Road To World Bowl XXIII: Conference Championships

 Our conference championships are complete and World Bowl XXIII will be played between the two time defending champion Houston Gamblers and the New Jersey Generals. New Jersey had trouble early against Florida but they exploded for 42 consecutive points to reach a league record 7th World Bowl. Houston is also playing in their 7th World Bowl, having won the previous 6 while New Jersey has won just 2. The Denver Gold nearly beat Houston, coming from behind to tie the game before Earl Castro won it at the end.

Speaking of ending, one streak or another will come to an end after the game. Either New Jersey wins to break the 12 year American Conference World Bowl winning streak, or Houston wins to become the first back to back to back champions in league history. We have had 5 back to back champions, with Detroit doing it first, then Memphis and Houston did it twice each. This current Houston team is the first one of those previous 5 to even make it back to a 3rd straight World Bowl. New Jersey once made 4 straight World Bowls and 6 of 8, but only won 2 of them.

Houston Gamblers 23 Denver Gold 20

Houston got the ball first but it was Denver scoring first as the Gold forced a Gamblers punt on the first drive. Andrew Brewer led Denver 75 yards in 10 plays on their first drive, taking a 7-0 lead on a 13 yard TD pass to James Riley. Houston RB Donald Turner ran for 92 yards today but he fumbled the ball on Houston's second drive. Luckily for the Gamblers, Jim Dallas recovered it and a few plays later, Tony Dean tied it up with a 10 yard scoring toss to Jett Black. The first quarter ended 7-7 and Houston's Earl Castro made it 10-7 with a FG early in the 2nd. Denver was offsides though, and Houston took the points off the board, opting for a 1st down instead. A few plays later Tony Dean made his coach look like a genius when he found Donald Turner with an 11 yard TD pass and a 14-7 lead. Max Ellis then lost a fumble for Denver, allowing Houston to add 3 points to their lead thanks to an Earl Castro FG that counted. Later in the 2nd qtr, Brewer threw an INT to set Houston up in Denver territory but Tony Dean returned the favor once the Gamblers reached the red zone. Robert Deacon would close out the first half with a FG to pull Denver within a TD at 17-10.

Fast forward to the 3rd quarter and Max Ellis lost another fumble for Denver, which led to another Castro FG, making the score 20-10 Houston. Not much else happened until the middle of the 4th when Denver faced a 4th and 9 from their own 34. Andrew Brewer found Erik Younker with a 12 yard first down completion. Later in the same drive, they faced another 4th and 9, ran the same play as before and Erik Younker got the first down. Eventually, Brewer got the Gold into the end zone on a 3 yard pass to Brian Turner, making the score 20-17 Houston. There was just 2:03 left in the game, so Denver tried an onside kick and recovered it, with Brewer converting yet another 4th down play, allowing Robert Deacon to tie the game with a 48 yard FG. 

Tony Dean would get the ball back with 1:16 to play and it doesn't take much imagination to guess what happened next. Mr. MVP led Houston down the field, completing 4/5 passes, setting up Earl Castro for a 56 yard FG try that would send Houston to their 7th World Bowl. Castro's kick split the uprights as time expired and the Gamblers are going to the World Bowl seeking their 3rd Championship in a row.

New Jersey Generals 56 Florida Blazers 10

This game started out sloppy as Florida's Willie Graham threw an INT on the Blazers opening drive but Don Ferguson returned the favor. Florida held onto the ball on their next drive but had to punt while Ferguson threw another INT as the Generals fans started to boo. The opponent might be different but the New Jersey crowd has seen this movie before and they were in no mood to watch Ferguson throw interceptions in the conference championship. Florida took that turnover and got a FG out of it for a 3-0 lead before Ferguson turned the boos into cheers with a 5 yard TD pass to Eric Davis. The 1st quarter would end with New Jersey leading 7-3 and Ferguson made it 14-3 with a 4 yard TD pass to Happy Gilmore early in the 2nd. Later in the 2nd, Ferguson threw his 3rd INT and Florida turned that into 7 points on a Jeffrey Morris 8 yard TD run, cutting the lead to 14-10. The crowd was getting restless again but Ferguson hooked up with Duncan Meyer for a pair of TDs before the end of the half. The first one covered 63 yards, the second 44 and New Jersey took a 28-10 halftime lead. 

The 3rd quarter was uneventful and Florida missed a FG to start the 4th. Don Ferguson then led a New Jersey scoring drive, finding Redd Foxx for a 10 yard TD pass, his 5th of the game. Willie Graham then threw an INT, allowing Ferguson another scoring drive that ended with a TD pass to Redd Foxx. That made the score 42-10 and New Jersey cruised to the win as the rest of the quarter saw 3 INTs, 2 by Willie Graham, Don Ferguson's 7th TD pass and a 55 yard TD run by David Koresh. 

Don Ferguson finished 30/49, 475 yards, 7 TD and 4 INT. The Generals had a 100 yard rusher in David Koresh (145, plus 57 more receiving for 202 combined) and a pair of 100 yard receivers. Franklin Cherry caught 8 passes for 181 yards and a TD while Duncan Meyer caught 3 for 122 and 2 scores. Defensively, New Jersey forced 4 turnovers and held the Blazers to 204 total yards.

Road to World Bowl XXIII: Divisional Round

 Home teams are now 7-1 in this year's playoffs, with defending champions Houston the lone road winner. The Gamblers handed San Jose their second consecutive loss after a 15-0 start to the season, and Houston now goes to Denver for the Conference Championship Game. We will have a new team from the National Conference in the big game as 3 time defending conference champs Washington fell to the Florida Blazers. Florida will have to travel to frigid New Jersey to face the red hot Generals offense.

Denver Gold 31 Chicago Blitz 16

Chicago traveled to Denver for the second time this season and were hoping for better results after their overtime loss here back in November. The Blitz got the ball first and punted, then Denver embarked on a 10 play, 80 yard TD drive, taking a 7-0 lead when Max Ellis plunged into the end zone on a short run. Ronald Brown then threw an INT, setting Denver up in Chicago territory. Robert Deacon was wide right on a 33 yard FG attempt though, leaving the score 7-0. Chicago started to move the ball in the 2nd qtr, getting a 32 yard Evan Joseph FG, cutting the lead to 7-3. Denver wasted little time getting those points back as Brian Turner took the kickoff 101 yards for a TD. Inside the 2 minute warning, Andrew Brewer was intercepted, giving Chicago the ball in Gold territory. A few plays later, Dale Davis ran in a short TD run, cutting Denver's lead to 14-10.

Any momentum Chicago gained before halftime quickly vanished in the 3rd as Andrew Brewer found Steven Riley for a 75 yard TD on the first offensive play, extending the lead to 21-10. Chicago would answer with an Evan Joseph FG but Brewer drove Denver to another TD, a 10 yard score to Gary Cortez. Denver now led 28-13 and the rest of the game saw a FG for each team as Denver advances to the Conference Championship Game.

Houston Gamblers 46 San Jose SaberCats 24

It didn't take the champs long to get on the scoreboard as Tony Dean found Hugh Chance for a 78 yard TD pass on the 3rd play of the game and the Gamblers defense forced a three and out. Charles Saner fumbled the punt though, and San Jose took advantage of the gift when Herman Hayes ran in a TD from 6 yards out, tying the game at 7. Houston would get an Earl Castro FG for a 10-7 lead after 1 quarter, then the SaberCats took the lead on Herman Hayes' 2nd TD run early in the 2nd. As the game wound toward the 2 minute warning, Tony Dean threw his 2nd TD pass, a 15 yarder to Jett Black and Houston now led 17-14. Jake Plummer answered that score with an ill timed INT that gave the champs the ball in instant FG range. Tony Dean wanted more and got it, throwing an 11 yard TD pass to Francisco Russell to give Houston a 24-14 halftime lead.

The second half started like the first half ended for San Jose minus the Houston TD. Plummer was intercepted, leading to a Houston FG, extending their lead to 27-14. We then had three straight three and outs when Tony Dean was intercepted by William Jung. Plummer found Mark Hsu two plays later for a 22 yard TD pass, cutting the lead to 27-21. Dean atoned for his mistake right away with a 75 yard catch and run TD to Jett Black to make the score 34-21 after 3 quarters.

San Jose cut the lead to 34-24 with an early 4th qtr FG, then Houston pushed the lead back to 13 with a FG of there own at the 6:00 mark. Jake Plummer and San Jose tried to come back, but an INT, turnover on downs and another INT led to 3 Earl Castro FGs, pushing the lead to 46-24. San Jose's last drive also ended with an interception and Houston continues their quest for 3 championships in a row.  

New Jersey Generals 38 Shreveport Steamer 9

New Jersey got the ball first and was forced to punt but the Generals defense got the ball back thanks to a George Marcil INT. Don Ferguson then found Franklin Cherry for a 54 yard TD pass that would have given the Generals a 7-0 lead but a holding penalty on Tim Brewer negated the score. The drive would end up stalling in FG territory but Al Borland was wide left on a 38 yard kick. Shreveport then went on a drive that took the game into the 2nd qtr and a 35 yard Jeffrey Smith FG gave the Steamer a 3-0 lead. That's as good as it got for Shreveport as Ferguson and the Generals would score on the rest of their possessions today. New Jersey's first TD came on a short David Koresh run, then they got a pair of Don Ferguson TD passes, one to Redd Foxx and another to Happy Gilmore for a 21-3 halftime lead.

On to the second half where the 3rd quarter flew by with just 1 drive for each team. Shreveport got the ball first and George Marcil led a 13 play, 75 yard drive that took 7:34 off the clock. The drive ended with a 2 yard TD pass from Marcil to David Shafer, but the missed XP made the score 21-9. Ferguson and the Generals offense didn't like standing around for half a quarter so they decided to keep the ball the other half of the 3rd. Ferguson led New Jersey on their own 13 play, 75 yard TD drive, taking a 28-9 lead on Ferguson's 3rd TD pass, 2nd to Happy Gilmore. Shreveport had just 2 drives in the 4th quarter, both ending in punts while New Jersey added a FG and a Kurt Cobain TD run for our final score of 38-9. 

Don Ferguson was sharp today, completing 36/43, 328 yards and 3 TDs as New Jersey advances to the Conference Championship for the 4th consecutive season. The Generals have lost the 3 previous CC's to the Washington Federals, so would they be facing Washington again?

Florida Blazers 20 Washington Federals 14

The first half of this game was rather uneventful as every drive but one ended in a punt or the end of the half. Florida had a 7-0 halftime lead thanks to a Stephen Hannah 13 yard TD run. The second half started like the first, with each team punting once. Washington finally got on the scoreboard thanks to a 68 yard Tristan Arnold TD pass to Ronald Matthews and we were tied at 7. Willie Graham answered by leading the Blazers 75 yards in 5 plays as Manuel Aponte's short TD run gave Florida the lead back 14-7. Late in the 3rd quarter Florida would get a Gerald Harmon FG to extend the lead to 17-7 and another Harmon FG in the 4th made it 20-7. Other than 1 big play, the Washington offense wasn't moving the ball well at all, so James Dunn decided to bring the kickoff out of the end zone, and he didn't stop until 103 yards later as he crossed the other end zone, cutting the lead to 20-14 with just over 5 minutes to play. Washington's defense got the ball back for the offense with over 2 minutes to play but Arnold couldn't get the Federals over midfield, turning it over on downs. Three Willie Graham kneel downs later and Florida was on their way to New Jersey for a chance to reach their 2nd World Bowl. 

 

Road to World Bowl XXIII: Wildcard Weekend

 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.

Week 16: Our 23rd Regular Season Is Over

 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.

Week 15: Don Ferguson Breaks TD Pass Record, So Soes Damien Oleary

We had two records broken today, three if you count Glen Hampton adding on to his own record. Way back in 1980, Portland's William Hill set the standard for passing yards and TDs with 7,803/63. Hill still owns the yardage mark, but New Jersey QB Don Ferguson threw 7 TD passes today, giving him 64 and a new league record. 

Damien Oleary and the New York Stars have been throwing every down the last 4 games, and today Oleary set one record and came within 38 yards of breaking another. Oleary threw for 799 yards, second most all time and 11 TDs, which breaks the record of 10, done 5 times previous. In 1985, Birmingham QB David Schmitt threw 11 TD passes in a playoff game against my Generals, but this was the first time anyone broke 10 in the regular season. 

The playoffs are almost here and normally I rundown what each team needs to make it, but this year has proved too difficult and frustrating in the American Conference. In the words of the late Al Davis, "just win baby". 

Generals 52 Force 38...I'm still behind so I will try to be brief. This game was an offensive showcase with 90 combined points and over 1200 yards, and featured two players who are having record breaking seasons. Georgia's Glen Hampton had his biggest yardage game of the season, catching 12 for 468 yards and 5 TDs. Thomas Jacobi threw for 678 yards and those 5 TDs to Hampton, but only completed 31/60 with 5 INTs. Georgia got out to an early 17-7 lead but Ferguson and the Generals ended up ahead at the half 35-24. Ferguson "only" threw for 408 yards but he was much more efficient than Jacobi, completing 32/45 with 7 TDs and no INTs. Franklin Cherry had 130 yards receiving with 2 TDs while David Koresh just missed a double triple. Koresh caught 9 for 111 yards and a TD, adding 96 on the ground. Georgia tried to keep up with New Jersey, but the Generals have too many weapons while the Force mainly have Hampton.

(NY) Stars 80 Bell 23...Philadelphia stayed close in the first half but Damien Oleary was too much for the Bell today. The Stars throw every down and Oleary completed 53/78, 799 yards and 11 TDs, breaking the single game TD record for the regular season and fell just 1 yard short of what would have been the second 800 yard game in league history. Albert Olson didn't even get half of the TDs, "only" getting 5 on 17 receptions and 413 yards. Six different players caught scores as New York puts the league on notice they can air it out just as well as Georgia and New Jersey.

SaberCats 16 Renegades 13 (OT)...This was a tale of two halves plus an overtime and the first half belonged to Orlando. The Renegades got a Trey Lyons 28 yard TD pass to Anthony Milan and a pair of FGs for a 13-0 lead at the break. In the second half, Renegades mistakes led to San Jose tying the game. Lyons was intercepted 3 times in the second half and the defense got burned on a blitz by a hot read 81 yard Jake Plummer TD pass to Dave McEntee. San Jose would tie the game with 2 FGs and Robert Rodriguez would make another one in OT. The SaberCats got the ball first in extras, so Orlando would get the ball. The Renegades went four and out and the loss relegates them to the wildcard round. The win keeps San Jose perfect at 15-0, and they may need to complete the 16-0 just to play all playoff games at home.

Gold 27 Wranglers 9...Andrew Brewer completed 21/29, 346 yards and 3 TDs, focusing on Steven Riley, who caught 11 for 236 yards and a score. The Gold RBBC had 122 yards, helping convert 9/14 3rd downs and keeping the ball nearly 35 minutes, but the Wranglers wouldn't go away. Denver led 13-3 after 3 quarters before outscoring the Wranglers 14-6 in the 4th to put the game away. 

Gamblers 22 Showboats 21...Memphis really needed this win and through 3 quarters, the Showboats led 21-13. Erik McNamee threw 3 TD passes and Matthew Royster ran for 139 yards to lead the Showboats offense. Memphis benefited from a pair of Tony Dean INTs in building their lead while also overcoming a pair of McNamee INTs. Things fell apart in the 4th quarter as McNamee threw 3 more INTs, giving him 5 for the game. Tony Dean led Houston to a TD and a FG to take the lead 22-21, then the defense made that stand for a come from behind victory.

Invaders 17 Blitz 13...Chicago is trying to win the Midwest division, but losing to a 2-12 Oakland team isn't the best way to accomplish that. The Blitz got the ball first and went on a 13 play, 75 yard drive that took more than 8 minutes off the clock with Ronald Brown throwing a short TD pass for a 7-0 lead. Oakland answered right away with a 75 yard Andrew Moreno TD pass to Charles Brockman, tying the game at 7. Chicago would get an Evan Joseph FG while Dale Wild had a TD run for Oakland and the Invaders had the halftime lead 14-10. Each team would get a 2nd half FG and Oakland holds on to upset Chicago. 

Wheels 30 Panthers 23...Detroit overcame 6 INTs to beat cross town rival Michigan as they find themselves tied with Chicago for the division lead. Gabriel Flanagan played most of the snaps and he completed 32/48, 475 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INT while backup Ricky Copeland completed 1/9 with 3 INTs. Michigan had 320 yards of offense themselves and they cashed in on some of those turnovers for a tie game at the 2 minute warning. Detroit had Flanagan in the game when it mattered, and his 7 yard pass to James Fischer with 1:47 left broke the 23 all tie, giving the win to the Wheels. 

Storm 41 VooDoo 20...Portland QB Melvin Driggers had an odd game, completing 15/35, 267 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs as the New Orleans defense had no answer for Guadalupe Navarette, who torched them for 152 yards and 3 TDs on 5 catches. All of Driggers' TD passes covered at least 36 yards and the Storm also had a 62 yard TD run by Jeffrey Frost as Portland led at the half 31-13. Portland won the second half 10-7 to cruise to victory.

Outlaws 13 Stars 2...Oklahoma got a TD pass from Robert Hill and a pair of FGs, but only had 231 offensive yards. That was enough to get their 10th win though, as the Outlaws defense allowed Baltimore just 132 total yards and allowing just 1 trip across the 50 yard line. This is Oklahoma's first 10 win season since 1987 and will make the playoffs with a win next week.

Blazers 33 Express 14...Los Angeles started the game hot, getting a Herman Stevens TD run and a David Tavarez TD pass to take an early 14-0 lead. Things fell apart quickly though, as Tavarez and the Express were done scoring for the day thanks in large part to 6 INTs. Robert Romero ran for 93 yards and a TD while Willie Graham threw for 312 yards and 3 TDs to lead Florida to the come from behind win. Freddy Jones caught 2 TDs with 147 receiving yards for the Blazers.

Federals 38 Maulers 16...Washington had 506 yards of offense with 349 of that coming on the ground. James Dunn led the way with 231 yards and 2 TDs, one for 61 yards and one for 75. Dunn also caught 1 of Tristan Arnold's 3 TD passes for a combined 252 yards and 3 scores. Pittsburgh actually had a 14-13 lead just after the 2 minute warning of the first half, but the Maulers went three and out the rest of the game as Washington punches their playoff ticket finally.

Steamer 20 Stallions 3...South champs Shreveport used a stingy defense and a ball control offense for their 10th win of the year. George Marcil completed 17/21 for 106 yards and a TD while Guillermo McDaniel ran for 135 yards to lead the Steamer offense today. Defensively Shreveport held Birmingham to 186 total yards and Leo Jackson's 32 yard INT return in the 4th qtr sealed the Steamer win.

Bulls 37 Hornets 16...Charlotte got aggressive today, going for 2 after touchdowns and throwing the ball 49 times. The Hornets got 2 early TDs and made one of two 2 point conversions to go with a sack of Derek Joyce in the end zone for a 16-0 lead they took into halftime. All 7 Charlotte turnovers came in the second half as Jacksonville scored 37 unanswered points to win going away. 

Hawaiians 13 Bandits 10...Much like Dwayne Byrd when he first got the starting job, today the Bandits started out hot as Garry Fowler took the opening kickoff 104 yards for a TD and an instant 7-0 lead. A FG pushed the lead to 10-0 by halftime but that's as good as it got for the Bandits. Byrd wasn't great last week and he was downright bad today, completing 12/28 for 96 yards and 4 INTs and as a whole, Tampa had just 172 yards. Honolulu wasn't great offensively, but with 6 total turnovers (Tampa Bay also lost 2 fumbles) they took advantage of 3 short fields to score a TD and a pair of FGs to win 13-10.

Sun 13 Gunslingers 9...Yet another game with scoring runs as San Antonio kicked 3 first half FGs to take a 9-0 lead. Southern California got a Sean Ogden TD pass in the 3rd quarter and a FG midway though the 4th to take a 10-9 lead. Robert Fanelli tried to lead the Gunslingers back, but an INT gave the Sun the ball in FG range and they extended the lead to 13-9 with another FG. On the final drive the Gunslingers were able to cross midfield but the clock ran out, giving the win to Southern California.

Thunderbolts 17 Breakers 3...Evan Hershey ran for 102 yards and a TD while John Crisp threw a 26 yard TD pass to Shane Looney as Cleveland led 14-3 at the half. The Thunderbolts defense held Boston to 185 yards and allowed  just 3/15 3rd down conversions, along with holding on 4th down 3 times late in the game. Boston didn't turn the ball over, but they only ran for a little over 2 yards a carry and 30 completions netted just 165 yards. Three Thunderbolt sacks of Larry Henderson didn't help the Breakers offense either as Cleveland wins a low scoring game.

Week 14: Hampton Breaks TD Record

 Another week, another Glen Hampton record. Hampton caught 3 TD passes, 2 in the 1st quarter and the 2nd one was the record breaker. Mark Hsu of San Jose held the record previously with 29 in 1993. This is where I would normally expound on what happened with respect to the playoffs and such, but that's been covered in the forums and I'm still behind on the blog, so I'll just cut to the chase.

Force 23 Wranglers 6...Glen Hampton finished the game with 9 catches, 3 for TDs and 251 yards as he continues to push the receiving record to new heights. Thomas Jacobi threw for 469 yards in all, but also threw 4 INTs. Arizona couldn't take advantage of the gifts though, and the Force hold on for the win to go with Hampton's records.

Gamblers 38 Outlaws 10...Tony Dean threw for 408 yards and 5 TD passes as Houston beats Oklahoma to clinch the Southwest. Jett Black caught 5 for 211 yards and a TD while Donald Turner caught 2 TD passes and 178 combined yards. The Gamblers defense was strong, forcing a pair of turnovers as Houston built a 28-0 lead. Oklahoma committed 5 turnovers in all, 4 INTs as Houston made it known the division still belongs to them.

SaberCats 19 Express 15...Los Angeles scored first on a safety, sacking Jake Plummer in the end zone, then following an exchange of FGs, David Tavarez fired a 26 yard TD pass to Corey Gibbons. That gave Los Angeles a 12-3 halftime lead that Plummer cut to 12-10 with a 19 yard pass to Harold Marshall to start the 3rd. Los Angeles added a FG, then so did San Jose, making our score 15-13 Los Angeles early in the 4th. San Jose had a chance at the lead in the middle of the 4th but the 36 yard FG was no good. They got the ball back at their own 18 with less than 5 minutes to play, and Jake Plummer led a 14 play, 82 yard TD drive. David Hartwig plunged in from the 1 yard line with 12 seconds to play to give San Jose the come from behind win to remain undefeated.

Steamer 23 Renegades 6...In a possible playoff preview, it was Orlando gaining the yards and Shreveport turning them over and playing ball control. Trey Lyons completed 24/50, 288 yards and 4 INTs for Orlando, and Jose Rush lost a fumble as the Renegades turned the ball over on each of their first 3 drives. One turnover gave the Steamer an instant red zone possession which George Marcil turned into a TD pass, then later in the 1st, Herbert Young had a 75 yard TD run. Shreveport led 17-0 after 1 and they rode that wave to victory.

Gold 30 Wheels 13...This game was an INT contest between 3 QBs. Detroit threw 5, 3 for starter Gabriel Flanagan and 2 for backup Ricky Copeland in just 7 passes. I still don't get why Detroit almost always sees their backup QB play, it probably costs them a game or 2 a season. Denver QB Andrew Brewer threw 4, to win the individual competition. In between all the turnovers, Brewer threw for 306 yards and 2 TDs and the Gold RBBC ran for 142 as Denver halts Detroit's 7 game winning streak.

Federals 19 Stars 3...Tristan Arnold led Washington to a TD on their opening drive and Steve Jones booted 4 FGs as Washington beat their rivals from Baltimore. The Federals defense allowed the Stars just 106 total yards and 4 first downs all game long as they get 1 step closer to winning the Atlantic.

Thunderbolts 20 Generals 19...New Jersey had 479 yards of offense and made 5 red zone trips, but they were undone by several mistakes. The Generals got just 2 TDs from those 5 red zone trips as Don Ferguson threw 4 INTs. Usually reliable K Al Borland missed a pair of FGs and an XP, Despite all of that, New Jersey had the lead at the 2 minute warning 19-14. John Crisp changed that with a 58 yard TD pass to Ferdinand Lee, giving Cleveland a 20-19 lead after the 2 point try failed. Ferguson got New Jersey in position for a 54 yard FG try at the gun but Borland missed wide right, and Cleveland gets the win.

Storm 24 Panthers 0...Melvin Driggers threw for 243 yards and 2 TDs while Jeffrey Frost ran for 73 yards and a score to lead Portland over Michigan. The Storm defense held the Panthers to 134 total yards and the Panthers never threatened to score as Portland's playoff push continues.

(NY) Stars 48 Blitz 24...New York continued their aerial assault as this was their 3rd straight game without a rushing attempt. Damien Oleary threw 83 passes, 4th most in history, completing 48 for 611 yards, 6 TDs and 4 INTs. Albert Olson and Nathanael Allen caught 11 passes and 2 TDs each, with Olson gaining 274 yards, Allen 100. Ronald Brown (35/61, 322 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) and Ian Gordon (5-205-2) tried to keep Chicago in the game, but they couldn't quite keep up with New York as the Stars win a shootout.

Showboats 26 Gunslingers 4...If anyone follows scoragami, we have a new entry as I'm pretty sure this is the first time someone has scored 4 points in a game. Steve Ransome ran for 108 yards for Memphis and Erik McNamee threw 2 TD passes, but he was also sacked in the end zone twice to account for San Antonio's point production. Memphis scored on all 5 red zone trips, though 3 were FGs while the Showboats defense allowed just 205 yards and intercepted Robert Fanelli twice.

Blazers 13 Hawaiians 10...Florida's RBBC ran for 124 yards but the passing game struggled as Honolulu led 7-6 at the half. Florida had scored first with a pair of FGs, but Edwin Clarkson led a 2 minute drill for a TD to take that halftime lead. Florida QB Willie Graham had 173 yards passing and 2 INTs, with 63 coming on one play. Graham's 63 yard TD pass to Douglas Jordan gave the Blazers a 13-7 lead. Honolulu got within 13-10 with a 4th qtr FG by David Owen and had a chance to tie inside the 2 minute warning. Owen was wide right on the 54 yard kick and Florida ran out most of the rest of the clock for the win.

Bulls 23 Sun 9...Tyron Bailey ran for 85 yards and Derek Joyce threw 2 TDs as Jacksonville led 17-9 after 3 quarters. Sean Ogden tried to bring Southern California back, but he threw two INTs in the final 3 minutes, allowing the Bulls to tack on a FG each time. The Jacksonville win keeps them alive for the playoffs.

Stallions 20 Hornets 13...Charlotte had 489 yards of offense and made 5 red zone trips, yet only had 13 points to show for it, thanks to several mistakes. Jeremy McDonald led the Hornets down the field on their opening drive only to be intercepted in the end zone. On Charlotte's second drive they once again drove deep in the red zone only to end up missing a FG, for zero points despite 153 yards of offense. Meanwhile, Norman Maldonado led a pair of long TD drives, finishing the first one with a 12 yard score to Robert Lerma. The second drive consisted of one play, a 77 catch and run TD pass to Joseph Oliver and Birmingham led at the half 14-0. The second half scoring started with 3 FGs, 2 by Charlotte to make the score 17-6 Stallions after 3. Early in the 4th McDonald was intercepted for the 2nd time, leading to a Birmingham FG to extend the lead to 14 points. McDonald would bounce back with a 50 yard TD to Randall Liles and the Hornets last drive got inside the red zone before the clock ran out, leaving Charlotte 7 points shy.

VooDoo 20 Invaders 6...Scott Stillings was recently signed by New Orleans and the 13 year vet ran 20 times for 92 yards, adding 23 receiving for over 100 combined yards, impressive given he's had a season off. VooDoo QB Ellis Soza threw for 223 yards and a TD while the New Orleans defense held Oakland to 130 yards. New Orleans scored the first 20 points of the game before the Invaders booted FGs their last 2 drives to avoid the shutout.

Bandits 16 Maulers 15...Through 3 quarters this was a 7-6 game, with Tampa Bay getting their 7 on a Dwayne Byrd 7 yard TD pass to Willie Dubreuil. Pittsburgh took a 9-7 lead on Brett Bowman's 3rd FG with 9:06 to play and that was our score until the 2 minute warning. That's when Edward Walter booted a 32 yard FG to give the Bandits a 10-9 lead. It didn't take Paul Marcum long to answer and his 45 yard TD to Arthur Thompson gave Pittsburgh a 15-10 lead after the 2 point try failed. Dwayne Byrd completed less than half his passes today and he threw 2 INTs, but he led the Bandits down the field and into the end zone with a 46 yard TD pass to Garry Fowler. Their 2 point try failed as well, and we now had a 16-15 game with 1:23 to play after the 3 scores within a minute. Pittsburgh had plenty of time but Marcum was intercepted and Tampa Bay ran out the clock for their 2nd win of the year.

Bell 26 Breakers 20...Philadelphia and Boston combined for 806 yards but a pair of lost fumbles helped the Bell get out to a 16-0 lead. Boston won the toss and elected to receive, but Anthony Wade fumbled, giving Philadelphia an instant red zone opportunity. Two Jamie Epperson runs later and the Bell led 6-0 after the XP missed. The next kickoff was a touchback, but Ralph Harris fumbled to give the Bell the ball at the Breakers 30. Jamie Epperson, who ran for 106 yards today, scored his 2nd TD on the ground, increasing the lead to 13-0. Boston quit turning the ball over after that, and Harris made up for that fumble with a TD run, narrowing the gap to 16-7 at the half. early in the 4th, Boston had clawed to within 19-17, but Sidney Maggard found Craig Hines for a 79 yard TD to extend the lead. Boston would get within 6 points with a FG and their last drive began with 2:09 on the clock. Larry Henderson led the offense down the field and they were so close to scoring, but Anthony Wade was tackled at the 1 yard line as time ran out as the Bell literally hang on for the win.

Week 13: 3,000 Receiving Yards For Hampton

 Glen Hampton broke the single season receiving yards record with his first catch of the game, then followed it up with a TD reception 2 plays later. Hampton finished with exactly 200 yards and 2 TDs, pushing the new record to 3,019 yards and counting. His 2 TDs give him 28 for the season, 1 short of Mark Hsu's record of 29 set in 1993. The receiving mark was set at 2,113 yards by New Orleans WR Thomas Canale in our league's first season in 1974. The next season, San Antonio's Donnie Baker raised the bar to 2,223 only to see Oklahoma's Dusty Heckman post 2,548 yards in 1976. Heckman's mark stood until Mark Hsu's 2,745 in 1993 while Hsu only held the record until Albert Olson had 2,835 last year. Who knows how long we'll be in version 4.6, but it's pretty safe to say Glen Hampton will keep this record for awhile.

I have been keeping you guys up to date on the playoff races in the league forum, and I'm still behind, so I'm going to concentrate on the game itself and stats.

Stallions 38 Force 34...Glen Hampton set the record with the help of QB Thomas Jacobi, who threw for 422 yards, 4 TDs and an INT in leading Georgia to 34 points. The Force defense allowed 501 yards to Birmingham though, as Norman Maldonado completed 23/32, 393 yards and 3 TDs with Joseph Oliver catching 2 of the scores. Oliver finished with 193 yards on 6 catches and RB Francis Schultz ran for 101 yards and 2 scores to lead the Stallions to a wild win over Georgia. 

SaberCats 21 Gamblers 15...I wish I had more time to write about this heavyweight fight. These teams are offensive juggernauts at times, capable of hitting big plays but those were hard to come by today as both defenses brought their "A" games. Tony Dean and Jake Plummer each threw a first half TD pass and we were tied at 7 after 30 minutes. The Gamblers defense gave Houston the lead when Allan Schulte sacked Plummer in the end zone. Earl Castro booted a pair of FGs, extending the Houston lead to 15-7. Jake Plummer got San Jose within 15-13 on a 20 yard TD pass to Dave McEntee with 1:01 to play. David Hartwig ran in the 2 point conversion and we were headed for OT. In the extra session, Houston had LT Greg Locke in at FB and he fumbled after a reception, giving the SaberCats the ball near midfield. San Jose drained the clock and Rodney Richardson's 5 yard TD run gave San Jose the win to improve to 13-0.

Gold 27 Storm 15...Max Ellis had 2 TD runs, Andrew Brewer threw for 265 yards and a TD while the Denver RBBC had 140 yards on the ground to lead Denver to victory over Portland. Denver's defense held Portland to 204 yards until they struck for an 80 yard Melvin Driggers TD pass to Richard Robinson on their final drive. 

Renegades 16 Blazers 13 (OT)...Orlando and Florida have been battling for the Southeast division all season and this game certainly was a fight. Through 4 quarters, each team had 1 TD and 2 FGs, so we needed overtime. Orlando got the ball first in OT and punted then Florida went backwards before they punted. Orlando punted again and so did Florida, after also going backwards. The Renegades kept getting better field position thanks to the Blazers going backwards, and they were able to drive into FG range where Scott Mueller's 40 yard FG at the gun gave Orlando the win.

Federals 49 Bandits 43...Tough to be brief with this game. Dwayne Byrd got the start again for Tampa Bay and he finished with 491 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. Byrd had the Bandits out to a 30-7 lead in the 2nd qtr and the halftime score was 40-21 as Luis Dean caught all 3 Byrd TD passes as part of his 10 catch, 242 yard game. Tristan Arnold brought Washington back, throwing 5 TD passes and 446 yards, although 3 INTs hurt. The Bandits actually scored first in the 3rd qtr, extending their lead to 43-21 before the Federals scored the last 28 points the hard way, 3 TDs with 2 XP, a 2 point conversion to go with a pair of FGs. Byrd had the Bandits driving toward a score at the end of the game but the clock ran out on them as Washington holds on for the wild, come from behind win.

Wheels 34 Blitz 18...Gabriel Flanagan threw for 319 yards and 4 TDs to lead Detroit to their 7th straight win. This win was especially important as the Wheels are chasing the Blitz for the Midwest division title, and Detroit now finds themselves 1 game behind while also putting pressure on the wildcard teams.

Maulers 15 (NY) Stars 12 (OT)...New York threw every down again as Damien Oleary completed 42/65 for 360 yards and an INT. Albert Olson caught 9 for 158 yards but all of this passing didn't help the Stars cross the goal line as they settled for 4 Ed Jetton FGs today. Pittsburgh QB Paul Marcum didn't throw a TD pass either, but he completed 20/23 for 193 yards and he led a short TD drive after New York lost a fumble on the opening drive. The XP was no good but Brett Bowman made 3/4 FGs to help Pittsburgh upset New York.

Generals 20 Breakers 0...Don Ferguson threw for 348 yards and a TD to Kurt Cobain and the Generals defense pitched a shutout as New Jersey marches toward the East division title. Cobain caught 11 for 105 yards and the aforementioned TD, and he also led the Generals rushing attack with 80 yards. The defense forced no turnovers but they did force a punt after every drive except the last one, when Boston turned it over on downs. Good thing the Generals defense was so stingy given their red zone struggles and 2 missed FGs by former All Pro kicker Al Borland.

Steamer 31 VooDoo 9...George Marcil only completed 10/16 for 186 yards, but he threw 3 TD passes to 0 INTs, leading the Steamer to victory. The Shreveport defense intercepted Ellis Soza 3 times and held them to a pair of FGs in 2 red zone trips. New Orleans kept the ball 34 minutes, yet it was Shreveport controlling the game on the ground as Guillermo McDaniel ran for 117 yards and a TD.

Wranglers 16 Thunderbolts 13...Cleveland started John Crisp at QB again but the turnovers continued for the Thunderbolts as they lose their 5th in a row. Crisp threw 2 INTs and was just 1/3 in the red zone while Cleveland runners lost 2 fumbles. Arizona QB Brian Carmichael threw 2 TD passes, and his 4 yard TD pass to Adam McClure early in the 4th was the game winning TD.

Hornets 16 Outlaws 10...These long suffering franchises find themselves playing each other in a meaningful, late season game for the first time in awhile. Charlotte rookie RB Kenneth Olson only ran for 39 yards today but he caught 7 passes for 171 yards and a TD, including a 73 yard TD at the beginning of the 2nd qtr. Oklahoma tied it on a Gene Collins 25 yard TD run, then the Hornets out kicked the Outlaws 3 FGs to 1 the rest of the game. Charlotte keeps the pressure on Washington in the Atlantic while the Outlaws loss opens the door for the other wildcard contenders.

Bulls 34 Stars 10...Derek Joyce threw for 303 yards and 3 TD passes as Jacksonville got out to a 34-0 lead. WR William Morrison caught 6 passes for 147 yards and 2 TDs to pace the offense while the Bulls defense made life rough for Baltimore. The Stars only turned the ball over once but the running game produced 1 yard on 19 carries and Stephen Ponder completed just 14/33 passes, as the offense did nothing until they were down 34-0.

Sun 20 Invaders 10...Southern California QB Sean Ogden's day started out bad, but he would bounce back to throw for 303 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Sun to victory. Oakland got a FG on their opening drive, then an Ogden INT gave Oakland the ball near midfield. Andrew Moreno promptly threw a 48 yard TD pass to Donald Hart for a 10-0 lead. Ogden then led the Sun to TD drives of 75 and 91 yards, taking a 14-10 lead in the 2nd qtr. RB Matthew Tipps didn't score for the Sun but he had 194 combined yards on 57 rushing and 137 receiving, leading the team in both. The Sun defense kept the Invaders scoreless after the long TD pass and added a pair of 2nd half FGs for the win.

Panthers 30 Bell 29...These former playoff teams are struggling in 1996, but they had an exciting back and forth game today. Philadelphia had 467 offensive yards but only got in the red zone once, getting two long TD passes from Sidney Maggard and 5 Steve Matthews FGs to take a 29-17 lead with 3:39 to play. Will Allison then led Michigan to a TD at the 2 minute warning with a 13 yard pass to William Hutchings. The Panthers recovered the onside kick and Allison drove the offense toward the end zone again. With 0:12 left, Allison found Hutchings again for a 2 yard TD pass. The 2 point conversion was no good, but with 13 points the final 2 minutes, Michigan gets the come from behind victory.

Express 28 Showboats 24...Memphis started out slow before Erik McNamee led two long scoring drives in the 2nd qtr to take a 17-13 halftime lead. The first drive was a 1 play, 93 yard TD pass to Paul Davis and the second score was 43 yards to Thomas Ballard. Memphis continued the momentum in the 3rd qtr as McNamee found Mark Glenn for a 76 yard TD pass to extend the lead to 24-13. Los Angeles came back with a pair of David Tavarez 4th qtr TD passes for the come from behind win to put a damper on the Memphis playoff hopes.

Hawaiians 14 Gunslingers 10...There wasn't a whole lot of yards today, but once they got into the red zone, they scored. San Antonio got on the scoreboard first with a 53 yard FG in the 1st, then Phillip Wood ran in an 11 yard score in the 2nd to give Honolulu a 7-3 lead. RB Roy Johnson had 5 yards rushing on 5 carries today, but one resulted in a short TD in the 3rd as the Gunslingers retake the lead 10-7. RB Anthony Davis led the Hawaiians in rushing with 88 yards, and receiving with 78 yards on 7 catches. Davis caught a 19 yard TD pass from Edwin Clarkson late in the 3rd and the defense held firm in the 4th for a Hawaiians victory.