World Bowl XXIV: New Jersey Weathers the Storm

 World Bowl XXIV was played in front of 67,113 fans at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, the second time they have hosted the big game. The last time this game was in Anaheim was World Bowl X when New Jersey beat Denver for their second title in 3 years. That was the last time New Jersey, or any other National Conference team won a World Bowl as the next 13 were won by Houston, Houston, Memphis, Memphis, Houston, Portland, Memphis, Portland, Denver, Portland, Houston, Houston, and Houston. 

The Portland Storm were the American Conference representative and they came into the game with the #2 ranked offense and #1 ranked defense, and a perfect 3-0 World Bowl record. The New Jersey Generals represented the National Conference for a record 8th time, but were just 2-5 the previous 7. The Generals had the #1 offense for the 3rd straight season, but their defense has improved each year, going from 14th to 10th and to 6th this season. 

World Bowl XXIV

New Jersey Generals 16 Portland Storm 13

 Portland won the coin toss and elected to receive and the kickoff was a touchback. Fans across America had barely settled in front of the television when Emanuel Fugate found Richard Robinson for a 75 yard catch and run TD for an instant 7-0 lead. New Jersey ran 3 plays and made 3 first downs on their opening drive but on the 4th play, Don Ferguson was intercepted by Anthony Overstreet, keeping the score 7-0. Fugate led a conventional drive and the Storm looked headed for another TD until a false start on a 3rd and 2 set them back just enough that they were forced to kick a FG. Donald Atkins was good from 50 yards and the Storm had an early 10-0 lead. New Jersey then went three and out while  Portland then drove a bit before also punting, pinning New Jersey inside the 10. Speaking of 10, the first quarter ended 10-0 Portland.

The second quarter started opposite of the first, as New Jersey punted, Portland went three and out, Don Ferguson threw INT #2 to Overstreet, then Fugate returned the favor when Fox Mulder picked him off. That was huge as Portland had a 3rd and 1 from the New Jersey 5 yard line and even an offense like the Generals would find it difficult to overcome a 17 point deficit in version 4.6. Mulder kept it 10-0 though and New Jersey took over at their 3 yard line. Don Ferguson then led the drive of the game, leading the Generals 97 yards for a TD, aided in part by 3 defensive penalties by Portland including a 15 yard facemask. David Koresh and Kurt Cobain had some good runs on the drive and Ferguson capped it off with an 8 yard TD pass to Forrest Gump, making the score 10-7. Portland drove to the edge of FG range before halftime but opted to go for a 4th and 2 rather than a 56/57 yard FG attempt and it failed. The rest of the half was uneventful and Portland took a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

New Jersey got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and Don Ferguson ended up throwing interception #3, this one to Raymond McDonald. QBs have struggled throughout this post season and today was no exception. Continuing that theme was Emanuel Fugate, who for the second time today, gave the ball right back to New Jersey after the Storm defense took it away. David Numbers intercepted this pass, though the Generals would be forced to punt. Two more punts and Portland takes over on their own 40, still leading 10-7, when David Numbers intercepted Fugate again. That led to an Al Borland FG, tying the game at 10 after 3 quarters.

On the second play of the 4th quarter, Donald Atkins broke the tie with a 41 yard FG for Portland. New Jersey was forced to punt but got the ball right back when Fugate threw his 4th INT, this one to Barry Larkin. One play got the Generals into the red zone before the drive stalled. Al Borland came on for a game tying 32 yard FG with just under 10 minutes to play. New Jersey forced a three and out, getting the ball back with a little over 8 minutes to go. Don Ferguson led a 9 play, 64 yard drive that took 6 minutes off the clock. Ferguson was 6/7 on the drive and Al Borland made a 33 yard FG with 2:05 left to give New Jersey their first lead of the game 16-13. Portland got the ball back with plenty of time left but Fugate only completed 1/4 passes for 1 yard, turning it over on downs. Kurt Cobain sealed the victory with a 13 yard run for a 1st down on 3rd and 11, allowing Ferguson to kneel down 3 times to kill the clock and break the streak. 

Emanuel Fugate finished 14/31, 211 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT and 1 sack while WR Richard Robinson ended the day with 105 yards and a TD on 3 catches. Don Ferguson completed 25/40, 234 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT and 4 sacks while RB David Koresh had 142 combined yards, 84 rushing and 58 receiving. Koresh was named World Bowl MVP and drives away in a brand new 1998 Chevrolet Corvette.

 

Conference Championship Weekend

 The road to World Bowl XXIV is now clear and the Portland Storm will play the New Jersey Generals for the championship. Portland will be trying for the franchise's 4th World Bowl title in as many tries, but the first under Warthog. The Storm won World Bowls XVI, XVIII, and XX under setherick. This will be the 8th World Bowl appearance for New Jersey but in the big game, the Generals often end up like the Washington Generals when they play the Harlem Globetrotters. This game will break a tie with Houston for most World Bowls, and New Jersey is looking for their 3rd trophy. The Generals won World Bowls VIII and X, while losing in World Bowls VI, IX, XI, XIII, and XXIII. 

New Jersey has the league's top ranked offense while Portland was 2nd. Both teams can play some defense as well, with Portland boasting the top ranked unit and New Jersey was 6th. It should be a good game, will it be the one to finally break the American Conference winning streak? That New Jersey World Bowl X victory was the last time a National Conference team won the big game.

So how did they get there?

Portland Storm 27 Michigan Panthers 3

Michigan was seeking their first ever World Bowl appearance but it seems a case of nerves and some opportunistic defense from Portland caused 7 turnovers which destroyed any chance of winning. In version 4.5 this would probably have been a 51-3 game but 4.6 often equalizes turnovers. Portland's Emanuel Fugate threw 3 INTs, just 1 less than the 4 by Will Allison, but the difference was fumbles. Michigan fumbled 3 times, losing all 3 while Portland recovered both of their own fumbles, including the final TD, when Jose Moses scooped up his own fumble and took it in the end zone. 

Michigan did get 299 offensive yards when they weren't turning it over and they stayed within 14 points for most of the game but they just couldn't stop the turnovers. Portland WR Richard Robinson caught 6 passes for 149 yards and a TD, which I believe is the first 100 yard receiving game in the playoffs, though I could be wrong.

The touchdowns: Emanuel Fugate to Richard Robinson for 46 yards to make the score 10-0 Portland. Rigoberto Swanson's 10 yard run made the score 17-3 and the final TD's highlight is in the first paragraph.

New Jersey Generals 24 Shreveport Steamer 16

Shreveport got the ball first and had to punt, pinning New Jersey at their own 8. It only took 4 plays for the Generals to get in the red zone, but the Steamer defense kept them off the scoreboard thanks to Felipe Pascal intercepting a Don Ferguson pass. On Shreveport's ensuing drive, Hank Hill intercepted a George Marcil pass, but he was flagged for pass interference, allowing the Steamer to keep the ball. Three plays later Francisco Dement's 4 yard TD gave Shreveport a 7-0 lead. Early in the 2nd, George Marcil found David Shafer for an apparent 9 yard TD pass but a holding penalty took it off the board. They would get a FG on the drive for a 10-0 lead. David Koresh took over the next drive for New Jersey, touching the ball on all 5 plays of a 75 yard TD drive. The first 3 were runs, then he caught a pair of passes, the 2nd going for a 52 yard TD to cut the lead to 10-7. That would be the score at the half.

New Jersey got the ball to start the second half and Ferguson led an 11 play, 75 yard TD drive, capping it off with a 1 yard TD pass to Redd Foxx to take their first lead 14-10. Toward the end of the 3rd, Francisco Dement was involved again. He scored Shreveport's TD so far but he also had the holding penalty that took the TD off the board in the first half. Here, he fumbled after a 6 yard gain and Fox Mulder grabbed the loose ball and took it in the end zone, extending the New Jersey lead to 21-10. Early in the 4th it looked like New Jersey was about to put the game away as they entered the red zone but Ferguson was sacked, lost a fumble, and Allen Greear returned it 15 yards. That led to a George Marcil 3 yard TD pass to Richard Wise, making the score 21-16. They went for 2 points and failed, then a couple of punts and a New Jersey FG inside the 2 minute warning made the score 24-16. Marcil got Shreveport down the field into the red zone, but Brian Dunn came up with a huge sack on 3rd down and 1 play later, the Steamer turned it over on downs and New Jersey holds on for a trip to the World Bowl.

Divisional Round: Where Have All The TDs Gone?

 We had 6 games wildcard weekend with just 1 team scoring 20 points and the scoring drought continued this round. We had 81 points scored in 4 games, which won't leave me a whole lot to write about. 

Michigan Panthers 15 Los Angeles Express 6

Los Angeles broke their long playoff drought last week and celebrated by beating San Jose. Their reward was a trip to Michigan to play the #1 seed Panthers, who are seeking their first ever World Bowl appearance and were last in the postseason 1994. This was a defensive battle as neither offense could score a TD and they combined to go 6/30 on 3rd down. Los Angeles intercepted Will Allison twice but they didn't sack him, and they allowed nearly 200 rushing yards. Lawrence Schroeder led the way for Michigan, rushing for 127 yards and the Panthers defense held the Express to 171 total yards. Michigan sacked David Tavarez 5 times and intercepted him 3 times in addition to recovering a fumble. 

All of the scoring came courtesy of the kickers and Michigan got 3 points on each of their first 4 drives, then rode the defense to victory.

Portland Storm 10 Memphis Showboats 0

Speaking of defensive struggles, these teams combined for just 362 offensive yards, 6 INTs and 4 sacks, with just 3 offensive points all game. There were also 12 total punts, with a first quarter punt return providing the game's only TD. Marcelino McCarthy returned a punt 63 yards for a TD to give Portland an early 7-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Special teams woes also infected the Showboats kicking game as Gary Ridgeway was 0/2 on FG attempts.

New Jersey Generals 27 New Orleans VooDoo 3

At first glance you might think, finally some offense, but it was anything but pretty for the Generals. Don Ferguson threw 2 TD passes, 1 to O.J. Simpson who also had 99 rushing yards in a surprise start, more on that in a minute. Ferguson also threw 3 INTs while Simpson lost a fumble, but Ferguson wasn't sacked and converted 7/13 3rd downs. The Generals defense held the VooDoo to 135 yards, intercepting Zachary Kinkead once and sacking him 5 times. 

The Generals had some curious lineup decisions as usual 3rd string RB O.J. Simpson started over both David Koresh and Kurt Cobain, while WR Eric Davis was WR 5. It was an oversight, as New Jersey used the same lineup as Week 16 when they were resting players and forgot to put it back to normal. 

Proof that offensive touchdowns can happen here, here, and here.

Shreveport Steamer 17 Pittsburgh Maulers 3

Pittsburgh won the turnover battle 2-0 and scored first for a 3-0 lead, but that's all of the good news for the Maulers today. The Steamer defense didn't need to force turnovers as they simply denied yards all day, holding Pittsburgh to 80 total yards, which would have been 90 but for 2 sacks taking 10 yards off. The Maulers were held under 1 yard per carry and Paul Marcum had just 65 yards on 12/15 passing. Shreveport RB Scott Randall ran for 157 yards and this 30 yard TD to lead the offense while George Marcil's TD pass just before halftime seemed to take the air out of the Maulers.

___________________________________________________________________________

The conference finals are all set as the Portland Storm travel to play the Michigan Panthers for the American Conference while the Shreveport Steamer head north to face the New Jersey Generals. Good luck gentlemen as we seek to win World Bowl XXIV.

Wildcard Weekend, Blackjack Edition

 It's our first season of expanded playoffs as we had 6 wildcard games instead of the usual 4. That leaves just 2 bye teams as Michigan and New Jersey rest up and wait on an opponent next week. We all know version 4.6 suppresses offense and if we were playing blackjack, nobody busted. New Orleans topped the scoring list as the only team to reach 20 points and the average score was slightly above 12. 

Los Angeles Express 12 San Jose SaberCats 9

San Jose and Los Angeles are quite familiar with each other, playing twice a year every year and neither offense could crack the end zone. The teams combined for just 436 offensive yards, 7 turnovers and 5/28 on 3rd down. In fact, turnovers actually boosted the scoring as both teams turned turnovers into a pair of FGs. San Jose had an early 6-3 lead before Mario Price nailed 3 consecutive FGs for a 12-6 lead early in the 4th. His first kick came in the final minute of the half, then he added FGs in the 3rd and 4th before San Jose cut the lead to 12-9 in the middle of the 4th. The SaberCats had 2 more chances to tie or win the game but the offense couldn't get into scoring position.

This is the portion where I would normally talk about stats, but they're mostly ugly. David Tavarez was sacked once, lost a fumble, and threw 2 INTs while Jake Plummer was sacked 3 times to match his 3 INTs. Robert Rodriguez was 3/3 on FGs while Mario Price made 4/5 to send the Express to Michigan to play the #1 seed Panthers.

Memphis Showboats 19 Denver Gold 3

This game was similar to the above game minus a few turnovers. Denver QB Andrew Brewer did throw 2 INTs and the Gold lost a fumble while Memphis QB Erik McNamee fumbled for the Showboats only turnover. The teams combined to go 5/26 on 3rd down and nobody cracked the end zone until the 4th qtr. The only scoring through 3 quarters came courtesy of Gary Ridgeway's 4 FGs to gove Memphis a 12-0 lead. McNamee got Memphis in the end zone on a 10 yard pass to Jeremy Wheatley that sealed the win. 

Portland Storm 17 Houston Gamblers 16

The Houston Gamblers were chasing their 4th straight World Bowl Championship, 8th overall, and would have to win on the road a few times to do it. The Gamblers were the #7 seed despite a 10-6 record and had to travel to #2 seed Portland. Houston got the ball first and Tony Dean was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage. Emanuel Fugate then found Peter Jessee for a 3 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. Dean would bounce back, leading a FG drive, then connecting with Francisco Snow for a 32 yard TD pass to take a 10-7 lead after a quarter. Portland would tie the game at 10 with a 2nd qtr FG.

On Houston's first play of the second half Tony Dean was intercepted but this one didn't cost them any points. Those were Dean's only INTs of the game while Fugate threw 3, and the Storm also turned it over on downs, leading to an Earl Castro FG for a 13-10 Houston lead. Fugate's first 2 INTs didn't cost them any points but his 3rd led to yet another Castro FG for a 16-10 Gamblers lead early in the 4th. The score remained 16-10 until inside the 2 minute warning when Jose Moses ran in a 5 yard TD to tie the game at 16. The XP was good and Portland now led 17-16 and just had to keep the great Tony Dean from yet another comeback win. Dean had 1:45 on the clock and 1 timeout to work with and he got them in position for a game winning 54 yard FG try. Earl Castro was 3/3 but he pulled this kick wide left and the Storm hang on for the win and advance.

Was this Tony Dean's last game? Dean was asked about this after the game but gave a non answer, "I'll sit down with my family this offseason and we'll talk about what's best for us, then I'll let my team and you guys know at the appropriate time. This has been a long season adjusting to the new rules and I just want to take some time before making up my mind."

If this is it, Tony Dean will go down as the Tom Brady of the USFL. Given our timeline of being in 1997, perhaps Brady should be known as the Tony Dean of the NFL?

Shreveport Steamer 13 Charlotte Hornets 3

The best season in Charlotte history came to an abrupt end as Shreveport held the Hornets to 135 total yards and 3 points in just 23 minutes of possession. The Steamer set the tone early, forcing a three and out on Charlotte's first possession, then driving for a TD their first time with the ball. Scott Randall finished that drive with a 1 yard scoring plunge and he finished the day with 111 yards on the ground. Herbert Young added another 79 yards as Shreveport played ball control and defense to advance with a 13-3 win.  

New Orleans VooDoo 20 Florida Blazers 13

Florida out gained New Orleans by nearly a full football field but the Blazers passing game wasn't efficient (19/42, 175 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and they converted just 2/15 on 3rd down. New Orleans got the ball first and drove for a TD, with Robert Graham running it in from 10 yards out to give the VooDoo a 7-0 lead. New Orleans added a FG for a 10-0 lead before Florida finally got on the board with a FG in the final 30 seconds of the half. Trailing at the half 10-3 wouldn't have been too bad but Jose Little took the kickoff 105 yards for a TD and the Blazers went to the locker room stunned, trailing 17-3. 

Willie Graham brought Florida back in the 3rd qtr with a 64 yard TD pass to Robert Romero and a FG at the end of the 3rd had Florida trailing 17-13 with 15 minutes to play. The New Orleans defense stepped up in the 4th, intercepting Graham twice to preserve victory and earn a trip to New Jersey next week.

Pittsburgh Maulers 19 Baltimore Stars 3

These division rivals met for the 3rd time this season and the Baltimore offense has yet to figure out the Maulers defense. Baltimore didn't turn the ball over, but 99 total offensive yards isn't going to beat anyone and neither is having the ball less than 19 minutes in a 60 minute game. Pittsburgh scored the first 3 times they had the ball to take a 13-0 lead, then rode their defense to victory. Maulers QB Paul Marcum had a strange stat line, completing 12/15 for 34 yards. He didn't need to do much since Robert Mason (18-125-1) and Ronald Smith (26-120) both had huge rushing games to control the clock. This 2 yard run by Mason was the only TD of the game.