World Bowl XIX: Gold Rush

 Denver Gold 24 Baltimore Stars 23

 

 

 World Bowl XIX was played in Orlando, Florida in front of a capacity crowd of 52,000 as the Denver Gold and Baltimore Stars battled it out to see which team would win their first championship. Denver got the ball first but went three and out. Baltimore's first drive lasted 10 plays, covering 74 yards, ending on an 18 yard TD pass from Jon Snow to Mark Numbers. Denver started to move the ball on their second drive but they stalled in the red zone, settling for a FG to trim the deficit to 7-3. Jon Snow led the Stars down the field again on Baltimore's second drive, which also ended on a Snow TD pass. This one went 10 yards to Robert Lerma and it gave the Stars a 14-3 lead just before the end of the first quarter.

Down 14-3, Gold KR James Riley took the kickoff 7 yards deep in the end zone and brought it out, only reaching the 16 yard line. Andrew Brewer kept his poise however, leading Denver on a 12 play, 84 yard TD drive. The TD was a 16 yard Brewer pass to Richard Funkhouser, cutting the lead to 14-10. We had our first costly mistake of the game on Baltimore's next drive, as William Halford burst up the middle for an 11 yard gain, but Matthew Samson knocked the ball loose and Joshua Woodruff fell on the ball at the Stars 46 yard line. Denver took the lead on the very next play as Andrew Brewer found Jake Peralta over the middle and Peralta took it the distance for a 46 yard score. Baltimore would come back to tie it on  Fred Boyce 49 yard FG and they took the lead back on another Boyce FG, this one a 39 yarder. That FG was at the end of the first half, and Baltimore took a 20-17 lead into the locker room.

Baltimore got the ball to start the 3rd qtr and they went three and out, giving the ball back to Denver for the eventual game winning drive. Andrew Brewer and the Gold embarked on a 14 play, 80 yard TD drive that took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. The drive ended with a Jake Peralta 2 yard TD run, but it almost didn't happen. Denver faced a 4th and 1 situation on their own 43 and if it failed, they would be setting up the Stars just outside Boyce FG range. Max Ellis plunged into the line and they got a good spot, allowing the drive to continue. The Peralta score allowed Denver to retake the lead themselves, 24-20. 

A couple of punts later, Baltimore got within 24-23 on a Fred Boyce 29 yard FG on the second play of the 4th qtr. Denver went on a decent drive that stalled at the Baltimore 40, and punter Garland Hubler pinned Baltimore at their own 10. The Stars got just inside Denver territory before they too had to punt, and John Baker poncherello'd Denver to their own 9. (CHiPs reference there) Brewer got the Gold near midfield on the first play with a 39 yard pass to Douglas Crowley, but Jake Peralta fumbled on the next play, giving the ball back to the Stars. Jon Snow threw 3 straight incompletions and Baltimore punted it back, with John Baker leaving it at the Gold 8. Denver continued the field position game, eventually punting back to Baltimore. The Stars had one last chance, starting their last drive at their 18 with 4:06 to play. Jon Snow had the offense out to the 32 at the 2 minute warning but something strange happened to Baltimore. Through 18 games and 58 minutes of a 19th game, Jon Snow had been sacked 6 times all season, but he was sacked on 2 of the final 4 plays as the Denver defense sealed the deal. Nathan Coleman sacked him on 1st down, Josiah Stiefel sacked him on 3rd down, and the desperation 4th and 28 play was dropped by Knob Creek. 

The Gold ran the final minute off the clock and the entire team celebrated on the field with the MVP of the game, Andrew Brewer. 

For his efforts, the USFL/WFL awarded Brewer a 1993 Chevrolet Corvette. Brewer finished the game completing 25/36, 323 yards and 2 TDs. Jake Peralta had a rushing TD and a receiving TD and Brian Thornton had 122 combined yards for the Gold. Jon Snow was 28/46, 273 yards and 2 TDs while John Warkentin "was held" to 7 catches and 91 scoreless yards. A decent stat line for sure, but Warkentin was dominant the first 2 playoff games, so keeping him out of the end zone was huge. William Halford was solid aside from his fumble, as he rushed for 82 yards on 13 carries, adding 69 yards on 5 receptions.

1992 Conference Championships

 World Bowl XIX is all set except for determining the as of now unknown location of the game. The Denver Gold needed overtime to defeat Houston while Baltimore got out to a huge lead over Florida to advance to the big game. While Houston and Florida are understandably disappointed, they both had excellent seasons and look like they have a great chance to compete for World Bowl XX. First things first though, as we have a long way to go plus a little matter of crowning this year's champion. 

Gold 30 Gamblers 24 (OT)

Houston got the ball first and punted, then Denver went on a 14 play, 89 yard TD drive to take a 7-0 lead. Max Ellis capped off that drive with a 1 yard TD plunge, then Houston went on a long drive of their own. The 1st qtr ended during the Gamblers 10 play, 75 yard TD drive and early in the 2nd, Tony Dean found Lloyd Ellis for a 17 yard TD pass that tied the game at 7.

It only took Denver 4 plays to answer that score, as two big pass plays to Richard Huff set up Jake Peralta's 9 yard TD run. Each team would punt twice before Tony Dean tied the game at 14 inside the 2 minute warning. Dean found Jett Black for an 18 yard TD pass and Denver ran the ball 3 times before the first half ended 14-14.

Denver added a FG on their first drive of the 3rd quarter and were driving for another score before Andrew Brewer was intercepted by Charles Saner, keeping the score 17-14. That was our score until the first play of the 4th, when Andrew Brewer tossed a 17 yard TD pass to Richard Huff, extending the lead to 24-14. Houston then drove all the way to the Denver 5 yard line and the Gamblers opted for a FG on 4th and goal from the 5, pulling the Gamblers within 7. Denver went 3 and out before Dean and Brewer exchanged interceptions. That set up Houston at the Denver 36 with over 4 minutes to play as they sought the tying TD. The Gamblers took 11 plays to travel 36 yards, with the last 11 yards coming on the second Dean to Black TD. Denver would have just over a minute to get in position for a game winning FG but they ran out of time as they got to the Gamblers 39 yard line, forcing OT.

Denver got the ball to start overtime and it ended almost as quickly as it bagan. Lucio Grant forced a touchback on the kickoff, and on the first play of OT, Andrew Brewer silenced 76,273 fans as he hit Douglas Crowley for the 75 yard game winning TD.

Statistically, Denver held Donald Turner to 89 combined yards without a score while also sort of keeping Tony Dean in check, as he completed 32/43 for 279 yards, 3 TD and an INT. Andrew Brewer was 26/39, 402 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. His favorite target was Richard Huff, who caught 12 for 227 and a TD.

Stars 41 Blazers 20

Florida got the ball first and drove for a FG and an early 3-0 lead. That would be as good as it got for the Blazers today as Baltimore scored the next 38 points to take any mystery away concerning who would win. William Halford (21-73) and Knob Creek (13-44) chewed up the clock with their rushing and Jon Snow threw 5 TD passes, 4 to John Warkentin. Warkentin caught 5 passes in all for 231 yards while Snow finished with 370 yards in the air.

Snow to Warkentin TD #1 gave Baltimore a 7-3 lead. The first quarter ended with that 7-3 score and Jon Snow's 2nd TD pass increased the lead to 14-3. This score was not to John Warkentin, but William Halford. The game really turned at the end of the first half when Gerald Harmon missed a 55 yard FG attempt and Snow found Warkentin again for a 55 yard TD to give Baltimore a 21-3 halftime lead. 

That momentum shift continued in the second half as 4 plays in, Snow and Warkentin hooked up yet again, this time for a 64 yard score. Baltimore would add 3 more points on a Fred Boyce FG before Snow's 4th TD pass to Warkentin gave the Stars a 38-3 lead entering the 4th qtr. 

Florida woke up in the 4th, but it was too little, too late. A Gerald Harmon FG made it 38-6, then Sidney Maggard fired a 1 yard TD pass to Perry Salgado, cutting the lead to 38-13. Baltimore would get 3 more points from Fred Boyce before Maggard's 2nd TD pass made the final score 41-20.

1992 National Conference Divisional Round

 Blazers 25 VooDoo 13

Florida got the ball first but didn't run an offensive play as Robert Romero returned the opening kickoff 107 yards for a score and a blazing fast 7-0 lead. New Orleans answered with a FG on their first possession and the quarter would end with that 7-3 Florida lead. The 2nd qtr saw a FG for each team to give us a halftime score of 10-6 Florida. 

The second half was a FG fest for Florida as they got 3 points on their first 5 possessions of the half to take a 25-6 lead with just over 2 minutes left. New Orleans finally got a TD of their own, a Bruno Wilson 2 yard TD pass to Tom Jacobs, but it was too little, too late even if the onside kick was successful, which it was not. 

Nicholas Dorey was the stat king of the game, catching 4 passes for 141 yards and Bruno Wilson passed for 271, but he was far from efficient. He only completed 17/39 with a TD and an INT, and all of those incompletions stalled drives. Florida quietly amassed 284 offensive yards, less than the VooDoo's 327, thanks to Sidney Maggard completing 26/31 with no turnovers. The Blazers also didn't have an offensive TD, but that TD on the opening kickoff gave Florida the early momentum, which they never relinquished. Gerald Harmon booted 6 FGs in all while Robert Romero chipped in 43 yards rushing and caught 7 passes for 22 yards to go along with his kickoff return TD. Florida was the only team to have more than one KR TD this season as Romero did it once in the regular season, as did Ronald Kirby. 

Stars 50 Generals 13

This game was over 2 minutes in, as the Generals played giveaway one week after playing takeaway. New Jersey forced 5 Washington turnovers last week to get to this point, but today New Jersey gifted Baltimore 6 turnovers, including 2 in the game's first 2 minutes. The Generals got the ball first and Sam Beckett fumbled on the first play, setting up Baltimore at the Generals 35 yard line. Three plays later, Jon Snow found John Warkentin for a 3 yard TD and a quick 7-0 lead. When New Jersey got the ball back, Paul Marcum promptly threw an INT, giving the Stars the ball at New Jersey's 40. 2 plays later, Snow found Warkentin for another TD, this one 33 yards. New Jersey would go 3 and out on their next possession, then Baltimore added a FG for a 17-0 lead. New Jersey finally got some offense, going 75 yards in 15 plays, finding paydirt on the first play of the 2nd qtr with a Paul Marcum TD pass to Michael Wood. 

That made the score 17-7 Baltimore but that would be as close as the Generals would get today. The balance of the 2nd qtr was 2 FGs for Baltimore and 1 for New Jersey, for a halftime score of 23-10 Stars.

New Jersey LB Jeffrey Dahmer intercepted Jon Snow on Baltimore's first second half possession but Paul Marcum fumbled it away, killing any possible momentum gain. Fred Boyce would kick a FG for a 26-10 lead then Knob Creek ran in a score on a short run for a 33-10 lead and the rout was on. Paul Marcum then threw an INT which led to a Jon Snow TD pass to Mark Numbers, increasing the lead to 40-10. 

The 4th qtr was similar to the first 3 and Baltimore advances to play Florida for the right to play in World Bowl XIX. Jon Snow finished with 342 yards passing and 4 TDs with John Warkentin hauling in 8 passes for 120 and 2 scores. Knob Creek had a rushing TD (82 yards total today) and a receiving TD (8-58) for 140 combined yards. For New Jersey, QB Paul Marcum threw 2 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles, as did Sam Beckett.

1992 Divisional Round American Conference

 The road to World Bowl XIX is down to 4 teams after the Divisional Round and once again we only had a single one score game. The odds are good we'll have a first time USFL Champion as only Cjfred has won one (ok, 3) before. Let's check out the action.

Gold 18 Storm 16

Both teams have top 5 offenses, so of course this was a defensive struggle type game. Neither team topped 300 yards of offense, only 1 touchdown was scored and they combined for 5 turnovers. Portland got the ball first and they went 75 yards in 13 plays, including a 4th down conversion, to take an early 7-0 lead. That almost didn't happen though, as the play before the TD, Timothy Roquemore fumbled after a red zone reception, but he recovered and  and the very next play, Melvin Driggers found Richard Robinson for the 10 yard TD pass. That drive took 7 minutes off the clock and 5 plays later, Denver punted, allowing the Storm to begin another 13 play drive. This one ended with an Alan Grossi FG and a 10-0 Portland lead early in the 2nd qtr. 

Denver started it's second possession of the game at 12:41 of the 2nd qtr and lasted all of 2 plays before Andrew Brewer tossed an interception. That led to another Grossi FG and a 13-0 lead for the Storm. Denver finally got a little bit of offensive momentum and Robert Deacon booted a pair of FGs before halftime for a score of 13-6 at the break.

In the second half, it was Portland who struggled to sustain drives while Denver was getting points. Denver had an empty drive to start the 3rd while Portland went 3 and out, leading to a Deacon FG. Jose Moses fumbled on Portland's next possession, leading to another FG by Deacon and the Portland lead was now just 13-12. 

Portland put a drive together late 3rd/early 4th, but of course it ended in a Grossi FG to extend Portland's lead to 16-12. Denver responded with another FG of their own and it was a one point game again, 16-15. Following an exchange of punts, butterfingers crept in for both teams. First, Melvin Driggers threw an interception but Denver's Max Ellis fumbled it back a few plays later. We were under 4 minutes to go at this point, and the Storm were hoping to run some clock, but Donald Langlois did his Max Ellis impression and fumbled it back after a pass reception. Denver took over at the Portland 33, and although they did not get a first down, Robert Deacon nailed a 46 yard FG to give Denver their first lead of the game, 18-16, with less than 2 minutes to play. Portland's last drive stalled near midfield and Denver pulls out a late win, advancing to the Conference Final.

Gamblers 34 Panthers 20

This game featured more offense than the first game above, as both teams were over 300 yards and scored in every quarter, and we had a combined 99 pass attempts, 63 by Michigan. Houston got the ball first but punted. The Gamblers would get the ball right back however, as William Mauriello threw the first of his 3 INTs today on Michigan's first offensive play. Six plays later, Tony Dean found Lloyd Ellis for a 7 yard TD pass to give Houston a 7-0 lead. Michigan tied it at 7 when Milton Schwab busted a 42 yard TD run up the gut of the Gamblers defense, leaving tire tracks on rookie SS Christian Soriano. Houston would answer that score later in the quarter when Tony Dean threw a 6 yard TD pass to Donald Turner, and the Gamblers led 14-7.

Houston would score just a FG in the 2nd quarter to take a 17-7 lead before Michigan closed the gap inside the 2 minute warning. James Hillis caught a 48 yard TD pass from William Mauriello to cut the lead to 17-14, which was the score at halftime.

Michigan got the ball to start the second half but Mauriello threw his 2nd INT, which eventually led to another Houston FG to extend the lead to 20-14. Later in the 3rd, Houston's Donald Turner lost a fumble that turned into 3 points for Michigan. The Panthers took over at the Houston 11, and they actually scored a TD, but a holding penalty on Milton Schwab wiped that off the board. The Panthers settled for a short FG and trailed 20-17. Tony Dean then threw an INT on the next possession but the defense held, so the Gamblers took that 20-17 lead into the final quarter.

The game unraveled for the Panthers during a 1 minute stretch of game action as Tony Dean's 3rd TD pass, 54 yards to Anthony Fulks, put Houston up 27-17. Michigan went 4 and out, turning it over on downs, then Tony Dean immediately threw a 29 yard TD pass to Hugh Chance, pushing the lead to 34-17. There were still 9 minutes to play but Michigan wouldn't cross midfield until the final 2 minutes, and a FG with 0:44 left gave us our final score of 34-20.

William Mauriello was 29/63, 258 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs and James Hillis caught 8 for 107 yards and a TD. Tony Dean completed 26/36 for 306 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. Donald Turner caught 12 passes for 97 yards and a TD, adding 30 rushing yards for a combined 127.

Wildcard Weekend

 The road to World Bowl XIX began today with wildcard weekend and we're down to our final 8 teams. Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh, and Washington were eliminated, and while they are disappointed, every team but 1 ends their season with either no playoffs or a loss, so they have nothing to be ashamed of. Congratulations on making the playoffs and best of luck in free agency and the draft. 

Gamblers 30 Wheels 3

Detroit scored first to take a 3-0 lead but it was all Houston after that. Tony Dean led Houston to a TD on their opening drive, then Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan threw a pair of interceptions, which the Gamblers turned into 10 more points. That gave Houston a 17-3 lead after 15 minutes and they cruised to victory. Tony Dean threw 3 TD passes, 2 to Jett Black, and Donald Turner had a combined 190 offensive yards. The Gamblers defense intercepted 3 passes in all and sacked Flanagan twice, holding the Wheels to less than 25 minutes of possession. 

Highlights: Tony Dean's 1st TD to Jett Black

Gabriel Flanagan's 1st INT

Tony Dean to Jett Black again

Gabriel Flanagan INT #2

Tony Dean TD #3 to Hugh Chance

Storm 27 SaberCats 16

San Jose scored first for a 3-0 lead but Melvin Driggers found Jeffrey Frost for a TD en route to a 10-3 halftime lead. San Jose would tie the game at 10 in the 3rd quarter when Richard Alcantara intercepted Melvin Driggers, returning it 16 yards for a score. Portland and Driggers bounced back quickly, as Driggers found Frost again for a 74 yard TD pass. The XP was no good, so the lead was 16-10 Storm. In the 4th qtr, Portland added a FG, a Driggers to Richard Robinson TD pass and a 2 point run to take a 27-10 lead. SaberCats QB Jake Plummer and WR Mark Hsu had rough games, as Plummer was 19/34, 137 yards with a TD and INT, while Mark Hsu was held to 41 yards on 4 catches. Portland also sacked Plummer 4 times. Driggers finished with 286 yards and 3 TDs, with an INT while Frost caught 6 for 128 yards and 2 TDs. 

VooDoo 30 Maulers 20

Turnovers were the theme in the National Conference wildcard games, as Pittsburgh lost the ball 4 times (2 INT, 2 fumbles) and New Orleans just once. The VooDoo took a 3-0 lead on their opening possession and took a 6-0 lead early in the 2nd, thanks to great field position after recovering a Pittsburgh fumble. The Maulers would take a 7-6 lead midway through the 2nd when Robert Erickson ran it in from 1 yard out. Inside the 2 minute warning, Maulers QB Will Allison threw a 19 yard TD pass to Robert Wheeler but the lead was only 13-6 thanks to a missed XP. New Orleans would execute the hurry up offense, thanks to a 55 yard pass from Wilson to Nicholas Dorey to set up a short TD pass to Mario Burton, tying the game at 13.

Pittsburgh got the ball to start the second half and Will Allison threw an interception, but the VooDoo were forced to punt. On the next New Orleans drive, Nicholas Dorey beat the CB off the line of scrimmage and raced 55 yards to the end zone, breaking the tie. The VooDoo would add a FG to take a 23-13 lead into the 4th. Pittsburgh was driving for a score when Will Allison threw a red zone INT to preserve the 10 point New Orleans lead. With just under 3 minutes to play, New Orleans got a 13 yard TD  run from Thomas Thomas, essentially putting the game away with a 30-13 lead. Pittsburgh answered quickly with a 59 yard Allison TD pass to William Obrien but the onside kick failed and the VooDoo ran most of the remaining clock to advance to the Divisional Round. 

Will Allison finished the day 36/54, 335 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT and William Obrien had a combined 107 yards with a TD to lead Pittsburgh. Bruno Wilson completed 19/27, 274 yards and 2 TDs with Nicholas Dorey catching 5 passes for 197 yards and a TD to lead New Orleans.

Generals 24 Federals 17

Washington out gained New Jersey 524-206, had 25 1st downs to just 3 for the Generals and had a time of possession edge of 35 minutes to 25. The Federals shot themselves in the foot however, scoring just 3 points on a pair of red zone possessions and losing the turnover battle 5-1. New Jersey got on the scoreboard first thanks to a James Wright 69 yard TD run. The Generals backup QB turned #1 RB was on his way to a 1,000 yard rushing season when a knee injury sidelined him, and this TD run was his second touch since. The teams would also trade FGs, giving the Generals a 10-3 lead after a quarter.

Washington tied it in the 2nd with a Scott Bieber 30 yard TD pass to Ronald Matthews. Washington had a chance to take a halftime lead but usually reliable John Bazile pulled the kick wide left, leaving the game tied 10-10 at halftime. Martin Riggs gave the Generals a 17-10 lead when he returned a Scott Bieber INT 21 yards for a TD. In the final minute of the 3rd, Matthew Cuevas got behind the defense and hauled in a Bieber throw and took it to the end zone. That 48 yard score tied the game at 17 going into the 4th. 

Early in the 4th, Bieber threw his 3rd INT of the game, this one to Jay Leno. The Generals did nothing with the ball and punted it back, before the defense came up big again. Dan Conner sacked Bieber, stripping the ball and recovering the fumble to set up New Jersey at the Washington 16 yard line. Three plays later, Paul Marcum found Todd Christensen for the 10 yard TD, giving New Jersey a 24-17 lead. Washington would have 2 more chances to tie the game and send it to OT, but the first drive ended on downs, while the last drive ended on the Generals 16 yard line when the clock hit 0:00.

For the Federals, Scott Bieber completed 38/58, 399 yards with 2 TD and 3 INTs. Robert Trammell caught 13 for 99 yards, adding 43 rushing yards while James Dunn had 104 combined yards. New Jersey didn't accumulate many offensive stats, but James Wright did run for 123 yards and a TD on 20 carries. QB Paul Marcum was 17/25 for just 83 yards with a TD and an INT.

Week 13 Quick Recap

 Just like the Week 12 blog, this will be short and sweet, given how we've played 14 games. On to it...

Week 13 

Gold 17 Express 10...Los Angeles scored first and last but Denver scored more in between as the Gold defeat the Express...both teams spread the ball around so nobody had a stat line worth mentioning...Hawaiians 10 Sun 6...Derek Henry led Honolulu to a TD on their opening drive, and despite 3 INTs, the Hawaiians defense made it stand. Scott Stillings ran for 100 yards and was also the leading receiver for the Hawaiians with 47 yards...VooDoo 34 Wranglers 0...Bruno Wilson threw 2 TD passes and Thomas Thomas ran for 101 yards (1 TD) adding 47 receiving to lead the offense. Arizona was shut out for the second straight week as Danny Nash completed 5/40 passes for 60 yards, 3 INTs and 2 sacks...Storm 17 Invaders 14...Oakland out gained Portland but the Storm defense forced 2 turnovers. Melvin Driggers threw a TD pass to Richard Robinson, who caught 8 for 119 yards in all...Federals 30 Bell 13...RB James Dunn caught 2 of Scott Bieber's 3 TD passes, finishing with 14 receptions and 129 yards, adding 46 yards on 13 rushes. Philadelphia had almost 300 offensive yards but they lost the turnover battle 2-0...Wheels 15 (NY) Stars 7...New York scored the game's only TD but they missed 2 FGs and lost the turnover battle 4-2, allowing Kent Olden to boot 5 FGs, leading Detroit to the win...Showboats 41 Outlaws 13...Memphis got big games from 4 players as they crush Oklahoma. David Allen only threw for 224 yards but he had 4 TD passes vs 0 INTs. Mark Glenn caught 1 of the TD passes as part of his 5-108 day while David Austin caught 9 for 95 and the other 3 Allen TD passes. Glenn also added 56 yards rushing for a 164 yard afternoon. Last but not least is Mark Lambert and his 184 rushing yards and a TD...Blitz 14 Thunderbolts 7...Chicago QB Ronald Brown overcame 3 INTs, throwing a 4th qtr TD pass that put the Blitz up 14-0 and they held on to defeat Cleveland...Panthers 27 Gunslingers 6...Larry Henderson threw for 312 yards and a TD to lead the Michigan offense, while the defense shut down the San Antonio rushing attack. The Panthers also intercepted 3 passes, 1 returned for a TD as Michigan handled the Gunslingers...Renegades 17 Blazers 13...Emory Howard overcame 2 INTs to throw for 296 yards and 2 TDs to lead Orlando to a divisional win over suddenly struggling Florida. This was the 2nd straight loss for Florida and the second straight win for new Orlando owner/GM Offensive Taco. Jose Rush caught 7 for 115 yards today...Gamblers 26 SaberCats 3...No last minute victory this week for Houston as the Gamblers defense intercepted 3 passes and sacked Jake Plummer twice, holding San Jose out of the end zone all game. Offensively, the day belonged to Tony Dean and Donald Turner. Dean threw for 373 yards and 2 TDs, both to Turner, who caught 8 for 174 yards. Turner also had 21 carries for 70 yards...Stallions 23 Bulls 20...Jacksonville built a 20-10 halftime lead thanks to Christopher Kimbrough (334 yards and 2 TDs) and Charles Ayers (3 catches, 124 yards, 1 TD). The Bulls got away with 2 first half turnovers, but 2 more in the second half was too much, as Ric Flair led Birmingham back in the 4th qtr. Flair threw for 301 yards and a TD as the Stallions score 13 points in the 4th qtr for a come from behind win...Bandits 18 Steamer 17...Shreveport had a 17-6 lead early in the 4th after Shane Falco's 2nd TD pass of the game but Thomas Lawson brought Tampa Bay back. Lawson threw 3 INTs today, but he also had a pair of 4th qtr TDs (both 2 point tries failed) as the Bandits steal a win and stay in the wildcard race. James brown had 110 receiving yards for Shreveport while Tampa Bay's Thomas Whitley caught 5 for 139 yards and a TD while teammate Garry Fowler caught 4 for 106 and a TD...Force 23 Hornets 13...Georgia's defense held Charlotte to 199 total yards while QB Milton People overcame a pair of INTs to lead the Force to victory. People finished with 309 yards and 2 TDs to John Huynh, who caught 7 in all for 129 yards...Maulers 30 Generals 9...Robert Erickson ran for 93 yards and 2 TDs while the Pittsburgh defense forced 5 New Jersey turnovers as they kept the Generals out of the end zone for the second consecutive game. Both teams spread the ball around as 9 different generals caught a pass while the Maulers had 10 receivers in their box score...Stars 24 Breakers 6...Baltimore ran all over Boston today as William Halford ran for 146 yards and Knob Creek ran for 130 with a TD to lead Baltimore to victory and a playoff berth. 

Week 12 Quick Recap

 Work has still been busy, leaving me with little energy to keep up with the blog. We currently have Hall of Fame Voting going on, so please vote if you have yet to. 

Week 12

Wheels 23 Breakers 16...Detroit scored 2 quick TDs for a 14-0 lead, then held on for the win...Hawaiians 31 Wranglers 0...Derek Henry threw 4 TD passes, 2 to Michael Argueta as Honolulu shuts out Arizona...VooDoo 27 Force 17...Milton People threw 2 TD passes to Matthew Taylor but New Orleans got 3 rushing TDs, 2 by Stanley Kerr as New Orleans gets an important division victory...Stallions 20 Steamer 15...Birmingham was 0/12 on 3rd down, 0/2 on 4th but they got an INT return for a TD and a Ric Flair TD pass to defeat Shreveport...Bandits 30 Sun 16...Both QBs topped 350 yards and threw 4 INTs, but Southern California's Wilmer Kimble threw just 1 TD pass, while Thomas Lawson threw 3 for Tampa Bay, leading them to the win...Renegades 20 Bulls 10...The Admiral left abruptly, without warning, but old friend Offensive Taco stepped in and got a victory in his return, thanks to Emory Howard's 412 passing yards and 2 TDs (3 INTs too), while Daniel Williams caught 7 for 196 yards...Federals 27 Generals 9...Scott Bieber tossed 3 TDs and the Washington defense kept New Jersey out of the end zone as the Federals win and clinch a playoff spot...Hornets 19 (NY) Stars 15...Robert Ament threw 2 TD passes and the Charlotte defense forced 2 turnovers and 2 sacks, one in the end zone for a safety as the Hornets break their 10 game losing streak...Stars 20 Blazers 12...The Florida defense held Jon Snow to 13/32 passing but Snow tossed 2 TDs and the Baltimore defense forced 2 turnovers and sacked Sidney Maggard twice as the Stars defeat the Blazers...SaberCats 42 Express 6...Jake Plummer threw 3 TD passes and 321 yards, 235 going to Mark Hsu (1 TD) and the San Jose defense intercepted 4 passes in defeating Los Angeles...Storm 20 Panthers 3...Melvin Driggers threw 2 TD passes and the Portland defense bent (382 yards allowed) but didn't break, holding Michigan to 3 points despite 4 Panthers red zone trips...Gold 37 Invaders 13...Andrew Brewer threw for 375 yards and 2 TD passes, 1 to Richard Huff (9-151) and Brian Thornton had 189 combined yards (74 rushing, 115 receiving) to lead Denver to victory...Gamblers 26 Thunderbolts 23...Cleveland gave Houston all they wanted, but Tony Dean eventually won the battle of the Tony's with Tony Romo, as Romo threw 3 INTs, 1 returned for a TD while Lucio Grant booted a 39 yard FG at the final gun to give Houston the victory...Showboats 27 Gunslingers 25...San Antonio scored a TD to pull within 2, with just over a minute to play but the conversion failed and Memphis hangs on for the win. David Allen threw for 336 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to David Austin...Blitz 26 Outlaws 3...Dale Davis ran for 92 yards and a score while QB Ronald Brown threw for 254 and a TD, leading Chicago to their 4th straight win...Bell 12 Maulers 6...Neither team reached the end zone but Robert Hernandez completed 16/19 for 236 yards, enabling Philadelphia to win the FG battle 4-2