Week 11: And Then There Were Two

 For the last several weeks, we've had 3 undefeated teams but that changed in Week 11 as the Honolulu Hawaiians not only handed the Baltimore Stars their first loss of 1990, they stay 1 game out of the playoffs. No team has officially clinched a spot, but it's almost certain that Portland will win the West, Memphis and Houston will be in, with one of those teams a wildcard, which leaves 3 spots up for grabs in the American Conference. The Midwest winner will get one of those, which currently leaves San Jose, Honolulu, and Oakland fighting for 2 spots. The Midwest is wide open, with Chicago currently holding a half game lead over Cleveland, but Detroit and Michigan are also within striking distance.

In the National Conference, Baltimore should still win the Atlantic unless they go on a losing skid, as they have swept Washington and have a 2 game lead on the Federals. New Orleans should at least be a wildcard if they don't win the South. They currently have a 3 game lead on Shreveport, but the Steamer and VooDoo play each other twice in the last 5 weeks, so this race isn't over. New Jersey should clinch the East soon, as they have a 4 game lead with 5 to play, but they have to play the undefeated Champs next, so any celebrations likely have to wait a week. Orlando currently has a 1 game lead on Tampa Bay in the Southeast, and whomever ends up in second will be in a wild wildcard race with Shreveport (or N.O.), Washington and Charlotte.

Hawaiians 30 Stars 21

Baltimore's offense put up some yardage on the Honolulu defense, but the Stars made way too many mistakes to remain undefeated. Jon Snow threw for 310 yards and 3 TDs, but also tossed 2 INTs and had a costly sack late in the game. Baltimore also lost 2 fumbles and missed 2 FGs. WR Jeffrey Zimmer caught 2 of Snow's 3 TD passes as part of his 7 catch 168 yard day. Honolulu QB Derek Henry threw for 232 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to WR Allen Grant as the Hawaiians played turnover free football. Baltimore found themselves down 2 points inside the 2 minute warning with the ball at their 2 yard line thanks to a William Stolz punt. Honolulu LDE Kevin Sanchez hit the sack trifecta, stripping the ball and picking it up in the end zone for the game sealing TD.

Storm 42 Bell 0

The Oscar Willis Redemption Tour continued this week, with Willis tossing 5 TD passes and zero INTs to lead the undefeated champs to victory. Willis spread the ball around, as no receiver had more than 72 yards and those 5 TD passes went to 4 different receivers, with Fred Wink catching 2. Timothy Roquemore did Timothy Roquemore things, running for 136 yards and adding 40 receiving with a TD.

Showboats 57 Outlaws 3

Memphis continues to roll despite a change in ownership, as David Allen continued his bounceback campaign. Allen, like Portland's Willis, had INT problems in 1989, but so far in 1990, he has a 41/10 TD/INT ratio after tossing 4 scoring passes today. Allen passed for 433 yards with Omar Jenkins leading the way with 142 yards and 2 TDs on 7 receptions. Mark Lambert ran for 75 yards and 2 TDs, adding 8 catches for 82 yards to help the Showboats hog the ball for 40 minutes. 

Gold 17 (NY) Stars 13

The teams combined for 483 yards in this defensive struggle as neither QB topped 200 yards. Denver's Andrew Brewer was efficient, completing 25/31 but for just 165 yards. Brewer did throw 2 TD passes, and his 3rd qtr scoring strike to James Riley broke a 10-10 tie, enabling Denver to win and stay on the fringe of the wildcard race.

Generals 15 Breakers 10

The last time the Boston Breakers defeated the New Jersey Generals was Week 16 of 1985. In the 4 season since, these teams have played 8 times with the Generals outscoring the Breakers 278-18. This isn't the same Breakers team though, as they gave the Generals all they wanted in a narrow defeat. Generals rookie RB Eric Davis ran for 113 yards and also caught a TD pass from Ric Flair as New Jersey took a 12-3 lead into the 4th. Boston would pull within 12-10 on an Edward Swafford pass to Nathan Fogle with just under 5 minutes left, but the Generals ran out most of the remaining clock.

Wheels 38 Steamer 30

When you think of offensive shootouts, Detroit and Shreveport aren't the teams you would normally think of, but they combined for 68 points and 921 yards. Steamer QB Edgar Jones completed 28/38 for 381 yards and 3 TDs and 1 INT. RB Orville Barker ran for 75 yards while also catching 10 passes for 53 yards. James Brown caught 6 for 203 and a TD. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan completed 21/30 for 316 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. Raymond White caught 3 passes, 2 for TDs with 159 yards. Detroit had a 35-30 lead in the 4th, when Shreveport decided to go for it on 4th down deep in their own territory just before the 2 minute warning. It failed, Detroit added 3, then the Steamer, down 8, started driving. They ran out of time at the Wheels 15 yard line.

Gamblers 46 Bandits 14

Coming into the game, Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers had thrown 10 INT in 10 games, but Driggers threw 5 more today. The Gamblers defense made life rough for Driggers, and Gamblers QB Tony Dean made the Bandits pay for their mistakes, tossing 4 TD passes. Francisco Russell caught 2 of those TDs as part of his 16 catch 80 yard day. Russell also rushed 20 times for 33 yards as he had an incredible 36 touches. Vern McKinney also booted 6 FGs as the Gamblers scored the first 46 points of the game en route to the blowout.

VooDoo 44 Stallions 3

Bruno Wilson tossed 4 TD passes against 0 INT in throwing for 449 yards (41/61 passing) to lead New Orleans to the blowout win. Nicholas Dorey had himself a game again. Dorey rushed 8 times for 31 yards and 2 two point conversions, adding 8 catches for 241 yards and 2 TDs. The VooDoo defense held Birmingham to 100 total yards and intercepted 4 passes.

Federals 48 Maulers 3

The Will Allison improvement stopped in this game, as he went back to throwing INTs, with 3 more today. Washington's defense was stingy all game long and QB Scott Bieber threw for 299 yards and 5 TD passes. James Dunn caught 1 of those 5 as part of his 4 catch 99 yard effort. Dunn would also rush 17 times for 131 yards and Robert Sullivan ran for 102. Pittsburgh GM jayusmc84 skipped the flight home and has not been heard from since.

Thunderbolts 19 Panthers 9

Michigan's playoff chances took a hit with this loss today, as the Panthers are now in last place, 2.5 games behind Chicago. A win would have meant a 3 way tie for second place, but 2 Adam Scales INTs ruined that. Cleveland forced 3 turnovers in all, losing one and QB Michael McGowan got the game's only TD with a 28 yard pass to Mark Howe in the 3rd qtr. Howe caught 5 for 109 today and Samuel Draper had 138 combined yards to lead the Thunderbolts.

Invaders 33 Wranglers 10

Oakland allowed Arizona 326 yards, but forced 3 INTs and had 493 offensive yards of their own in the blowout win. QB Andrew Moreno threw for 416 yards and 3 TDs, with 2 of those to Nelson Martinez. Those were his only 2 catches but they covered 153 yards and Thomas Gustafson caught 5 for 132 and the other score. RB Oliver Thomas had 124 combined yards as Oakland remains in the thick of the wildcard race.

Blazers 30 Force 14

The Bobby Morris era is over in Georgia, and while Thomas Jacobi didn't set the world on fire, the on field results at least weren't a dumpster fire. Jacobi tossed 2 INTs, but his 50 yard TD to Richard Donofrio late in the 3rd got Georgia within 20-14. Florida QB Sidney Maggard threw for 289 yards and 2 TDs to lead Florida to victory.

Sun 16 Gunslingers 13

San Antonio had a halftime lead of 13-6, but Southern California scored 10 unanswered points in the second half for the win. Wilmer Kimble fired a 3rd qtr TD pass for the Sun and William Peterson kicked 3 FGs, the last a tiebreaking 4th qtr 47 yarder.

Renegades 37 Bulls 9

Orlando QB Elwood Savage threw for 290 yards and 3 TDs, all to David King as Orlando had no trouble taming the Bulls. RB Ben Dehaven had a double hundo game, rushing for 113 yards with 105 receiving.

SaberCats 15 Hornets 3

San Jose forced Charlotte QB Robert Ament into 3 INTs and Tim Horton caught the game's only TD in the 4th qtr as San Jose remains atop the Pacific. Horton caught 5 passes in all for 130 yards and presumed Offensive ROY Mark Hsu caught 5 for 108.

Express 23 Blitz 6

Los Angeles got 110 yards rushing from Daniel Franks and 67 yards and a TD from Jessie Cepeda to lead the Express to the upset win over Chicago. The Blitz were able to move the football but the Express were able to keep them out of the end zone all game, sacking Ronald Brown 3 times and forcing an INT from Nathan Hibbard on his only pass of the game.

Week 10: Heading toward the Stretch Run

 The longest winning streak in league history belongs to the 1976-77 Detroit Wheels. The Wheels won their last 4 regular season games in 1976, won all 3 playoff games and followed that up with a 19-0 Championship season in 1977. They won their opener in 1978 before losing Week 2, ending their win streak at 27 games. The 1986-87 Memphis Showboats won 24 in a row for the second longest streak. The Portland Storm are currently 3rd on the list with their current 22 game winning streak. If the Storm continue winning, they will have a chance to tie the record of 27 in Week 15 @ Memphis, in a game already expected to be a fight for home field advantage in the playoffs.

Storm 34 Blitz 3

The beat rolls on for Portland, although the Storm might need to pull people from the stands to play OL next week as 6 of their 10 lineman are injured. Storm QB Oscar Willis threw 3 TD passes (0 INT again) and 302 yards with Fred Wink catching 7 for 179 yards and 2 TDs. Wink even added a TD run for good measure. 

Showboats 20 Panthers 9

In a week we're discussing winning streaks, it's ironic that Memphis will face Portland Week 15 with a chance to snap their streak. Also ironic is Memphis played the Michigan Panthers, the team that snapped the long Memphis streak back in 1987. Michigan shut out Memphis in the first half as the Panthers defense intercepted David Allen 3 times, but they could only muster 6 points. Allen would toss a 4th INT early in the 3rd qtr before settling down and leading Memphis to a come from behind win. Mark Lambert ran for 105 yards with a TD and added 57 receiving yards to lead the way.

Stars 27 Renegades 10

Baltimore QB Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Jeffrey Zimmer as the Stars remain undefeated in 1990. Mark Numbers rushed for 123 yards as the only player to top 100 this game. Baltimore's defense intercepted Orlando QB Elwood Savage twice and sacked him 5 times.

Gamblers 40 Express 16

Los Angeles hung around in the first half, trailing 24-13 but Tony Dean and Lloyd Ellis were just too much today. The Houston offense only had 3 drives they failed to score on, and one was the last drive of the first half when they let the clock run. Tony Dean threw for 333 yards with 3 TD passes, 2 to Lloyd Ellis. Ellis caught 10 passes for 203 yards, adding 69 rushing yards and a TD on 21 carries.

Generals 20 (NY) Stars 13

New York could have really tightened the East with a victory in Piscataway, NJ but the Generals prevailed as they look to take back the division from the Stars. The first half was back and forth, with New York taking the lead 7-3 on an Earnest Lynch 3 yard TD run in the first quarter. The teams traded FGs before Ric Flair fired a TD pass to Todd Christensen to give New Jersey a 13-10 halftime lead. The Stars would tie it at 13 in the 3rd qtr and we remained tied until the 2 minute warning. Ric Flair found Duncan Meyer for a 34 yard TD with 1:57 left to give the victory to the Generals.

Federals 20 Hawaiians 13

We only had 3 one score games this week, and these playoff hopefuls faced off in one of those games today. Honolulu started 1990 off winning their first 4 games but have since fallen to 2nd place, behind San Jose while Washington is in the thick of the playoff race as usual. Most of the action in this game took place in the first quarter, as the Federals had a 17-10 lead through 15 minutes. The rest of the game saw just one FG each as the defenses settled down. Washington WR/RB Robert Sullivan ran 8 times for 107 yards and caught 7 for 63 more to lead the Federals offense. Honolulu had 402 total offensive yards but Derek Henry's 2 INTs derailed any offensive momentum for the Hawaiians.

Thunderbolts 16 Wheels 12

Detroit got the scoring underway with a safety in the first qtr, as RB Samuel Draper was tackled in the end zone. The Wheels then marched for a FG for an early 5-0 lead. Cleveland would get a 3 run homer, I mean a FG to get within 5-3 before a Gabriel Flanagan TD pass to Thomas Mazzeo gave Detroit a 12-3 halftime lead. Cleveland stuck with their running game, and a couple more FGs got the Thunderbolts within 3 at 12-9 in the 4th qtr. For the game, Cleveland ran 37 times for 201 yards, with 75 of that coming on James Bull's lone carry of the game. Bull's 75 yard TD run gave Cleveland a 16-12 lead with 3:47 left to play, and the last two Wheels drives went nowhere.

Hornets 30 Sun 6

Charlotte RB Henry Young ran 31 times for 117 yards and a TD while QB Robert Ament fired 2 TD passes to James Lombardo as the Hornets defeat the Sun. Lombardo only caught 2 passes all day and those 2 TD receptions covered 105 yards. The Hornets defense limited Southern California to just 160 total yards.

Steamer 23 Stallions 3

Shreveport RB Orville Barker ran for 115 yards to lead the Steamer offense but it was the defense that shined today. Birmingham has had offensive struggles all season and today was no different. Shreveport forced 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles, holding the Stallions to 119 total yards. Shreveport held the ball for 40 minutes and only a last minute Gerald Hinton FG prevented a shutout.

Maulers 34 Blazers 17

Pittsburgh QB Will Allison looks like a different player these last 2 weeks as he seems to have gotten over his INT woes. Allison fired 4 TD passes on 20/28 for 356 yards and the well traveled Corey True burned one of his former teams. True had his most productive years in Denver, before briefly joining the Georgia Force. True then spent 2 seasons in New Jersey before being a Florida Blazer in 1989. True lit up Georgia last season, and today he lit up Florida to the tune of 5 catches, 155 yards and 2 TDs.

Bandits 37 Bulls 17

Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers tossed 4 TD passes on 22/29 passing for 340 yards to lead the Bandits to the win over division rival Jacksonville. Driggers found Thomas Whitley for 2 of those TD passes and the other 2 went to Darren Cotton, who caught 8 for 133 yards.The Bandits defense forced Bulls QB Joseph Serio into 2 first half INTs as they built a halftime lead of 27-7. 

Invaders 28 Gunslingers 14

San Antonio QB Willie Benge passed for 376 yards and 2 TDs as the Gunslingers out gained Oakland 381-233. That still wasn't enough for the win as a 4th qtr kickoff return for a TD by Oakland's Oliver Thomas after San Antonio had cut the lead to 13-7 was a momentum killer. Gunslingers mistakes proved fateful, as Benge threw 2 INTs in the 4th qtr, they turned the ball over on downs in their own territory and missed a FG. 

VooDoo 32 Bell 13

New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson threw for 248 yards with 3 TD passes (0 INT) to lead the VooDoo to victory. Nicholas Dorey had a TD rushing and a TD receiving to lead the balanced attack of the VooDoo. New Orleans built a 26-3 halftime lead and played run out the clock in the second half.

Breakers 42 Force 0

Boston's defense has been awful in recent years, as has their offense, but they are improved across the board in 1990. This is Boston's 4th win of the season, the first time they've won that many games since 1986. Georgia is having an awful season as they are allowing rookie QB Bobby Morris to play despite being clearly overmatched. If this were real life, there would be questions about Morris's future confidence, but in a SIM game, there are no such worries. Morris finished 5/37 with 4 INTs and the Force offense had just 78 total yards. Boston didn't throw for many yards but they didn't need to as their running game churned out 319 yards on 55 carries. Surprisingly, the Breakers did not have a 100 yard rusher, as they got 94 from Ralph Harris, 80 from James Wise, and 70 from Robert Torres.

Gold 31 Wranglers 3

Denver WR/RB Richard Huff ran for 3 TDs and 116 yards, adding 82 receiving to lead the Gold offense today. Denver's defense made life miserable for Arizona QBs, as Robert Palmer was 6/21 with 3 INTs and Stanley Snyder was 0/7. Denver finished with 421 total yards to only 108 for the Wranglers. 

SaberCats 42 Outlaws 3

San Jose took over the Pacific Division lead with their blowout victory in Oklahoma today. Presumed offensive ROY Mark Hsu had "only" 103 yards and a TD as other receivers got involved today. Donut Mogul Tim Horton led the way with 5 catches for 128 yards and a TD as part of Jake Plummer's 367 yard, 2 TD day. The San Jose defense forced 4 Shane Falco INTs as they hold Oklahoma to 153 total offensive yards.

Week 9

 Storm 31 Thunderbolts 9

Portland QB Oscar Willis threw 23 INTs in 1989, but 9 games into 1990 and Willis has but 3. Add that to a defense giving up less than 6 points a game and the Champs look better this season than last. Timothy Roquemore nearly had 200 combined yards again, finishing with 106 rushing and 84 receiving yards. Portland got 2 TD passes from Oscar Willis and 2 rushing TDs from James Pritchard to stay undefeated this season.

Showboats 71 Gunslingers 6

The Showboats defense harassed Gunslingers QB Willie Benge all game long, sacking him 7 times and intercepting 6 passes. Offensively, David Allen tossed 4 TD passes, two to Mark Lambert. Lambert was the star of the game, rushing for 155 yards and 2 TD to go with 6 catches, 103 yards and the aforementioned receiving TDs. Memphis PK James Ewing was a busy guy, making all 8 XP tries as well as going 5/5 on FGs.

Stars 45 Bulls 20

Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 328 yards and 6 TDs with zero sacks and interceptions. Snow tossed 2 TDs each to Mark Numbers, Jeffrey Zimmer, and John Warkentin. Defensively, Baltimore forced Jacksonville into 2 turnovers and sacked Joseph Serio 5 times as they got off to a fast 21-0 start en route to the victory.

Gamblers 31 Hawaiians 13

Houston scored the first 3 TDs of the game to take a 21-0 lead in the first half, then rode that momentum to victory to keep the Gamblers 1 game behind division leading Memphis. Tony Dean tossed 3 TD passes, 2 to Hugh Chance (4-112) and Lloyd Ellis chipped in 122 rushing yards and a TD. Honolulu did not turn the ball over, but the Hawaiians had trouble sustaining drives against the Houston defense.

SaberCats 44 Express 13

Los Angeles had 341 total offensive yards, which is decent, but it's still half of the 680 yards San Jose put up. I'm cancelling the offensive rookie of the year voting (just kidding) because the race is unofficially over. SaberCats rookie WR Mark Hsu leads the entire league in receiving yards with 1,326 yards and 14 TD through 9 games after his monster game today. Hsu caught 7 balls, 4 for TDs with 301 receiving yards while teammate RB Rodney Richardson added 158 rushing yards. The victory enables San Jose to tie Honolulu for the Pacific division lead.

Invaders 23 Generals 17

New Jersey QB Ric Flair threw 2 INTs as Oakland controlled the game throughout. The score looks close, but New Jersey scored a TD in the final 2 minutes to turn a 23-10 game into 23-17. The most exciting part of the game was the final minute of the first half. Oakland kicked a FG for a 13-0 lead, then kicked off to New Jersey. Generals KR/RB Sam Beckett returned it 102 yards for a TD to put New Jersey on the scoreboard, but they still had to kickoff to Oakland. Their KR/RB Oliver Thomas took the kick at the back of the end zone, and 110 yards later, the Invaders got those 7 points back.

Panthers 30 VooDoo 28

New Orleans WR Nicholas Dorey returned to his former home field to face the team he made his name with. There were still a lot of #88 Dorey jerseys in the stands, as the fans saw their former star score 4 TDs today, but the Michigan Panthers would get the last laugh. Neither team's defense played particularly well as both teams had more than 400 offensive yards and were successful on 3rd down conversions (Michigan 7/13, New Orleans 12/19).

Dorey caught 9 for 171 and 3 TDs, adding a rushing TD as well to lead the VooDoo and they had exactly 100 yards rushing from Louie Perry. Michigan QB Adam Scales threw 4 TD passes, the last one 27 yards to Tim Carol with 0:27 left for the game winner. That was Carol's only catch of the game.

Bandits 25 Blazers 21

We had a strange, sloppy game in the Citrus Bowl today as both teams committed 3 turnovers and nobody seemed to want to win. Florida took a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime but the Blazers forgot to bring the offense out for the second half. The Blazers missed 2 second half FGs and their 3 turnovers happened on their last 3 drives of the game. That would enable Tampa Bay to pick themselves up and score two 4th qtr TDs to snag victory from the jaws of defeat. Bandits QB Melvin Driggers threw for 386 yards when he wasn't throwing to the Blazers defense (3 INTs).

Blitz 16 Gold 16 (OT)

Chicago and Denver played to our first tie of 1990. Denver put up 443 offensive yards to just 236 for Chicago, but Gold PK Robert Deacon was wide right on a 38 yard FG attempt on the last play of OT to prevent Denver from securing the victory. Deacon also was short on a 57 yard attempt in the first half. Richard Huff was the game's yardage king, rushing for 128 yards with 46 receiving.

Bell 20 Wranglers 10

Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez tossed 2 TD passes to James Jones and the Bell defense held Arizona to 269 yards. The Philadelphia defense forced the Wranglers into 3 turnovers and the win improves the Bell to 4-5 on the season.

Wheels 23 Stallions 6

This game featured zero offensive TDs, 16 punts and 6 FG tries. Detroit PK Kent Olden made 3 of 4 attempts and the Wheels defense intercepted 2 passes, returning both for TDs to enable Detroit to beat Birmingham and keep the Stallions from their first win of 1990. In the 3rd qtr, Steve Rice picked off Stephen Ponder, returning it 14 yards for a score and Darrell Waltrip returned a Ponder INT 11 yards in the 4th qtr for a TD of his own.

(NY) Stars 53 Force 0

1990 has not been a good year for New York, but they took their frustrations out on struggling Georgia today. The Stars forced Georgia QB Bobby Morris into a 4/57 passing day with 7 INTs as the Force had just 86 total offensive yards today. New York QB Willie Bust threw for 399 yards and 5 TDs, 3 to Tomas Abbott. New York had a trio of 100 yard receivers with Kenny Heasley (10-120) and Damien Bierman (3-107-1) joining Abbott (4-104-3).

Sun 20 Maulers 6

Southern California got rushing TDs from Daniel Dungan and Gene Ingram while the Sun defense held Pittsburgh to 2 FGs for the win. Dungam had 90 yards rushing and 30 receiving while Ingram ran for 59 yards, adding 6 receptions for 75 yards to lead the Sun offense. One bright spot for Pittsburgh was the zero INT thrown by QB Will Allison, as he had thrown 10 the previous 2 games.

Renegades 34 Outlaws 17

Oklahoma QB Shane Falco fired 2 first half TD passes to Steve Haywood as the Outlaws took a 14-10 lead into the locker room. The Outlaws would add a FG in the 3rd for a 17-10 lead before Orlando scored the final 24 points of the game. The tiebreaking TD occurred on a fumble return for a TD by Orlando SS Gary Deleon in the 3rd qtr. Renegades RB Ben Dehaven ran for 84 yards and caught 3 passes for 43 yards and 2 TDs to help Orlando maintain their 1 game lead in the Southeast.

Federals 46 Hornets 17

Washington got 3 TD passes from Scott Bieber and 6 John Bazile FGs as the Federals broke the second place tie with Charlotte by defeating the Hornets today. James Dunn had a rushing and a receiving TD for Washington and Robert Matthews had 171 receiving yards with 2 TDs. The Federals defense forced Charlotte QB Robert Ament into throwing 5 INTs, including each of the last 4 drives of the game.

Steamer 21 Breakers 10

Shreveport and Boston have both improved over 1989, but the Steamer were better today as they defeat the Breakers. Steamer QB Edgar Jones completed 31/35 for 201 yards and a TD and converted 11/19 3rd down conversions as they held the ball for nearly 42 minutes. The win improves Shreveport to 5-4, in the thick of the wildcard hunt.

Week 8: Halfway There

 Storm 31 Invaders 6

Oscar Willis threw for 385 yards and 3 TDs for the Champion Portland Storm as they handily defeat the Oakland Invaders 31-6. WR/RB Timothy Roquemore had a TD rushing and receiving while also pulling off a "double hundo" game. Roquemore ran for 111 yards on 25 carries to go with 5 receptions and 129 receiving yards.

Showboats 30 Express 10

Memphis remained undefeated as QB David Allen tossed 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers, leading a balanced attack. There were no huge stat lines to speak of, as Memphis spread the ball around and played solid defense. That defense scored a safety of their own, as Shawn Hicks sacked Joe Richardson in the end zone. The only other time an Express player found the end zone was in the final minute of play.

Stars 20 Federals 13

There were several skirmishes during pre game warm up as things have become chippy between these divisional rivals. No need to rehash the off field drama as we had a good, close game. Washington struggled on offense, but a 2nd qtr Scott Bieber TD pass to James Dunn and 2 John Bazile FGs saw the Federals with a 13-6 lead in the 4th qtr. 

That lead held up until the 2 minute warning, when Jon Snow found John Warkentin with a 5 yard TD pass to tie the game at 13. Then Baltimore MLB Ronnie Fox intercepted Scott Bieber, returning it to the Washington 8 yard line. Federals WR Matthew Cuevas was flagged for unnecessary roughness and the ball was placed at the 4. One play later, Snow found Jose Gough for the game winning TD.

VooDoo 23 Generals 13

A pair of division leading 6-1 teams faced off in New Orleans, and the entire 1st quarter only saw 1 complete drive. New Jersey got the ball first, marching 75 yards in 15 plays ending with an Eric Davis TD run. That drive took almost 9 minutes off the clock, and New Orleans did some driving of their own when they finally got the ball. The VooDoo needed just 13 plays for their 75 yard TD drive, with Nicholas Dorey getting his only TD in the opening minute of the 2nd qtr. The two point try failed, and the Generals held a 7-6 lead. The Generals second drive took over 7 minutes, but only ended in a FG, while New Jersey shut down the VooDoo offense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

The 4th was a different story, as the VooDoo offense finally came alive again. Bruno Wilson fired his lone TD pass to Stanley Kerr to tie the game at 13, then scored 10 more points in the quarter as new Orleans gains the upper hand at the second BYE.

Gamblers 41 Gold 22

Houston QB Tony Dean only had 1 pass attempt hit the ground today, completing 23/26 with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Dean didn't crack 300 yards but the Gamblers running game contributed 125 yards as Houston lit up the scoreboard after a scoreless 1st. Denver jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Dean started firing TDs, as Houston couldn't contain Richard Huff. Huff scored a TD rushing and receiving, with nearly 200 combined yards (82 rushing, 116 receiving).

After the initial Gold outburst, Houston scored 31 unanswered points for a 31-14 lead. Denver would get a TD and a 2 to pull within 31-22 but the Gamblers scored the game's final 10 points.

Blitz 17 Steamer 13

Shreveport led a defensive struggle 13-3 in the 4th quarter before Chicago QB Ronald Brown fired 2 TD passes to David Karim in the final 6 minutes for the come from behind road win. These two teams are in the top 4 in the league in scoring defense and Chicago has quietly taken command of the Midwest with a 2 game lead on Cleveland. Shreveport's defense will keep them in games, can they get enough offense to make the playoffs?

Hawaiians 20 Gunslingers 17

San Antonio may only be 1-7, but today was their 4th loss of the season by 3 points or less, so they just need a little luck to go their way. The Gunslingers out gained Honolulu but the Hawaiians turned the game's only turnover into a TD. Richard Hall returned a Willie Benge INT 27 yards for a TD early in the 4th, extending Honolulu's lead to 20-10 at the time. Scott Stillings ran for 101 yards for the Hawaiians as they maintain a 1 game Pacific Division lead over San Jose.

Renegades 24 Blazers 10

Orlando QB Bradley Austin tossed 2 TD passes and the Renegades scored 11 unanswered 4th qtr points to break open a close game with division rival Florida. The Orlando defense sacked Sidney Maggard twice and also intercepting 2 passes in holding the Blazers to 10 points.

Hornets 16 Bandits 10

Charlotte played turnover free football, although Tampa Bay was able to execute  a legal punt block. LB Larry Vargas got it (78 speed, 71 acc). Tampa Bay held a 10-3 lead entering the 4th, but the Hornets were able to win the 4th qtr 13-0, enabling them to win and improve to 5-3. 

SaberCats 35 Maulers 3

San Jose rookie WR Mark Hsu is trying to end the offensive rookie of the year race early, as he caught 9 passes for 243 yards and 3 TDs. RB Edward Hayes rushed for 110 yards with 25 more receiving to support Hsu's efforts. The SaberCats defense intercepted 4 passes today and Pittsburgh QB Will Allison was visibly frustrated walking off the field after the last 2. San Jose is now 5-3, 1 game behind Honolulu in the Pacific.

Panthers 31 Wheels 9

Michigan QB Adam Scales threw for 3 TDs, 2 to James Hillis (8-121) as the Panthers won the Battle of Detroit. WR/RB Walter Simmons rushed for 127 yards to aid the Panther's cause. 

Bulls 14 Outlaws 6

Jacksonville won this game with defense, limiting Oklahoma to 188 total yards and sacking Shane Falco in the end zone for a safety. Paul Sidwell kicked 2 FGs but missed the XP on the game's lone TD, although that's still enough for 14 total points for the Bulls. That is plenty of points when you hold the opposition to just 2 FGs, and the win keeps Jacksonville within 2 games of division leading Orlando.

Breakers 27 Stallions 0

Boston won their 3rd game of the season already, as the Breakers did not hesitate to kick Birmingham while they're down. Boston QB Edward Swafford tossed 3 TD passes to lead a turnover free offense. The Breakers defense held the Stallions offense in check, limiting them to only 116 total yards while forcing 3 turnovers. The miserable season continues for Birmingham as this is the second time in 3 weeks they've been shutout, and they only scored 3 points in the other game. 

Thunderbolts 26 Force 7

Cleveland RB Samuel Draper had a receiving TD and 165 combined yards (86 rushing, 79 receiving) to lead the Thunderbolts offense, while the defense held Georgia to just 160 total yards and 5/35 passing. Yes you read that right, 5 for 35, so it's no wonder Cleveland had the ball more than 41 minutes.

Wranglers 23 Sun 10

Arizona got out to a 14-0 lead that Southern California had cut down to 17-10 by halftime. In the second half, the Wranglers defense shut down the Sun while adding a FG in each quarter for the victory. Arizona RB Dale Davis ran 33 times for 102 yards, and with so many carries it's no surprise his neck hurts.

Bell 20 (NY) Stars 17

Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez tossed 2 first half TD passes to Paul Anderson as the Bell jumped out to a 17-6 halftime lead. New York would get within 20-17 in the 4th quarter but couldn't score on their last 2 drives, enabling Philadelphia to hang on for the win. The Stars were led on offense by Kenny Heasley's 8 catches for 122 yards and a TD. Philadelphia was led by Andres Freeman who caught 5 passes for 133 yards and  RB Jamie Epperson's 124 combined yards (75 rushing, 49 receiving).

Week 7: More "Controversy"

 The USFL/WFL League Office has been busy the last few seasons dealing with various controversies and Week 7 was no different. Coming into the week, we had 4 undefeated teams, two in each conference. The two from the National Conference, New Orleans and Baltimore, faced each other for the current #1 seed. During the post game press conferences across the league, we first heard from Washington GM CrazyRazor who called shenanigans on Baltimore GM 4343 for using only 5 defensive plays. CR wants the league office to look into this and possibly force teams to call more plays. Later, we heard from New Orleans GM Smirt211, who called Baltimore's style of play p%$#y ball. To see/read the quotes, visit the forums. 

 We also have a poll in place so you can tell the league office whether or not we should force teams to use more defensive plays, as it seems using so few "games the sim engine" according to Smirt. The poll can be found here.

Stars 13 VooDoo 0

The post game comments had more excitement than this game, as Baltimore snuffed out the high powered VooDoo offense. Stars QB Jon Snow found 9 different receivers in throwing for 311 yards and the game's lone TD to John Warkentin. 

Storm 30 Hawaiians 0

Portland shut down Honolulu's offense and Timothy Roquemore scored a rushing and a receiving TD while amassing 183 combined yards (157 rushing).

Showboats 44 Bandits 13

Memphis hasn't lost a beat since former USFL Commissioner tribewriter took over as they put up 611 total yards against Tampa Bay. The Showboats defense got the scoring started with a Pick Six from Donald Guo, then the offense scored 21 unanswered points for a 28-0 2nd qtr lead. WR Mark Glenn rushed 12 times for 43 yards and a TD, while adding 7 receptions, 219 yards and 2 more TD. For the mathematically challenged, that's 262 combined yards and 3 TDs...not bad.

Gamblers 26 Thunderbolts 3

Tony Dean tossed 2 TD passes and the Houston defense intercepted 3 passes as the Gamblers improve to 6-1. This game featured no combined 100 yard games nor 300 yard passers.

Generals 12 Wranglers 0

New Jersey improves to 6-1 with a shutout victory in the desert. Generals WR Duncan Meyer caught 8 passes for 108 yards as the only offensive player worth mentioning. There are 5 ways to score in football: extra point, safety, 2 point conversion, field goal and touchdown...New Jersey scored every which way except 2 point conversion in scoring all of 12 points. The Arizona defense played well in defeat.

Gold 28 Panthers 22

Denver had a 28-14 lead entering the 4th quarter, but Michigan scored a TD and 2 with 7:00 left to pull within 6. Rather than play defense, the Panthers elected to try an onside kick, which was successful. That drive ended with a turnover on downs and Denver ran the final 4:51 off the clock for victory. For Michigan, WR James Hillis caught 6 for 140 and a TD while Walter Simmons had a combined 118 yards (96 rushing). Denver had a big game from QB Andrew Brewer, who was 24/35, 320 yards with 4 TD and 1 INT. Richard Huff ran for 102 with another 33 receiving, Douglas Crowley caught 8 for 119 and a TD while Jake Peralta hauled in 2 TD receptions as part of his 7-107 day.

Invaders 26 (NY) Stars 23

New York edged Oakland in total yardage while both teams were turnover prone, combining for 5 with New York committing 3 of those. The Stars had the individual stats as Willie Bust threw for 407 yards with 3 TDs, but was sacked 4 times and tossed 2 INTs. The Stars also had 2 WRs with over 100 yards, but it was Oakland who won the most important stat...the scoreboard. The Invaders built a 26-10 lead before New York scored 13 points in the final 5 minutes. Oakland RB Oliver Thomas ran for 89 yards and caught 9 for 55 more.

Gunslingers 13 Renegades 12

Orlando was in control of the game for the first 49 minutes, but they couldn't crack the end zone, which would come back to haunt them. The Renegades were led by Ben Dehaven's 111 yards rushing and 4 Robert Moulton FGs gave Orlando a 12-0 lead with just under 11 minutes left. Following the 4th FG, San Antonio's Thomas Earl Petty returned the kickoff 103 yards for a TD. For some reason, that rattled Orlando QB Bradley Austin as he threw an INT on the very next offensive play, leading to a San Antonio FG. Next Orlando drive, another INT set up another Brian Johnson FG. The Gunslingers K shares a name with the lead singer of ACDC, and his kick got San Antonio Back In (the) Black with their first win. Rock and Roll (Ain't Noise Pollution) was blaring from the locker room, and I'm sure Johnson heard "Have a Drink On Me" several times at the club. It's A Long Way To the Top but at least they are off The Highway To (the) Hell of a winless season. Orlando left the field Thunderstruck and I'd like to have been a Fly On The Wall in the Orlando post game locker room to hear HC Hugo Collier blow up like T.N.T.

It's already after 7 am so I'm going to just rundown the rest of the scores from Week 7

 Blitz 20 Wheels 10

Federals 33 Maulers 7

Bulls 37 Blazers 11

Breakers 38 Bell 13

Steamer 23 Force 0

Hornets 30 Stallions 3

Express 20 Outlaws 5

SaberCats 26 Sun 17 

Week 6: Four Undefeated Teams Remain

 We started the week with 5 undefeated teams, and our game of the week was (5-0) Memphis @ (5-0) Houston. The Showboats and Gamblers have been battling each other for years, as it seems the division winner always gets a BYE, while the second place team often has a better record than most division winners. New Memphis GM tribewriter is trying to become the third different GM to lead the Showboats to a World Bowl title, and the second GM to win titles with multiple teams. The first GM to do that was Setherick, who won World Bowl IX with Houston and World Bowl XVI with his current team, Portland. Seth has the Storm at 6-0 this season, along with their World Bowl XVI opponent Baltimore, the aforementioned Showboats, and the New Orleans VooDoo.

Showboats 24 Gamblers 16

One thing different about Memphis under tribewriter's leadership is they no longer go for 2 points in the first half. Houston got the scoring underway with 2 early FGs for a 6-0 lead before David Allen and Arthur Devore hooked up for the first time with a 75 yard TD pass. That score gave Memphis a brief 7-6 lead before Tony Dean fired a TD pass to Anthony Fulks in the final minute of the first half for a halftime score of 13-7 Gamblers.

Memphis would add a FG for the only scoring of the 3rd qtr and a 6 yard TD run from Ricardo Thomas early in the 4th to take a 17-13 lead. Houston would cut that lead to 17-16, but Allen to Devore struck for the second time to give Memphis an 8 point lead with 7 minutes to play. Houston would only get one more possession, which ended with a turnover on downs just inside Showboats territory. Tony Dean passed for 314 yards but was only able to generate 1 TD for Houston. Memphis QB David Allen threw for exactly 300 yards along with the 2 TD tosses to Arthur Devore. Devore caught 5 passes in all for 146 yards while teammate Mark Glenn rushed for 122 and had 63 receiving yards.

Storm 34 Breakers 6

Our Champions are also 6-0, and it's getting time to dig through the archives and look for our longest winning streak. The Storm have won 18 in a row (not counting pre season) since their last defeat in Week 7 last season. Boston's defense kept them in the game during the first half, as the Storm only led 13-6 at the break. The lack of offensive success for the Breakers (69 total yards) tired their defense out as there was just little time to rest, allowing Portland to break the game open in the second half. Portland was led by Timothy Roquemore, who ran for 130 and a TD, and Oscar Willis, who tossed 2 TD passes.

Stars 44 Federals 20

The Baltimore/Washington rivalry isn't quite at the level of Memphis/Houston, but it's close. Both teams have ruled the Atlantic division, and have represented the National Conference in the last 3 World Bowls. The box score was dominated by the Stars, who doubled the Federals yardage for the game and crushed it on 3rd downs on both sides of the ball. Baltimore converted 10 of 19 3rd downs, while holding Washington to 2 for 12. Baltimore QB Jon Snow threw for 382 yards and 5 TDs, 2 of those to Jeffrey Zimmer. Zimmer and Timothy Harmon each caught 8 balls, Zimmer's went for 138 yards while Harmon had 100. Washington got 2 TD catches and 118 yards from Ronald Matthews.

VooDoo 38 Thunderbolts 13

If I told you before the game that one of these QBs would toss 4 interceptions, most of you would guess it would be New Orleans QB Bruno Wilson. Wilson entered the game with 15 INT through 5 games while Cleveland QB Michael McGowan had tossed 8. Don't feel bad though, I would have been wrong too, as the VooDoo defense intercepted 4 McGowan passes. 

Whatever Smirt gave up to acquire Nicholas Dorey, he is getting his money's worth. Dorey ran 8 times for just 11 yards, but most of his carries came in short yardage situations. Dorey ran for 3 short TDs and 3 two point conversions, adding a TD reception (7 catches 132 yards), for an incredible 7 trips to the end zone today. Dorey now has 16 total TDs, and probably 10 conversions, though that's just a guess.

Wheels 26 Gold 23

Detroit got 3 TD passes from Gabriel Flanagan as the Wheels upset Denver today. Frederick Barron caught 2 of those TD passes, including the game winning TD with 1:11 left.

Steamer 13 Bell 9

Shreveport WR Cedric Reynolds caught 5 passes for 159 yards as the Steamer score 10 unanswered points during the last half of the 4th qtr, turning a 9-3 deficit into a 13-9 victory. 

Maulers 13 Express 6

Los Angeles had 379 yards of offense to only 257 for Pittsburgh but 2 lost fumbles and 2 INTs helped keep the Express out of the end zone and the win column today. 

SaberCats 12 Gunslingers 9

San Jose and San Antonio staged a FG kicking contest today, as both offenses were allergic to the goal line. The SaberCats converted the first FG, and the teams alternated FGs until San Jose made the final one inside the 2 minute warning to give them the win 4-3...I mean 12-9. Despite the lack of offense, San Jose WR Glenn Kahl caught 3 passes for 124 yards.

Invaders 15 Panthers 14

Oakland scored first with an Andrew Moreno TD pass to Patrick Miller (7-124-1), but the XP was no good. The Invaders would add 2 FGs, one in the 2nd qtr and one in the 3rd to take a 12-0 lead into the final quarter. Michigan lost 3 fumbles for the game, but the Panthers offense came alive in the 4th qtr. QB Adam Scales tossed 2 TD passes, and after converting 1 of 2 two point tries, Michigan had a 14-12 lead with 7:47 to go. Oakland then went on a 14 play, 62 yard drive which ended with a FG and a 15-14 Invaders lead. That final drive took over 7 minutes off the clock, leaving Michigan with not enough time to get in FG range.

Blitz 19 Force 3

Chicago RB Jay Kinder ran for 128 yards and a TD while K Leon Rupe nailed 4 FGs to lead the Blitz to victory. Chicago forced the Force into 4 turnovers.

Blazers 27 Hornets 10

Florida forced Charlotte QB Robert Ament into 3 INTs and their QB, Sidney Maggard tossed 2 TD passes to lead the Blazers to victory.

Hawaiians 23 Sun 13

Honolulu lost their first game of the season last week, but they bounced back today behind 3 TD passes from Derek Henry. Two of those went to Brian Vizcarra, and the other went to Scott Stillings. Stillings caught 7 in all for 77 yards while adding 83 yards on the ground.

Wranglers 30 Outlaws 14

It wasn't pretty on either side, but it was simply minor blemishes for Arizona (2 turnovers) while Oklahoma hit nearly every branch on the ugly tree. Arizona had exactly triple the yardage of Oklahoma (435-145), held them to nearly 33% completion rate (9/26) and allowed 1 conversion on 12 3rd down tries. Arizona even doubled Oklahoma's time of possession. RB Dale Davis ran 34 times for 138 yards and WR William Johnston caught 3 for 111 and a TD.

Generals 54 Stallions 0

No lopsided victory can ever erase the painful memory of the 79-19 playoff loss New Jersey suffered on this very field in 1985, but it does help the cause in 1990. The Generals defense intercepted 4 passes, recovered a fumble, allowed just 7 completions in 39 attempts, 0-14 on 3rd down and a total of 40 offensive yards. That enabled the Generals to hog the ball for almost 46 minutes of game action. QB Ric Flair finished the game 35/45, 349 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT.

Bandits 41 (NY) Stars 16

New York had 374 offensive yards but just 16 points to show for it. Tampa Bay QB Melvin Driggers threw for 357 yards and 3 TDs, all to Thomas Whitley. Whitley was unstoppable today with 7 catches for 270 yards. Tampa Bay held a 21-3 halftime lead and a 34-6 lead after 3 qtrs.

Renegades 31 Bulls 17

Orlando QB Bradley Austin threw 2 TD passes and RB Ben Dehaven ran for 117 yards to lead the Renegades offense. Jacksonville QB Joseph Serio also tossed 2 TDs, but turnovers doomed the Bulls today. Serio also threw 3 INTs and the Bulls lost a fumble and the game, despite out gaining Orlando.

1990 Week 5

Portland, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, and Baltimore all remained undefeated after Week 5, but other teams participated in some interesting games, including some really interesting finishes.

Here are highlights from the more intriguing games of the week.

Federals 45, Bandits 24

Washington QB Scott Bieber threw for 460 yards and six TDs as the Federals cruised to a 38-3 halftime lead on the way to a 45-24 win over the Tampa Bay Bandits. Four of Bieber's TD passes covered 80, 67, 56, and 31 yards.

Panthers 20, Steamer 18

The Michigan Panthers found a unique way to win. QB Adam Scales threw a 46-yard TD pass to WR James Hills with 1:34 remaining to lift his team into an 18-18 tie with the Shreveport Steamer. Then, instead of kicking the go-ahead PAT, the Panthers elected to go for 2 points. Scales found TE Trevor Wood just across the goal line to give Michigan a 20-18 victory.

VooDoo 20, Stallions 19

The winless Birmingham Stallions almost pulled off the upset of the season against undefeated New Orleans, but QB Bruno Wilson found WR Billy Brink twice for TDs in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with 8:07 remaining, as the VooDoo prevailed, 20-19.

Outlaws 17, Gunslingers 6

The Oklahoma Outlaws picked up their first win of the season by edging the San Antonio Gunslingers, 17-6. Oklahoma MLB Tyrone Deardorff made 10 tackles. San Antonio's 38 total points in five games is tied with the Birmingham Stallions for fewest in the league.

Showboats 49, Hawaiians 32

The Memphis Showboats handed the Honolulu Hawaiians their first loss, 49-32, in a game in which the teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense. The Hawaiians led, 17-7, early on but Memphis WR Arthur Devore caught two TD passes, one from 75 yards away.

Blazers 34, Renegades 10

The Florida Blazers knocked off the Southeast Division-leading Orlando Renegades, 34-10, as CB Ryan Tennison intercepted two passes.

Sun 40, Express 28

The Southern California Sun picked up their first victory at the expensive of the crosstown rival Los Angeles Express, 40-28. SoCal never trailed after CB Dennis Hernandez returned an interception 51 yards for the go-ahead TD late in the second quarter.