1990 Week 3

 Hawaiians 30 Maulers 23

Honolulu out gained Pittsburgh 436-244, but committed 4 turnovers to just 2 for Pittsburgh, and they found themselves trailing late in the 4th quarter. The Maulers led 10-7 at halftime and we were tied at 13 after 3 quarters. Honolulu struck first in the final quarter, taking the lead on a 26 yard TD run by Emanuel Adams. Pittsburgh would kick a FG, then Jim Morrison stripped the ball from Frank Swanson after a pass completion and returned it 27 yards for the go ahead TD. Honolulu would tie the game at 23 with a FG, then QB Derek Henry found Brian Vizcarra for a 65 yard TD to give the Hawaiians the win.

Each team had a RB top 100 yards as Pittsburgh's Allan Garcia had 101 while Honolulu's Robert Schuler had 102.

Bulls 17 Steamer 13

The box score is almost a mirror image down the line as the stats were eerily similar. There wasn't much scoring action in this game as Jacksonville held a 10-7 halftime lead that carried through a scoreless 3rd quarter. The stat king for Shreveport was WR Cedric Reynolds (7-124-1) but it was James McMahon that caught the go ahead TD in the middle of the 4th from Edgar Jones to give the Steamer a 13-10 lead. Jacksonville would follow that drive with a missed FG and a punt inside 2 minutes left, but Shreveport couldn't quite drain the clock, punting the ball back to Jacksonville with 0:18 left. QB Joseph Serio fired a 48 yard TD pass to William Morrison who crossed the goal line with 0:06 left to allow Jacksonville to steal a win from Shreveport.

Express 22 Sun 15

This is the 3rd of our 4 one score games this week, and this one was not as dramatic. Los Angeles held a 12-7 lead after 3 quarters of action thanks to a TD and 2 FGs. Extra points are an adventure for the Express as K Mario Price is just 1/3 on the season despite being 6/8 on FG tries including nailing all 3 tries from 50+ yards. Southern California got a 1 yard TD run from Nicholas Wittrock early in the 4th and a successful 2 point try gave the Sun a 15-12 lead. Los Angeles answered on their very next play, hitting a 75 yard catch and run TD from Joe Richardson to Erin Zimmer, and Price made his first XP for a 19-15 Express lead. Price would add a 53 yard FG to give us our final score of 22-15 Los Angeles.

Federals 33 Blazers 25

This game featured lots of yards and turnovers, as Washington out gained Florida 468-356 while committing 4 turnovers to 2 for the Blazers. Two defensive scores for Washington ended up being the difference in the game. Washington led 24-19 at halftime as Scott Bieber threw 2 of his 3 TD passes and Billy NcCaa returned an INT 21 yards for a TD. Florida got within 24-22 in the 3rd qtr before Bieber tossed his 3rd TD, a 75 yard pass to Matthew Cuevas to take a 31-22 lead. Florida would get within 6 on Gerald Harmon's 4th FG, but they were held scoreless thereafter. The final score of the game came on a safety when Washington's Elwood Valdez sacked Sidney Maggard in the end zone.

Florida's Robert Romero ran for 107 yards with a TD and WR Ray Parker caught 6 for 112 and a TD. Washington was led by Scott Bieber's 366 yards and James Dunn's 140 combined yards and a TD. 

Storm 24 Panthers 15

Michigan played our Champs tough, staying within 10 points until the 2 minute warning. Portland WR/RB Timothy Roquemore ran for 153 yards and 3 TDs, including a 33 yard run at the 2 minute warning to give the Storm a 24-7 lead. Michigan would answer with a TD and a 2 point conversion but that was too little, too late. 

Showboats 44 Outlaws 3

Memphis out gained Oklahoma 619-88, yet had no 100 yard rushers or receivers. QB David Allen finished 28/42, 355 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. Mark Lambers had 93 yards rushing and 31 receiving while teammate Val Smith caught 6 for 99 yards and adding 33 rushing yards. Arthur Devore finally had an average game, catching 5 for 50 yards.

Gamblers 16 Renegades 3

This was another mirror image box score game, except Orlando committed both of the game's turnovers. Renegades RB Ben Dehaven sat the game out due to injury and his replacement, Jose Rush had a combined 124 yards. Speaking of injuries, Orlando QB Elwood Savage had to leave the game due to a serious foot injury and is expected to miss several weeks. Houston didn't generate many yards, 223 for the game, but Ryan Dearing accounted for 130 of those yards (63 rushing, 67 receiving yards) and the game's only TD to help the Gamblers stay undefeated.

Bandits 21 Gunslingers 6

Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers tossed 2 TD passes to Garry Fowler and the Bandits defense kept San Antonio out of the end zone in the victory that keeps them undefeated. Fowler caught 4 passes total for 102 yards and those aforementioned TDs. Driggers currently leads the league in QBR thanks to his 11/0 TD/INT ratio.

VooDoo 49 (NY) Stars 19

Thirty years in the future (our present day) many people want to turn back the clock on the year 2020 and the New York Stars would like to turn back the clock to 1989. The nineties have not been kind to them so far, and New Orleans overcame 3 INTs by Bruno Wilson to paste the Stars. The VooDoo almost tripled New York's yardage total (683-232) thanks in part to sacking Stars QB Willie Bust 5 times. Bruno Wilson still managed a big game despite the turnovers, completing 32 of 63 for 485 yards and 5 TDs. His two favorite targets were Nicholas Dorey and Stanley Kerr. Kerr finished the day with 11 catches, 144 yards and a TD while CB Louie Perry was the leading rusher with 156 yards and 2 TDs on just 11 carries. 

Nicholas Dorey continues to pay huge dividends for the VooDoo. Dorey caught 5 passes for 199 yards and 3 more TDs, with a 2 point conversion to boot. That's now 9 TD on the season for Dorey, plus several conversions. 

Stars 24 Hornets 13

At times, Charlotte looks like a team on the rise, but to actually rise, they'll have to play better against Washington and Baltimore. Defensively, the Hornets did fine, forcing 3 turnovers and not letting the prolific Baltimore offense run wild. Offensively was a different story as QB Robert Ament threw 5 INTs and the Hornets only had 191 offensive yards. Despite all of that, this was a one score game all the way until Baltimore scored a TD with 4:30 left to finally pull away.

Generals 27 Bell 17

 

1990 Week 2

 We had 5 one score games in Week 2, leaving us with 9 undefeated teams and 9 winless teams. Memphis and New Orleans are tearing it up through the first 2 weeks as the Showboats are +94 in point differential and the VooDoo +81. To put that in perspective, the 3rd highest scoring teams, Michigan and Tampa Bay, have scored a total of 69 points. Our defending champions Portland have "only" scored 67 points but that defense is shutting teams down, giving up a massive 1.5 points a game.

Looking at some early stats, Memphis QB David Allen has a 13/2 TD/INT ratio, trailing only New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson in yards. Allen's QBR is 138.91, second to Melvin Driggers 141.20, thanks to his 9/0 TD/INT ratio. The rushing yards race is tight with 9 yards separating the top 3. Orlando has 2 of the top 7 including Ben Dehaven, who leads the league while New Jersey has 2 of the top 6. Memphis WR Arthur Devore leads the league in receiving yards with 430, and has a nearly 100 yard lead on second place James Hillis of Michigan. Boston's Randy Patterson has returned a kickoff for a TD in both games so far. Elwood Valdez of Washington has 4 sacks to lead the league and we have a 6 way tie for most INT with 3 each.

SaberCats 23 Federals 20

 This was one of 2 games decided on a last second FG. San Jose scored first as QB Jake Plummer found Glenn Kahl for a 14 yard TD pass for an early 7-0 lead. Plummer would finish 23/30, 283 yards and 2 TD. Washington QB Scott Bieber finished the game 26/45, 333 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT, and his first TD pass went for 58 yards to Ronald Matthews tied the game at 7. San Jose rookie WR Mark Hsu had a solid game after his 200 yard debut, finishing with 4 catches, 95 yards and a TD. The SaberCats kicked a FG before Hsu's TD catch, giving San Jose a 17-7 halftime lead.

Bieber's second TD pass came early in the 3rd qtr, a 30 yard pass to James Dunn to pull the Federals within 3. Washington had a chance to tie it, but usually reliable multiple All Pro K John Bazile was wide left on a 43 yard attempt early in the 4th. San Jose would kick a FG for a 6 point lead, followed by 2 Washington FGs and we were tied at 20 with 5:29 left. San Jose then ran off the remaining time on a 12 play 60 yard drive which ended in the 3rd FG for Robert Rodriguez, giving the win to the SaberCats.

Blazers 19 Gunslingers 17

 Florida out gained San Antonio 401-247, yet needed a last second FG from Gerald Harmon to come away with the win. Harmon kicked 4 FG on the day and the Blazers offense was led by QB Sidney Maggard who finished 22/34, 296 yards with a TD and INT. San Antonio got 2 TD passes from QB Willie Benge, the second one with 1:52 left to give the Gunslingers a brief 17-16 lead. Florida needed 5 plays to run the remaining time off the clock before Harmon's 50 yard game winning FG.

Thunderbolts 23 Blitz 17

 Perhaps this game isn't as close had Cleveland enjoyed better red zone success. The Thunderbolts out gained the Blits 396-324, but lost the turnover battle 2-0 and had just 1 TD in 4 red zone trips. Chicago scored first as QB Ronald Brown fired the first of his 2 TD passes as part of his efficient game. Brown was 29/37, 223 yards, and those 2 TDs. Cleveland QB Michael McGowan also tossed 2 TD passes, though he wasn't as efficient, going 30/44, 313 yards with 2 INT. 

Cleveland scored the next 10 points for a 10-7 lead they kept until late 2nd qtr. That's when Leon Rupe booted a game tying FG for a 10-10 halftime score. Cleveland scored 10 points in the 3rd but Chicago was driving as that quarter came to an end. Brown's 2nd TD pass cut the Blitz deficit to 20-17 early in the 4th, and there was no other scoring until a Bill Shepherd 35 yard FG at the 2 minute warning to give Cleveland a 23-17 lead. Chicago was driving at the end of the game, but needing a TD, they ran out of time at the fringe of FG range.

Renegades 20 Stallions 13

Both teams had success running the ball and completed less than 50% of their passes in this turnover free game. The big edge was 3rd down conversions, where Birmingham was 0-7 while Orlando converted 14-21, which led to a time of possession disparity. Birmingham jumped out to a 13-3 lead before the Renegade running game and defense took control of the game. Ben Dehaven ran for 86 yards and the game winning TD in the middle of the 4th qtr while Jose Rush added 84 yards. Mark Peterson rushed for 116 yards but it wasn't enough for the Stallions.

Bandits 38 Bulls 33

Wild game in Jacksonville as Tampa Bay scored 31 second half points to come away with a thrilling 38-33 victory. Jacksonville built a 20-7 halftime lead behind QB Joseph Serio's 2 TD passes. Serio finished the day 32/40, 418 yards and 3 TD. The Bandits started off slow, punting on their first 4 drives before finally scoring at the 2 minute warning of the first half on the first of 5 Melvin Driggers's 5 TD passes. Driggers finished 27/37, 401 yards with 5 TD, 4 in the second half.

Jacksonville scored the final points of the first half, but the 3rd quarter was all Tampa Bay. Driggers first TD pass went to Richard Miller and those guys hooked up twice more in the 3rd qtr and the Bandits added a FG for 17 unanswered points to take a 24-20 lead into the 4th. The Bulls would get within 24-23 on a FG, then Driggers to Miller struck a 4th time, giving Tampa an 8 point lead. Miller finished with 5 catches, 168 yards and 4 TDs. Jacksonville fought back within 38-33 but their final drive could not cross midfield, and the Bandits claimed the W.

Storm 37 Wranglers 0

The Portland defense recorded 5 sacks, none by you know who, and held the then ownerless Wranglers to 151 total yards. Following the game it was announced the Arizona Wranglers were taken over by Jaybird, as he looks to turn around the team after an 0-2 start. The Champs got a strong game from QB Oscar Willis, who tossed 3 TD passes to 0 INT. The Storm had 2 players top 100 combined yards, Timothy Roquemore (93 rushing yards with a TD and 57 receiving with another TD) and Jeffrey Frost (63 rushing, 58 receiving with a TD). 

Portland's 5 sacks were by 4 different players and the defense forced 2 Arizona turnovers.

Showboats 63 Sun 7

There was a solar eclipse in Southern California as the Showboats obliterated the Sun by 56 points. Total yardage was Memphis 694, Sun 144. Memphis turned the ball over 3 times or it would have been worse for Southern California. Memphis QB David Allen loves his new WR Arthur Devore, as Devore caught 7 for 267 yards and 4 TD.  Allen finished 26/39, 485 yards with 7 TD and 1 INT while Mark Lambert added 122 rushing yards. Memphis scored 47 first half points before cruising in the second half.

VooDoo 44 Wheels 3

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson threw 4 TD and 5 INT, though the Detroit offense couldn't take advantage of them. The Wheels running game had a flat tire as they had negative 22 yards on 19 carries. Nicholas Dorey is liking New Orleans so far as he had 3 more TDs today, all receiving as part of his 8 catch, 204 yard day. Stanley Kerr also had a nice day, catching 7 for exactly 100 yards with a TD, as Bruno Wilson passed for 440 yards when he wasn't throwing to Detroit's defense.

Speaking of QB, Detroit might want to prevent Gregory Skidmore from coming into the game, as he is 2/11 with 2 INT on the year.

Hawaiians 20 Express 9

Honolulu jumped out to a 17-0 lead thanks to a missed FG by Los Angeles and 2 INT by Express QB Joe Richardson. Los Angeles scored a TD early in the 4th to get within 20-9 but turned it over on downs the last 3 times they had the ball. Honolulu spread the ball around and held onto the victory to start the season 2-0.

Gamblers 31 Outlaws 12

Houston got out to a 21-3 halftime lead, then extended it to 31-6 before Oklahoma scored the last 6 points of the game. The Gamblers were led by Jett Black's 3 catches for 110 yards and 2 TDs. QB Tony Dean tossed 3 TD passes in all against 1 INT with 284 yards. Houston was all about the big play, as they averaged over 20 yards a completion and were 0-11 on 3rd down conversions.

Stars 44 Maulers 7

Both teams had 17 first downs and similar passing stats good and bad, but the scoreboard was not close at all. There were 11 total turnovers in the game, all but 1 interceptions. Jon Snow threw 4 INT for Baltimore while Pittsburgh QB Will Allison tossed 5 and backup Nathan Bustamante added 1. In between all the interceptions, Baltimore had the running game going strong while limiting the maulers to very little yardage. The Stars ran for 246 as a team with Knob Creek getting 150 of that (plus 25 receiving). The "Star" of the game for the Stars was WR John Warkentin who caught 7 passes, 4 for TDs and 154 yards. Mark Numbers also had 118 combined yards.

Generals 16 Steamer 6

New Jersey had red zone trouble and QB Ric Flair tossed 3 INT, but also had the only TD of the game on a TD pass to Cody Schiavo late in the 3rd qtr. New Jersey had two 100 yard rushers today, "Dr." Sam Beckett (17-123) and rookie Eric Davis (15-109). Shreveport ran the ball well but had trouble through the air as they could only manage 2 short FGs today.

Breakers 23 (NY) Stars 9

New York has owned the East the last 2 seasons but they find themselves at the bottom today, after an upset loss at the hands of Boston. The Breakers scored on offense, defense, and special teams as Randy Patterson returned a kickoff for a TD for the second consecutive week. The Breakers sacked New York QB Willie Bust in the end zone for a safety (Gary Kremer) and got 2 TD passes from QB Norris Thomas. The Breakers only completed 9/15 passes all game as they used ball control (45 rushes, 34:53 TOP) to keep the New York offense off the field.

Bell 20 Hornets 7

Limiting the passing game also happened with Philadelphia as they complete 8/9 all game long. They didn't quite enjoy a time of possession advantage but the Bell defense intercepted 2 of Charlotte's 48 pass attempts, committing zero turnovers of their own. Charlotte scored first, taking a 7-0 lead early in the second qtr, but Philadelphia scored 17 unanswered points in the second qtr to take a 17-7 halftime lead. The second half was uneventful with the only scoring being a Bell FG to extend the lead to 20-7. Charlotte had a nice last drive but the game ended with the ball at the Bell 2, so we never got to see the onside kick.

Panthers 37 Force 0

Michigan out gained Georgia 471-174 and scored TDs on their first 3 drives to seize control of the game. Panthers QB Adam Scales tossed 3 TD passes to James Hillis, who caught 4 in all for 209 yards. Scales had 405 yards in all and the Michigan defense intercepted Force QB John Brawley 3 times as they kept Georgia off the scoreboard today.

Gold 24 Invaders 10

The box score was pretty close for the most part, as Oakland had more first downs (20-18), yards (348-340), and turnovers (3 each). Denver had twice as many red zone chances as Oakland, which helped them score the game's last 24 points after the Invaders got out to an early 10-0 lead. Oakland RB Oliver Thomas was the only player to top 100 combined yards, as he finished with 80 rushing and 43 receiving with a TD. Denver had contributions from several offensive players as the Gold offense no longer seems to funnel through Peralta. 

1990 Week 1

We kicked off our 17th season of USFL/WFL football this morning as 31 teams look to take the World Bowl trophy from defending champions Portland. Six of sixteen games were decided by one score or less and we had two teams score 50 or more points, New Orleans (54) and Memphis (50).

Hawaiians 34 Panthers 32

The game of the week was in Honolulu, where the Hawaiians built a 24-6 lead after 3 quarters of football. Honolulu had 2 rushing TD's and a Derek Henry TD pass to Scott Stillings while building that lead. Michigan finally crossed the goal line in the 4th qtr on an Adam Scales 56 yard TD pass to James Hillis. Michigan WLB Paul Declue then intercepted a Derek Henry pass and returned it 34 yards for a TD to cut the lead to 24-20. Henry bounced back, firing a second TD pass to Scott Stillings for a 31-20 lead. Stillings ran for 83 yards and had 68 more receiving.

We were midway through the 4th at this point, and Michigan would add 2 quick Adam Scales TD passes. The first one went to Cory Martin with 5:03 left and the second one went to James Hillis just before the 2 minute warning. Michigan went for 2 points after each TD in the 4th qtr, converting 1 of 4, and the score was now 32-31 Michigan. It took Honolulu 2 plays to get to the fringe of Howard Bury's FG range, and he nailed a 54 yard FG as time expired to give Honolulu the victory.

Storm 30 Gold 3

Defending Champs Portland had little trouble knocking off Denver. The Storm defense intercepted Andrew Brewer 5 times and sacked him 3 times, none by Mark McKeon. Storm CB Kenneth Workman intercepted 3 of those 5. Portland WR Timothy Roquemore led the Storm offense with 65 rushing yards and 73 receiving with a TD.

Baltimore 21 New York 6

This was a rematch of last year's National Conference Championship Game as both Stars teams are seeing quite a bit of each other the last 2+ seasons. There were little offensive fireworks in this game as both defenses flexed their muscles. New York's defense wasn't quite as strong as Baltimore's, but they did keep them out of the end zone until late in the 4th quarter and forced 2 turnovers. Baltimore also forced 2 turnovers from New York and shut down their running game (17 yards on 11 carries). Baltimore also sacked New York QB Willie Bust 5 times, with Barristan Selmy getting 3 of those.

The score was 15-6 Baltimore with 5:54 left, when Jon Snow found Knob Creek for the game's only TD. The 2 point try failed, giving us our 21-6 final score.

Gamblers 26 Blazers 21

Florida had 17 first downs to 9 for Houston and the Blazers out gained the Gamblers 356-283, yet still lost the game thanks to 3 Sidney Maggard INTs. One of those INTs was returned 50 yards for a TD by Paul Sabella and while Houston was far from sharp offensively, they did not turn the ball over. The Gamblers were led by second year WR Jett Black's 116 receiving yards and a TD. Florida had the ball late with a chance for the win, but that final drive stalled just after crossing midfiled, enabling Houston to hang onto the victory.

Invaders 22 Wheels 17

This game featured 2 lead changes in the final 3 minutes. Detroit gave 3rd year QB Gabriel Flanagan a chance to start and he did not disappoint, going 26/32, 223 yards with a TD. The Wheels took a 17-16 lead with 2:41 left on a Kent Olden 58 yard FG. Oakland took the lead back on the next offensive play as Andrew Moreno found Nelson Martinez for a 75 yard catch and run TD. Martinez caught 4 passes for 152 yards and 2 TD today. Detroit got the ball 2 more times in the final 2 minutes but could not cross midfield.

Showboats 50 SaberCats 12

Memphis QB David Allen threw for 362 yards and 6 TDs (1 INT) as the Showboats rolled San Jose. San Jose tossed 5 interceptions today, 4 by Jake Plummer, and one by Tony Romo on his only pass attempt. SaberCats rookie WR Mark Hsu put his name atop the ROY list with 10 catches and 202 yards. Memphis was led by Arthur Devore's 5 catches, 163 yards, and 2 TDs. Thomas Saunders also caught 2 TD passes for the Showboats.

VooDoo 54 Breakers 14

Bruno Wilson had interception problems in 1989, but he got 1990 started on the right foot, throwing for 462 yards and 4 TD (1 INT). New Orleanss had 3 players top 100 combined yards: Stanley Kerr (30 rushing, 116 receiving), Magic Johnson (50 rushing, 80 receiving) and new acquisition Nicholas Dorey (27 rushing, 95 receiving). Dorey crossed the goal line 6 times today with 2 rushing TDs, a receiving TD and 3 two point conversion runs, quite the day for Mr. Dorey. Leonard Robles chipped in with 70 receiving yards and 2 TDs.

Express 12 Gunslingers 9 (OT)

Los Angeles scored first with a Joe Richardson TD pass to Patrick Alberto, but the XP was no good, so the lead was 6-0. San Antonio scored 3 FGs for a 9-6 lead that lasted until the final minute of regulation. That's when Los Angeles tied it with a FG and we were headed for extra football. The Express had 173 yards in OT, that has got to be a record, but they did everything they could to give the game to the Gunslingers. First OT drive, LA missed a FG and the next 2 drives ended with interceptions. The LA defense held the Gunslingers to three plays and out on their OT drives before the Express finally boot the game winner with 0:03 left in OT.

Hornets 30 Maulers 9

Charlotte out gained Pittsburgh 431-179 and were led by QB Robert Ament's 324 yards and 3 TD passes. The Hornets defense did not force any turnovers, but 7 three and out drives are just as effective. Harry Henry caught 4 passes for 86 yards and 2 TDs for Charlotte.

Bandits 31 Outlaws 13

Each team had a WR with a huge day, but Tampa Bay was the team to get more contributions from others as they rode a 21 point 2nd qtr to victory over Oklahoma. The Outlaws got 326 passing yards and 2 TDs from Shane Falco, with WR Leroy Jenkins catching both TD passes among his 4 for 195 yards today. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers tossed 4 TD passes and 355 yards with Thomas Whitley catching 4 for 212 yards and 2 TDs.

Oklahoma got within one score at the start of the 4th qtr, 21-13, but the Bandits scored the final 10 points to start off 1-0.

Generals 37 Bulls 17

New Jersey out gained Jacksonville 472-272 and broke open a close game in the second half with 20 unanswered points. Generals RB Sam Beckett was the only player with over 100 combined yards as New Jersey spread their yards around. "Dr." Beckett ran for 91 yards and added 4 catches for 12 yards and a TD. New Jersey QB Ric Flair threw for 299 yards and 3 TD.

Force 16 Stallions 3

Not much offense to talk about in this game as the teams combined for 395 yards. Georgia intercepted Birmingham QB Stephen Ponder 5 times, which led to all 16 of the Force points as they took advantage of short fields.

Steamer 16 Thunderbolts 10

Shreveport jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Cleveland tied it in the 3rd qtr. Rookie Cleveland K Brian Haworth missed 2 FGs which would loom large later in the game. Steamer RB orville Barker was the lone player to top 100 combined yards with 80 rushing and 24 receiving. Shreveport kicked 2 late FGs to take a 16-10 lead, then held on as Cleveland ran out of time with the ball at the Steamer 33.

Blitz 35 Wranglers 14

Chicago jumped out to a 17-0 lead before ownerless Arizona rallied to get within 20-14 on the first play of the 4th qtr. It was all Chicago after that, as the Blitz scored 15 unanswered 4th qtr points for victory. Blitz RB Jay Kinder had 178 combined yards and a TD while QB Ronald Brown threw for 292 yards and 3 TD passes.

Federals 37 Sun 3

Washington out gained Southern California 412-109 as they crushed the Sun. Federals QB Scott "Don't call me Justin" Bieber tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Joseph Andrews and WR James Dunn ran for 84 yards and added 72 receiving for 156 combined on the day. Washington CB Robert Sanderson got in on the scoring, returning an interception 47 yards early in the 3rd qtr to quell any comeback thoughts the Sun may have had.

Renegades 6 Bell 0

Orlando RB Ben Dehaven ran for 137 yards, adding 44 receiving to lead Orlando to the win in a defensive slugfest. Renegades RB Jose Rush chipped in with 78 rushing yards and the Orlando defense held Philadelphia to 151 total yards.

World Bowl XVI Portland Storms To Victory

1989 was a Stormy season in many ways, and the Portland Storm capped off the year by winning the World Bowl over the Baltimore Stars. Portland is where the league's most controversial player plies his trade, and after amassing a league record 71 sacks in the regular season, Mark McKeon had none during the playoffs. The Storm defense still played good enough to win all 3 post season games and QB Oscar Willis had a 7:1 TD:INT ratio this post season compared to his 28:23 ratio in the first 16 games.

Baltimore put up a good fight, but 3 Jon Snow interceptions were too much to overcome as they lose their second consecutive World Bowl. There is no shame in the Stars game however, as it's not easy reaching consecutive World Bowls and you'd think eventually they will win one.

Storm 34 Stars 20

One of these teams was going to capture their first World Bowl trophy, and the first quarter was a feeling out process. Six punts and no points in the first 15 minutes, but Portland was driving as we entered the 2nd quarter. Portland RB Alfred Gale got the scoring underway with a short TD plunge. Baltimore would march downfield on the next drive before tying the game at 7 with this 36 yard Jon Snow TD pass to Jeffrey Zimmer. Later in the 2nd, Jon Snow tossed his first INT, setting the Storm up just outside the red zone. Portland QB Oscar Willis had a mediocre regular season, but he has turned his game up a notch or two this post season. Willis wasted no time turning the INT into points, finding a wide open Fred Wink with a 24 yard TD strike. A second INT by Jon Snow allowed Portland to add a FG before halftime for a 17-7 lead.

In the 3rd quarter, Baltimore struck first. Jon Snow threw his 2nd TD pass, a 1 yard toss to Justin Coffey to pull the Stars within 17-14. Portland then went on a 15 play, 75 yard time consuming drive. Oscar Willis tossed his 2nd TD pass, a 6 yarder to Timothy Roquemore that made the score 24-14.

That was the score entering the 4th quarter, and both teams exchanged FGs, giving us a score of 27-17 Portland with just under 7 minutes to play. Jon Snow threw his 3rd INT, and 2 running plays later, Portland's Alfred Gale got his 2nd rushing TD, punching it in from the 2. That made the score 34-17, but Baltimore has the kind of quick strike offense that makes most leads unsafe. Portland's defense had other ideas, only allowing a harmless 50 yard FG inside 2 minutes to give us a final score of 34-20.

Portland WR Timothy Roquemore was named World Bowl MVP, and he'll be driving away in a brand new 1990 Chevrolet Corvette. Roquemore ran 19 times for 98 yards, and caught 5 passes for 52 yards and a TD. Personally, I would have given it to Willis, but according to the league page, the "vote" went to Roquemore. Maybe they can carpool to practice next year?

1989 Conference Championships

We'll crown a first time champion at the conclusion of World Bowl XVI, as the Baltimore Stars return after losing World Bowl XV to face the first time American Conference Champion Portland Storm. Baltimore jumped out to a huge early lead and bested their namesakes from New York while Portland overcame a 10 point 4th qtr deficit to prevail in OT over Memphis.

Storm 26 Showboats 23

Each team had just 1 loss on the season and were heavy favorites to reach this point of the playoffs. The game played out like a heavyweight boxing match, as both teams took the early part to feel the other team out before landing the heavy blows.

Memphis struck first midway through the 2nd qtr as Mark Lambert punched it in from 1 yard out, and Lambert also ran in the conversion for the 8-0 Showboats lead. Portland would answer that with a FG before David Allen found Willie Howland on a short pass that turned into a 66 yard TD after a missed tackle. Lambert followed with another 2 point conversion and the first half ended 16-3 Memphis.

The Showboats got the ball to start the 3rd qtr and David Allen promptly threw an INT. Portland took over at the Showboats 26 and 5 plays later, James Pritchard caught a 12 yard TD pass from Oscar Willis to cut the lead to 16-10. Portland would add a FG to make the score 16-13 Memphis after 3.

On the second play of the final quarter, Mark Lambert got his 2nd TD of the game, this one a 5 yard pass from David Allen, giving Memphis a 10 point lead. Midway through the quarter, Portland kicked a FG to get within 7, and they got the ball back with 6:23 left. The Storm went on a 10 play, 77 yard drive that took all but 1:14 off the clock, tying the score at 23 on a 24 yard Oscar Willis pass to Peter Jessee.

In the overtime period, Memphis got the ball first and drove into Portland territory before having to punt. The Storm were pinned at their 7 yard line and were forced to punt as well. On the Showboats second OT drive, the one Memphis weakness reared it's ugly head at the worst possible time. QB David Allen was intercepted by Antonio Wendel, setting Portland up at the edge of FG range. The Storm couldn't gain a first down, but no matter for Donald Dosch, as his 48 yard FG went through the uprights, sending the Storm to their first ever World Bowl appearance.

Baltimore 54 New York 26

Baltimore jumped out to a 17-0 1st qtr lead, increased that to 27-6 by halftime and added another TD at the beginning of the 3rd for a commanding 34-6 cushion. New York played them even after that but the damage was already done. Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 453 yards and 4 TDs, two of those to Jeffrey Zimmer (1st TD, 2nd TD). Zimmer caught 5 for 152 yards today and Mark "Puts Up" Numbers, did just that. Numbers ran 12 times for 65 yards and caught 3 passes for 143 yards and this TD, a 79 yard catch and run. Even little used WR John Warkentin got in on the TD act with this 45 yard effort.

It wasn't all offense for Baltimore, as they also scored two defensive TDs. The first one came just before halftime, as MLB Ronnie Fox intercepted Willie Bust, returning it 20 yards for a back breaking TD. The second one came late in the 3rd as Baltimore bull rushed Bust. Donald Ramsey got the sack and stripped the ball loose and Joseph Gerald fell on the loose ball in the end zone. Kicker Fred Boyce added 4 FGs for Baltimore.

For New York, Cam Dalton had 121 combined yards and this TD. Damien Bierman caught 10 passes for 67 yards and this TD.

1989 Divisional Round

Last year's final four was Houston, Michigan, New Orleans and Baltimore, with the Stars being the only one to make it that far this season. We're guaranteed to have a Stars team in World Bowl XVI as Baltimore hosts the New York Stars for the right to face either Portland or Memphis. Not much drama this round despite three intra-division games, as only one was decided by single digits.

(NY) Stars 16 Bandits 13

Tampa Bay did so many things right in this game, yet they still end up on the short end of the stick. The Bandits had 420 offensive yards to just 256 for New York, holding the Stars rushing attack to 11 yards on 12 carries. Tampa Bay averaged 5.76 yards per carry, converted 9/16 3rd down attempts and held the Stars to 3/11. Tampa Bay also possessed the ball 10 more minutes than New York and sacked Willie Bust 3 times. So how did they lose?

Bandits QB Melvin Driggers threw 2 interceptions today after only throwing 10 all regular season and K Edward Walter was wide right on a 52 yard FG try. Driggers' first INT came just before the 2 minute warning before halftime, setting New York up at the Tampa Bay 12 after Charles Bowles' 28 yard return. For most of the day, the Bandits shut down New York's main weapon Cam Dalton (10 rushes for minus 1 yard, 3 catches 24 yards), but he managed to punch it in from the 3 yard line for a 13-3 lead at the half for New York.

Tampa Bay started the 3rd qtr with a 13 play, 75 yard drive, capped by a Paul Meade 1 yard TD run to cut the lead to 13-10. Tampa's next drive got close to the New York red zone, but Driggers' 2nd INT of the game stalled the offense. The Bandits still trailed by 3 halfway through the final quarter when they embarked on another long drive. New York had pinned the Bandits at their own 9, but 15 plays and 89 yards later the drive stalled at the Stars 2 yard line. Walter made this chipshot FG and we were tied at 13 with just under a minute to play. Seemingly heading for OT, Willie Bust and the New York offense had other ideas. The Stars had all 3 time outs, but still needed 40-50 yards in less than a minute to get into FG range. First play was a 26 yard pass completion, clock stopped for a defensive pass interference penalty that was obviously declined. Next play was a 14 yard run, which would have made the FG 52 yards, so it was curious no time out was called. Regardless, Willie Bust found Damien Bierman for a 22 yard gain to set up Daniel Hall for the 30 yard game winning FG as time expired.

Stars 42 Federals 21

WR Robert Sullivan (12 catches, 149 yds, 1 TD) and the Washington offense got off to a flying start, as Scott Bieber found him for a 75 yard TD on the game's first offensive play. On Baltimore's second offensive play, the Federals thought they were about to seize momentum. Caleb Raley intercepted Jon Snow, but he was flagged for pass interference, allowing the Stars drive to continue. It continued all the way to the end zone, with Snow hitting Jeffrey Zimmer with a 9 yard TD pass. Washington would get a 57 yard FG from John "Money" Bazile to retake the lead briefly as Jon Snow found Knob Creek for a 47 yard TD and a 14-10 Baltimore lead. "Money" would boot a 53 yard FG just before the 1st qtr ended to make it 14-13.

Second quarter was like the first for Baltimore, as Jon Snow fired his 3rd TD pass of the day, this time a 5 yarder to Mark Numbers. Those two would hook up again on the next drive, this time for 63 yards and a 28-13 lead. Washington would not get closer than 14 the rest of the way as Jon Snow threw 2 more TD passes in the second half to give him 6 for the game. Snow threw for 414 yards, with Mark Numbers (5-133-2), Knob Creek (3-110-1), and Jeffrey Zimmer (10-96-2) the main beneficiaries. Numbers also added 79 rushing yards.

Storm 37 Gold 13

Everyone was waiting to see what McKeon would do in the playoffs after his record breaking 71 sack season for the Storm, but Portland GM Setherick backed off his controversial LB/DE as he recorded zero sacks. To the surprise of nobody, Setherick's team can still play lights out defense without their "gimmick". This was a tight game through 3 quarters with Portland holding a 20-10 edge entering the final quarter.

Denver's lone TD of the game came on their opening drive, with Richard Huff punching it in from the 2 for an early 7-0 Gold lead. Denver would hold a 10-6 lead as the first half wound down before Oscar Willis found his groove with WR Peter Jessee. They connected on a 63 yard TD to give Portland a 13-10 lead at the break. Late in the 3rd, the pair hooked up again, this time for an 85 yard score.

That made the score 20-10 Storm after 3, and Denver cut it to 20-13 before disaster struck 4 times. First, Gold QB Andrew Brewer tossed an INT to Kevin Bowen. Next play, Storm QB Oscar Willis tossed his 3rd TD pass of the game, this one 47 yards to Fred Wink. Next Denver drive ended with another INT by Brewer, which led to a 57 yard FG by Donald Dosch to extend Portland's lead to 30-13. Any hopes for a Denver comeback were lost when Denver Siegel fumbled rumbling toward the end zone. Alfred Gale put the icing on the cake with a short TD plunge, rendering Brewer's 3rd INT meaningless.

Portland WR Peter Jessee was the game's stat king, catching 7 passes for 187 yards and 2 TDs.

Showboats 35 Gamblers 6

It's been a quiet past few days on the message board as Memphis GM Infinity on Trial finally stopped burning bridges bashing the commish long enough to concoct a game plan to bash his divisional nemesis Houston. The Gamblers got on the scoreboard first with a FG and the first quarter ended 6-3 Houston. Early in the 2nd, Memphis WR/RB Mark Glenn ran it in from 6 yards out, and the 2 point conversion gave the Showboats an 11-6 lead. Late in the first half, Houston was driving for a possible score when Tony Dean was picked off. 

I would have liked to be a fly on the wall so I could hear the Memphis halftime speech because the Showboats came out of the locker room like they had bees in their helmets. Houston had 5 "drives" in the second half, covering 29 yards, minus 1 yard, 4 yards, 0 yards, and 9 yards...or in other words, punt, punt, punt, INT, INT. Offensively in the second half, the Showboats first 3 drives were all TD drives, covering 75 yards (9 plays), 95 yards (9 plays), and 66 yards (11 plays).

Former Houston RB Mark Lambert stuck it to his old team with that 48 yard TD run to make the score 24-6. Lambert ran 18 times for 196 yards and a TD, while teammate David Austin ran for 99 yards on 9 carries. As a team, Memphis ran for 358 yards, limiting David Allen's exposure in the passing game.

Houston would have liked to limit the exposure of Tony Dean this game, as he had a very un-MVP like 3 INT and just 110 yards. 

1989 Wildcard Weekend

Gamblers 14 Panthers 11

This was the 4th playoff game between these two teams, the last one was the 1988 American Conference Championship. Defense was the name of the game today, as there were 7 combined turnovers and just 2 TDs. Houston got the ball first and lost a fumble. Michigan was intercepted on their first drive before things settled down a bit. Tony Dean led Houston on a 13 play, 64 yard drive that ended on a 3 yard TD pass to Jett Black for a 7-0 Gamblers lead. The first quarter would end with that 7-0 score after Houston lost another fumble near the end. Michigan would throw another INT a few plays later, early in the 2nd and it was like deja vu from the first 2 drives.

Michigan finally got on the scoreboard with a 37 yard FG mid 2nd qtr and added another just before halftime to make the score 7-6 Houston at the break. In the second half, Panthers P Julius Horowitz did a great job of pinning the Gamblers in their own end of the field, leaving one at the 4 and two others at the 1 yard line. The second one led to a safety as Paul Declue sacked Dean in the end zone to give Michigan an 8-7 lead. The Panthers got the free kick and drove for a FG to extend their lead to 11-7 with just under 10 minutes to play.

Following an exchange of punts, Houston found themselves at their own 14 with 4:20 on the clock and needing a TD to take the lead. Nine plays later, Dean found Francisco Russell for a 1 yard TD pass to take the lead 14-11. Michigan had over a minute to work with but turned it over on downs after crossing midfield and Houston ran out the clock.

Nicholas Dorey had 178 combined yards for Michigan while Houston had a balanced attack.

Gold 24 Hawaiians 19

Denver never trailed in this game but they also never had a lead bigger than 9 points, so it was a close game throughout. Denver got the ball first and struck Gold quickly. Andrew Brewer found Richard Funkhouser on the 5th play from scrimmage with a 15 yard TD pass for the early 7-0 lead. Honolulu marched down the field on their first drive as well, capping it with a 2 yard TD pass from Derek Henry to Delmar Moeller to seemingly tie the game. Howard Bury missed the point after, leaving the score 7-6 Gold. Denver would also score a TD on their second possession, with Andrew Brewer hitting Matthew Kleusner in stride for a 14-6 Gold lead.

The first quarter would end with that 14-6 score and by halftime, the Hawaiians cut it to 14-12, thanks to two FGs by Howard Bury. The 3rd quarter was scoreless until 3:18 left when Jake Peralta made his presence felt. Andrew Brewer again hit the receiver in stride for a 43 yard TD to make the score 21-12 Denver. The Gold would later kick a FG to make it 24-12 before Honolulu made it interesting at the end. Derek Henry found Allen Grant behind the Gold defense and the 64 yard TD cut the lead to 24-19. There were just 29 seconds left however, and the failed onside kick sealed the win for Denver.

Federals 30 VooDoo 19

Washington got the scoring underway in the 1st quarter on the first of 3 Scott Bieber TD passes. Matthew Cuevas caught this 18 yard pass for the 7-0 Federals lead. Washington would add 2 John Bazile FGs for a halftime lead of 13-0 as the New Orleans offense sputtered to the tune of 4 punts and 2 turnovers.

The VooDoo held Washington scoreless in the 3rd qtr while booting 2 FGs to cut the lead to 13-6 heading into the final 15 minutes. The Federals would extend the lead to 20-6 on a Bieber 6 yard pass to Joseph Andrews. Following a three and out for the New Orleans offense, Bieber and Cuevas struck again. This 12 yard TD pass extended the lead to 27-6. New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson tried to bring the VooDoo back, and his 4 yard TD pass to Joe Daniels cut the lead to 27-13 with just over 8 minutes to play. New Orleans opted to try an onside kick, which failed . Washington would punt, then intercept a Bruno Wilson pass to set up a FG and a 30-13 lead with less than 4 minutes left. New Orleans would score again on a 6 yard Wilson pass to James Sheckler with just over a minute to play. The 2 point try and onside kick both failed, and that was essentially game over.

(NY) Stars 35 Generals 10

For the longest time, New Jersey had a stranglehold on both the East division and the National Conference, as they've been to a record 6 World Bowls, but those days are over. The New York Stars won the East in 1988 and 1989, and to add insult to injury, they eliminate New Jersey easily today, beating the Generals all 3 times this season.

New Jersey got the ball first, and that drive ended with a Ric Flair INT. Willie Bust took the ball and found Joseph Clark for the game's first score. Next NY drive, TD. Stars third drive, another TD. Stars fourth drive, you guessed it.

The Generals switched up their defensive plays in the hopes of stopping the Stars offense, but it clearly did not work. RB Cam Dalton ran for 177 and 2 TDs, and caught 6 for 67 more. Ernest Lynch added 70 rushing yards and 2 TDs as New York rushed for 256 as a team as they steamrolled the Generals.