1982 Week 13: Gamblers Set Scoring Record

The Houston Gamblers aren't settling for just breaking franchise records. Now they're after league records too.

James Connelly, Houston Gamblers

The Gamblers set a USFL/WFL record for points in a game when they stomped the Orlando Renegades, 101-10, to highlight Week 13 of the 1982 season.

The record for points in a game was formerly held by the Oakland Invaders, who defeated the Shreveport Steamer, 94-9, to open the 1980 season.

Houston QB Mario Valencia threw 10 TD passes, tying the league record set by Birmingham's Hall of Fame QB, Agustin Crook, in 1977 against the Georgia Force. Valencia's 158.33 QBR tied a league record held by many.

James Connelly rushed for 282 yards, which ranks No. 3 all-time behind Philadelphia's Jose Medina, who had a pair of 300-plus games in 1974. He averaged 20.1 yards per carry and had TD runs of 75, 11, and 55 yards.

Rookie WR Gabriel Ahrens had 283 receiving yards on six receptions (47.17 per catch), including TD catches of 50, 76, 80, 9, and 54 yards. Five TDs in the same game rank No. 4 all-time. Thomas Canale of New Orleans had seven in a 1974 game against Orlando.

The Gamblers led, 63-0, at halftime, and 84-0 entering the fourth quarter and rang up 955 yards of total offense.

In other Week 13 games:

• Robert Burns threw a TD pass to Michael Britt with 13 seconds to play, giving the Los Angeles Express a 16-13 win over the Baltimore Stars. Baltimore (6-6-1) still leads the National Conference wild-card chase by a half-game, but five teams are right behind Baltimore at 6-7.
• Denver drove from its 28 to the Oakland 2 in overtime, then Ralph Lopez kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Gold a 26-23 win over the Invaders that kept Denver within a game of Cleveland in the wild-card race. Denver MLB Michael Flores had 10 tackles and an interception.
• Robert Allison's 47-yard field goal on the game's final play lifted the Philadelphia Bell to a 16-13 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
• The Honolulu Hawaiians clinched their third consecutive Pacific Division crown when they scored two TDs in the fourth quarter to edge the Pittsburgh Maulers, 21-20.
• The Michigan Panthers tied a franchise record for victories in a season and pulled into a first-place tie with the Cleveland Thunderbolts atop the Midwest Division when they beat the Chicago Blitz, 24-6. The Michigan defense totally shut down Chicago after the Blitz kicked field goals on their first two possessions. The last 13 Blitz drives ended in 10 punts, two interceptions, and a missed field goal.

Coach Profile

trslick, Honolulu Hawaiians

Playing MFN since: 01/13/2016

trslick, Honolulu Hawaiians

Hometown(town,state): Longmont, CO, and a farm north of Abilene, KS
Current residence: Spend most of my time in Kansas because of health
Day job: MFN (I'm disabled)
Favorite teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, KC teams, KU, OU
Real life sports experience: Played on undefeated football team, two state baseball and two state track teams
Fantasy sports experience: Winning MFN championships
Coach's tip: I do everything my way. You don't have to do what everyone else thinks is the right way! Be yourself. You know how you want your team to play!

1982 Week 11: National Conference Playoff Logjam

With five weeks to go, the National Conference playoff chase has become very interesting.

George Grant, Baltimore (27)

Six teams are within one game of the final wild-card berth. The Tampa Bay Bandits (6-5) and Pittsburgh Maulers (6-5) are currently tied for that spot, but right on their heels are the surging Baltimore Stars (5-5-1), New York Stars (5-6), Birmingham Stallions (5-6) and Shreveport Steamer (5-6).

Baltimore has won four in a row, including Monday's 24-0 whitewash of the Atlantic Division-leading Washington Federals. Washington managed only 154 yards total offense, punted 10 times, and committed four turnovers. SLB George Grant led Baltimore's defense with six tackles and an interception.

The New York Stars, who have won three of their last four, pulled back into the race via a 9-6 triumph over the Stallions on Christopher Meade's 23-yard field goal with 6 seconds to play. The Stars drove from their 13 to the Birmingham 6 before Meade's game-winner. New York QB Edward Swofford completed 25 of 26 passes in his first start of the season. Rookie FS Fred Kyle had 10 tackles for the Stallions.

James Hooper's 39-yard field goal on the game's final play gave the Shreveport Steamer a 9-6 victory over the Georgia Force, Shreveport's fourth win in its last five games.

In other Week 11 games:

• Oscar Willis threw four TD passes and CB Cory Vargas had two of Portland's three interceptions as the Storm snapped New Jersey's nine-game win streak with a 31-19 victory over the Generals at Piscataway. Portland led, 31-10, with 7 minutes to go before a couple of consolation scores by New Jersey.
• Jacksonville QB Charles Evans threw for 386 yards and three TDs as the Bulls took a big step toward a second consecutive Southeast Division title with a 21-13 defeat of Tampa Bay. Evans threw TD passes of 87 and 30 yards to Thomas Canale (still going strong in his 12th season) as the Bulls overcame a 13-7 deficit during the game's final 7 minutes. Canale still holds the record for TD receptions in a game (7) he set in 1974, the league's first season.
• Honolulu WR Mark Moody caught four passes for 176 yards (44 per reception), including TDs of 75 and 88 yards, as the Hawaiians extended their Pacific Division lead to three games with a 24-16 win over the Michigan Panthers.
• Bruno Wilson's TD pass to Sterling Willis with 9 seconds to play lifted the New Orleans VooDoo to a 13-10 triumph over the Pittsburgh Maulers and a four-game lead in the South Division.
• The Houston Gamblers (10-1) topped the Detroit Wheels (4-7), 16-13, behind 110 yards rushing and 51 receiving from James Connelly. Houston's 10th win of the season is a franchise record and Detroit's seven losses is a franchise record.
• Charlotte WLB Thomas Allums intercepted three passes as the Hornets held off the San Jose SaberCats, 19-14. San Jose rookie RB Kenneth Anderson had 76 yards rushing and 105 receiving, including a 67-yard TD catch.

Week 12 Preview

The Jacksonville Bulls (7-3-1) host the Philadelphia Bell (7-4) in a battle of teams currently in control of their own playoff destiny. The Denver Gold (6-5) are at the Chicago Blitz (6-5) in a battle of teams desperately trying to control theirs. The Washington Federals (8-3) could all but clinch their second Atlantic Division title in three years with a win against the Maulers (6-5) at Pittsburgh. The Memphis Showboats (7-4) host the Tampa Bay Bandits (6-5) in another game with postseason implications.

Record Book

• Michigan Panthers punter Julius Horowitz dropped eight punts inside the 20 against Birmingham. That tired a USFL/WFL record set by Jeff Johnson of New Orleans (1980) and Richard Griffin of Orlando (1981).
• Denver WR Michael Sonnenberg accumulated 147 punt return yards on five returns during a game against San Antonio earlier this season. That ranks third all-time behind New Jersey's Chad Ochocinco (182, 1980) and Philadelphia's Howard Cardenas (155, 1980).
• There have been nine punt return TDs in the nine-season history of our league. Three have come this season—Sonnenberg, Charlotte's Jerry Roux, and Florida's Arthur Strickland.

1982 Week 10 Roundup: Midwest Race Heats Up

While some divisions in the USFL/WFL all are but wrapped up, with the leader running away from the pack, teams in the Midwest Division are just getting started.

Matthew Eno, K, Chicago

Chicago shut out Michigan, 19-0, pulling the Blitz (6-4) within one game of the Panthers (7-3). The Cleveland Thunderbolts (6-4) are tied with Chicago for second place following a thrilling (for them) 17-14 win over the Birmingham Stallions. And, the Detroit Wheels (4-6) are not dead yet, having recorded back-to-back wins over Cleveland and the Arizona Wranglers.

The Blitz forced four turnovers while committing none. Panthers QB Jerry Ruiz was intercepted three times in the final 16 minutes, twice by Chicago CB Rodolfo Madden.

Chicago kicker Matthew Eno booted field goals of 56, 53, and 53 yards and QB Eric Pierce threw a 25-yard scoring pass to WR Samuel Rutherford. Former league MVP Daniel McKee, now the backup to Pierce, has not thrown a pass all season.

The Midwest Division is the exception rather than the rule. Teams with three-game leads now include the Honolulu Hawaiians (Pacific), Portland Storm (West), Houston Gamblers (Southwest), New Orleans VooDoo (South) and New Jersey Generals (East).

In other Week 10 games:

• Cleveland's Gary Spence kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:59 to play and his Birmingham counterpart, Robert Moulton, missed from 28 yards out with 26 seconds to go as the Thunderbolts held on for a 17-14 win and moved into a second-place tie with Chicago in the Midwest Division.
• The Washington Federals hold a two-game lead over Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division after dumping the Maulers, 33-22. Washington built a 23-0 lead behind Matthew Minor's 13-yard interception return for a TD, but needed Joe Richardson's second long TD pass of the day to Allen Boyer to put the final nail in the coffin.
• The Tampa Bay Bandits pulled within a half-game of Jacksonville in the Southeast Division with their fifth consecutive win, 24-7 over the Orlando Renegades. Luis Gero fired three TD passes for Tampa Bay, which was 1-4 after five weeks.
• San Jose QB David Schmitt was 28-for-35 passing for 417 yards and three TDs as the SaberCats finished off a season sweep of the Southern California Sun, 44-10. One of those TDs was for 73 yards to WR Dusty Heckman, the 95th touchdown reception of Heckman's storied career. Heckman and Arizona's Cory Robinzine (94) are in a race to become the first player in league history with 100 TD receptions.

Week 11 Preview

First place in the Southeast Division is on the line when the Jacksonville Bulls (6-3-1) host the Tampa Bay Bandits (6-4). The New Jersey Generals (9-1), leading the East Division, host the Portland Storm (8-2), leading the West Division. The Michigan Panthers (7-3) travel to Honolulu to face the Hawaiians (7-3) in a battle of division leaders.

Coach's Profile

amalric7, Georgia Force

amalric7, Georgia Force

Playing MFN Since: November 2017
Hometown (town, state): Scotland!
Current residence (town, state): See above
Day job: Laboratory technician
Favorite teams (all sports): NY Giants (since 1984), LA Dodgers (2004), Vancouver Canucks (1993), Florida State Seminoles (1987), plus soccer teams over here I won't mention. No loyalty to any particular city's teams when you don't live in the U.S.!
A real-life sports experience: Seen Big Blue three times, twice over here and once at Met Life—last game of the 2017 season, win over the Redskins. Freezing cold but loved it!
A fantasy sports experience: Finishing third in my first-ever fantasy baseball season when a Yahoo technical update didn't allow me to insert a SP who would have won me the semi-final, and I would have walked the final! Also, made a 10-player blockbuster trade in a hockey league many years ago which netted me the Sedin twins, who promptly swept me to the title (if only they managed that IRL).
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Watch your future salary cap! More than once I've paid up for a bunch of guys in the last year of their deal, only to find I barely have enough cap space next season to sign my draft picks, never mind FAs.

1982 Week 9 Roundup: No More Unbeatens

The league's final undefeated team, the Houston Gamblers, are undefeated no longer.

Timothy Hall, WLB, Oklahoma

The Oklahoma defense shut out Houston for the first 54 minutes, limiting them to 218 yards and forcing five turnovers in a 23-7 Outlaws victory.

Houston QB Mario Valencia had perhaps the worst day of his storied career. He finished with a QBR of 20.45, being picked off four times and completing just 17 of 44 pass attempts. Oklahoma WLB Timothy Hall had two of those interceptions and DT Andrew Wu recorded three sacks. Outlaws RB Patrick Hiebert had a rushing TD and a receiving TD. Three of Oklahoma's five scoring drives began inside the Houston 40.

The Gamblers (8-1) were looking to tie last year's franchise record for victories in a season. Oklahoma (3-6), after a 1-6 start, has back-to-back wins over playoff contenders Houston and the Chicago Blitz.

In other Week 9 games:

• The Southern California Sun trailed Charlotte, 20-10, with 5:34 to play, but rallied to beat the Hornets, 27-20, and earn their first victory of the season. Two interceptions by the SoCal defense led to the last 10 points. The Sun were the league's last winless team.
• The Honolulu Hawaiians took a two-game lead in the Pacific Division by edging Los Angeles, 16-15, the fourth consecutive loss for the Express. Los Angeles drove from its 18 to the Honolulu 41 with 1:23 to play, but a fourth-down pass was knocked down by Honolulu's Eugene Holland and the Hawaiians ran out the clock.
• The Michigan Panthers have a two-game lead in the Midwest Division after Cleveland and Chicago both lost. The Panthers took care of business with a 10-7 win over the Georgia Force on John Bibler's 26-yard field goal with 2:45 to play.
• Shreveport RB Nolan Ring had 56 yards rushing and 132 receiving and James Hooper kicked a 55-yard field goal on the game's final play as the Steamer edged the Chicago Blitz, 16-13. Shreveport had lost five of its previous six.
• Tampa Bay rookie SS Clifford Swank was credited with 11 tackles during a 21-12 win over the Florida Blazers that vaulted the Bandits over .500 at 5-4.
• The Birmingham Stallions scored 17 unanswered points in the final 7 minutes to pull away from the Pittsburgh Maulers, 34-17. QB Nolan Loos tossed four TD passes. Birmingham rookie TE Mario Burton has 46 receptions and five TDs on the season
• Baltimore SS David Dangerfield made 13 tackles and intercepted two passes during a 13-7 win over the San Jose SaberCats.
• Memphis and Portland combined for 35 points in the fourth quarter before the Storm finally prevailed, 27-24. The teams combined for nine interceptions, two by veteran Storm CB John Borkowski. Memphis WR Jerome Betancourt had four catches for 154 yards (38.5 per catch), including TDs of 63 and 69 yards, and is averaging 23.4 yards on his 37 receptions this season.

Week 10 Preview

The Washington Federals (7-2) will try to defend their Atlantic Division lead over the second-place Pittsburgh Maulers (6-3). The Michigan Panthers (7-2) host the Chicago Blitz (5-4) in a big Midwest Division game. The Cleveland Thunderbolts (5-4) at the Birmingham Stallions (5-4) looks interesting and may have postseason implications for both.

Record Book

• Baltimore QB Fred Murphy, who completed 71 percent of his passes last year and had a 98.44 QBR, has completed 47 percent this season for a 41.93 QBR. Murphy, Oklahoma's Gene Nowlin and Portland's Oscar Willis are tied for the league lead in interceptions (19).
• Birmingham CB Kelly Acosta has intercepted 10 passes this season. The USFL/WFL single-season record is 13, set by Pittsburgh's Bradley Martinez in 1978.
• Memphis RB Douglas Donald tied a league record with four rushing TDs against Oklahoma earlier this season. Six players have scored four rushing TDs in a game (Pittsburgh's John Murray twice).

1982 Week 8 Roundup: Then There Was One

 It came like a Thunderbolt out of the blue.

The Cleveland Thunderbolts scored in ways both conventional and unconventional to hand the New Orleans VooDoo their first loss, 19-7, as the season reached the halfway point.

Cleveland CB Brady Kizer returned a fumble 33 yards for a TD and WR Jose Beamon returned a kickoff 96 yards for a TD. The Cleveland defense limited the VooDoo to 13 yards rushing as WLB Richard Randall made 13 tackles.

The New Orleans loss left Houston (8-0) as the only unbeaten team in the USFL/WFL. The Gamblers rolled past the Florida Blazers, 38-9. Cleveland (5-3) pulled into a second-place tie with the Chicago Blitz in the Midwest Division, one game behind the Michigan Panthers. The Thunderbolts were coming off a 13-10 loss to the San Jose SaberCats.

In other Week 8 games:

• Oakland RB Stephen Demmer had his second 110-yard kickoff return of the season as the Invaders surprised the Portland Storm, 17-7. No other player in USFL/WFL history has returned two kickoffs for 110 yards each. Portland (6-2) still holds a two-game lead in the West Division.
• Michigan CB Robert Kimball intercepted two passes and the Panthers forced 12 Birmingham turnovers in beating the Stallions, 26-14. The win enabled Michigan to take sole possession of first place in the Midwest Division.
• Washington RB Cory Martin ran for 239 yards and two TDs and caught a TD pass as the Federals whipped the Southern California Sun, 47-6. Martin's performance was No. 8 on the league's all-time single game rushing list.
• Jacksonville QB Charles Evans was 37-for-51 passing for 430 yards and four TDs as the Bulls outlasted the Memphis Showboats, 37-28. Memphis WR Jerome Betancourt caught five passes for 190 yards (38 yards per catch).
• The Denver Gold scored twice in the last 4 minutes, but New Jersey held on for a 30-25 victory that improved the Generals to 7-1. Stephan Labelle fired three TD passes and the New Jersey defense intercepted Denver QB Dustin Nichols four times.

Week 9 Preview

The Honolulu Hawaiians (5-3) carry a one-game lead in the Pacific Division into their game at Los Angeles (4-4). Division leaders meet when the New Orleans VooDoo (7-1) hosts the Washington Federals (6-2). The Oakland Invaders (4-4) are at the Denver Gold (4-4) in what may turn out to be a vital game in the West Division.

1982 Week 7 Roundup: Boston Makes 'Em Pay

Highlights have often been difficult to come by for the Boston franchise, but Friday will be a day Breakers fans remember for a while.

Boston's defense came up big time and again in the fourth quarter as the Breakers (2-5) stunned the Atlantic Division-leading Pittsburgh Maulers, 20-9.

William Putnam, K, Boston

The Maulers (5-2) piled up nearly twice the net yardage (362 to 188), and ran 84 plays to Boston' 53, but couldn't get the yards they needed late in the game. They gave the ball up on downs on four consecutive fourth-quarter drives.

Pittsburgh, trailing 10-9, decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from its own 23 with 8:10 to play. Boston DT David Brooks sacked Maulers QB Ryan Tate as he tried to scramble out of the pocket, ending that drive and setting up James Lightfoot's 16-yard TD pass to veteran WR William Ramsey that widened the gap to 17-9.

The Maulers went for it again on fourth-and-6, this time from their own 29 with 6:07 to play, and Eric Metcalf dropped Tate's pass. Four plays later, William Putnam kicked a 42-yard field goal that made it 20-9.

Reserve QB Scott Deal's fourth-and-1 pass from the Maulers 33 was knocked down by MLB David Burt with 2:43 to go. Pittsburgh's final drive moved as close as the Boston 14, but four consecutive passes ended that possession.

Breakers CB Charles Bowles and SS Earl Little combined for 21 tackles.

Boston had been 0-3 all-time against Pittsburgh, losing 37-13 (1980), 37-10 (1977), and 61-21 (1975).

In other Week 7 games:

• Los Angeles kicker Roger Ruzich missed two field goal attempts in the game's final 1:04 as the Honolulu Hawaiians escaped with a 13-10 victory and pulled into a first-place tie with the Express atop the Pacific Division. Ruzich, who had been 15-for-17 this season, misfired from 53 yards away with 1:04 to go and from 52 yards out on the game's final play. The Hawaiians had tried to give the game away by continuing the pass the ball with 58 seconds to play and a 3-point lead, and an interception by the Express set up Ruzich's failed final attempt.
• The Portland Storm seized a two-game lead in the West Division by shutting down the Denver Gold, 27-3. The Portland defense limited Denver QB Dustin Nichols to 184 yards passing and intercepted him twice.
• Mario Valencia threw for 409 yards and six TDs as the undefeated Houston Gamblers destroyed the San Antonio Gunslingers, 52-3. Gamblers WR James Connelly had 116 yards rushing and 146 receiving and rookie WR Gabriel Aherens caught three TD passes. Houston MLB Roderick Carver made eight tackles, intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble
• Oakland CB James Fraga was credited with 15 tackles, second-most in a single game by a player this season, but Philadelphia QB Roy Rhyne threw a 64-yard TD pass to WR Jim Nicholls and Robert Albertson kicked four field goals during the Bell's 19-7 victory.
• New Jersey rookie RB Magic Johnson ran for 114 yards and a TD during a 33-5 win over the Arizona Wranglers.

Week 8 Preview

The Memphis Southmen (5-2) at the Jacksonville Bulls (4-2-1) looks like an interesting matchup, as does the Denver Gold (4-3) at the New Jersey Generals (6-1) and the Birmingham Stallions (4-3) at the Michigan Panthers (5-2).

Record Book

• Ruzich may have been the goat Friday, but he kicked seven field goals against Pittsburgh earlier this season. That is one short of the league's single-game record of eight, shared by New Jersey's Dustin Henry and Shreveport's James Hooper, both in 1980.
• Houston's James Connelly had 334 total yards against San Antonio in Week 7, highest this season. and the most since Detroit's John Risinger had 449 against Jacksonville in 1979.
• Oakland Invaders RB Stephen Demmer returned a kickoff 110 yards for a TD against Houston earlier this season, tying the league record. There have been 16 110-yard returns in league history.

1982 Week 6 Roundup: Return of the Maulers

The Pittsburgh Maulers' long hibernation is apparently over.

QB Ryan Tate threw TD passes of 59 and 56 yards and Cliff Thomas rushed for 80 of his 145 yards on one carry as the Maulers improved to 5-1 by pulling away from the Southern California Sun, 24-3, in Anaheim.

Cliff Thomas, RB, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh won the first six Atlantic Division titles and appeared in World Bowl II, then missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

Thomas and John Murray have been stars from the day they were taken with the 10th and 18th round picks in the 1974 allocation draft. They have already combined for nearly 700 yards rushing and 350 yards receiving in six games. The Maulers rank sixth in the league in total yards allowed per game (248) as LDE Eric Read has five sacks, tied for fourth in the league.

SoCal rookie WLB Roderick Vanbrunt was credited with 11 tackles and intercepted a pass, but the Sun remained the league's only winless team.

In other Week 6 games:

• The New Orleans VooDoo (6-0) are one of the league's two unbeaten teams after shutting down the Birmingham Stallions, 17-2. The Stallions were limited to 117 total yards and avoided being shut out only due to a safety with just over 2 minutes to play. New Orleans RDE Jeffrey Alfaro had two sacks, WLB Paul Rivera made seven tackles and forced a fumble and CB Larry Ackman also had seven tackles. 
• Houston is also 6-0 following a 21-10 win over the Denver Gold. The Gamblers scored back-to-back fourth-quarter TDs on 88- and 81-yard drives.
• New Jersey CB Kerry Justin intercepted three passes, returning one for a TD, during the Generals' 30-9 dismantling of the Jacksonville Bulls. Justin has five pickoffs this season, tied for second in the league with Houston's Roderick Carver behind Birmingham's Kelly Acosta (7).
• Washington WR Allan Boyer caught nine passes for 224 yards and two TDs as the Federals stayed within a game of the Pittsburgh Maulers in the Atlantic Division with a 19-10 win over the Baltimore Stars.
• Charlotte RB Jerry Roux had 69 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards and a TD during the Hornets' 24-10 victory over the Georgia Force.
• Daniel Hall's 25-yard field goal with 9 seconds to play capped a 16-play drive and gave the Detroit Wheels a 12-10 win over the Los Angeles Express. Detroit rookie WR Billy Brink had 80 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards.

Week 7 Preview

The Denver Gold (4-2) will try to win at Portland (5-1) and force a tie atop the West Division. The Honolulu Hawaiians (3-3) would like to do the same with a victory over the Los Angeles Express (4-2). The Birmingham Stallions (4-2) are at Washington (4-2) in a battle of teams currently in second place in their divisions. The Philadelphia Bell (3-3) host the Oakland Invaders (3-3), two teams trying to stay above .500 and in the playoff race.

Coach's Profile

Cdog13157, Oakland Invaders

Cdog13157

Playing MFN Since: February 7, 2018
Hometown (town, state): St. Paul, MN
Current residence (town, state): Same
Day job: Student
Favorite teams (all sports): Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, OKC Thunder
A real-life sports experience: Not much, other than flag football.
A fantasy sports experience: MFN/fantasy football
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): If ur lazy like me, join more Rosters Only leagues than leagues with game plans.