1998 Wildcard Weekend National Conference

 Now let's take a look at the 3 wildcard games from the National Conference.

Washington Federals 13 Georgia Force 9

The first quarter was a defensive struggle as the first four drives ended with a punt. On the fifth drive, Georgia had a 3rd and 11 from their own 20. Glen Hampton ran for 13 yards but lost the ball on a fumble, giving Washington the first break just before the end of the 1st quarter. The Federals promptly lost 12 yards on first down, and they ended up having to punt. Georgia finally put a drive together after the punt, getting a FG for a 3-0 lead. Washington answered with a FG of their own to tie the game, then the Federals defense got the ball right back, intercepting Robert Hernandez. That lead to another FG and Washington led 6-3 at the half.

The 3rd qtr started with a couple of punts before Tristan Arnold threw an INT. Robert Hernandez and the running game drove Georgia to the cusp of the end zone but the Federals defense hung tough, forcing a FG and we were now tied at 6. More punts followed until 9:07 left in the game when Georgia kicked a FG to take the lead, 9-6. Each team then had a three and out before Tristan Arnold came up with the play of the game, finding Roy Montanez for an 82 yard catch and run TD to give the Federals a 13-9 lead. Georgia drove near the Washington red zone where they faced a 4th and 8 from the 27. A FG would only cut the lead to 1 point and there was less than 3 minutes to play, so they went for it. The Washington defense held but Georgia would get a final chance. That didn't work out as the coaching staff ran the ball the final 2 plays with no timeouts and needing a TD. The fact Robert Hernandez and Marvin Reyna botched the handoff is immaterial as they should have been airing it out. Washington hangs on for the victory, advancing to the Divisional Round. 

Charlotte Hornets 22 Jacksonville Bulls 19 (OT)

The game started with a pair of three and outs before Jacksonville scored first with a FG. Charlotte tied the game at 3 on a Fred Boyce 52 yard FG early in the 2nd quarter. Jacksonville followed that with an 11 play drive that ended in a FG and a 6-3 Bulls lead. Charlotte answered with an 8 play drive that ended with a 15 yard TD run by David Delgadillo and a 2 point run by William Bonner to give the Hornets an 11-6 halftime lead.

Charlotte punted on their first drive of the second half, while Jacksonville needed but 1 play to take the lead back. Derek Joyce found Johnny Pritchett for a 65 yard TD pass and the XP made the score 13-11. There were more punts until the middle of the 4th when Salvador Denison nailed a 51 yard FG to give Jacksonville a 16-11 lead. Charlotte's offense went three and out but the defense got the ball right back. Rodney James intercepted Derek Joyce, setting up the Hornets inside the red zone. Three plays later, Dennis Baird ran it in from 9 yards out and Mark McDuffie ran in the 2 point conversion to give Charlotte a 19-16 lead. Derek Joyce threw another INT on the following drive but Robert Ament returned the favor with an INT of his own. That led to a Salvador Denison 49 yard FG with 1:42 left and we were tied at 19. 

Regulation time ended in a 19 all tie so we had overtime. Jacksonville won the coin toss but went three and out, never seeing the ball again. That's because Charlotte drove the ball into the red zone and Fred Boyce booted the game winning 34 yard FG, sending Charlotte to the Divisional Round for the first time in franchise history.

Shreveport Steamer 20 Florida Blazers 17

Shreveport began the game with a three and out before Florida went on an 11 play FG drive to take an early 3-0 lead. Shreveport followed that up with a 13 play FG drive to tie the game at 3 early in the 2nd. With about 5 minutes left in the half, Guillermo McDaniel scored on a 6 yard TD run to give Shreveport a 10-3 lead they took into halftime.

Florida got the ball to start the second half and on the 3rd play of the drive Mathew Fisher intercepted Willie Graham to give Shreveport the ball in Florida territory. Seven plays later Scott Randall scored on a 5 yard run, pushing the Steamer lead to 17-3. Florida went three and out then Shreveport drove for a FG and a 20-3 lead late in the 3rd. Florida had another three and out but the Blazers defense got the ball right back on a Guillermo McDaniel fumble. It took Willie Graham 2 pass plays to get into the end zone and the 13 yard pass to Vicente Martinez made the score 20-10 entering the 4th.

Midway through the 4th, Willie Graham threw his 2nd TD pass, this one covering 12 yards to Perry Salgado to get the Blazers within 20-17. Florida got the ball back after a three and out but the Blazers could not cross midfield and Shreveport ran out the clock to win and advance.

1998 Wildcard Weekend American Conference

 The road to World Bowl XXV began today with 6 Wildcard games. Last season's champions New Jersey earned the bye in the National Conference while last season's American Conference champion Portland also earned a bye. Will World Bowl XXV be a rematch of XXIV, or will one of the contenders step up? There are 6 games to write about instead of 4 so I'll dive right in.

Michigan Panthers 16 Los Angeles Express 9

This game had 6 turnovers, all but 1 were fumbles, and it was a generally ugly game. Los Angeles got the first break, recovering a Lawrence Schroeder fumble to take over in the red zone. The Express faced a 4th and goal from the 1 when they opted for a short FG and a 3-0 lead. Fred Russell was intercepted on the next drive (his only pass of the game) and the Express were driving for more points when the 1st quarter ended. The drive stalled early in the 2nd and another FG made the score 6-0 Los Angeles. 

Michigan got on the scoreboard with a 2 yard TD run by Iceberg Lettuce late in the 2nd to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.

Early in the 3rd, Michigan punted and pinned Los Angeles deep. The Panthers almost got the ball as Gordon Auyeung fumbled but teammate Alfredo Stewart fell on the loose ball, keeping possession. Raymond Straight fumbled on 2nd down however, and Michigan took over in the red zone. Iceberg Lettuce returned the favor on 2nd down, losing a fumble and giving the ball back to Los Angeles. On 2nd down, again, Jeffrey Marker stopped the fumble train by sacking David Tavarez in the end zone for a safety and a 9-6 lead. Michigan took the free kick and drove 69 yards in 3 plays, with Iceberg Lettuce scoring his 2nd TD of the game on a 7 yard pass from Will Allison. 

The score was 16-6 Michigan after 3 but Iceberg Lettuce fumbled again, leading to another FG for the Express to get them within a TD. Los Angeles had 2 more chances to tie or win with a 2 point conversion, but one drive ended with a fumble and the other on downs and Michigan holds on and advances.

San Jose SaberCats 30 Houston Gamblers 6

Is this Tony Dean's last game? We'll find out after the end of season spin, but if it is Dean's last game, the 6 time Champion went out with a thud. The Houston defense kept them in the game despite the offense being unable to sustain drives, going three and out their first 3 drives. San Jose was tiring the defense out with an 11 play and a 13 play drive, but the SaberCats only had FGs, leading 6-0 early in the 2nd. Dean finally had the gamblers driving when he was intercepted in San Jose territory. San Jose took over and got a 7 yard TD run by Gary Sappington and a 2 point run to take a 14-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the 3rd San Jose went for it on 4th down on their own 30 and failed, giving Dean great field position. A TD here and maybe it's a different game but the SaberCats defense forced a FG and still led 14-3. San Jose followed that with a killer 19 play, 75 yard drive featuring a pair of 4th down conversions. David Hartwig capped the drive with a 3 yard TD run while Sappington ran in the 2 point try, increasing the lead to 22-3. 

The 4th quarter saw a flurry of INTs as Dean threw his 2nd INT, 3 plays later Jake Plummer was intercepted, then Dean threw his 3rd INT to allow San Jose to take over with a 1st and goal from the 7. Plummer then found Milton Schwab for a 5 yard TD pass and another 2 point run made the score 30-3. Houston would add a FG but it was too little, too late as San Jose advances.

Oklahoma Outlaws 30 Memphis Showboats 7

The game began with 3 punts before Oklahoma scored first on a Raymond Settles 47 yard TD pass to Eric Doyle for a 7-0 lead. Memphis RB Clyde Belcher lost a fumble on the next drive and two plays later, Settles found Doyle for a 61 yard TD pass and a 14-0 lead. Memphis would cut the lead in half thanks to a 31 yard Eric McNamee TD pass to Wayne Ross midway through the 2nd quarter. 

The 3rd quarter began with Oklahoma leading 14-7 and this half also began with 3 consecutive punts. On the 4th drive, McNamee had Memphis just outside the red zone before he threw an interception to kill the drive. A couple more punts followed before Raymond Settles found Patrick Clark for a 71 yard catch and run. Clark was caught from behind but Jim Voss finished off the last 4 yards with a TD run to extend the lead to 21-7. Oklahoma added a FG early in the 4th to make it 24-7, then another on the next drive to make it 27-7. The Outlaws added 3 more points inside the 2 minute warning to advance to the Divisional Round.

Raymond Settles finished 23/38, 386 yards and 2 TD passes. Eric Doyle caught both scores as part of his 4-116 game while Patrick Clark caught 5 for 108.

World Bowl XXIV: New Jersey Weathers the Storm

 World Bowl XXIV was played in front of 67,113 fans at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, the second time they have hosted the big game. The last time this game was in Anaheim was World Bowl X when New Jersey beat Denver for their second title in 3 years. That was the last time New Jersey, or any other National Conference team won a World Bowl as the next 13 were won by Houston, Houston, Memphis, Memphis, Houston, Portland, Memphis, Portland, Denver, Portland, Houston, Houston, and Houston. 

The Portland Storm were the American Conference representative and they came into the game with the #2 ranked offense and #1 ranked defense, and a perfect 3-0 World Bowl record. The New Jersey Generals represented the National Conference for a record 8th time, but were just 2-5 the previous 7. The Generals had the #1 offense for the 3rd straight season, but their defense has improved each year, going from 14th to 10th and to 6th this season. 

World Bowl XXIV

New Jersey Generals 16 Portland Storm 13

 Portland won the coin toss and elected to receive and the kickoff was a touchback. Fans across America had barely settled in front of the television when Emanuel Fugate found Richard Robinson for a 75 yard catch and run TD for an instant 7-0 lead. New Jersey ran 3 plays and made 3 first downs on their opening drive but on the 4th play, Don Ferguson was intercepted by Anthony Overstreet, keeping the score 7-0. Fugate led a conventional drive and the Storm looked headed for another TD until a false start on a 3rd and 2 set them back just enough that they were forced to kick a FG. Donald Atkins was good from 50 yards and the Storm had an early 10-0 lead. New Jersey then went three and out while  Portland then drove a bit before also punting, pinning New Jersey inside the 10. Speaking of 10, the first quarter ended 10-0 Portland.

The second quarter started opposite of the first, as New Jersey punted, Portland went three and out, Don Ferguson threw INT #2 to Overstreet, then Fugate returned the favor when Fox Mulder picked him off. That was huge as Portland had a 3rd and 1 from the New Jersey 5 yard line and even an offense like the Generals would find it difficult to overcome a 17 point deficit in version 4.6. Mulder kept it 10-0 though and New Jersey took over at their 3 yard line. Don Ferguson then led the drive of the game, leading the Generals 97 yards for a TD, aided in part by 3 defensive penalties by Portland including a 15 yard facemask. David Koresh and Kurt Cobain had some good runs on the drive and Ferguson capped it off with an 8 yard TD pass to Forrest Gump, making the score 10-7. Portland drove to the edge of FG range before halftime but opted to go for a 4th and 2 rather than a 56/57 yard FG attempt and it failed. The rest of the half was uneventful and Portland took a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

New Jersey got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and Don Ferguson ended up throwing interception #3, this one to Raymond McDonald. QBs have struggled throughout this post season and today was no exception. Continuing that theme was Emanuel Fugate, who for the second time today, gave the ball right back to New Jersey after the Storm defense took it away. David Numbers intercepted this pass, though the Generals would be forced to punt. Two more punts and Portland takes over on their own 40, still leading 10-7, when David Numbers intercepted Fugate again. That led to an Al Borland FG, tying the game at 10 after 3 quarters.

On the second play of the 4th quarter, Donald Atkins broke the tie with a 41 yard FG for Portland. New Jersey was forced to punt but got the ball right back when Fugate threw his 4th INT, this one to Barry Larkin. One play got the Generals into the red zone before the drive stalled. Al Borland came on for a game tying 32 yard FG with just under 10 minutes to play. New Jersey forced a three and out, getting the ball back with a little over 8 minutes to go. Don Ferguson led a 9 play, 64 yard drive that took 6 minutes off the clock. Ferguson was 6/7 on the drive and Al Borland made a 33 yard FG with 2:05 left to give New Jersey their first lead of the game 16-13. Portland got the ball back with plenty of time left but Fugate only completed 1/4 passes for 1 yard, turning it over on downs. Kurt Cobain sealed the victory with a 13 yard run for a 1st down on 3rd and 11, allowing Ferguson to kneel down 3 times to kill the clock and break the streak. 

Emanuel Fugate finished 14/31, 211 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT and 1 sack while WR Richard Robinson ended the day with 105 yards and a TD on 3 catches. Don Ferguson completed 25/40, 234 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT and 4 sacks while RB David Koresh had 142 combined yards, 84 rushing and 58 receiving. Koresh was named World Bowl MVP and drives away in a brand new 1998 Chevrolet Corvette.

 

Conference Championship Weekend

 The road to World Bowl XXIV is now clear and the Portland Storm will play the New Jersey Generals for the championship. Portland will be trying for the franchise's 4th World Bowl title in as many tries, but the first under Warthog. The Storm won World Bowls XVI, XVIII, and XX under setherick. This will be the 8th World Bowl appearance for New Jersey but in the big game, the Generals often end up like the Washington Generals when they play the Harlem Globetrotters. This game will break a tie with Houston for most World Bowls, and New Jersey is looking for their 3rd trophy. The Generals won World Bowls VIII and X, while losing in World Bowls VI, IX, XI, XIII, and XXIII. 

New Jersey has the league's top ranked offense while Portland was 2nd. Both teams can play some defense as well, with Portland boasting the top ranked unit and New Jersey was 6th. It should be a good game, will it be the one to finally break the American Conference winning streak? That New Jersey World Bowl X victory was the last time a National Conference team won the big game.

So how did they get there?

Portland Storm 27 Michigan Panthers 3

Michigan was seeking their first ever World Bowl appearance but it seems a case of nerves and some opportunistic defense from Portland caused 7 turnovers which destroyed any chance of winning. In version 4.5 this would probably have been a 51-3 game but 4.6 often equalizes turnovers. Portland's Emanuel Fugate threw 3 INTs, just 1 less than the 4 by Will Allison, but the difference was fumbles. Michigan fumbled 3 times, losing all 3 while Portland recovered both of their own fumbles, including the final TD, when Jose Moses scooped up his own fumble and took it in the end zone. 

Michigan did get 299 offensive yards when they weren't turning it over and they stayed within 14 points for most of the game but they just couldn't stop the turnovers. Portland WR Richard Robinson caught 6 passes for 149 yards and a TD, which I believe is the first 100 yard receiving game in the playoffs, though I could be wrong.

The touchdowns: Emanuel Fugate to Richard Robinson for 46 yards to make the score 10-0 Portland. Rigoberto Swanson's 10 yard run made the score 17-3 and the final TD's highlight is in the first paragraph.

New Jersey Generals 24 Shreveport Steamer 16

Shreveport got the ball first and had to punt, pinning New Jersey at their own 8. It only took 4 plays for the Generals to get in the red zone, but the Steamer defense kept them off the scoreboard thanks to Felipe Pascal intercepting a Don Ferguson pass. On Shreveport's ensuing drive, Hank Hill intercepted a George Marcil pass, but he was flagged for pass interference, allowing the Steamer to keep the ball. Three plays later Francisco Dement's 4 yard TD gave Shreveport a 7-0 lead. Early in the 2nd, George Marcil found David Shafer for an apparent 9 yard TD pass but a holding penalty took it off the board. They would get a FG on the drive for a 10-0 lead. David Koresh took over the next drive for New Jersey, touching the ball on all 5 plays of a 75 yard TD drive. The first 3 were runs, then he caught a pair of passes, the 2nd going for a 52 yard TD to cut the lead to 10-7. That would be the score at the half.

New Jersey got the ball to start the second half and Ferguson led an 11 play, 75 yard TD drive, capping it off with a 1 yard TD pass to Redd Foxx to take their first lead 14-10. Toward the end of the 3rd, Francisco Dement was involved again. He scored Shreveport's TD so far but he also had the holding penalty that took the TD off the board in the first half. Here, he fumbled after a 6 yard gain and Fox Mulder grabbed the loose ball and took it in the end zone, extending the New Jersey lead to 21-10. Early in the 4th it looked like New Jersey was about to put the game away as they entered the red zone but Ferguson was sacked, lost a fumble, and Allen Greear returned it 15 yards. That led to a George Marcil 3 yard TD pass to Richard Wise, making the score 21-16. They went for 2 points and failed, then a couple of punts and a New Jersey FG inside the 2 minute warning made the score 24-16. Marcil got Shreveport down the field into the red zone, but Brian Dunn came up with a huge sack on 3rd down and 1 play later, the Steamer turned it over on downs and New Jersey holds on for a trip to the World Bowl.

Divisional Round: Where Have All The TDs Gone?

 We had 6 games wildcard weekend with just 1 team scoring 20 points and the scoring drought continued this round. We had 81 points scored in 4 games, which won't leave me a whole lot to write about. 

Michigan Panthers 15 Los Angeles Express 6

Los Angeles broke their long playoff drought last week and celebrated by beating San Jose. Their reward was a trip to Michigan to play the #1 seed Panthers, who are seeking their first ever World Bowl appearance and were last in the postseason 1994. This was a defensive battle as neither offense could score a TD and they combined to go 6/30 on 3rd down. Los Angeles intercepted Will Allison twice but they didn't sack him, and they allowed nearly 200 rushing yards. Lawrence Schroeder led the way for Michigan, rushing for 127 yards and the Panthers defense held the Express to 171 total yards. Michigan sacked David Tavarez 5 times and intercepted him 3 times in addition to recovering a fumble. 

All of the scoring came courtesy of the kickers and Michigan got 3 points on each of their first 4 drives, then rode the defense to victory.

Portland Storm 10 Memphis Showboats 0

Speaking of defensive struggles, these teams combined for just 362 offensive yards, 6 INTs and 4 sacks, with just 3 offensive points all game. There were also 12 total punts, with a first quarter punt return providing the game's only TD. Marcelino McCarthy returned a punt 63 yards for a TD to give Portland an early 7-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Special teams woes also infected the Showboats kicking game as Gary Ridgeway was 0/2 on FG attempts.

New Jersey Generals 27 New Orleans VooDoo 3

At first glance you might think, finally some offense, but it was anything but pretty for the Generals. Don Ferguson threw 2 TD passes, 1 to O.J. Simpson who also had 99 rushing yards in a surprise start, more on that in a minute. Ferguson also threw 3 INTs while Simpson lost a fumble, but Ferguson wasn't sacked and converted 7/13 3rd downs. The Generals defense held the VooDoo to 135 yards, intercepting Zachary Kinkead once and sacking him 5 times. 

The Generals had some curious lineup decisions as usual 3rd string RB O.J. Simpson started over both David Koresh and Kurt Cobain, while WR Eric Davis was WR 5. It was an oversight, as New Jersey used the same lineup as Week 16 when they were resting players and forgot to put it back to normal. 

Proof that offensive touchdowns can happen here, here, and here.

Shreveport Steamer 17 Pittsburgh Maulers 3

Pittsburgh won the turnover battle 2-0 and scored first for a 3-0 lead, but that's all of the good news for the Maulers today. The Steamer defense didn't need to force turnovers as they simply denied yards all day, holding Pittsburgh to 80 total yards, which would have been 90 but for 2 sacks taking 10 yards off. The Maulers were held under 1 yard per carry and Paul Marcum had just 65 yards on 12/15 passing. Shreveport RB Scott Randall ran for 157 yards and this 30 yard TD to lead the offense while George Marcil's TD pass just before halftime seemed to take the air out of the Maulers.

___________________________________________________________________________

The conference finals are all set as the Portland Storm travel to play the Michigan Panthers for the American Conference while the Shreveport Steamer head north to face the New Jersey Generals. Good luck gentlemen as we seek to win World Bowl XXIV.

Wildcard Weekend, Blackjack Edition

 It's our first season of expanded playoffs as we had 6 wildcard games instead of the usual 4. That leaves just 2 bye teams as Michigan and New Jersey rest up and wait on an opponent next week. We all know version 4.6 suppresses offense and if we were playing blackjack, nobody busted. New Orleans topped the scoring list as the only team to reach 20 points and the average score was slightly above 12. 

Los Angeles Express 12 San Jose SaberCats 9

San Jose and Los Angeles are quite familiar with each other, playing twice a year every year and neither offense could crack the end zone. The teams combined for just 436 offensive yards, 7 turnovers and 5/28 on 3rd down. In fact, turnovers actually boosted the scoring as both teams turned turnovers into a pair of FGs. San Jose had an early 6-3 lead before Mario Price nailed 3 consecutive FGs for a 12-6 lead early in the 4th. His first kick came in the final minute of the half, then he added FGs in the 3rd and 4th before San Jose cut the lead to 12-9 in the middle of the 4th. The SaberCats had 2 more chances to tie or win the game but the offense couldn't get into scoring position.

This is the portion where I would normally talk about stats, but they're mostly ugly. David Tavarez was sacked once, lost a fumble, and threw 2 INTs while Jake Plummer was sacked 3 times to match his 3 INTs. Robert Rodriguez was 3/3 on FGs while Mario Price made 4/5 to send the Express to Michigan to play the #1 seed Panthers.

Memphis Showboats 19 Denver Gold 3

This game was similar to the above game minus a few turnovers. Denver QB Andrew Brewer did throw 2 INTs and the Gold lost a fumble while Memphis QB Erik McNamee fumbled for the Showboats only turnover. The teams combined to go 5/26 on 3rd down and nobody cracked the end zone until the 4th qtr. The only scoring through 3 quarters came courtesy of Gary Ridgeway's 4 FGs to gove Memphis a 12-0 lead. McNamee got Memphis in the end zone on a 10 yard pass to Jeremy Wheatley that sealed the win. 

Portland Storm 17 Houston Gamblers 16

The Houston Gamblers were chasing their 4th straight World Bowl Championship, 8th overall, and would have to win on the road a few times to do it. The Gamblers were the #7 seed despite a 10-6 record and had to travel to #2 seed Portland. Houston got the ball first and Tony Dean was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage. Emanuel Fugate then found Peter Jessee for a 3 yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. Dean would bounce back, leading a FG drive, then connecting with Francisco Snow for a 32 yard TD pass to take a 10-7 lead after a quarter. Portland would tie the game at 10 with a 2nd qtr FG.

On Houston's first play of the second half Tony Dean was intercepted but this one didn't cost them any points. Those were Dean's only INTs of the game while Fugate threw 3, and the Storm also turned it over on downs, leading to an Earl Castro FG for a 13-10 Houston lead. Fugate's first 2 INTs didn't cost them any points but his 3rd led to yet another Castro FG for a 16-10 Gamblers lead early in the 4th. The score remained 16-10 until inside the 2 minute warning when Jose Moses ran in a 5 yard TD to tie the game at 16. The XP was good and Portland now led 17-16 and just had to keep the great Tony Dean from yet another comeback win. Dean had 1:45 on the clock and 1 timeout to work with and he got them in position for a game winning 54 yard FG try. Earl Castro was 3/3 but he pulled this kick wide left and the Storm hang on for the win and advance.

Was this Tony Dean's last game? Dean was asked about this after the game but gave a non answer, "I'll sit down with my family this offseason and we'll talk about what's best for us, then I'll let my team and you guys know at the appropriate time. This has been a long season adjusting to the new rules and I just want to take some time before making up my mind."

If this is it, Tony Dean will go down as the Tom Brady of the USFL. Given our timeline of being in 1997, perhaps Brady should be known as the Tony Dean of the NFL?

Shreveport Steamer 13 Charlotte Hornets 3

The best season in Charlotte history came to an abrupt end as Shreveport held the Hornets to 135 total yards and 3 points in just 23 minutes of possession. The Steamer set the tone early, forcing a three and out on Charlotte's first possession, then driving for a TD their first time with the ball. Scott Randall finished that drive with a 1 yard scoring plunge and he finished the day with 111 yards on the ground. Herbert Young added another 79 yards as Shreveport played ball control and defense to advance with a 13-3 win.  

New Orleans VooDoo 20 Florida Blazers 13

Florida out gained New Orleans by nearly a full football field but the Blazers passing game wasn't efficient (19/42, 175 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and they converted just 2/15 on 3rd down. New Orleans got the ball first and drove for a TD, with Robert Graham running it in from 10 yards out to give the VooDoo a 7-0 lead. New Orleans added a FG for a 10-0 lead before Florida finally got on the board with a FG in the final 30 seconds of the half. Trailing at the half 10-3 wouldn't have been too bad but Jose Little took the kickoff 105 yards for a TD and the Blazers went to the locker room stunned, trailing 17-3. 

Willie Graham brought Florida back in the 3rd qtr with a 64 yard TD pass to Robert Romero and a FG at the end of the 3rd had Florida trailing 17-13 with 15 minutes to play. The New Orleans defense stepped up in the 4th, intercepting Graham twice to preserve victory and earn a trip to New Jersey next week.

Pittsburgh Maulers 19 Baltimore Stars 3

These division rivals met for the 3rd time this season and the Baltimore offense has yet to figure out the Maulers defense. Baltimore didn't turn the ball over, but 99 total offensive yards isn't going to beat anyone and neither is having the ball less than 19 minutes in a 60 minute game. Pittsburgh scored the first 3 times they had the ball to take a 13-0 lead, then rode their defense to victory. Maulers QB Paul Marcum had a strange stat line, completing 12/15 for 34 yards. He didn't need to do much since Robert Mason (18-125-1) and Ronald Smith (26-120) both had huge rushing games to control the clock. This 2 yard run by Mason was the only TD of the game.

Week 8: Halfway Point

 Scoring fell back to "normal" levels as we had just 3 games with 40 or more points with only Portland scoring more than 28. I could keep beating the dead horse or just move on to the games, so...

Maulers 6 @ Wheels 24

Bell 0 @ Express 15

Gold 6 @ SaberCats 13

(NY) Stars 19 @ Renegades 17

Bandits 18 @ Blazers 10

Invaders 3 @ Panthers 20

Sun 3 @ Thunderbolts 9

Blitz 16 @ Hawaiians 0

Steamer 17 @ Hornets 14

Force 28 @ Gamblers 21

Showboats 28 @ Wranglers 24

Gunslingers 13 @ Outlaws 6

VooDoo 7 @ Breakers 18

Federals 24 @ Generals 27 (OT)

Stallions 10 @ Stars 15 

Bulls 3 @ Storm 34

   

New Jersey was without their top 2 RBs among others but they still led Washington 24-10 after 3 quarters. QB Tristan Arnold then had a pair of 10 yard TD runs in the final 5 minutes to send the game to OT. Arnold threw an INT on the Federals second drive of OT and Al Borland gave the Generals the win with a 47 yard FG. Memphis outlasted Arizona in a back and forth game. Showboats QB Erik McNamee didn't run today but he threw 4 more TD passes, giving him 10 the last 2 weeks. McNamee finished 27/35, 321 yards and his 4th TD pass came inside the 2 minute warning to give Memphis the lead. Arizona had a nice balanced attack all game long, but they couldn't move the ball late after they lost the lead. Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead but Georgia fought back to tie it late in the 3rd. The Gamblers took the lead early in the 4th, but Robert Hernandez threw 2 TD passes as the Force upset the champs. Hernandez finished the game 23/33, 335 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. The good news for Jacksonville is they didn't turn the ball over. The bad news is they only had 124 offensive yards and couldn't stop the Portland offense. Emanuel Fugate threw for 311 yards and 2 TDs while the Portland RBBC ran for 191 yards. Detroit got 2 TD runs from James Fischer and QB Gabriel Flanagan was the only Wheels QB to appear in the box score for the first time in I can't remember how long. I like it, having QB2 come in for a few plays helps nothing. The Wheels held Pittsburgh to 110 total offensive yards in the win. Michigan had no problems with Oakland today, holding the Invaders to 66 total yards. The Panthers had 103 rushing yards from Lawrence Schroeder and 98 from Walter Simmons.

That's it for games involving teams scoring 20 or more points. Los Angeles got a Ronnie Nix TD run and 3 Mario Price FGs and the Express defense held Philadelphia to 144 total yards in the win. Denver got Andrew Brewer back but the San Jose defense kept the Gold out of the end zone and Jake Plummer's 3 yard TD run in the 1st qtr was the difference as the saberCats beat the Gold. New York dusted off the running portion of their playbook and QB Damien Olearly was much more efficient as a result. The Stars ran 36 times for 150 yards while Oleary completed 16/20 for 142 yards. Orlando got 308 yards and 2 TDs from Trey Lyons and an impressive 96 yard drive late, but it wasn't enough to beat New York today. Tampa Bay reached the red zone 5 times, coming away with nothing but FGs, but the Bandits defense held Florida to 183 offensive yards, forcing 2 turnovers and recording 3 sacks to defeat the division rival Blazers. Cleveland beat Southern California in a kicking contest where neither QB topped 90 passing yards. Somewhere, Captain Defender, aka The Admiral is smiling. Chicago beat Honolulu for their 2nd straight win after starting 0-6. The Blitz sacked derek Henry 5 times, intercepted him twice and kept Anthony Davis in check. Shreveport got out to an early 14-0 lead on a George Marcil run and TD pass, but Charlotte got within 14-8 on a TD and 2 point conversion. The Hornets tied it with a pair of FGs before halftime. The Steamer broke the tie with a FG early in the 4th, and it turned out that was the game winning kick. Familiar story for Oklahoma, they ran the ball well but couldn't pass. The Outlaws defense played tough, but San Antonio was able to put the ball in the end zone once to win by a TD over their division rival. Boston had a balanced attack, running for 188 yards and passing for 184, with a good chunk of that coming on a 74 yard Adam Scales TD pass to Gregory Williams. The Breakers held New Orleans to 230 yards  in the win. Birmingham scored the game's first TD early in the 4th to take a 10-9 lead on Baltimore. The Stars defense clamped down after that and William Ferguson's 4th and 5th FGs of the game gave the Stars the win.