a regular season game.
The regular season may be over but 12 teams play on in the post season. San Jose came into Week 15 undefeated, but suffered their first loss and losing home field advantage in the process. The Denver Gold say thank you very much as they gain the #1 seed, though the SaberCats still get a BYE. Wildcard Weekend will see an unfamiliar team and a rematch of the 1995 American Conference Championship Game. The Oklahoma Outlaws make their first post season appearance in 15 seasons, earning a trip to Chicago to face Midwest champs Chicago. Last year, setherick's Portland Storm and cjfred68's Houston Gamblers met to determine who went to the World Bowl and this year they meet to see who advances to the divisional round for a road game.
It's been 12 years and counting since a National Conference team has won the World Bowl, with Houston winning 5 in that span, Portland and Memphis 3 and Denver once. You have to go all the way back to World Bowl X when the New Jersey Generals beat the Denver Gold to find a National Conference League Championship. In fact, the National has won just 3 championships in all. Florida won World Bowl I and New Jersey won twice in 3 seasons, taking World Bowls XVIII and X. Is this the year someone breaks that losing streak?
On paper, New Jersey looks like they have the best chance with the league's #1 offense and #10 defense, but QB Don Ferguson has not come through in the Conference Championship the last 3 seasons so perhaps it will be another team. The Florida Blazers get the other BYE and had a 13-3 record this year. The Blazers are solid on both sides of the ball and will not be an easy out. Orlando travels to Washington, where the Federals have to be worried they won't have enough offense to make it to a 4th straight World Bowl. The Renegades have to win 3 straight road games to reach the World Bowl, and while that looks hard on paper, the Renegades have the squad to pull it off if they can protect the football. Shreveport and New York meet in the other wildcard game and the Steamer are solid on both sides of the ball while the Stars have big play ability and can hang 40 on anyone.
Hawaiians 30 SaberCats 3
Looks like San Jose fell victim to the standings glitch, believing they had home field, or maybe they decided resting players was more important regardless. Either way the SaberCats rested several key players and Jake Plummer threw 4 INTs in the loss. Anthony Davis ran for 118 yards and a TD to lead Honolulu to victory.
Gold 30 Showboats 10
Memphis needed a win and tiebreaker help while Denver opted to rest QB Andrew Brewer and several injured players. Memphis got out to a 10-3 lead as it took awhile for Denver QB Hassan Hullinger to get warmed up. Denver tied the game at the 2 minute warning of the first half then took a 13-10 lead with a 3rd qtr FG. Hullinger then led Denver to 17 unanswered 4th quarter points with a TD to Glen Cortez and a rushing TD as the Gold win, gaining home field in the process.
Outlaws 32 Sun 26 (OT)
Oklahoma didn't know it until after the game ended, but they would have made the playoffs even with a loss since both Memphis and Detroit lost their games. This was a mistake filled game as each team turned the ball over 3 times and the Outlaws had trouble in the red zone. Southern California RB Matthew Tipps had a 49 yard TD run in the 3rd qtr to give the Sun a 23-10 lead as the home fans grew restless. Oklahoma would get a pair of FGs and a Robert Hill TD pass to Christopher Baker and we were tied at 23 with 3:30 to play. Eric Chandler made his 4th FG of the game inside the 2 minute warning to give the Outlaws a 26-23 lead but Sean Ogden was able to drive the Sun into FG range. Southern California K William Ferguson nailed his 4th FG of the game as time expired in regulation and the 50 yard kick was good. In overtime both teams get to possess the ball unless the first team scores a TD or there is a defensive score. Rich Hill and Christopher Baker got together for a 75 yard TD pass on the first play of OT as Oklahoma gets the walk off win.
Blitz 20 Generals 17
New Jersey had home field wrapped up so they started Antonio Martinez at QB and rested some other starters while Chicago needed the win to assure themselves the Midwest crown. Martinez was intercepted twice and David Koresh lost a fumble as the Generals managed just 2 FGs through 3 quarters. Chicago got a pair of Ronald Brown to Ian Gordon TD passes in the first half to take a 13-3 halftime lead thanks to a missed XP. The first TD covered 40 yards, the second 54, and they liked it so well, they decided to open the 4th quarter with a 71 yard TD and the Blitz now led 20-6. New Jersey got within 20-17 inside the 2 minute warning but the onside kick was no good and Chicago holds on for the win and the Midwest division title.
Thunderbolts 19 Wheels 16
Detroit needed a win and a Chicago loss to win the Midwest, and even when the Blitz won, the Wheels could have thrown themselves into the tiebreaker mess with a win. It turned out there were no ties to break as Detroit and Memphis both lost. Gabriel Flanagan completed 39/53 for 326 yards and a TD, much better than John Crisp's 15/27, 192 and a TD, but Crisp didn't turn the ball over while Flanagan threw 2 INTs. Backup QB Ricky Copeland still sees action every game, and he was 2/6 for 22 yards, his best game of the year. The Wheels scored the first 13 points of the game before Cleveland scored the next 19. Detroit then pulled within a FG late in the 4th but couldn't get into FG range on their last drive as Cleveland hangs on for victory.
Gamblers 34 Storm 17
Portland went toe to toe with Houston in yardage and dominated 3rd down on both sides of the ball, converting 7/16 offensively while holding the champs to 2/11. The biggest difference was the QB play. Melvin Driggers was 35/49 332 yards, 2 TD and 3 INT while MVP Dean completed 19/33, 294 yards, 3 TD and no INT. Despite the turnover difference, this was a one score game at the 2 minute warning with Houston leading 24-17. Earl Castro booted a FG, pushing the lead to 10 before Riley Boyd took Driggers' 3rd INT 26 yards for the game clinching TD. Portland will have a sour taste in their mouth all week that I hope is just frustration because they are staying in Houston since they play again Wildcard Weekend. Did teams in the 90's have personal chefs or is that a 21st century thing, because if I were a Storm player I would be wary of people messing with my food.
Blazers 48 Bandits 17
One encouraging sign today for Tampa Bay was Dwayne Byrd not sacked and he didn't turn the ball over. The bad news is the Bandits defense got torched by rookie QB Willie Graham, who only needed 16 completions to throw for 377 yards and 5 TDs. Antonio Calvo and Douglas Jordan caught 2 TDs each and Calvo had 164 yards receiving to pace the Blazers aerial attack. Robert Romero led the league in rushing this season and he padded his total today with 138 yards while backfield mate Stephen Hannah ran for 66 and a TD. Tampa Bay trailed 24-7 at halftime and got within 24-14 with a long Byrd pass to Luis Dean early in the 3rd but the defense gave up 24 unanswered points and the Blazers go into their BYE on a high note.
Federals 27 Stars 22
Washington heads into the playoffs getting a tougher than expected game from the 1 win Baltimore Stars as the federals built 3 separate double digit leads but the Stars wouldn't go away. It's been a long year for Baltimore but WR John Warkentin wanted to show teams he can still play as he heads into free agency, catching 7 for 172 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, Washington got 265 yards and 3 TD passes from Tristan Arnold and RBs James Dunn and Jayson Shepherd both had 100 yard games. Dunn led the Federals with 71 rushing yards to go with 69 receiving for 140 combined, while Shepherd caught 6 for 109 and a TD (22 rushing yards too). Baltimore scored 10 points in the last 4 minutes to get within 5 points but the onside kick failed and Washington holds on for the win.
Bell 17 Steamer 14
Shreveport had a non BYE playoff spot wrapped up so they rested starters including QB George Marcil. James Wright had a decent game but only produced 1 TD in 3 red zone trips. Shreveport out gained Philadelphia by nearly 100 yards but the Bell were able to crack the end zone twice, including an 89 yard Sidney Maggard TD to Craig Hines. Philadelphia led 17-6 late in the 4th when James Wright and Martin Haley hooked up for a TD and a 2 point conversion to get within a FG. The onside kick failed but Shreveport would get the ball back after a punt but time ran out as they reached midfield.
Express 19 Renegades 13
Los Angeles is a team to keep an eye on in 1997, especially as all of these high powered offenses get neutered. The Express had hopes for the post season this year, but they went 1-6 against playoff teams and finished 8-8. This might be Orlando's first loss this year where they didn't turn the ball over but converting just 3/15 third downs and 255 total yards aren't conducive to winning games. Orlando led after 3 quarters 13-6 but Los Angeles won the 4th qtr 13-0 for the come from behind win.
Panthers 22 (NY) Stars 20
New York is still throwing every down but Damien Oleary clearly missed Albert Olson today as he completed 36/65, 317 yards, 2 TDs and was sacked 4 times. Good numbers but not great. Michigan ran for less than 3 yards per carry but they still ran it 44 times, keeping Oleary on the sideline. Will Allison was 26/35 for 247 yards and his short TD pass to Samuel Robertson in the final minute gave Michigan the come from behind win.
Force 38 VooDoo 9
New Orleans had 409 offensive yards including 332 passing but Ellis Soza threw 3 INTs and the VooDoo managed just 3 FGs from those yards. Thomas Jacobi and Glen Hampton had one last chance to pad some stats before 1997 brings version 4.6 and they didn't disappoint. It was clear they wanted Hampton to reach 4,000 yards and 40 TDs as he caught 8 for 337 yards and 5 TDs, with everyone else left to fight over a slice of 62 yards. Hampton cements his place in league history and Georgia gets the win.
Breakers 26 Stallions 9
Boston and Birmingham were playing out the string and the Breakers decided to let rookie QB Raymond Howell get his first regular season action, and he completed 18/36, 153 yards and 2 INTs. The running game and defense had the kid's back as the Breakers RBBC had 130 yards while the defense forced 2 turnovers, allowing just 234 total yards. Boston held Birmingham to less than 22 minutes of possession thanks in large part to holding the Stallions to 2/14 on 3rd down.
Wranglers 23 Invaders 20
Arizona and Oakland finished up 1996 with a division game that saw 4 lead changes. Oakland scored first with a FG before Arizona took the lead with a pair of FGs. Ronald McDevitt's short TD run gave the lead back to the Invaders until Brian Carmichael found David Miesner with a short TD pass near the end of the first half for a 13-10 lead. Oakland tied it up with a 3rd qtr FG before Carmichael hit William Haubert with a 61 yard TD pass to give the Wranglers the lead for good. Late in the 4th, a FG extended the lead to 23-13 before McDevitt's 2nd TD of the day cut the lead to 23-10. This TD was courtesy of an Andrew Moreno pass in the final minute of the game but the onside kick failed and Arizone wins.
Hornets 29 Gunslingers 18
Charlotte rookie RB Kenneth Olson had a 75 yard TD run and the defense intercepted Robert Fanelli twice, returning both for TDs as the Hornets get the win to improve to 7-9. While it's a disappointing season for Charlotte, the 7-9 record is the team's best since 1990, and is hopefully a step in the right direction for this franchise still seeking their first ever post season appearance.
Maulers 14 Bulls 10
Jacksonville had double the first downs of Pittsburgh (22-11) and out gained them by 60 yards, but the Bulls lost the turnover battle 4-2 and their average drive start was their own 18. Pittsburgh QB Paul Marcum got the Maulers on the board first with a 10 yard TD pass to Arthur Thompson in the 1st qtr. 7-0 was our halftime score and Jacksonville finally scored in the 3rd with a FG. Early in the 4th, Derek Joyce gave Jacksonville the lead with a 19 yard TD pass to Jason Grande. Paul Marcum completed 22/25 for 214 yards and with 1:31 to play he found Arthur Thompson for another 10 yard TD pass and the Maulers now led 14-10. Jacksonville got close to the red zone as time was running out but a FG did them no good and they turned the ball over on downs as time expired, allowing Pittsburgh to hang on for the win.
