World Bowl XXVIII: Oklahoma Outlaws Complete Undefeated Season

 

The Oklahoma Outlaws took control of the game in the 2nd quarter and never looked back as they defeat the New Jersey Generals 26-8, completing the 3rd perfect season in league history. The Outlaws did not allow a single TD in the post season, and they join the 1977 Detroit Wheels and 1986 Memphis Showboats as 19-0 League Champions. Oklahoma CB Michael Brown was named World Bowl MVP thanks to his 1/11 pass defense with 3 knockdowns and 2 INTs. That effort earned him a brand new 2002 Chevrolet Corvette, as is USFL custom. 

Oklahoma Outlaws 26 New Jersey Generals 8

New Jersey got the ball first and both defenses started out on point as we had three straight punts. On Oklahoma's second drive they converted 3 of 4 third downs to get into FG range where Gerald Harmon booted a 35 yard FG for the early 3-0 lead. The first quarter ended with that score but New Jersey tied it early in the 2nd with a 43 yard Al Borland FG. Oklahoma was driving again, converting a 4th and 1, 3rd and 10, and a 3rd and 2 before Raymond Settles was intercepted on the next 3rd down by John Polen. Generals QB Antonio Martinez returned the favor a few plays later, getting intercepted by Michael Brown but the Outlaws offense stalled and opted to punt rather than try a 56 yard FG. Carlos Thomas caught a short pass from Antonio Martinez on first down but fumbled, giving Oklahoma the ball in the red zone. Three plays later Christopher Baker punched it in from the 1, increasing the Outlaws lead to 10-0 after the XP. 

New Jersey's next drive started near the 2 minute warning and soon after passing that, Antonio Martinez was intercepted by Zachary Martinez, but he was flagged for pass interference. That just delayed the inevitable and opened the door for Michael Brown's new Corvette when he intercepted Martinez a few plays later with no flags. The bad news got worse when Raymond Settles found Clarence Murphy for an 8 yard TD to increase the lead to 17-3 at the half.

The 3rd quarter saw just an Al Borland 48 yard FG and we got to the 4th quarter with Oklahoma leading 17-6. Gerald Harmon increased that to 20-6 with a 50 yard FG early in the 4th, then he booted a 36 yarder in the middle of the quarter for a 23-6 lead. New Jersey was running out of time but they still drove all the way inside the Oklahoma 1, but a 4th and goal pass fell incomplete, leaving the score 23-6 with 3:46 to play. The Outlaws took over on the shadow of their goal line and Andy Sipowicz collared Paul Wickland in the end zone for a safety to get the Generals 2 points closer. New Jersey turned it over on downs after the free kick and Harmon kicked another FG for the final margin and the game was over.

The 19 game win streak is the 3rd longest in league history and if they win their first 9 games in 2002, they will break the record of 27 wins in a row set by the 1976-78 Detroit Wheels. The Wheels won their last 4 regular season games in 1976 then all 3 playoff games to win the World Bowl before going 19-0 in winning the World Bowl again the following year. Detroit won in Week 1 of 1978 for their 27th win in a row before losing to Cleveland Week 2. The 1986-87 Memphis Showboats won 24 in a row for the second best streak. 

 

2001 Conference Championship Weekend

 Our final four teams played today for the right to play in World Bowl XXVIII at an as of yet undisclosed location. We had the Memphis Showboats vying for their 6th championship against the undefeated Oklahoma Outlaws, who were seeking their first appearance in the big game. Nobody has been to more World Bowls than the New Jersey Generals and they traveled to New Orleans in search of World Bowl game #10. The VooDoo are no stranger to the big game themselves, although they have lost all four times.

Oklahoma Outlaws 19 Memphis Showboats 0

Oklahoma got the ball first and drove 68 yards in 11 plays, getting a 25 yard Gerald Harmon FG for an early 3-0 lead. The defenses settled in from there and we headed to the 2nd quarter with that same 3-0 score. Memphis was driving as the quarter flipped but Daniel Lorenz lost a fumblel as they approached FG range, and that was the end of that scoring chance. Oklahoma then went on a 15 play, 44 yard grinder drive that ended in another Harmon FG to extend the lead to 6-0. Oklahoma faced three 4th and short situations on the drive, converting all three. The rest of the quarter was uneventful and the Outlaws took that 6-0 lead into halftime. 

Memphis got the ball to start the second half and despite knowing that, they still had to call a timeout after their first play. It was just one of those days I guess, and Memphis punted. The Showboats used another timeout later in the 3rd quarter, leaving just one for the final 15 minutes. The 3rd quarter saw several punts and one FG by Oklahoma, giving the Outlaws a 9-0 lead going into the 4th.

Early in the 4th Oklahoma increased their lead to 12-0 with Gerald Harmon's 4th FG of the game and salted the game away on their next drive. Raymond Settles would find Patrick Clark for a 64 yard TD, extending the lead to 19-0 and the rest of the game was a punting contest. When the clock hit 0:00, the sellout crowd went nuts, and the team stayed on the field an extra 30 minutes celebrating with their fans. 

New Jersey Generals 17 New Orleans 13

This was a rematch of last season's conference championship and several New Jersey defensive players showed up to the game dressed as The Road Warriors from the WWF (they changed their name to WWE in 2002). Once the game started so did the punts as the defenses for both teams came out strong. Generals RB Steve Ransome fumbled 3 times today, twice on the same 1st quarter drive. The second one was recovered by the VooDoo, and while they didn't turn it into points, they did pin the Generals at their own 2 following a punt. Antonio Martinez then led a 12 play, 98 yard TD drive, capping it off with a 2 yard TD pass to Ozzie Newsome for a 7-0 lead. The VooDoo would get a FG later in the quarter for a halftime score of 7-3 New Jersey.

The VooDoo got the ball to start the 3rd and they booted a FG, cutting the lead to 7-6. Steve Ransome fumbled on the first Generals play of their drive but Happy Gilmore fell on the loose ball to avoid the turnover. The Generals then punted, as did the VooDoo, but Generals punt returner Malcolm Wilkerson fumbled. He recovered his own fumble and the turnover Gods were smiling on the Generals today. New Jersey would get an Al Borland FG to extend their lead to 10-6. Later in the quarter, Willie Graham found Douglas Jordan for a 59 yard pass and a facemask penalty against New Jersey set the VooDoo up with a 1st and goal. Graham gave the VooDoo the lead with a short TD pass to Philip Kellogg and the XP made it 13-10.

The score remained 13-10 New Orleans when the Generals took possession at their own 17 with 7:46 left. Antonio Martinez led a 9 play, 87 yard TD drive, completing 6/7 including the go ahead 14 yard TD to Carlos Thomas. New Orleans would have nearly 3 minutes to get their own go ahead TD but Generals MLB Kenneth Allen sealed the win with an interception of Willie Graham near midfield, and New Jersey ran out the remaining clock for their 10th World Bowl appearance.

2001 Divisional Round

 We are now down to our final four teams and the divisional round produced a pair of upsets. Heading into the conference championships, the 2 road teams are the underdogs, but they have won 9 World Bowls between them, while the two favorites are each looking for their first championship. We'll have to wait to see how those two games shake out, but let's look at how the final four teams advanced.

Oklahoma Outlaws 16 San Jose SaberCats 3

Oklahoma got the ball first but had to punt. Jeffrey Richins fumbled the punt but a teammate fell on it so no harm, no foul. Oklahoma punted on their second possession and Richins fair caught it, but Richins fumbled the third punt. This time it was recovered by Oklahoma, leading to a FG and a 3-0 lead. The first quarter would end with that 3-0 score and the Outlaws made it 6-0 in the 2nd following a 15 play FG drive. 

A couple of possessions later and San Jose QB Jake Plummer was intercepted and Oklahoma was in immediate scoring range. The Outlaws got the ball into the end zone on a 3 yard run by Russell Hayes for a 13-0 lead they would take into halftime.

The second half was mostly uneventful, as Oklahoma went up 16-0 with another FG, then a Ricardo Horton lost fumble set San Jose up for a FG to avoid the shutout. San Jose would get the ball again twice more but punted and had an interception as Oklahoma stays perfect.

Memphis Showboats 16 Houston Gamblers 13 (OT)

This was not a pretty game as each team turned it over 4 times, 2 by fumble, 2 by interception and a combined 9 red zone trips saw just 1 TD. Memphis got the ball first and had to punt but Jose Shea fumbled the ball away on the return. Given new life, Memphis was able to kick a FG for a 3-0 lead before the craziness started. Houston QB Bryan Franklin threw INT #1, then Kenneth Anderson of Memphis matched that with his first INT. I should mention this was all taking place inside the Houston 20 yard line, and the Gamblers took over on their 1 following the Anderson INT. Two plays later, Gus "Hightest" Gas lost a fumble, giving Memphis the ball at the 8, but Anderson was intercepted again, leaving the score 3-0 after all of that.

On the first play of the 2nd qtr Memphis fumbled it away for their 3rd turnover but no damage was done as Houston punted. Later in the quarter we had our first TD of the game as Bryan Franklin found Alejandro Campbell for a 25 yard TD and a 7-3 Gamblers lead. As the game wound toward halftime, Memphis once again had the ball deep in Houston territory but Robert Sandoval sacked Anderson, stripping the ball and recovering, keeping the score 7-3 at the half. 

The 3rd quarter was a kicking contest with several punts and a Houston FG for a 10-3 lead after 3 quarters, but Memphis got a FG of their own early in the 4th to cut it to 10-6. Houston almost put the game away but Gus Gas was ruled down short of the goal line and they opted for the chipshot FG rather than go for it on 4th. The kick was good for a 13-6 lead and the defense forced a punt. The Houston offense couldn't bleed all the clock so they punted back to Memphis with 1:55 to play. Kenneth Anderson put his mistakes behind him as he led the Showboats down the field, finding Eugene Riggs for a 6 yard TD pass with 0:31 left. The XP tied the game and we seemed headed for OT. Houston would advance the ball enough to try a 61 yard FG as time expired but it was short, so we were actually headed for OT now.

The overtime period was brief, as Houston won the toss and Bryan Franklin was intercepted by Raymond Huang. Memphis took over at the Houston 28, ran three plays and sent Gary Ridgeway out for the game winning 37 yard FG, sending Memphis to the conference championship.

New Orleans VooDoo 17 Jacksonville Bulls 3

This game didn't have as many turnovers as Memphis/Houston but both teams did have multiple turnovers and red zone failures. New Orleans first two drives were a three and out and an interception while Jacksonville went three and out on their first two possessions. On the VooDoo's 3rd drive, Willie Graham got the scoring underway with a 53 yard TD pass to Benjamin Jones. Brian Sanborn ran in the 2 point conversion for an 8-0 New Orleans lead. Jacksonville drove for a FG on their next drive but took it off the board when they accepted an offsides penalty against New Orleans. The gamble did not pay off however, as Derek Joyce was intercepted by Harry Moorman to keep the score 8-0.

Early in the 2nd qtr, Jacksonville turned the ball over again when Daniel Massey fumbled gaining yards after a catch, giving New Orleans the ball in scoring range. Steven McCurdy made sure they would score with a 24 yard TD run to give the VooDoo a 14-0 lead. The score would stay 14-0 after the 2 point conversion failed. Jacksonville would be forced to punt and they pinned New Orleans at their own 5 with 6:43 before halftime. The Bulls would not see the ball again until the 3rd quarter as New Orleans went 90 yards in 17 plays, kicking a FG for a 17-0 halftime lead. The VooDoo actually scored a TD on the drive but a holding penalty wiped that out.

Jacksonville finally got on the board with a 3rd quarter FG to pull within 17-3. The 4th qtr saw the Bulls defense intercept Willie Graham and recover an Elias Williams fumble but the Jacksonville offense could not capitalize. The Bulls offense would eventually have another drive that got down to the New Orleans 6, but they turned it over on downs with the clock winding down. They would have one last crack at a miracle finish and they once again got inside the VooDoo 10, but the clock hit 0:00 and New Orleans advances.

New Jersey Generals 20 Pittsburgh Maulers 13

Pittsburgh got the ball to start the game and the Maulers got an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Tyler Garcia 55 yard FG on their second drive. New Jersey QB Antonio Martinez threw an interception on the Generals second drive which led to another Pittsburgh FG and a 6-0 lead. Al Borland cut the lead in half with a 44 yard FG and the 1st quarter ended 6-3 Pittsburgh.

The Maulers would try another 55 yard FG early in the 2nd that was no good and New Jersey capitalized on the good field position. Antonio Martinez threw a 2 yard TD pass to Ozzie Newsome to give New Jersey a 10-6 lead. Pittsburgh QB Brian White was later intercepted by Private Ryan, leading to another Al Borland FG for a 13-6 lead. Pittsburgh would tie the game inside the 2 minute warning thanks to a Brian Wright 25 yard TD pass to Agustin Fiecke.

The 3rd quarter was scoreless but New Jersey broke the tie early in the 4th on a short TD pass from Martinez to Malcolm "In The Middle" Wilkerson. The teams traded punts up to the first play after the 2 minute warning when Harry Potter pinned Pittsburgh at their own 5. The Maulers would turn it over on downs but Steve Ransome fumbled the ball back to Pittsburgh. Brian White couldn't gain a first down however, and the Maulers ran out of time, sending New Jersey to yet another conference final.