Fourteen teams started out with dreams of getting to and winning World Bowl XXVII but for most it will remain just a dream. Wildcard Weekend is now over and we must say goodbye to six teams, one of which is our defending champs Houston. The American Conference had all 3 favorites lose as Houston, Chicago, and Oklahoma were all 7 point betting favorites. The National Conference went about as expected with the 2 favorites winning and the 3rd game had an even point spread.
Portland Storm 29 Oklahoma Outlaws 24
Portland was the home team but they were 7 point underdogs against Oklahoma and the Storm seemed to take that personally. Portland got the scoring started with a FG on their second possession, then followed that up with an interception of Oklahoma QB Raymond Settles. Wade Mullinix did the honors, returning it to the Outlaws 15, setting up the Storm inside the red zone. It took Portland all of 1 play to increase their lead to 10-0 as John Gill ran it in for the TD. It didn't take long for the Outlaws to get back in the game as Ricardo Horton took the kickoff 110 yards for a TD, cutting the lead to 10-7. The 110 yard return ties the all time post season record first set by Pittsburgh's John Murray way back in 1978. This was the first 110 yard return since then. Oklahoma would add a FG to make the score 10-10 as we entered the 2nd quarter.
Portland would take a 13-10 lead with a 2nd qtr FG before Oklahoma went on a long, time consuming drive to take the lead inside the 2 minute warning. Raymond Settles found Paul Wicklund for the 5 yard TD for a 17-13 lead. Portland had a little more than a minute to work with and they would settle for a 52 yard FG to make the halftime score 17-16 Oklahoma.
Oklahoma would get the ball to start the second half but Raymond Settles threw his 2nd INT on the first play of the drive, and Jesse Marshall returned it to the Outlaws 9 yard line. The Oklahoma defense knocked down 3 straight passes, forcing a FG. The kick was good and Portland now led 19-17, although it could have been worse for Oklahoma. Midway through the 3rd, Raymond Settles threw his 3rd INT of the game, and this time Portland cashed it in for a TD. Raymond Oswalt found Steve Haywood for a 25 yard TD pass and the XP made the score 26-17 Portland. As the 3rd quarter was winding down, Wade Mullinix struck again for his 2nd INT of the game and the 4th thrown by Settles. That led to another FG and a 29-17 lead entering the 4th.
Early in the 4th following a punt inside the 10, Raymond Oswalt returned the favor with an INT deep in his own end. Michael Brown was the culprit and he returned it 4 yards to the Storm 5. It took Settles 1 play to get the Outlaws back in the game with a 5 yard scoring toss to Patrick Clark, and the XP made the score 29-24. Several punts followed until Portland faced a 4th and 2 from the Oklahoma 41 with less than 4 minutes to play. The Storm were too far for a FG so they opted to go for it rather than punt. It didn't work but it also didn't hurt as the Storm defense forced a 3 and out. Portland was once again pinned inside their own 10 and on the first play after the 2 minute warning, Richard Robinson fumbled. Just like the previous 2 fumbles by teammate David Smith, this one was recovered by the offense, denying Oklahoma a golden opportunity to win the game. The Outlaws would get the ball back near midfield following the punt, but Settles was intercepted for the 5th time today, 3rd time by Wade Mullinix. That would seal the deal as Portland ran out the clock to advance to the next round.
Memphis Showboats 36 Chicago Blitz 10
Memphis kicked 2 early FGs for a 6-0 lead before the Showboats QB Kenneth Anderson got sacked by Philip McCray and fumbled, with McCray falling on the ball at the Memphis 25. Chicago QB Dwayne Byrd found Ian Gordon for a 10 yard TD to give the Blitz a 7-6 lead after a quarter. Early in the 2nd, Chicago punted, pinning Memphis at their own 11. Kenneth Anderson then hit Paul Davis as he got behind the defense and raced to the end zone for an 89 yard TD to retake the lead 13-7. Memphis got the ball back and went on a 14 play drive that seemed destined to end in points for the Showboats until Anderson was intercepted by Abdul Strout, keeping the score 13-7 as we hit halftime.
Memphis took control of the game in the 3rd quarter, going on a long FG drive to lead 16-7, intercepting Byrd which led to another FG, and a 14 play TD drive capped off by a Clyde Belcher 2 yard run for a 26-7 lead early in the 4th. Patrick Buck put the final nail in the coffin with an 87 yard punt return TD, making the score 33-7. Buck's return was the 3rd punt return for a TD in league postseason history and it was the longest ever. Each team would add a FG for a final score of 36-10 as Memphis advances to play at Portland next week.
Los Angeles Express 13 Houston Gamblers 10
This game was a defensive struggle and the first half ended in a 3-3 tie. Houston QB Bryan Franklin led the Gamblers to a FG on their opening drive, but also threw 2 INTs, one of which set up Los Angeles for their first half FG. The Express couldn't run the ball all game long and they only had 64 total yards at halftime.
Early in the 3rd Express QB David Tavarez was intercepted by Robert Davis to set the Gamblers up with a short field at the L.A. 25. Gary Sappington ran it in from 2 yards out for the game's first TD and a 10-3 Houston lead. Several punts followed until the middle of the 4th, when Brian Haworth's 28 yard FG cut the Gamblers lead to 10-6. As time wound down, Los Angeles went for a 4th and 1 from their own 35 where Tavarez was sacked, giving Houston the ball just outside the red zone. Bryan Franklin and the running game pushed the ball toward the goal line before Franklin was intercepted in the end zone by Richard Blanco. Los Angeles took over at their own 20, needing a TD in 1:45. They almost got the TD real quick as Tavarez completed a pass to Sidney Chavis, who raced toward the end zone before getting caught from behind at the Houston 1 by Robert Patton. The Express were out of timeouts and they committed a false start, pushing the ball back to the 6. A completion on 1st down got the ball just short of the goal line and 2 knocked down passes set up a 4th and goal with 0:14 left. Tavarez completed the 4th down pass to Herman Stevens and the short TD gave Los Angeles the upset win against the defending champs. The Express now have a date with division rival San Jose.
Charlotte Hornets 20 Jacksonville Bulls 10
Jacksonville got the game's first big break, recovering a William Holmes fumble to set up a FG for an early 3-0 lead. Holmes would lose another fumble in the first quarter as the Hornets were approaching FG range and the quarter would end 3-0 Bulls. Early in the 2nd, Anthony Gray's 5 yard run gave Charlotte a 6-3 lead and the 2 point try failed. Derek Joyce would give Jacksonville the lead back before halftime with a 2 yard TD pass to Johnny Pritchett to make the score 10-6.
Late in the 3rd quarter, William Bonner ran in a 3 yard TD and a 2 point pass gave Charlotte the lead back, 14-10. We had an exchange of fumbles soon after which resulted in no points, then Charlotte tacked on a pair of FGs in the 4th and the Hornets win 20-10 to advance.
Orlando Renegades 36 Birmingham Stallions 3
This game was competitive in the first half as they exchanged FGs at the end of the first/beginning of the second quarters for an early 3-3 tie. Orlando took the lead for good with a 1 yard George Hogue TD run and the Renegades led 10-3 at the half.
Nothing went right for Birmingham on either side of the ball in the second half. Orlando got the ball first and needed 1 play for a 75 yard TD pass from Trey Lyons to Jason Amen. Birmingham's second half possessions ended with a punt, INT, INT, punt, INT and end of the game. Orlando would go on to score on every second half drive, with Scott Mueller adding 4 FGs after the long TD and Anthony Graves getting a 2 yard TD run as Orlando advances to the next round.
New Jersey Generals 23 Boston Breakers 0
Boston won the first ever East Division title back in 1974, but since then the Breakers have had to watch the playoffs every year after until now. Their reward was a trip to face division rival New Jersey, the franchise with the most playoff games in the league, and a team who has had the Breakers number time and time again. It went about as expected, as Boston had trouble moving the ball and stopping the move the chains Generals offense.
New Jersey got a 14 yard TD pass from Don Ferguson to Steve Ransome on their opening drive for a 7-0 lead, then added a FG on the next drive. Boston's defense would settle down for a bit after this, but the Breakers offense couldn't sustain drives. New Jersey would add a 2nd quarter FG for a 13-0 halftime lead and the score would remain that way until the 4th. Don Ferguson's 2nd TD pass came with 5:18 left, a 21 yard pass to Franklin Cherry and the 2 point run made the score 21-0 Generals. The scoring ended with a sack in the end zone by an undisclosed Generals defensive player inside the 2 minute warning and New jersey will host Orlando next week.
