Week 15: How the West Was Won

 Just one regular season game left and 10 of 12 playoff spots are spoken for. Week 16 will feature 5 teams fighting for 2 spots, details here. Let's dive right into Week 15 action.

Storm 10 Gold 7

Denver and Portland met for the second time this season with the West division title on the line. The loser will still be a wildcard, but not having a chance at a BYE week hurts in this loaded playoff field. The Gold got on the scoreboard first after a Max Ellis 6 yard TD run. That capped a 10 play, 90 yard drive for Denver, but any thoughts of a shootout wild, wild, west style were quickly dissipated as the defenses took over. The 7-0 Gold lead held up until midway through the 3rd, when Denver went for a 4th and 1 from the Portland 4 yard line. The measurement was short and replay confirmed it, and Portland took over, still down 7-0. Fast forward to the 4th, 9:15 to play, and Denver faced another 4th and 1, this one from the Storm 14. Just like before, Ray Anderson ran the ball, the measurement was short, and replay confirmed it. 

Melvin Driggers led a 10 play, 66 yard drive and Donald Atkins got Portland on the board with a FG. Trailing 7-3 with less than 4 minutes to play, some teams might try an onside kick but Portland kicked away and the Storm defense forced a three and out. This time Driggers led a 10 play, 71 yard drive that ended with a short TD pass to Jeffrey Frost. Denver would have had 41 seconds for a tying FG drive if Jerry Murphy didn't fumble the kickoff return. He did though, and the Storm nearly added another TD, losing a fumble on 4th and goal from the 1, which Denver recovered in the end zone. Andrew Brewer completed 2 passes but ran out of time and Portland wins the West.

Panthers 19 Blitz 10

Michigan faced a must win game against Chicago and the Panthers defense keyed on the best Blitz playmaker John Gates. They held Gates to 43 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards and a TD on 5 receptions. Michigan's offense struggled in the red zone, getting FGs on all 4 trips, with a Larry Henderson 33 yard TD pass to Lawrence Schroeder thrown in. Schroeder led Michigan with 69 rushing yards and 83 receiving yards on 6 receptions as the Panthers led at the half 16-0. They exchanged FGs in the 2nd half before Ronald Brown found Gates for a short TD pass to make the final score closer, but Michigan hangs on for the important win.

Steamer 17 Express 16

Los Angeles traveled to rainy Shreveport to face the South division champs. With the division wrapped up, the Steamer started James Wright at QB, and he played decent. It's hard to match the 7 TDs in his previous start as he had 0 today, but he also didn't turn the ball over, completing 28/37 for 194 yards. Los Angeles scored first, taking an early 3-0 lead before Orville Barker's short TD run gave Shreveport a 7-3 lead. In the 2nd qtr, David Tavarez connected with Patrick Peavey for a 20 yard TD pass as the Express took the lead back, and they extended it to 13-7 with a FG at the end of the half. Orville Barker ran for 65 yards and his 2nd short TD run gave the Steamer the lead again 14-13. Los Angeles would get a FG late in the 3rd for yet another lead change, then mid 4th, Jeffrey Smith made the score 17-16 with a 44 yard FG. The Express offense couldn't get in FG range the rest of the game as the Steamer hold on for the narrow victory.

Gamblers 34 Outlaws 7

Houston said they changed their gameplan, but the box score shows the same old Gamblers. Tony Dean threw for 276 yards and 4 TDs while the defense held Oklahoma to 209 total yards and the Outlaws only score came late in the game down 34-0. The star of the game for the Gamblers was RB Donald Turner, who had a double triple. Turner ran for 114 yards and caught 3 passes for 107 yards and 2 TDs. Dean's other 2 scores went to Anthony Fulks, who caught 6 for 113 yards overall. 

SaberCats 22 Hawaiians 14

This game took place December 10th, but with this being the last time they see San Jose, QB Edwin Clarkson played Santa a little early. Clarkson gift wrapped 6 INTs for the SaberCats defense, but the game was in doubt until the last 2 presents. Clarkson gave 3 first half gifts that San Jose only turned into 3 points, but the SaberCats scored 10 more first half points thanks to a FG and a Jake Plummer TD pass to Mark Hsu. That 13-0 lead lasted until the 4th, when Clarkson found Michael Argueta for a 46 yard TD pass. Plummer responded with another TD pass to Hsu, this one for 73 yards. That gave San Jose a 19-7 lead as the 2 point try failed. Clarkson got the Hawaiians back in the game with a 41 yard TD pass to Luis Martinez. San Jose responded with a FG for an 8 point lead but Honolulu's last 2 drives ended with Clarkson gifts.

Showboats 34 Gunslingers 3

Memphis continues their playoff run by doubling the rushing attempts of San Antonio but gaining almost 10 times as many yards (210-22). Norman Maldonado played decent, completing 25/38, 255 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and the Showboats converted 12/17 3rd downs. USFL leading rusher ran for 132 yards and 2 TDs and caught 4 for 44 yards and another score. Erik McNamee has been back at RB now and he chipped in 72 yards and a TD as Memphis got out to a 20-0 halftime lead, then continued the momentum in the second half.

Wheels 38 Bandits 7

Detroit won the game going away as the Wheels had much better QB play than Tampa Bay. The yardage was similar for both, but Gabriel Flanagan tossed 5 TD passes while Antonio Martinez threw 4 INTs. Tampa Bay ran much better than Detroit, 5 ypc to less than 2, but the Bandits had slippery fingers, fumbling 3 times, losing 2. Gabriel Flanagan spread the passing yardage around to several different receivers, but Matthew Houston caught 3 of his 5 TD passes. Tampa Bay cut Detroit's lead to 14-7 early in the 2nd, then the Wheels went on a 24-0 run to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Federals 27 Maulers 0

The first half was a struggle for both offenses as Washington had the only 3 points before the break. Edwin Clarkson wasn't the only QB to play Santa Claus as Will Allison threw 4 INTs, all in the second half. The first 2 enabled the Federals to begin those drives in the red zone. It didn't take very long for Robert Trammell to find the end zone either time, scoring on a 15 yard run and a 20 yard TD catch. Just before the 3rd qtr ended, Allison threw INT #3, and Billy McCaa figured he'd save Trammell the trouble of scoring a 3rd TD by returning it 13 yards for a TD.In the 4th qtr, Allison threw INT #4, which led to a FG and Washington earns home field advantage.

Blazers 24 Renegades 13

Orlando out gained Florida 412-284 and had a better 3rd down conversion rate (6/21 vs 1/15), yet the Renegades lost by double digits. The main reason for the yards discrepancy is Orlando ran 28 more plays than Florida, and actually had a slightly lower yards per play average. The Renegades offense sort of looked like New Jersey, peppering the defense with a ball control passing attack, as Trey Lyons completed 36/71, 343 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT and they scored the first 6 points of the game with a pair of FGs. Florida's defense was more all or nothing, and it was all nothing until Sidney Maggard connected with Richard Carstens for an 80 yard TD pass and a 7-6 lead. Orlando rookie RB Anthony Milan had a combined 161 yards, including 7 catches, 109 yards and a TD from Lyons to answer the Blazers big play. Orlando now led 13-7, but they were done scoring for the day. Maggard gave the Blazers the lead inside the 2 minute warning with a TD pass to Perry Salgado and increased it in the 3rd with his 2nd long TD pass to Richard Carstens. The rest of the game was mostly punts, with Orlando turning it over on downs a couple of times, allowing the Blazers to increase their lead to 24-13. Sidney Maggard only completed 12/25, but those 12 went for 230 yards and 3 TDs. Richard Carstens ended with a stat line of 3-149-2.

Generals 27 Bell 21

Speaking of New Jersey, the Generals offense out gained Philadelphia 427-290, but had a slightly lower yards per play as they ran 79 plays to the Bell's 53. Don Ferguson completed 40/50, 344 yards and 2 TDs while Joseph Serio was 15/34, 268 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for Philadelphia. The Generals had been having injury issues at RB, having to resign rookie RB Timothy McVeigh. They got David Koresh back for this game, but sat Cobain and Beckett for injuries. Koresh responded with 17 carries for 60 yards and a TD to go with 10 receptions covering 82 yards while McVeigh had a combined 112 yards and a receiving TD, leading the Generals with 86 yards through the air. New Jersey led 24-7 at the half but had to hold on at the end as Philadelphia mounted a late comeback that fell short. 

Stars 34 Invaders 3

Oakland had the more efficient QB while Baltimore had the more productive one. Andrew Moreno completed 26/33, 143 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT for the Invaders while Jon Snow completed 24/43, 395 yards, 3 TD and 3 INT. John Warkentin caught 2 of Snow's scoring tosses as part of his 4 catch, 123 yard game. RB William Halford had a combined 132 yards with 62 rushing and 70 receiving as the Stars gear up for their January trip to Shreveport or New Jersey.

Breakers 29 (NY) Stars 27

New York is out of the playoffs but WR Albert Olson is having a terrific season, and his 12 catches for 294 yards and 3 TDs today give him 2,501 yards for the season. Olson needs 245 receiving yards against New Jersey to break Mark Hsu's record 2,745 yards from 1993, and he torched the Generals for 228 last time. On a side note, how in the hell do the New Jersey Generals keep popping up in seemingly every game thread? 

New York only had the ball 17:35 but they gained 459 total yards as the Stars called just 1 running play all game. Damien Oleary was 36/65, 463 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT and Olson wasn't the only big play receiver for New York today, catching 4 for 101 yards and a TD. RB William Hall was upset at not getting any carries but he did get 13 catches for 57 yards.

All of this New York talk and they didn't even win the game. Boston's offense moved the ball well, gaining 373 yards, including 123 on the ground and the Breakers were turnover free. They couldn't crack the end zone however, settling for 2 FGs in 3 red zone trips and overall, K Curtis Zuniga made 5/6 FG tries. Boston might have been buried in the beginning as Oleary had 2 early TD passes but Boston KR Gregory Williams returned each kickoff for a TD. When the Stars went up 7-0, Williams added his name to the list of players with the maximum 110 yard return, then not learning their lesson, kicked off to Williams again after going up 14-7. He made them pay with a 106 yard TD to tie the game at 14. Over the next 3 quarters, Boston would add 4 FGs for a 26-14 lead, with the last FG coming just inside the 2 minute warning. Oleary then found his boy Olson for a 74 yard TD pass to make it 26-21. New York recovered the onside kick and Oleary promptly found Olson again, this time for 53 yards to take the lead. The 2 point try failed, then Boston drove into FG range where Zuniga made FG #5 at the gun to give the Breakers a victory.

Thunderbolts 13 Bulls 6

Tony Romo completed 23/29 for 210 yards and he threw for the game's only TD. Romo found Bobby Colley for a 5 yard TD late in the 3rd to break a 6-6 tie. The rest of the game was mostly punts while Jacksonville missed a FG and had the clock run out on them with the ball in Cleveland territory. 

VooDoo 33 Sun 13

New Orleans RB Thomas Thomas didn't score but he led the VooDoo with 92 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards while as a whole, the RBBC had 40 carries, 173 yards and 2 TDs. New Orleans did turn the ball over 3 times, with two coming on Joseph Jones INTs, but the VooDoo defense forced 5 by Southern California. Red zone was not a happy place for either team as New Orleans had just 2 TDs in 6 trips (2 FGs, 2 nothing) while the Sun had 1 TD and 2 FGs in their 3 trips. New Orleans led 13-3 at the half, then scored the first 17 points of the second half for a commanding 30-3 lead. 

 Force 20 Stallions 19

Georgia got a Paul Meade TD run and a FG for a halftime lead of 10-3. Force QB Thomas Jacobi found Glen Hampton for a 76 yard TD pass early in the 3rd for a 17-3 lead. Willie Benge then mounted a comeback, firing a pair of TD passes to Felix Nguyen, but the XP was missed after the second score, leaving Birmingham trailing 17-16. The Stallions then took the lead on a FG with 4:42 to play but Jacobi led Georgia to a FG of their own in the final minute for a come from behind after a comfortable lead was blown victory. They all count the same in the standings though.

Wranglers 7 Hornets 6

Charlotte took the lead in the middle of the 2nd on a FG then Brian Carmichael answered with a 13 play, 75 yard TD drive. TE Daniel Lorenz was on the receiving end of Carmichael's 6 yard scoring toss and Arizona took that 7-3 lead into halftime. As the 3rd quarter changed to the 4th, Charlotte was in the middle of their best drive of the game, going 77 yards in 14 plays, but the 14th play was an INT, thwarting the scoring opportunity. Charlotte did get a 55 yard FG inside the 2 minute warning but the onside kick failed. The Wranglers had to punt but they pinned the Hornets at their own 6 and left them just 0:49 to get into FG range, but Charlotte couldn't get across their own 30. Arizona hangs on for their 6th win of the season, which is one more win than they had in the 1990's heading into this season (5-75 from 1990-1994). 

Week 14: Schedule Glitches and the Stretch Run Begin

 Other than exploit ball, the most frustrating thing about MFN are the standings glitches. In case you're new or been living under a rock, you should pay little attention to the "x" and "e", as there is something in the code that screws this up. JDB has said they use NFL tiebreakers, but at some point MFN diverges from that and I've never had a clear answer as to where. The teams involved, Georgia, Florida, and Detroit are all aware of the situation this season, but it will likely come up again in the future.

Week 14 had a lot of games featuring playoff hopefuls, but with just 2 weeks to play, the number of teams in contention are dwindling. The playoff rundown is here.

Gamblers 26 Panthers 10

No special teams shenanigans this week for the Gamblers as they put a dent in the Michigan playoff chances with today's victory. After an early FG, Tony Dean tossed a pair of first half TD passes as Houston led 23-0 at the break. Michigan scored a 3rd qtr FG and got a Larry Henderson TD pass early in the 4th to pull within 23-10, but the Gamblers defense stiffened the rest of the game. Tony Dean completed 28/50, 331 yards, 2 TD and an INT while Lloyd Ellis had a 128 combined yards, leading the team in rushing and receiving yards.

Blitz 16 Outlaws 10

Chicago earned a hard fought win today, and coupled with New Jersey's loss, the Blitz are now the hottest team in the league. The defenses ruled the first half, as each team could only muster a FG. In the 3rd qtr, Oklahoma took advantage of good starting field position, thanks to their punter pinning the Blitz at their 1. John Crisp led the Outlaws down the field and Douglas Arnold's 2 yard TD run gave Oklahoma a 10-3 lead. The Chicago offense finally put together back to back TD drives in the 4th as Dale Davis ran in the first score from 3 yards out, then Ronald Brown had a 6 yard TD pass to David Karim. The XP was no good following the 2nd TD, but the Blitz still led 16-10, and Oklahoma's last 2 drives ended on an INT and on downs. Chicago now has sole possession of 1st place in the Midwest.

Wheels 10 SaberCats 3

Detroit played pretty good on offense today, rushing for 133 yards, with 370 total yards, had 1 turnover (so did San Jose), converted 8/17 on 3rd down and had 5 red zone trips. The red zone was quite an adventure for the Wheels as they got all of 10 points out of all the red zone action, thanks mainly to K Kent Olden missing 4/5 FG tries. I don't know if Olden had the bad day, or if it was holder or snapper related, but no matter how you slice it, that's too many points to leave on the field. Good thing for Detroit their defense shut down the 4th ranked offense of San Jose. The Wheels held the SaberCats to just 137 yards, well off their average of 407. They sacked Jake Plummer 3 times and kept them out of the red zone all day. The second half was scoreless, but at least it was 58 degrees at kickoff in Detroit so the fans didn't freeze.

Storm 44 Invaders 0

This was likely the last chance Portland has to win a game by such a high margin as the Storm will face nothing but playoff teams until next season. Portland didn't force any turnovers but their defense held Oakland to 115 total yards, while Melvin Driggers and Jeffrey Frost led a 548 yard offensive attack. Driggers was 30/42, 290 yards, 5 TD, and 1 INT while Frost had 195 combined yards, rushing for 151 and a TD. Jose Moses chipped in 70 rushing yards and led the team in receiving yards, catching 6 for 82 yards and a TD. Richard Robinson had 79 receiving yards and 2 TDs as Driggers spread the ball around.

Gold 37 Sun 0

It's safe to say neither Portland or Denver were looking ahead to their rematch next week that will help determine who wins the West and possibly a BYE. You just read about the Storm's shutout win and the Gold matched them defensively. Denver held Southern California to 109 total yards, sacking Gary Wiggins twice and intercepting him 3 times. Andrew Brewer threw for 239 yards and 2 TDs while Fredrick Whidden ran for 134 yards and a TD to lead the Gold offense. Denver scored their first points via punt return, with Douglas Crowley taking one 81 yards for a TD. Overall, the Sun barely had the ball as Denver hogged it for 45:30.

Express 27 Thunderbolts 13

Los Angeles took another step toward a wildcard berth as David Tavarez completed 22/28, 251 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT while getting support from the running game scoring 2 TDs as the Express got out to a 17-3 halftime lead. Cleveland tried to come back in the second half, but could not get any closer than 7 points. The Thunderbolts hung with Los Angeles in yardage, but they lost the turnover battle 3-1 behind 2 Tony Romo INTs. There were a combined 8 red zone trips and all had scoring but Los Angeles got the best of that, with 3 TD and 2 FG in 5 trips. Cleveland's 3 trips resulted in 1 TD and 2 FG. 

Showboats 27 Generals 6

Memphis opted to go back to Norman Maldonado at QB, but the Showboats would need a good game from their defense as they hosted East winners New Jersey and their #1 ranked offense. Maldonado gave Memphis an early 7-0 lead with a 43 yard TD pass to Mark Glenn then added a FG after recovering a New Jersey fumble. The Generals clawed back with a pair of Al Borland FGs to trail at the half 10-6. New Jersey got the ball to start the 3rd qtr and Don Ferguson wasted little time giving Memphis good field position with his first INT of the game. The Showboats cashed it in when USFL leading rusher Steve Ransome scored the first of his 2 second half TD runs. The Generals defense bottled him up, allowing just 57 yards on 25 carries but Ransome was also the leading receiver with 88 yards. New Jersey's offense couldn't put drives together as they ended the game punt, punt, punt, downs, INT, INT. 

Federals 62 Hornets 9

Washington dominated Charlotte, yet the box score doesn't quite look like you think it would. Charlotte had 17 first downs, Washington 8...Charlotte converted 9/26 on third down, Washington 2/13...Charlotte QB Robert Ament completed 34/67 while Washington's Scott Bieber was 13/24. Charlotte also had a slight edge in time of possession and there were a combined 17 accepted penalties. Now for numbers you expect...Scott Bieber threw for 359 yards on those 13 completions, including 5 TDs while Ament got 264 yards from his 34 completions...39 if you count his 5 completions to Washington defensive players (I could have just said INT's, whatever lol). The only TD pass Ament threw was a pick six to Billy McCaa. Federals RB Robert Trammell had 60 yards rushing with another 111 and 2 TDs on 6 catches while fellow RB James Dunn ran for 123 and 2 scores.

Renegades 10 VooDoo 6

Not sure if the Orlando players are just tired or if their strategy is to play like crap to get it out of their system before the playoffs, but whatever it was it almost got them beat. The Orlando defense intercepted Joseph Jones on the opening drive and Trey Lyons turned that into a 13 yard TD pass to Rufus Williams. The Renegades forced a three and out, then added a FG for a quick 10-0 lead. At this point Orlando pulled a Costanza, feeling they hit their high note they just up and left.

They didn't really walk off the field, but they were done being productive as Lyons ended up throwing 3 INTs. New Orleans couldn't take advantage however, letting the Renegades off the hook for their uninspired performance.

Steamer 30 Bandits 6

Shreveport beat Tampa Bay and clinched the South division in the process. This game boiled down to the play of the 2 QBs, as George Marcil completed 25/33, albeit for just 156 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs. The Steamer also ran the ball often, even if they didn't run well. Their RBBC combined to rush 41 times for 101 yards and the offense held the ball over 40 minutes and had 7 red zone possessions. For Tampa Bay, I am running out of ways to describe how bad Antonio Martinez plays at times, but I think I have this game covered...disastrous. Martinez completed just 15/53 for 188 yards and 7 INTs. Without WR Luis Dean (6-112), I shudder to think how bad the stat line would be for MarINTez (I know it's spelled wrong).

Blazers 13 Stallions 0

Florida may have broken their TD drought but their offense is still sluggish as they close in on a wildcard berth (they already have it if you believe MFN and their standings of lies). Birmingham held the Blazers to 213 offensive yards, 55 rushing on 35 carries, 2/14 on 3rd down and just 2 FGs in 3 red zone trips. The only problem is the Stallions offense wasn't any better except for 3rd down, where they converted 5/17. The biggest difference was turnovers as Florida lost a fumble but Birmingham QB Willie Benge threw 3 INTs. The Stallions crossed the 50 three times with those drives ending INT, punt, missed FG.

End of Blog for this week

 Sorry if I didn't get to your game, but I got sidetracked by some stupid stuff and now I have to find 2 new owners instead of 1. I've been up nearly 24 hours, I need to eat and I won't be in the mood to finish this tomorrow.

Week 13: No More Zeros

 Orlando was the last undefeated team standing, but they didn't stay there long. The Jacksonville Bulls upset the Renegades and now there are no zeros in anyone's W-L record unless you count the one in 10. In fact everyone has at least 2 wins, first time in awhile I think that we've had no 1 win teams. I'm not going to spend a lot of blog time rehashing playoff scenarios, as they can be found in our league forums right here. 

Gamblers 27 Gold 10

We had a clash of recent champions that would go a long way in determining seeding for this year's World Bowl tournament. This game wasn't without controversy as the Houston special teams coach was fired for illegal substitution/insubordination/dereliction of duty. GM/Owner Cjfred68 said after the game "I don't know what that guy was thinking, sending Hugh Chance out on the punt block team. Like nobody is going to notice #84 on the front four, come on man. We take pride in our history and legacy and cheating has no place here."

As for the game itself, Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of Tony Dean TD passes. Denver's defense made the Gamblers work for it, as their longest play from scrimmage was 36 yards. Dean threw 3 TD passes in all and spread the ball around to several different receivers as the Gamblers had a 21-3 halftime lead. The illegal punt block came in the 3rd quarter and led to a FG for Houston and Denver never got closer than 14 points the rest of the game.

Bulls 20 Renegades 17

The mistakes started early as Jacksonville was intercepted on the 2nd play from scrimmage but Orlando couldn't convert the 48 yard FG, pushing it wide right. Derek Joyce then led the Bulls on a TD drive with a 4 yard TD pass to Anthony Holland. That would be his only TD pass today and would throw 2 more INTs. Trey Lyons then tied the game for Orlando at the beginning of the 2nd quarter with the first of his 2 TD passes. Our halftime score was 7-7 and the Renegades scored the only points of the 3rd with a FG to take a 10-7 lead into the final 15 minutes. A Tyron Bailey TD run gave Jacksonville a 14-10 lead but Trey Lyons took it back for Orlando with a TD pass to Jesse Carr. Jacksonville had to punt on their next possession, but they were able to pin Orlando at their own 2, and following a 3 and out, took over at the 50 down 3. They used all but 30 seconds and tied the game with a FG. In hindsight, Orlando should have just played for OT, but hindsight is always 20/20. Lyons tossed a costly INT with 20 seconds left that put Jacksonville in instant FG range. Bulls K Neal Williams has missed just 2 FG tries all year and this kick at the end of regulation wasn't one of them as he splits the uprights to give Orlando their first L of the season.

Federals 13 Maulers 3

Washington held the ball nearly 42 minutes so Scott Bieber tried to make it fair by throwing 3 INTs. Will Allison and the Pittsburgh offense couldn't sustain drives though, and the Maulers scored just 3 points all game. Bieber got Washington on the scoreboard toward the end of the first half with a 6 yard pass to Andrew Favela. John Bazile booted a pair of 2nd half FGs and RB Robert Trammell had a combined 193 yards as Washington is back in play for the #1 seed.

Steamer 33 Force 25

Georgia and Shreveport faced off today and the winner would have sole possession of first place while the loser will be on the outside looking in, needing help to crash the postseason party. The Force out gained the Steamer 395-247 but turnovers and special teams mistakes were Georgia's downfall today. Thomas Jacobi completed 31/43, 321 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT and he led the Force to an early 10-0 lead with a 32 yard TD pass to Glen Hampton and a FG drive. Shreveport got on the board on the ensuing kickoff when James McMahon took it 103 yards for a TD. QB George Marcil returned to action today after missing last weeks game with a hand injury, and Marcil gave the Steamer a 13-10 lead with a 15 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Morris. Morris struck again in the 3rd quarter with a 4 yard TD run before Georgia got a FG and a Timothy Arnold INT return for a TD. Billy Thompson missed the XP (and also missed a FG today) so the score entering the 4th was 20-19 Steamer. Marcil bounced back from that INT with a 46 yard TD pass to David Shafer, then a later FG gave Shreveport a 30-19 lead. Jacobi then hooked up with Glen Hampton for a 67 yard TD pass, but the 2 point try failed. Trailing by 5 inside of 2 minutes, they tried an onside kick, which failed, then Shreveport adds a FG and intercepts Jacobi to seal the win. Glen Hampton had a monster game with 9 catches, 196 yards and 2 TDs.

Storm 33 Showboats 13

If anyone has a QB to trade in the offseason, Memphis will likely be interested although I'm not sure if Tony Dean would have helped the Showboats today, as Portland's offense produced 536 yards. Memphis went three and out on their first drive, pinning the Storm on their own 4. Melvin Driggers then led a 15 play, 96 yard TD drive that took nearly 8 minutes off the clock. Memphis would answer with a FG but Portland went on a 16-0 run the rest of the half. Melvin Driggers tossed a pair of TD passes and Donald Atkins made a FG but missed an XP for a halftime score of 23-3 Storm. The Portland scoring run continued in the 3rd, building the lead to 33-3 before a late Memphis rally fell way short. Driggers was 36/47, 437 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT and Jeffrey Frost had a combined 197 yards and 2 TDs. Portland converted 12/18 third downs, while allowing the Showboats just 3/11. 

SaberCats 27 Wranglers 12

Arizona scored first for a 3-0 lead before Jake Plummer found Mark Hsu for TDs of 29 and 86 yards, sandwiching a FG for San Jose as the SaberCats took a 17-3 lead. Arizona cut it to 17-6 by halftime but Jake Plummer's 3rd TD pass pushed the San Jose lead to 24-6 and that was all she wrote for the Wranglers. Arizona hung close in total yardage, but they had to settle for FGs while San Jose was scoring TDs, and the Wranglers defense had no answer for Mark Hsu today, as Hsu caught 5 for 151 yards and 2 TDs.

Blitz 21 Bandits 14

Chicago is one of the hottest teams in the league, winning their 5th straight game despite scoring 21 the hard way. Tampa Bay out gained the Blitz 377-238 and was better in the red zone, as each team made 4 trips inside the 20 with the Bandits getting 2 TDs and Chicago 2 FGs. Tampa Bay converted 7/13 on 3rd down, while holding Chicago to 2/16. That's where the good ends for the Bandits as RB Charles Granier lost 4 fumbles and Antonio Martinez tossed 2 INTs. Martinez wasn't all bad, completing 26/43, 310 yards, 2 TD and those 2 INTs, but losing the turnover battle 6-0 meant Chicago would kick Tampa Bay to death, as Evan Joseph booted 7/8 FGs in the Blitz victory.

Hawaiians 13 Panthers 0

Honolulu entered the game having lost 3 in a row and 9 of 10 and had to face the stingiest scoring defense in the league. Michigan has allowed 148 points in 13 games (11.4 ppg), yet were just 8-4 thanks to an offense in the middle of the pack in scoring. Today's shutout loss gives Michigan 5 losses, while the other 5 teams in the league that have allowed less than 200 points have combined for just 8 losses. The Panthers defense did their job today, holding Honolulu to 13 points and less than 300 yards, but the offense was held in check by the Hawaiians 26th ranked defense. Michigan can't even blame turnovers, as they had none. They simply had trouble producing yards and first downs, gaining 147 total yards and 6 first downs with a combined 3/21 on 3rd/4th down conversions. This game was a scoreless tie for nearly 42 minutes until Edwin Clarkson connected with Robert Shuler for a 3 yard TD that would end up the game winning score.

Express 21 VooDoo 6

New Orleans hung with current #6 seed Los Angeles in yardage, but the VooDoo had less scoring chances and some early mistakes got them in an early 14-0 hole. New Orleans missed a FG on the opening drive, then David Tavarez threw a 16 yard TD pass to Robert Lott for an early 7-0 Los Angeles lead. James Jones then threw an INT in his own end of the field, but the Express fumbled it back. New Orleans took over on their 4 and had to punt, and Juan Nichols ended the short, 45 yard TD drive with a 2 yard scoring run. New Orleans chipped away with a pair of FGs to trail 14-6 at the half, but the VooDoo made just 1 red zone trip all day and couldn't make up the early deficit. In contrast, Los Angeles made 4 red zone trips, scoring 3 TDs.RB Gary Sappington had a combined 141 yards and a receiving TD for the Express.

Thunderbolts 16 Wheels 13 (OT)

This game featured 679 combined yards, 8 total turnovers (7 INTs), 0/4 in the red zone with 3 FGs, and extra football. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan did his best Antonio Martinez impression, completing 33/56, 343 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT while backup Steve Abrego completed 5/14 for 20 yards and an INT. For the life of me, I don't understand why Abrego pops up in most every box score, but IMO he's cost the Wheels at least a couple of wins as Flanagan is clearly the better QB. Detroit alternated the 2 QBs on their final OT drive and Flanagan's 4th INT gave Cleveland the ball just outside the red zone, leading to Cleveland's game winning FG. 

Generals 32 Blazers 10

With Orlando finally losing, the longest win streak in the league now belongs to New Jersey. The Generals have now won 6 in a row thanks to the #1 offense in the league in terms of points and yards. Today was no different as New Jersey racked up 447 yards and 32 points, their 11th game of 30+ points this year, as they hog the ball for over 41 minutes. Don Ferguson throws way more passes than anyone else, which I don't mind as it keeps my leaky defense off the field. Today, Ferguson completed 39/67, 383 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT as the Generals leaned on the pass more than normal. Sam Beckett was the only healthy RB today, and he responded with 140 combined yards as New Jersey got out to a 26-0 lead, then cruised to victory.

Stars 40 Hornets 6

Jon Snow really likes facing Charlotte this season, although he fell well short of the 10 TD passes he lit the Hornets up with earlier this season. Snow was 26/36, 462 yards and 4 TDs, all to different receivers as he led Baltimore to their 5th win in the last 7 games. WR John Warkentin caught 5 for 130 yards and a TD while RB William Halford had a combined 139 yards and a receiving TD. The Stars had chances to make the score more lopsided, but the offense had to settle for FGs 4 times.

Outlaws 35 Bell 32

Oklahoma had their best offensive game of the season as the Outlaws had 368 yards of offense and a season high 35 points. Philadelphia had more yards, 448, but they also had 2 turnovers while John Crisp and the Outlaws did not turn it over. Both QBs played well, with Joseph Serio completing 29/42, 316 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT, connecting with 10 different receivers. John Crisp completed 25/31, 248 yards and 4 TDs, connecting with 11 different receivers. This was a back and forth game, with 5 lead changes after Oklahoma scored first for a 7-0 lead. Philadelphia then scored 14 unanswered for lead change #1 (14-7 PHI). Oklahoma tied it and the halftime score was 14-14. In the 3rd, Philadelphia took a 17-14 lead, then Oklahoma went up 21-17 before yet another lead change with a Bell TD making the score 24-21 after 3. John Crisp then threw a pair of 4th qtr TD passes, the first one giving them the lead, the second extending it to 35-24. Serio brought the Bell back with a TD and 2 points inside the 2 minute warning but the onside kick failed, allowing Crisp to kneel down in victory formation.

Gunslingers 23 Breakers 10

San Antonio could be poised to make a playoff run in 1996 if they can add a player or 2 to help their offense score more consistently. Houston's Tony Dean is getting older and this is a QB driven league as Memphis knows all too well with their struggles this season. Charlie Shanks had 76 rushing yards and a TD, adding 61 receiving to lead the Gunslingers in both categories. Neither team turned the ball over and while Boston QB Adam Scales (26/36, 146 yards, 1 TD) was more efficient than Robert Fanelli (21/37, 216 yards, 1 TD), Fanelli enjoyed more help from his running game. The Gunslingers ran for 158 yards as a team, nearly 100 more yards than the Breakers (61 yards) and Fanelli converted 9/18 on 3rd down. San Antonio scored the first 17 points of the game, then held on for the win.

Stallions 17 (NY) Stars 14

New York has struggled this year, but where would they be without league leading WR Albert Olson? Today, Olson caught 4 for 124 and 2 TDs, including a 97 yard score, giving him 2,006 yards with 3 games to go. This is the 23rd 2,000 yard receiving season in league history and Olson needs 740 yards to pass Mark Hsu for most yards in a season. There was a game involving players on both teams, and offensively, New York had little going on outside of Olson. Birmingham controlled the ball 40 minutes, converted 10/23 third downs while holding the Stars to 2/11, yet the Stallions found themselves trailing 14-9 at the 2 minute warning as all that ball control produced just 3 FGs. Birmingham QB Willie Benge completed 44/59 for 287 yards and he took over on his own 47 after a punt. Benge led an 8 play, 53 yard TD drive as Stanley Gordon punched it in from 2 yards out with 0:08 on the clock. Benge then completed the 2 point pass to Gordon to pull out a last second, come from behind victory.

Sun 34 Invaders23

Matthew Tipps led Southern California with 51 rushing yards and a TD while catching 6 for 73 and another TD as the Sun take control of a close game in the second half to defeat Oakland. The Invaders actually out gained the Sun 442-399 but their 4 red zone trips produced 2 TD and a FG while the Sun went 4/4. Oakland K Lawrence Linville missed 2 FGs and an XP today. Not much to talk about stat wise other than Tipps and Oakland WR Juan Morgan, who caught 7 for 109 yards. Both teams use a RBBC and the Invaders had 10 players catch a pass while the Sun had 8 different receivers. 

Week 12: Orlando the Last of the Undefeated

 The Washington Federals played their 3rd consecutive former champion and couldn't complete the sweep, losing to the Denver Gold to leave the Orlando Renegades as the last undefeated team remaining. In the long run this won't hurt the Federals too much as they will most likely still get a BYE and they no longer have any self imposed pressure to try for a perfect record. Washington has a 2 game lead and a victory over New Jersey for the #2 seed and all that's left on the schedule are home and home with Charlotte and Pittsburgh. Speaking of New Jersey, the Generals clinched the East with their victory over Boston and they join San Jose and defending champion Houston in punching their playoff ticket.

We now know 5 of the 12 playoff teams, and they are all division winners, which leaves just 3 divisions with drama at the top. Denver and Portland are tied atop the West with 10-2 records, and it would take an epic collapse for one of these teams to miss the playoffs altogether. We also have a tie in the South between a pair of 6-6 teams, Georgia and Shreveport. In the National Conference, 6-6 puts the loser of this division in the middle of the wildcard hunt with most of the rest of the conference. Our third division with competition is the Midwest, where Michigan has a 1 game lead on a very hot Chicago Blitz and a 2 game lead on the Detroit Wheels.

Wildcard races look to be truly wild down the stretch, especially in the National Conference. Between 6-11 teams are in contention for 2 wildcard spots, depending on where you feel the line of contention falls. If the season ended today, you'd first ask me why we're only playing a 12 game season, but the Florida Blazers would be the #5 seed with their 7-5 record. Georgia and Shreveport are 6-6 but one will win the South, while the other would be in a tiebreaker with the Baltimore Stars for the last spot. Since the season has 4 games remaining, there is still time for the 5-7 teams to make a move. Tampa Bay has a playoff hopeful all 4 remaining games (Chicago, Shreveport, Detroit, Georgia) which is a tougher schedule than fellow 5-7 teams Boston and Philadelphia. Even with 4-8 records, Pittsburgh and New York are just 2 games out of a playoff spot while Jacksonville, Birmingham, and New Orleans are mathematically alive at 3-9. 

The American Conference wildcard race isn't as crowded as the National, with the loser of Denver/Portland likely grabbing the top wildcard spot. They both have 10-2 records, 3 games clear of the competition. That leaves 1 wildcard open for Los Angeles, Memphis, or Chicago. Those 3 teams are all 7-5, but Chicago also has a shot to win the Midwest which would put Michigan in this mix. Detroit is 6-6, not out of it, but they will need help, especially with San Jose and Denver still on the schedule. Oakland and Arizona need to get hot and have help as well, while San Antonio and Cleveland are mathematically alive, but on life support.

I started this blog late, so I'm planning on doing a quick review of the games.

Gold 30 Federals 21

Andrew Brewer threw for 273 yards and 3 TD passes, all to Douglas Crowley as the Gold got out to a 27-10 lead after 3 quarters. Crowley finished with 183 yards on 5 catches, with scoring plays of 56, 84, and 21 yards respectively. Washington cut the lead to 27-21 with 5 minutes to play but Denver ran the remaining time off the clock, tacking on a FG at the final gun.

Renegades 37 Bandits 14

Trey Lyons completed 31/43, 323 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT as Orlando scored 21 first quarter points to seize control of the game and remain unbeaten. Anthony Milan and Jose Rush led the Renegades rushing attack that gained 172 yards and helped Orlando hog the ball over 41 minutes. Orlando was also 5/5 in the red zone. For Tampa Bay, it was the bad Antonio Martinez again. Martinez completed just 22/54, 211 yards, 2 TD and 3 INT, and had no support from the running game.

Gamblers 20 Gunslingers 13

San Antonio did a lot of things right today, out gaining the champs 431-273 and not turning the ball over. Robert Fanelli was 31/47, 302 yards and a TD and Charlie Shanks led a RBBC that had 129 yards. The only thing the Gunslingers could have done better was finish drives. They settled for too many FGs, and missed a pair which would have altered the end game. San Antonio had the ball last, getting all the way down to the Houston 1, but couldn't get it in the end zone for the tying TD. Had Benjamin Regalado made those kicks, he would have had an opportunity for a game winning kick. He didn't, so he didn't and the Gamblers stay ahead of Denver/Portland for the all important BYE.

SaberCats 23 Express 19

Los Angeles needed to win if they had any hopes of winning the Pacific but division leaders San Jose scored first thanks to a Jake Plummer TD pass. David Tavarez then led the Express to 16 unanswered points with a pair of TD passes and a FG drive. The XP was no good following the first TD. Jake Plummer's 2nd TD pass got the SaberCats within 16-14 after 3 quarters, with Daniel Hartwig catching both (4-129-2). Los Angeles extended the lead to 19-14 midway through the 4th, but Plummer's 3rd TD pass gave San Jose the lead for good. That score went to Mark Hsu, and the 2 point try failed, but they would add a FG following a turnover on downs for the final margin. Los Angeles made little mistakes that cost them, in addition to the early missed XP, they lost the turnover battle 2-1 and scored just 2 TDs in 4 red zone trips.

Storm 24 Maulers 9

Portland traveled to rainy Pittsburgh and the Storm scored quickly thanks to a Melvin Driggers 72 yard pass to Richard Robinson. That was it in the first half for Portland, as the Maulers defense hung tough. Will Allison led a pair of long scoring drives, but they both fell short of the end zone as the Storm led at the half 7-6. Jose Moses had a 12 yard TD run to extend the lead in the 3rd quarter then Melvin Driggers found Jeffrey Frost for a 61 yard TD in the 4th for a 21-9 lead and the Maulers turned it over on downs their last 3 possessions. Richard Robinson caught 9 for 146 yards and a TD while Jeffrey Frost had a combined 178 yards (102 receiving) and a TD to lead the Portland offense.

Blitz 26 Panthers 21

Since a 1-3 start, Chicago has won 6 of their last 8, with their 2 losses coming at the hands of 12-0 Orlando and 11-1 Houston. The Michigan Panthers have led the Midwest most of the year, withstanding an early challenge from the Wheels, but now it's the Blitz coming up on the Panthers fast. Michigan still has games against 12-0 Orlando and 11-1 Houston coming up, plus a rematch with Chicago, so a win over the Blitz would really enhance their playoff chances. This was a back and forth game with 4 lead changes, so if this was a normal blog, I'd be writing a short story for this one. We'll skip to the 4th where Chicago had a 17-13 lead. Larry Henderson threw a 24 yard TD pass to Harvey Williams and Lawrence Schroeder ran in the 2 point try for a 21-17 Panthers lead. It only took Ronald Brown 2 plays to give the Blitz the lead back with a 26 yard TD pass to Daniel Johnson. Inside the 2 minute warning, Henderson was sacked in the end zone for a safety to extend the lead but Michigan recovered the onside free kick. The Blitz defense came up huge again, intercepting Henderson and sealing victory. RB John Gates paced the Chicago offense with 128 rushing yards and 66 receiving.

Generals 30 Breakers 6

Don Ferguson passed for 345 yards and 3 TDs to lead New Jersey over Boston. WR Duncan Meyer caught 6 for 162 yards and a TD while Kurt Cobain rushed for 103 yards, just the 2nd 100 yard game of his career. Cobain also chipped in 78 receiving yards on 11 catches. The Generals out gained the Breakers 497-191 and were pretty good on 3rd down, converting 9/15 and holding Boston to 2/13. 

Stallions 34 Force 17

If this were real life, the media would say Georgia got caught looking ahead to next week's showdown with Shreveport. The box score reads like the Stallions defense took it to the Force offense, forcing punts the whole first half. That doesn't explain how the Georgia defense let Birmingham walk all over them, getting out to a 24-0 halftime lead. The Stallions have 7 games this season scoring single digits and just 2 games where they scored more than 13, so 24 in a half is a point explosion. RB Francis Schultz ran for 139 yards with a TD and delivered the backbreaking blow. Georgia was kicking off after finally scoring to cut the lead to 24-7 with plenty of time left in the 3rd, but Schultz took the kickoff 103 yards for a TD to instantly take momentum back. 

Steamer 52 Sun 6

One team that wasn't looking ahead to next week was Shreveport. QB George Marcil was nursing a hand injury so the Steamer started veteran journeyman James Wright. Wright spent most of his career in New Jersey where his most notable season was 1992. That year he played RB and had over 1,000 combined yards, rushing for 884 (4.6 ypc) with another 187 receiving. Today, Wright enjoyed his best day ever as a pro QB, completing 26/32, 408 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT. His favorite target was David Shafer, who caught 6 for 264 yards and 4 TDs and RB Milton Schwab ran for 114 yards as the Steamer scored on their first 7 possessions of the game. Had the Southern California defense been able to slow down the Steamer, it might have been a different game, as the Sun ran for nearly 8 yards per carry. It's kind of hard to keep running the ball with such a big, early deficit however.

Showboats 17 Wheels 10

Well I wasn't ready for this box score, but it's fitting. The game prior, I spoke about a QB I turned into a RB for a season. It seems Memphis RB Erik McNamee was drafted as a QB and turned into a RB, who has now been switched back to QB. Norman Maldonado has not had a good season, tossing 23 INTs and finding himself on the bench as Memphis tries to qualify for the playoffs. McNamee wasn't bad, completing 23/38 for 183 yards, but the running game was working well. USFL leading rusher Steve Ransome ran for 110 yards while William Magallon ran for 83 yards and a TD and Detroit ran 3 times all game. The aerial attack only produced 10 points though as Detroit loses their 2nd in a row to watch their playoff hopes slowly fade.

Blazers 20 Bulls 13

The Florida drought has come to an end finally. The Blazers scored a TD on a Sidney Maggard 14 yard TD pass to William Sheppard late in the first quarter to snap a TD drought that lasted more than 5 games. More importantly, that TD gave Florida a 10-7 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Blazers would add another TD in the 2nd quarter and led 17-10 at the half. Not much happened in the 2nd half and the Blazers hang on for an important win that keeps then in the top wildcard spot.

Stars 37 (NY) Stars 10

Baltimore is having a subpar season by their standards, but the Stars can still light up a scoreboard. The New York Stars Albert Olson still leads the league in receiving, and he got his today (5-114), but the next guy on the receiving yards list is Baltimore WR John Warkentin. The All Pro caught 9 for 215 yards and 2 TDs, including a 92 yard score in the 3rd to give Baltimore a 24-0 lead. New York's only TD came when John Wayne sacked Jon Snow, causing a fumble in the end zone that Danny Devito's cousin Patrick recovered for a TD. Snow finished with 380 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs.

Bell 44 Hornets 7

Philadelphia was hoping to build on the momentum from the last couple of seasons and take the East from New Jersey, but a 3 game losing streak had the Bell clinging to dwindling playoff hopes. Today, they took out their frustrations on Charlotte, building a 20-0 halftime lead that grew to 41-0 after 3. Joseph Serio completed 21/32, 293 yards and 3 TDs with Craig Hines leading the receivers with 5 catches, 123 yards and 2 scores. Jamie Epperson led the RBBC with 107 rushing yards and a TD while the Bell defense bent (319 yards allowed) but didn't break (forced 4 Hornets turnovers).

Wranglers 11 Invaders 9

Not much offense to talk about as the teams combined for just 433 yards, or what the 4th ranked offense (San Jose 432.9) gets on the weekly. Arizona got on the board first after a punt pinned Oakland deep in their own end. Andrew Moreno was sacked in the end zone by Dan Daniel for a safety and a 2-0 Arizona lead. The rest of the game was a kicking contest with each team booting 3. Arizona held a late 11-9 lead when Oakland attempted a 53 yard FG. It was wide left and the Invaders last drive ended on downs as Arizona snaps a 6 game losing streak. 

VooDoo 10 Hawaiians 7 (OT)

For the most part this was a punting contest. Honolulu took a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter on a Jeffrey Richins TD run then Joseph Jones answered for New Orleans with a 10 yard TD pass to Tom Jacobs. On the first drive of the 3rd quarter, Jones was intercepted in the red zone, keeping the score 7-7 and it would stay that way until OT. Honolulu got the ball first, going three and out. New Orleans was able to drive to the edge of FG range and Emil Porter sent the crowd home happy as his 53 yard kick sailed through the uprights for the VooDoo victory.

Thunderbolts 31 Outlaws 12

Tony Romo threw a 30 yard TD pass to Andre King in the first quarter then Marvin Williamson returned a John Crisp INT 62 yards for a score and a 14-0 Cleveland lead. Oklahoma came back with a FG and a John Crisp TD pass to pull within 14-9 after the XP was no good. That was the halftime score and the teams exchanged FGs as Cleveland led 17-12 midway through the 4th. Tony Romo then led another TD drive, getting his 2nd TD pass  when he found Edward McGeehan for a 12 yard score. Oklahoma turned it over on downs then Howard Buxton ran in a 22 yard TD to seal the win for the Thunderbolts.  

Week 11: Washington and Orlando Clinch Playoff Spots

 Life is good at the top as the Washington Federals have clinched the Atlantic division while the Orlando Renegades clinch at least a wildcard, and should clinch the Southeast with either their next win or a Florida loss. Denver has won 7 in a row and have now tied Portland atop the West while the Georgia Force now have sole possession of the South thanks to their 3rd straight win. Michigan has a 2 game lead in the Midwest, San Jose and New Jersey enjoy 3 game leads while the defending champs, Houston have a 4 game lead on Memphis, plus a sweep so they win the Midwest with 1 more win or 1 Showboats loss. I'm not even attempting to analyze the wildcard race at this time, it's too jumbled. Best of luck down the stretch.

Gamblers 42 Showboats 26

Memphis really needed to win this game if they had any hopes of winning the division, and it would have really helped their wildcard chances. The Showboats cranked up the running game as Steve Ransome ran for 178 of Memphis' 221 yards and Ransome now leads the league by 333 yards (1,125 to 792). Memphis matched Houston score for score early, even leading 17-14 at one point, but Tony Dean and the interceptions of Norman Maldonado proved too much to overcome. Maldonado threw 3 INTs in all and the first 2 were converted into TDs by Tony Dean. Speaking of interceptions, Dean threw 4 last week in the loss to San Jose, but the 3 time MVP bounced back in a big way. Dean completed 20/31, 408 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INT, all while getting no support from the running game (20 carries, 25 yards). WR Jett Black caught 4 for 183 yards and 3 TDs while RB Lloyd Ellis caught 2 passes for 125 yards and a TD. Three of Dean's TD passes were of the long variety, hitting Jett Black for 75 and 79 yards plus a 68 yard score to Lloyd Ellis. 

Federals 17 Storm 12

This was a rematch of World Bowl XX and Federals players and fans would gladly trade today's win for a win back then. Since that is impossible, they had to settle for a revenge win, and Portland QB Melvin Driggers obliged. Driggers had the Storm poised to score on their opening drive but he threw an INT with Washington taking over at their own 9. Portland managed to still come away with points as James Danner sacked Scott Bieber in the end zone for a safety. After the free kick, Driggers was intercepted again only for Scott Bieber to return the favor with an INT of his own. This time Driggers completed the drive with a 26 yard TD pass to Jeffrey Frost and a 9-0 lead. Scott Bieber then threw another INT, leading to a Portland FG for a 12-0 advantage. Bieber finally got Washington on the scoreboard with a 21 yard pass to Oliver Jeter and a John Bazile FG made the halftime score 12-10 Portland.

Washington got the ball to start the 3rd, and Bieber led the Federals on a 10 play, 75 yard TD drive. James Dunn caught the 7 yard Bieber pass for the TD that gave Washington the lead for good, 17-12. Portland would miss a FG on their next drive, then suffered bad starting field position the rest of the game, punting twice, turning it over via INT, then turning it over on downs. 

Renegades 23 Thunderbolts 7

The Cleveland offense couldn't stay on the field and the Thunderbolts defense couldn't get off the field as unbeaten Orlando hogged the ball 42 minutes, out gaining Cleveland 449-162. Cleveland QB Tony Romo had a bad game, getting a 75 yard TD pass to Shane Looney late in the 4th, already trailing 20-0. Overall, Romo was 6/21, 96 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT, while also being sacked 3 times. Offensively for Orlando, Trey Lyons threw 2 early TD passes and Scott Mueller connected on 3/5 FG attempts as the Renegades controlled the game throughout. Lyons finished 33/47, 307 yards and 2 TDs while rookie RB Anthony Milan had a solid all around game. Milan didn't score, but he rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries and caught 8 passes for 88 yards to lead the team in both rushing and receiving. 

SaberCats 20 Steamer 15

I guess I'm a jinx, as last blog I praised Shreveport QB George Marcil then this week he throws an INT on the first play from scrimmage. That led to a San Jose FG and a quick 3-0 lead. In fact, FGs and INTs were the theme of the game as both Marcil and Jake Plummer threw 3 picks each. The scoring was nothing but FGs the first 40+ minutes, with San Jose kicking the first 2 for a 6-0 lead, then Shreveport booted the next 4 for a 12-6 lead. With 3:56 left in the 3rd, George Marcil was intercepted at his own 26 by William Jung, who returned it for a TD as San Jose took the lead 13-12. Ryan Clark ran in a 3 yard score early in the 4th to extend the lead to 20-12. Shreveport cut it to 5 thanks to a 58 yard Jeffrey Smith FG, but never threatened a TD thereafter and San Jose holds on for the ugly win for a pretty 10-1 record.

Gold 23 Wranglers 6

Arizona took the opening kickoff and appeared to score a TD, but replay review determined Patrick Douglas lost the ball before crossing the plane and Denver took over on their own 20 after recovering the ball in the end zone. That kind of killed any offensive momentum for the Wranglers and the Gold chipped away, eventually building a 17-0 lead. Ray Anderson had a 2 yard TD run in the 2nd and Robert Deacon added a FG for a 10-0 halftime lead. Denver got the ball to start the 3rd and Andrew Brewer led a 10 play, 75 yard TD drive, finding Douglas Crowley for the 19 yard score. The Gold offense was pretty much done after that, at least as far as yards are concerned. Denver scored 2 more FGs after taking over in Arizona territory, once on downs and once on an INT. Arizona added a late FG to give us the final score of 23-6.

Panthers 12 Bandits 6

Michigan was not great on offense but they took advantage of the opportunities presented to them and won the FG kicking contest 4-2. The Panthers had 282 yards of offense but they turned the ball over twice, converted just 1/12 on 3rd down and had to settle for FGs on all 4 red zone possessions. Tampa Bay had a worse offensive game though, except on 3rd down, where the Bandits converted 5/15. The running game never got going and the bad Antonio Martinez showed up, completing 18/39, 214 yards and 4 INTs. Three of his INTs came on the last 3 passes he threw. At least the kickers had a good game as Tampa's Edward Walter was 2/2, Michigan's Jonathan Ruch was 4/4 and Michigan punter Napoleon McQuaig had 6 of 7 punts inside the 20.

Generals 38 (NY) Stars 35 (OT)

It took 5 quarters to decide this game, and the box score provided some talking points. The first thing I noticed was 5 total TDs in the 4th quarter, then you see 1,001 combined yards, 7 combined INTs and a combined perfect red zone day, 5 TDs in 5 trips. The game started out strange as well, with Damien Oleary throwing an INT to set New Jersey up in Al Borland FG range. Don Ferguson must not have been ready though, as he gave it right back via INT. Damien Oleary then found his main man Albert Olson for a 52 yard TD and a 7-0 lead. Meanwhile, Ferguson threw INTs on the Generals second and third drives and New York took a 14-0 lead after a 2 yard "drive". Bull Dozer did the honors with a rushing TD. Ferguson finally settled down, throwing TD passes of 25 yards to David Koresh and 4 yards to Cody Schiavo to tie the game at 14. Inside the 2 minute warning, Oleary and Olson hooked up for another TD, this one covering 94 yards and New York took a 21-14 lead into halftime. 

Nobody scored in the 3rd and New Jersey got an 11 yard Ferguson TD pass to Duncan Meyer to tie the game at 21, then Sam Beckett took his only carry 30 yards for a TD to give the Generals the lead. Oleary immediately tied it with a 75 yard TD pass to Wayne Ryals. Ferguson then found Cody Schiavo for another TD at the 2 minute warning for a Generals lead that lasted 20 seconds. Oleary got the Stars down the field quickly and a 17 yard TD pass to William Hall sent the game to OT.

The extra session started with a New York punt, and New Jersey followed with a punt of their own. That punt pinned the Stars at their own 7 though, and a three and out gave the Generals great field position to start their drive. New Jersey gained just 20 yards before the clock started to get close to 0:00, but that was enough for Al Borland to snatch victory from the jaws of a tie with a 55 yard FG at the final gun.

For New York, Damien Oleary completed 24/46, 403 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT with Albert Olson padding his league leading receiving total with 8 catches, 228 yards and 2 scores. Generals QB Don Ferguson completed 50/77, 447 yards, 4 TD and 4 INT. David Koresh led New Jersey with 43 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards and a TD on 9 catches, but he got Waco-ed during the game, suffering a concussion that will sideline him 3 weeks.

Force 38 Hawaiians 28

Honolulu got the game started on the right foot with a 75 yard TD pass from Edwin Clarkson to Brian Vizcarra on the first play from scrimmage. Georgia answered with a FG, then Honolulu got a 3 yard TD run from Jeffrey Richins for a 13-3 lead after the XP was missed. The next score was unconventional. Georgia RB Thomas Sanchez fumbled twice today, losing 1, but both led directly to points for the Hawaiians. The first one came deep in Force territory, with OL Andrew Briggs recovering the ball in the end zone for a Honolulu safety, increasing their lead to 15-3. 

That was our halftime score, then Georgia got closer with a TD drive to start the 3rd. Thomas Jacobi connected with John Huynh for a 49 yard TD to pull within 15-10. Honolulu's answer was the same as their 2nd TD, a 3 yard Jeffrey Richins TD run and a missed XP to increase the lead to 21-10. Georgia would add 3 points to trail by 8 entering the 4th, which belonged to Thomas Jacobi. For the game, Jacobi completed 21/26, 426 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT, with 3 of the scores coming in the final 15 minutes, all on big plays. First came a 55 yard TD to Matthew Taylor, which tied the game after Shaun Sutton ran in the 2 point conversion. Next came an 84 yard score to Glen Hampton (6-143-1) for a 7 point lead with 3 minutes to play. Had Georgia lost today, Thomas Sanchez would be firmly in the doghouse. In addition to the earlier fumble for a safety, Sanchez ran 32 times for 36 yards all day, then in clock killing mode, he fumbled deep in his own end again. This time James Patterson fell on the loose ball in the end zone and the Hawaiians tie the game thanks to this generous gift. Jacobi had his back though, as he found Willard Brekke for a 75 yard TD to retake the lead. The Georgia defense then intercepted Edwin Clarkson and added the game clinching FG for their 3rd win in a row.

Express 34 Sun 17

Los Angeles came out of the gates strong, getting out to a 23-7 1st quarter lead and beating Southern California to take sole possession of the current #6 seed. David Tavarez got the party started with a 70 yard TD pass to Patrick Peavey in the first minute of the game, but the Sun tied it on a league record tying 110 yard kickoff return for a TD by Michael Johnson. Los Angeles would then add a FG before Tavarez found Gary Sappington for a 75 yard TD pass to give the Express a 17-7 lead. Juan Nichols would add a 4 yard TD run before the quarter ended, but the XP was no good. Gary Wiggins got the Sun within 23-14 before halftime with a 13 yard TD pass to Matthew Tipps. That's as close as Southern California would get as the Express scored 11 points in the 4th to seize control of the game. Juan Nichols rushed for 102 yards and 2 TDs while teammate Gary Sappington ran for 88, adding 87 receiving yards and a TD. David Tavarez threw for 359 and 2 TDs with Patrick Peavey catching 6 for 144 and a score.

Blitz 38 Wheels 28

This was like a basketball game where everybody makes a run. Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan tossed a pair of 1st qtr TD passes for a 14-0 Wheels lead, then Kent Olden booted a pair of FGs, extending the lead to 20-0. Chicago then went on a run of their own before halftime, starting with a FG, then getting 2 Ronald Brown TD passes to make the halftime score 20-17 Detroit. The second half started and the Blitz picked up where they left off, scoring 21 more points in a row the hard way. Ronald Brown threw TD pass #3, then the defense sacked Flanagan in the end zone and Chicago now led 26-20. Evan Joseph added a FG before Ronald Brown's 4th TD pass, 2nd to Barry Dawson. They tried for 2 but failed, so they now led 35-20. Another Joseph FG extended it to 38-28 before Detroit backup QB Steve Abrego threw his first career TD pass. Abrego comes in from time to time, and his career stat line now reads 5/33, 35 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT. The win makes Chicago 6-5, tied with Detroit and Memphis, 1 game behind Los Angeles for the last wildcard spot.

Blazers 6 Stars 3 (OT)

Sometimes it seems like I'm a jinx, but not in the case of Florida's offense. I have been talking for the last few games about their extended TD drought, which was over 17 quarters heading into this game. Unfortunately for the Blazers, that streak continues as they go 4 quarters plus most of a 10 minute OT period without scoring a TD of any kind. Add it all together and it's been basically 22 quarters, 5 full games plus OT and the end of the Tampa Bay game, yet incredibly, Florida is 2-3 in this stretch of scoring futility. They beat Detroit with 5 FGs during the first full game of the streak, and today they limit Jon Snow and the Baltimore Stars to a single FG to win 6-3. The game winning OT FG was set up by a Carl Thornton fumble recovered by Florida. The Blazers offense went nowhere, but the recovery occurred within FG range. The Florida win takes some of the sting out of the TD drought, as does still being the top wildcard despite a 6-5 record. Baltimore falls to 5-6, but that is good for a 4 way tie for the #6 seed with Tampa Bay, Shreveport and Boston.

Breakers 17 Outlaws 9

The old Ohio State coach Woody Hayes would have enjoyed this game, as it featured a lot of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. The first half was field goal or bust as Oklahoma kicked 2 FGs for a 6-0 halftime lead over Boston. On the first play of the second half, Boston erased the deficit as Adam Scales found Bob Carder for a 75 yard TD pass. The Breakers would extend the lead to 14-6 when Raymond Babbitt plunged into the end zone on a short run in the middle of the 3rd. The teams exchanged 4th quarter FGs, with Boston going first for a 17-6 lead before the Outlaws made it 17-9. Oklahoma tried to rally on a late drive but they ran out of time 30 yards short of the end zone and Boston hangs on for the win.

Invaders 19 Maulers 13

Oakland and Pittsburgh were both 4-6 coming into the game, yet both were still alive in the playoff race. Even after the game, Oakland is 2 games out while Pittsburgh is 1, although both are still considered long shots. The Pittsburgh defense did a good job, limiting the Invaders to 231 offensive yards and forcing Andrew Moreno into a subpar 16/36, 157 yard, 1 TD day. The Maulers also sacked Moreno twice and held them to 3/17 on 3rd down. Oakland played good defense as well, holding the Maulers to 277 yards and 4/16 on 3rd down. The difference in the game was Pittsburgh QB Will Allison and his 3 INTs. Each one gave Oakland good field position and a FG and forced the Maulers to go for a 4th down late while in FG range because they trailed by 6 instead of 3. 

Gunslingers 29 Bell 7

Philadelphia traveled to San Antonio and they don't want to remember the Alamo, as a bad first half put the Bell in a deep hole they couldn't climb out of. Offensively, Philadelphia missed a pair of FGs and had an INT in the first 30 minutes while the Bell defense allowed San Antonio to score on 5 of 6 first half possessions. Four of the five scores were FGs, so Philadelphia was only down 19-0, not insurmountable in a half. Well the 3rd quarter started and so did the punts for the Bell. The Gunslinger RBs were too much today, as Charlie Shanks caught Robert Fanelli's first TD pass and Randy Leger caught one in the 3rd to extend the lead to 26-0. Philadelphia finally got on the board with a Joseph Serio TD pass at the end of the 3rd, but it was too little, too late. San Antonio had big games from QB Robert Fanelli (377 yards, 2 TD), RB Charlie Shanks and RB Randy Leger. Shanks led the Gunslingers in rushing (51 yards) and receiving (6-92-1) while Leger had a combined 116 yards with a receiving TD. 

Hornets 9 Stallions 8

By all rights, Birmingham should have won this game, as they out gained Charlotte 352-137, won the turnover battle 2-1, had 2 red zone possessions to none for the Hornets and an almost 36-24 edge in time of possession. Birmingham's defense scored first, tackling RB Henry Young in the end zone for a safety. The first half stayed 2-0 Stallions until Javier Gill kicked a 51 yard FG as the half expired and the Hornets led 3-2 at halftime. Birmingham K Gonzalo Burgess had a bad first half, missing a 38 yard try wide left and a 45 yard kick wide right. The Stallions got the ball to start the 3rd and quickly advanced down the field for a Walter Lemay 1 yard TD run for an 8-3 lead. It might have been a little early to go for 2, but given the struggles of Burgess plus the prospect of a 7 point lead, I can't argue. Fans can though, as they only care that it failed, leaving the score 8-3. Burgess had a chance to increase the lead but he was wide right on a 38 yard try, then Charlotte added 3 to get within 8-6. Javier Gill made a 3rd FG, a 52 yard kick with 0:39 to play and the Hornets steal a win from the Stallions.

Bulls 26 VooDoo 3

New Orleans is 2-0 against Birmingham but they aren't on the schedule and the VooDoo played like they expected to lose. Joseph Jones threw an INT on the opening drive and Derek Joyce gave Jacksonville a quick lead with a 13 yard TD pass to William Morrison. New Orleans would punt on their next 6 drives while the Bulls scored on their first 4 drives for a 19-0 lead. The XP was no good after the first Joyce TD pass, making the score 6-0, then the next 2 scores were FGs. Joyce threw his 2nd TD pass to Steven Riley for 31 yards, then coming out of halftime, he found Tyron Bailey with a 5 yard TD pass for a 26-0 lead after 35 minutes of play. That was pretty much it, as Derek Joyce would be intercepted but nothing came of it, then the rest of the half was all punts save for a shutout avoiding FG for the VooDoo and the drive that ended when the clock ran out.

Week 10: Champs Lose, Washington/Orlando 10-0

 Ten games are in the books for 1995, and the last 2 undefeated teams reside in the National Conference. It's been quite some time since a National Conference team won the World Bowl, is this the year the streak ends? Our defending champions Houston finally lost a game, and it might hurt come playoff seeding time as San Jose now owns the tiebreaker over the Gamblers. Both teams have 3 game division leads with 6 to go, and should be fighting for home field advantage and a BYE with the winner of the West. Portland currently leads the West, and their 9-1 record matches Houston and San Jose, but the Storm are being pushed hard by the Denver Gold. Denver is 8-2 and the Gold have a 2 game lead on the field for the top wildcard spot. Speaking of playoffs, we'll likely have a division or 2 clinched next week. Washington and Orlando won this week to improve to 10-0 and both teams have a 5 game division lead. 

Washington and Orlando aren't the only teams with big division leads as San Jose, Houston, and New Jersey all have 3 game leads with 6 to go. What we might lack in division drama we gain in wildcard drama. In the American Conference I'm assuming the West will have both Portland and Denver make the playoffs, which would leave 4 teams fighting for the last wildcard. In the National Conference we have 9 teams either 5-5 or 4-6, and 3 of those teams will make the playoffs, as one will win the South division.

SaberCats 23 Gamblers 16

This game almost was a battle of the unbeaten, but there was still a lot on the line as the result of this game could go a long way toward determining home field advantage and/or BYE weeks. In terms of yards per game, these are the 2nd and 3rd best offenses in the league, yet the defenses made the most big plays today. San Jose took an early 3-0 lead thanks to good field position following a Tony Dean INT. Dean bounced back with a 77 yard TD pass to Anthony Fulks, then the Gamblers added a FG following a Jake Plummer INT for a 10-3 lead. Later in the 2nd, another Dean INT led to another San Jose FG and the Gamblers led 10-6 at the half.

San Jose got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and got a FG, then the defense forced a Houston three and out. Jake Plummer then found Dave McEntee with a 20 yard TD and a 16-10 SaberCats lead. Houston would get a FG toward the end of the 3rd and another FG with 3:57 left in the 4th to tie the game at 16. San Jose would be forced to punt at the 2 minute warning, giving Tony Dean a chance to win the game. Dean's 2nd pass of the drive was intercepted by Geoffrey Kessler and returned 39 yards for the eventual game winning TD. Dean was left with plenty of time to tie the game, but after the Gamblers crossed midfield, Dean threw INT #4 and San Jose hangs on for victory. 

Federals 9 Invaders 7

Oakland got the ball first and drove 75 yards in 14 plays, taking 8:39 off the clock and taking an early 7-0 lead on Frederick Barron's 3 yard TD run. The Invaders defense gave up 314 yards to Washington, but they did keep the Federals out of the end zone all game. Unfortunately for Oakland, they would only gain 90 yards of offense the rest of the game. Scott Bieber didn't throw a TD pass, but he did complete 20/26 for 215 yards, leading the Federals offense to 5 FG tries. John Bazile made 3 of them and Washington gets a narrow 9-7 victory to remain undefeated.

Renegades 20 Maulers 6

Pittsburgh played tough, but their offense just couldn't score enough and the Renegades offense controlled the ball for nearly 37 minutes as they wore down the Maulers defense. Orlando led 6-0 on a pair of Scott Mueller FGs before the Renegades recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 20, then a penalty took the ball down to the 5. It took 1 play for Trey Lyons to find Jason Amen for the 5 yard TD and a 13-0 lead. Orlando got the ball to start the 3rd, and Lyons had the Renegades poised to pad their lead, but he was intercepted in the end zone by Stephen Ray Vaughan. Will Allison drove Pittsburgh to a FG, cutting the deficit to 13-3, but Lyons answered. Orlando drove deep into Maulers territory again, but this time Lyons finished the drive by completing a pass in the end zone to a teammate. Roger Bostic caught the 1 yard toss and the Renegades had the momentum back and held on for victory.

Storm 35 Hornets 10

Melvin Driggers completed 30/44, 316 yards and 3 TDs to lead Portland to the win over Charlotte. RB Jeffrey Frost had 130 combined yards, and while he didn't score, he led the Storm RBBC with 42 yards and led the Receiver by committee with 88 yards on 7 catches. WR Richard Robinson caught 7 for 74 yards and all 3 Driggers TD passes and FB David Smith had a pair of rushing scores. The Storm defense held Charlotte to 232 total yards and forced 3 turnovers, including 2 Robert Ament INTs.

Panthers 20 Blazers 3

The Florida offensive slump continued today as the Blazers have now gone more than 17 quarters without a TD of any kind. Michigan forced 2 turnovers, allowed 168 total yards, held Florida to 1/12 on 3rd down and sacked Sidney Maggard 4 times. The Panthers had 360 offensive yards and converted 9/18 3rd downs, yet only scored 20 points. Larry Henderson threw 2 TD passes to Harvey Williams and Lawrence Schroeder rushed for 122 yards as 20 points was more than enough for the win today.

Gold 38 Express 14

Los Angeles literally fumbled away their chance to tie for the top wildcard spot today. The Express lost 3 fumbles in the first half that led to 14 Denver points and prevented 2 scoring chances. The first lost fumble gave Denver the ball just outside the red zone and Andrew Brewer found Douglas Crowley for a 3 yard TD pass. Denver started their next drive deep in their own territory after an excellent punt and Brewer led a 12 play, 95 yard scoring drive, finishing it off with another TD pass to Crowley. The next drive saw the Express enter FG range but their 2nd fumble stopped that drive and Brewer took just 1 play to score again. Vincent Rodriguez was the recipient of the 76 yard TD pass to give the Gold a 21-0 lead. Los Angeles had just crossed midfield after the 2 minute warning when fumble #3 stopped that drive and Denver holds the 21-0 lead at the half. 

Denver got the ball to start the 3rd, and Brewer led a 10 play, 75 yard drive that ended in the 3rd TD between Brewer and Crowley. Later in the 3rd, David Tavarez finally got the Express on the board with a TD pass to Martin Salas, but the ensuing kickoff was returned 103 yards by Jerry Murphy and the Gold now led 35-7. Andrew Brewer finished with 289 passing yards and 4 TDs, producing a pair of 100 yard receivers. Douglas Crowley caught 9 for 128 yards and 3 TDs while Vincent Rodriguez caught 4 for 110 and a TD.

Generals 40 Breakers 12

New Jersey wasn't sharp offensively, yet they still scored 40 based on sheer volume of plays from scrimmage. Don Ferguson completed 35/57, 403 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT but once the Generals got into the red zone, flip a coin. They had 5 chances inside the Boston 20 and scored all 5 times, but 3 were FGs. David Koresh had a combined 185 yards, leading New Jersey in rushing yards (75) and receiving yards (8-110). The Generals defense was sharp however, as they limited Boston to 136 total yards, 1/16 on 3rd down and the Breakers only TD came when John Briggs returned a fumble 38 yards. 

Force 28 Sun 22 (OT)

Georgia and Southern California needed almost 5 quarters to decide this game as a ho-hum first 3 and a half quarters turned into an exciting end to regulation and OT. Georgia had 423 offensive yards, with 247 coming in the first half as the Force led 14-3 thanks to a pair of Thomas Jacobi TD passes. The rest of the game was pretty much 3 and out except for 2 long, important drives I'll get to in a bit. Southern California got a FG in the 3rd to cut it to 14-6 then the Sun really shined in the 4th. They got a 2 yard Gary Wiggins TD pass to Mark Littlejohn to cut it to 14-12 as the 2 point try failed. William Ferguson then made a 52 yard FG inside the 2 minute warning to give the Sun a 15-14 lead, their first lead since 3-0. Thomas Jacobi then got Georgia down the field in a hurry, throwing a 13 yard TD pass to Willard Brekke and Thomas Sanchez ran in the 2 point try as the Force now led 22-15. Wiggins liked what he saw from Jacobi and decided to emulate him, getting the Sun the tying TD with the quickness, finding Jonathan Sapp for a 75 yard TD. We headed to OT where Southern California got the ball first and punted. The Sun forced a 3 and out but would miss a 46 yard FG on their second possession and it looked like we might have a tie. Georgia took over on their own 35 with exactly 1:00 to play, and Thomas Jacobi connected with Glen Hampton for the walk off 65 yard TD pass. 

Gary Wiggins completed 32/53, 390 yards and 2 TDs for Southern California while Thomas Jacobi completed 24/34, 324 yards and 4 TDs for Georgia. Jacobi's favorite target was Glen Hampton, who caught 6 for 158 yards and 2 TDs while RB Thomas Sanchez had a combined 134 yards (80 rushing, 54 receiving). 

Steamer 27 Hawaiians 7

QB play makes or breaks a lot of teams, and sometimes, efficiency is better than volume. RB Anthony Davis rushed for 112 yards and a TD on just 10 carries while Edwin Clarkson threw 48 passes with 0 TD and 5 INTs. For Shreveport, George Marcil doesn't post gaudy yardage or TD totals, as his 14 total TD passes rank 14th and he is 18th in yardage. What Marcil does do well is be efficient, as his 74.4 completion percentage is tops in the league and his 2 INTs for the season is the lowest among the top 35 QBs in the league. Marcil is also 6th in QBR, ahead of New Jersey's Don Ferguson, who leads the league in passing yards and TDs. Today, Marcil completed 27/31, 247 yards and 2 TDs, both to David Shafer as Shreveport wins to keep pace with Georgia atop the South.

Stars 32 Bell 30 (OT)

The first half was a kicking contest with Fred Boyce making 3 FGs for Baltimore as the Stars led 9-3. In the 3rd qtr, Jon Snow fired 2 TD passes to Herman Hayes, sandwiching a short Joseph Serio TD pass to Jamie Epperson. Baltimore led 23-10 at this point, but Philadelphia added a FG and a Jamie Epperson TD run to pull within 23-20 as the 4th quarter began. Jon Snow's 3rd TD pass extended the Stars lead to 10 but Philadelphia got a 58 yard Serio TD pass to Daniel Franks inside the 2 minute warning to get within 30-27. The onside kick was successful and the Bell sent it to OT with a FG at the end of regulation. In the extra session, each team punted, with Philadelphia getting pinned inside their own 10. All Pro DE Jacob Hills sacked Joseph Serio in the end zone for a walk off safety 2 plays later.

Outlaws 17 Showboats 13

Memphis was without USFL leading rusher Steve Ransome who was nursing a foot injury, but the Showboats still got out to a 10-0 lead on a FG and an Erik McNamee TD run. Four of Oklahoma's 5 first half drives went nowhere, but they got a FG on their one successful drive, and then Memphis started to turn the ball over. The turnovers didn't result in points for the Outlaws, but they did keep Memphis at 10 points and the Showboats led 10-3 at the half. The second half started with 3 and outs for each team, then John Crisp led Oklahoma on a 12 play, 80 yard TD drive. Crisp ended the drive with a 5 yard score to Steve Haywood. Norman Maldonado answered that score by throwing his 2nd INT of the game as the Showboats advanced toward FG range. Once again, Oklahoma couldn't capitalize and midway through the 4th, Memphis took the lead on a short Gary Ridgeway FG. Each team then punted before Oklahoma began a drive at their own 33 with 3:07 to play. The Outlaws had only 2 good offensive drives up to this point, but John Crisp picked a good time for scoring drive #3. Crisp didn't throw for a ton of yards today, 184, but he did complete 27/31 and threw 2 TD passes, the 2nd came on this drive as he found Mark Johnson for a 3 yard TD. Memphis had 1:15 to score the game winning TD, but once they neared midfield, the Outlaws defense sacked Maldonado on 3 consecutive plays to seal the come from behind win.

Wheels 9 Bulls 3

Some games provide so much action it seems I write a short novel about them, while other games, I have to dig deep to find something to write about. This game between Detroit and Jacksonville falls in the latter category as they scored zero TDs, combined for 510 yards and 6 combined red zone trips producing just 3 FGs. Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and drove for a FG but Derek Joyce threw INTs the next 2 drives, leading to a pair of Detroit FGs and the Wheels led 6-3 at the half. The best chance for a TD came in the 3rd qtr when Detroit forced the Bulls to punt from deep in their own end and a 16 yard return set the Wheels up at the Jacksonville 34. Gabriel Flanagan got as close as 1st and goal at the 3, but 2 runs and a pass all lost a few inches and another FG put Detroit up 6. Jacksonville's 5 second half drives ended with a punt, downs, punt, fumble, and downs. Detroit wins ugly, but it's still a win that keeps them in playoff contention.

Blitz 24 Wranglers 6

The first half of this game looked like the Wheels/Bulls game above as each team managed just 3 points but Chicago owned the second half to win going away 24-6. Arizona has fallen back to earth after a 4-1 start as the Wranglers lost their 5th in a row to fall to 4-6 on the season. Arizona has a lot of talented players thanks to the high picks the franchise has had the last decade plus, but as we see in the NFL, it takes awhile for downtrodden franchises to shed the habits of losing (see Bengals, Cincinnati), and start learning how to win. The Wranglers got the ball to start the 3rd and Brian Carmichael led the offense to a FG and a 6-3 lead. If the Arizona defense had an answer for Chicago RB John Gates, the game could have had a different outcome, but Gates owned the 2nd half. Ronald Brown found Gates with a 34 yard TD pass as Chicago took the lead back 10-6. Brown and Gates liked that so much, they did it again on the other end of the field in the 4th quarter as the Blitz take a 17-6 lead on another 34 yard Brown to Gates TD. With just over 7 minutes to play, Arizona went for it on 4th down on their next drive, but failed and Gates put the exclamation point on the game with a 5 yard TD run. Ronald Brown finished 24/31, 274 yards and 2 TDs while John Gates had a combined 197 yards and 3 TDs. On the ground, Gates was 14-58 and a TD, adding 7 catches for 139 yards and 2 TDs. 

Bandits 20 (NY) Stars 15

New York still has the top 2 players in the league for total yards, RB William Hall and WR Albert Olson. Early in the season, Hall was racking up yards as a runner and receiver, but recently, his yardage has come mostly from return yardage. It seems defenses are willing to let Albert Olson get his while stopping everyone else, and that held true today. Damien Oleary completed 28/44, 308 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT, and most of the yards flowed through Olson, who caught 9 for 166 yards. The first half saw nothing but FGs as the Stars led 6-3, but Antonio Martinez found Garry Fowler for a 73 yard TD pass in the 3rd to give the Bandits a 10-6 lead. New York cut the deficit to 10-9 with a FG before Martinez struck again early in the 4th. Martinez fired his 2nd TD pass, this one 4 yards to Darren Cotton for an 8 point lead. Damien Oleary got New York into the end zone with under 3 minutes to play on a short TD pass to Gerald Benjamin, but the 2 point try failed and the Stars trailed 17-15. Tampa Bay has a top 5 WR of their own in Luis Dean, and while Dean didn't score today, he caught 10 passes for 177 yards and he recovered the onside kick to save the game for the Bandits. 

Thunderbolts 30 Gunslingers 17

QB Tony Romo gets a lot of the blame in the media for Cleveland's rough start to 1995, mostly for 3 horrific games where he posted a 1/10 TD/INT ratio. Romo and the offense have regressed from 1994, when they were ranked 11th, but a case can be made to place a lot of blame on the Thunderbolts defense. Cleveland gave up 255.6 ypg in 1994, good for 3rd best in the league but so far in 1995, they give up 367.4 ypg which is 24th. The blame game will have to wait at least a week as Romo had his best game of the season, completing 24/28, 305 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT as Cleveland led 27-0 after 3. The Thunderbolts did allow 343 offensive yards, but kept San Antonio out of the end zone until the last half of the 4th when they had a 30-3 lead. That's when Robert Fanelli did his best Blake Bortles garbage time imitation, helping his fantasy owners with 2 late TD passes. 

VooDoo 16 Stallions 3

It was 37 degrees in Birmingham, so you'd think the indoor team from New Orleans would struggle. The VooDoo did struggle gaining yards as they only had 191 today while allowing the Stallions 305. Each team had red zone struggles, as Birmingham got there just once, getting no points while New Orleans got 10 points from 4 trips and 3rd downs were almost an automatic punt. New Orleans converted just 2/15 on 3rd down while Birmingham was 3/17, plus the Stallions went 1/6 on 4th downs. That's not even the worst of the ugliness from the Stallions offense as 3's were wild. Willie Benge threw 3 INTs and was sacked 3 times, while the Stallions also lost 3 of 6 total fumbles. Enough negativity though. Joseph Jones threw a 1st qtr TD pass to David Barfield and Emil Porter booted 3 FGs as the VooDoo took a 16-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory.

Week 9: Rivalry Week For The Unbeaten

 Defending champs Houston have fought with the Memphis Showboats the last decade for supremacy in the Southwest and in the playoffs. If Memphis had any hopes of winning the division, they needed a win over 8-0 Houston to do it. They played an exciting game with several lead changes, and while the Houston win doesn't guarantee a division crown, it does make the road much harder for the Showboats. Washington is also unbeaten, and they faced their main rival Baltimore. Much like Houston/Memphis, the Federals and Stars have been battling it out the last decade for Atlantic division supremacy. Not so much this season, as the Stars have had it rough, and the Washington win today gives them a season sweep of the Stars and a 5 game lead with 7 to play. Orlando is our 3rd undefeated team, and while their rivalry with Jacksonville isn't as memorable as the other 2, they still had to beat a division foe to reach 9-0. Florida has ruled the Southeast recently, but the Renegades have a 4 game lead over the Blazers. It's getting to that point of the season where most every game is important as the playoff field starts to take shape, let's see what happened Week 9.

Gamblers 36 Showboats 30

If football games were scripted for TV, they would look a lot like this game. We had 6 lead changes, 799 total yards, 66 total points and the outcome was in doubt until the final minute. In the first quarter, Houston took a 3-0 lead, then Norman Maldonado threw a TD pass to Steve Ransome for a 7-3 Memphis lead after the 1st qtr. Houston came back in the 2nd with a FG and a Tony Dean TD pass to Anthony Fulks to take a 13-7 lead. The Showboats answered with an Erik McNamee 4 yard TD run to take the lead 14-13, then added 7 more on a Steve Ransome 61 yard TD run. Tony Dean got the Gamblers within 21-20 at the half with a 52 yard TD pass to Jett Black.

The 3rd quarter saw just one score, a Tony Dean 2 yard TD pass to Ozzie Newsome to give Houston the lead 27-21. The next 3 scores were by Memphis in the 4th quarter, all Gary Ridgeway FGs, with the 3rd giving the Showboats a 30-27 lead with 1:27 to play. It didn't take Tony Dean long to bring the Gamblers back as he found Jett Black for a 75 yard catch and run TD to give Houston the lead back. Memphis had time to score, but Maldonado was sacked 3 times on the final drive, the last one for a safety and Houston recovered the onside free kick to seal the victory that keeps them undefeated.

Tony Dean completed 26/31, 394 yards and 4 TDs and Jett Black caught 8 for 200 yards and 2 scores for the Gamblers. Steve Ransome led Memphis with 162 combined yards (135 rushing) and 2 TDs.

Federals 32 Stars 9

One week after Baltimore QB Jon Snow tied a league record with 10 TD passes in a game, he almost tied another, albeit dubious record. Four QBs in league history have thrown 8 INTs in a game, and Jon Snow tried to tie it, but he only threw 7 today. The Baltimore defense only allowed Washington 165 offensive yards, but all of those short fields led to 6 John Bazile FGs, a Robert Trammell 3 yard TD run and a 3 yard Scott Bieber TD pass to James Dunn. Trammell, playing on a sore foot, was the offensive star of this game, getting a combined 114 yards and that rushing TD.

Renegades 27 Bulls 9

The Orlando defense intercepted Derek Joyce on 2 of the first 3 drives, turning those into 10 points for an early lead. Jacksonville got a FG at the end of the first half but Anthony Milan ripped off a 75 yard TD run on the first play of the 3rd quarter to seize momentum and a 17-3 lead. Milan also caught one of Trey Lyons 2 TD passes as he finished with 141 rushing yards and a TD to go with 29 receiving yards and a TD. Barring an injury, Milan will be in the running for OROY. Lyons tossed his 2nd TD pass at the end of the 3rd to give the Renegades a 24-6 lead heading into the uneventful 4th and Orlando moves to 9-0.

SaberCats 27 Express 16

Los Angeles got on the board first with a FG, then were driving for more points when David Tavarez was sacked and lost a fumble, leaving the score 3-0 Express. Rodney Richardson gave San Jose the lead with a 2 yard TD run but Tavarez got it right back for L.A. with a 29 yard TD pass to Patrick Peavey. Rodney Richardson struck again, catching a Jake Plummer pass and taking it 65 yards for the go ahead TD as the SaberCats now led 14-10. Inside the 2 minute warning, Jake Plummer found David Hartwig for a 28 yard TD and a 21-10 halftime lead. The second half saw the defenses settle down as each team scored just 2 FGs and San Jose holds on for the win that gives them a 2 game advantage on the Express. Neither QB was very efficient, as Tavarez completed 24/49 with 2 INTs and while Jake Plummer threw 2 TDs and 0 INT, he only completed 13/37 passes. 

Storm 20 Wranglers 13

Melvin Driggers threw for 298 yards and a TD and got help from Jeffrey Frost (108 combined yards and a rushing TD) and Richard Robinson (8 catches, 116 yards) as Portland defeats Arizona to maintain their slim division lead. Portland had nearly 400 yards of offense while allowing the Wranglers just 163, and keeping their offense out of the end zone. The Storm allowed just 2 red zone FGs, with Arizona's lone TD coming on a 99 yard kickoff return by William Haubert after Portland went up 20-3. Arizona would add a FG early in the 4th to pull within 20-13, but their last 2 drives went three and out and the Storm hold on for the win.

Wheels 16 Panthers 15

This Midwest division battle featured struggling offenses and 4 lead changes. Detroit got the ball first and punted, and Michigan punted it back after their first possession. Gabriel Flanagan then led the Wheels on a FG drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock and gave Detroit a 3-0 lead. Larry Henderson and the Michigan offense responded with a 14 play, 75 yard TD drive that ended when Henderson found Harvey Williams with a short TD pass. Gabriel Flanagan answered that with a TD pass to Thomas Love and Detroit had a 10-7 halftime lead. Michigan scored 5 points in the 3rd with a sack of Flanagan for a safety and a FG for a 12-10 lead. That lead was extended to 15-10 early in the 4th with another FG. Detroit then saw Flanagan throw an INT but Michigan fumbled it right back, allowing Flanagan to move the Wheels into FG position and they found themselves down 2 with almost 11 minutes to play. Henderson drove Michigan to the Wheels 35, but they opted to play field position and punted. Detroit couldn't move the ball and punted it back, giving the Panthers a chance to run out the clock. They went three and out though, and Flanagan got the Wheels in position for a 52 yard FG attempt at the gun. Kent Olden was good from 52 yards and Detroit keeps their division title hopes alive with the come from ahead, then behind win.

Generals 41 Hornets 20

Charlotte hung with New Jersey for the first 28 minutes but New Jersey broke a 10-10 tie in the final minute of the first half and scored 17 more in the 3rd quarter for a 24-0 run that basically won the game for the Generals. Don Ferguson completed 28/38 for 351 yards and 5 TDs to lead the New Jersey offense, with help from David Koresh and Duncan Meyer. Koresh ran 17 times for 57 yards and caught 5 for 137 yards and a TD while Duncan Meyer had 88 receiving yards and 3 TDs. Charlotte won the 4th quarter, but the 24-0 run made that a moot point.

Force 20 Blazers 12

Coming into the game, Florida was on a streak of 9 and a half quarters without scoring a TD. The Blazers last TD came with 6:41 left in the 3rd quarter against Tampa Bay in Week 6, then they scored 3 FGs in the 4th, 5 more FGs in Week 7's 15-0 win and 1 FG in last week's loss to Orlando. Their first score today was also a FG that gave Florida a 3-0 lead before Georgia QB Thomas Jacobi fired a 42 yard TD pass to Glenn Hampton gave the Force a 7-3 lead. Georgia added a FG for a 10-3 lead before Florida kicked 2 more FGs in the final 2 minutes of the first half to trail 10-9 at the break. Yet another Blazers FG gave them a 12-10 lead heading into the 4th, but they were done scoring, FGs or otherwise. Georgia took the lead 13-12 on a FG, then Jacobi fired his 2nd TD pass, this one 28 yards to Willard Brekke and the Force led 20-12 with 9:45 to play. Florida's last 3 drives ended on a punt, turnover on downs, and downs again as the Blazers have now gone over 13 quarters without a TD. Georgia keeps a share of first in the South, and their 4-5 record also has the Force in the thick of the wildcard, as it seems the whole conference is 4-5.

Steamer 23 VooDoo 3

The New Orleans defense couldn't Stump the Schwab today as Shreveport RB Milton Schwab ran for 168 yards, including an 80 yard TD run as the Steamer win to keep pace with Georgia atop the South. The VooDoo didn't turn the ball over today and they had 4 drives where they did not punt. Unfortunately, 2 of those "drives" were just a single play at the end of both halves and a third was a missed FG, leaving just 1 scoring drive. The New Orleans defense kept Georgia's passing game in check as George Marcil had 130 yards passing on 20 completions, but the Force running game was too much when the offense had trouble moving the ball. 

Gold 34 Invaders 7

Denver came into the game on a 4 game winning streak, but the last 2 wins have been by just 3 points, including an OT win over Oakland 2 weeks ago. Oakland was also hot coming into the game, winning 4 of 5 so something had to give. Early in the game, it looked like we'd have another close game between these 2 teams as Oakland took the opening kickoff and drove to the edge of the red zone, but the 41 yard FG try was wide left. The Invaders 2nd drive lasted 12 plays, covering 80 yards and Frederick Barron's 4 yard TD run gave Oakland a 7-0 lead. Denver answered that score in 1 play as Andrew Brewer found Gary Cortez for a 75 yard catch and run TD, then the Gold defense forced Oakland punts the rest of the game. Robert Deacon booted FGs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Fredrick Whidden had a 2 yard TD run and Brewer threw TD passes in the 3rd and 4th as the Gold score 34 unanswered points to win going away. Andrew Brewer completed 21/29, 363 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Gary Cortez, who caught 6 for 174 in all. Fredrick Whidden chipped in 122 rushing yards and the aforementioned TD as Denver stays 1 game behind Portland in the West and 1 game ahead of the other wildcard contenders.

Blitz 18 Thunderbolts 16

Chicago and Cleveland played an even, back and forth game that might have played out differently if Evan Joseph made a couple of XP kicks. Cleveland scored first on a Tony Romo 44 yard TD pass to Evan Hershey and the XP was good for a 7-0 lead. Chicago answered with a 4 yard Ronald Brown TD pass to Keith McGhee but the XP was wide right, and the Thunderbolts now lead 7-6. Carlos Reed's 56 yard FG in the final minute of the 1st half extended the Cleveland lead to 10-6 and Chicago seemed willing to run out the clock and head into halftime. Dale Davis had other ideas to run out the clock, like racing 83 yards for a TD and the Blitz took a 12-10 lead into the break after this XP try was also wide right. In the second half, Cleveland kicked a FG to retake the lead 13-12, then Chicago went on a 13 play, 8:26 drive that ended with a FG and the Blitz now led 15-13. Cleveland takes over with 7:02 to play, and they took over 5 minutes off the clock and another FG gives the Thunderbolts a 16-15 lead. If Chicago makes their earlier XP kicks, Cleveland wouldn't have been able to settle for 3, as they would have been trailing by 4. Chicago got the ball with 1:52 left and took all of that time off the clock and Evan Joseph won the game with a 30 yard FG as time expired.

(NY) Stars 16 Breakers 13

The New York Triplets production has been going down in recent weeks, though they are still dangerous offensive weapons. RB William Hall had 151 combined yards, 86 rushing and 65 receiving, and Albert Olson caught 4 for 92 and a TD as he continues to lead the USFL in receiving yards/TDs. The offenses of both teams combined for 629 yards, mostly on 1st and 2nd downs as they also combined to convert just 5/27 3rd downs, and we had a FG kicking contest for 3 and a half quarters. New York led 9-6 when Damien Oleary connected with Olson for a 64 yard TD pass to give New York a 16-6 lead with 6:23 to play. Boston responded with a 17 play, 75 yard TD drive when Adam Scales passed the last 2 yards to Bob Carder to get the Breakers back within 3. The onside kick failed and New York ran the final 2 minutes off the clock for the victory.

Maulers 24 Bell 17

Twenty seems to be Pittsburgh's magic number this season as the Maulers are now 4-0 when scoring at least 20 points and 0-5 when they don't. Philadelphia took the opening drive 75 yards and Joseph Serio's 15 yard TD pass to Craig Hines gave the Bell an early 7-0 lead. Pittsburgh QB Will Allison then threw an INT which led to a Bell FG for a 10-0 Philadelphia lead. Pittsburgh trimmed the deficit to 10-3 before Philadelphia committed a pair of turnovers. The fumble wasn't costly but the interception was as Will Allison converted that into a 19 yard TD pass to Glenn Lajoie to tie the game at 10. Joseph Serio bounced back with a 13 play, 75 yard TD drive capped off with an 11 yard scoring pass to Charles Hunt and the Bell led at the half 17-10. 

The second half was a different story as Pittsburgh shut down the Bell offense while Will Allison threw TD passes in the 3rd and 4th for a come from behind victory for the Maulers. Allison finished 23/31, 309 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT and the leading receiver was WR Arthur Thompson, who caught 4 for 104 yards and the game winning TD. 

Hawaiians 26 Sun 16

Honolulu scored TDs on their first 2 possessions for a 13-3 lead then held on for the win through a mistake filled 4th quarter. The Hawaiians went 75 yards in 11 plays on the opening possession, with Edwin Clarkson's 2 yard TD pass to Anthony Graves giving Honolulu a 7-0 lead. Southern California QB Gary Wiggins answered with a 16 play, 72 yard drive that took nearly half the quarter but resulted in a FG. Clarkson then found Michael Argueta for a 75 yard TD and a 13-3 lead after the XP was missed. Honolulu added a FG to go up 16-3 before Wiggins led a TD drive toward the end of the first half. Matthew Tipps caught the 23 yard TD pass from Wiggins and the Sun now trailed 16-10 with 1:34 before halftime. Honolulu punted, as did the Sun and Honolulu had the ball 80 yards away with 38 seconds left in the half. Clarkson found Argueta for a 73 yard pass for a first and goal at the 7. Anthony Graves only caught 2 passes for 9 yards today, but both were scores as his 7 yard reception enabled Honolulu to enjoy a 23-10 halftime lead. The second half was a FG kicking contest, then the turnovers started in the 4th quarter. The Sun had 2 INTs and a turnover on downs in the final 15 minutes while Honolulu lost a fumble and also turned it over on downs, with the end result being a Hawaiians win that breaks their 6 game losing streak.

Gunslingers 20 Outlaws 9

San Antonio QB Robert Fanelli completed 26/34, 262 yards and 2 TDs to Eugene Bufkin as the Gunslingers defeat Oklahoma. Charlie Shanks rushed for 91 yards to lead the Gunslingers RBBC that had 145 yards, but Shanks also fumbled twice, losing one. San Antonio WR Michael Stott led the team in receiving but also lost a fumble as the Gunslingers had the only turnovers of the game. They didn't hurt too bad though, as the San Antonio defense held the Outlaws to 229 offensive yards and 0/13 on 3rd down. Neither offense enjoyed getting in the red zone as Oklahoma got 2 FGs from 3 trips while San Antonio had a TD in 2 trips. 

Stallions 27 Bandits 0

Today was a great day for Birmingham while Tampa Bay would like to forget this game ever happened. We'll start with the good...Birmingham had 410 offensive yards, converted 14/20 3rd downs, scored 2 TDs and a FG in 3 red zone trips and they held the ball 45:46. Francis Schultz ran for 110 yards and Willie Benge completed 30/36, 282 yards and 3 TDs, all in the first half. Oh, the Stallions were also 2/2 on 4th down. Tampa Bay's game was all bad, as the offense couldn't stay on the field. The Bandits rushed for 15 yards on 7 carries and the bad Antonio Martinez played today, as he completed just 13/31, 147 yards and 2 INTs. His 2nd INT came with 10:55 left in the 3rd quarter, and the Bandits offense would run just 9 offensive plays the rest of the game on 3 three and out drives.