1980 Divisional Round Preview

Maybe THIS is the year for the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Tampa Bay accumulated a 57-7 record from 1976-79, only to fall short in the playoffs each time, including losses in World Bowls IV and V. This year's edition lost five regular-season games, but may finally be getting a few breaks, as evidenced by its 34-33 win over the Georgia Force in the wild-card round. Next up for Tampa Bay is the surprising Washington Federals.

A look at the four divisional round matchups:

Tampa Bay Bandits (11-5) at Washington Federals (11-5): The Bandits edged Georgia on Thomas Hummell's 52-yard field goal with 34 seconds to play. Veteran QB Michael White, cast aside by Pittsburgh and Houston, has nearly doubled his QBR with the Maulers last season (112.50 to 58.30). Washington won six of its last seven to claim its first-ever Atlantic Division title. Three-time All-Pro center James Smith is doubtful for the Bandits. DT Richard Fleming is doubtful for the Federals. Tampa Bay leads the regular-season series, 3-0, including a 51-10 romp in 1978.

Joseph Ring (35), Edgar Jones (10)

Shreveport Steamer (10-6) at New Orleans VooDoo (11-5): New Orleans won the South Division title on the final day of the regular season and earned a first-round bye. They got to watch a great wild-card game on TV as Shreveport outscored New Jersey, 18-0, in the fourth quarter to pull out a 35-34 victory. Second-year QB Edgar Jones found Joseph Ring for the game-winning TD pass with 1:08 to play. The teams split during the regular season, Shreveport winning, 31-14, in Week 6 and New Orleans winning, 33-28, in Week 11. The Steamer leads the regular-season series, 8-6. Shreveport has 14 players listed on the injury report this week, including center Noel Albert, while the entire VooDoo roster should be available.

Portland Storm (12-4) at Detroit Wheels (12-4): Portland outscored Cleveland, 16-0, down the stretch to pull away for a 33-12 win over the Thunderbolts in the wild card round. The Storm defense made life miserable for Cleveland QB Chester Dougherty (15-for-44, 3 INT, 27.65 QBR). They hope to do the same to Detroit's Mario Valencia, who passed for nearly 6,000 yards and 45 TDs during the regular season. The Wheels lead the regular-season series, 3-2 and the teams have split playoff games in 1974 and '79. Billy McKissick, Detroit's 1979 All-Pro center, is questionable, as is three-time All-Pro CB David Peralta. All-Pro nominee RB Michael Leonard is doubtful for Portland.

Oklahoma Outlaws (11-5) at Memphis Showboats (13-3): The Outlaws continue to surprise people under rookie head coach RoyceR, beating Honolulu, 30-20, in the wild card round by outscoring the Hawaiians, 17-3, in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma RBs Patrick Hiebert and Aaron Levenson combined for 242 yards rushing. Memphis earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The Showboats won both regular-season games, 24-19 and 45-31, but Oklahoma leads the series, 9-5. Memphis knocked the Outlaws out of the playoffs last season, 41-20. Oklahoma RDE Joe Braatz, an All-Pro nominee, is questionable. The entire Showboats roster is available.

1980 Wild Card Preview

The 1980 USFL/WFL season is in the books and the playoffs begin Tuesday with a couple surprise entrants.

The Cleveland Thunderbolts and Shreveport Steamer were both eliminated after Week 15, according to MFN's (flawed) AI. But, both will participate in the wild card round. None of the teams participating in the first round have ever won a World Bowl championship.

Cleveland Thunderbolts (10-6) at Portland Storm (12-4): When Denver lost its regular-season finale to Arizona and Cleveland surprised Detroit, the 'Bolts were back in the playoffs. Cleveland rolled to a 32-12 victory over Portland in Week 11 when Gary Spence kicked six field goals and Storm QB William Hill had one of his worst days  of the season (O TDs, 3 INT, 43.62 QBR). The Thunderbolts lead the regular-season series 2-1.

Oklahoma Outlaws (11-5) at Honolulu Hawaiians (12-4): Oklahoma made the playoffs in its first season under head coach RoyceR, a true MFN rookie (and, apparently, a quick learner). The Outlaws had won six in a row before dropping their Week 16 game to the Washington Federals.The Hawaiians won seven of their last eight, the exception being a defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Bandis. Oklahoma is 4-0 all-time against Honolulu, including a 29-27 decision in 1979.

Shreveport Steamer (10-6) at New Jersey Generals (11-5): Shreveport recovered from an iffy start to win five in a row and qualify for the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons. New Jersey won five of its last six to claim the East Division title. The teams last played in the 1978 regular season, New Jersey winning, 27-13, to tie the series 1-1. The Generals beat Shreveport, 24-10, in the 1975 playoffs.
 2,188 yards
Georgia Force (11-5) at Tampa Bay Bandits (11-5): The Bandits yawned their way to a fifth consecutive division title, winning four in a row after back-to-back losses to New Orleans and New Jersey. Georgia is back in the playoffs after finishing 4-12 last season, but the Force closed the regular season by losing three of four. The regular-season series is tied, 2-2, including Tampa Bay's 51-45 win in Week 8 this season.

Record Book

Oakland Invaders WR Christopher Curtis set a league single-season record with 3,587 total yards in 1980. Curtis caught 96 passes for 2,188 yards and 20 TDs and also had 932 yards in kickoff returns (35.0 average) and 457 punt return yards (8.6 average).

Week 15 Roundup: Partly Sunny, Partly Cloudy

The 1980 USFL/WFL playoff picture is now crystal clear ... sort of.

Gregory Shea, RB, Memphis

The six postseason teams for the American Conference are set. The defending World Bowl champion Memphis Showboats (13-2) have clinched the No. 1 seed heading into their regular-season finale at San Antonio. The Detroit Wheels (12-3) are a game behind Memphis, but lost to the Showboats in their head-to-head meeting this season.

The Portland Storm (11-4) and Denver Gold (10-5) split during the regular season. If Denver were to defeat Arizona in Week 16 and Portland were to lose to Birmingham, both teams would end up 5-1 in the division. Both teams would be 11-3 against common opponents. But Portland would be 9-3 in the conference vs. Denver's 8-4. So, what we are saying is, Portland has clinched the West Division. But Denver is in as the wild card, their first playoff appearance since 1974.

Oklahoma (11-4) made the playoffs in its first season under rookie head coach RoyceR. The Honolulu Hawaiians (11-4), under old-timer trslick, are in the playoffs for the first time since 1975.

The National Conference still has a couple division races to decide. The South Division title is on the line (despite what the standings read) when the Georgia Force (11-4) and New Orleans VooDoo (10-5) meet to wrap up the regular season. And, theoretically, a VooDoo loss could put the Shreveport Steamer into the playoffs — if MFN's AI is correctly interpreting the NFL tiebreaker system.

The Philadelphia Bell (10-5) and New Jersey Generals (10-5) are tied for the East Division lead entering their games vs. the Michigan Panthers and Baltimore Stars, respectively. The teams split during the regular season, but Philadelphia finished 5-1 in the division to New Jersey's 4-2, thanks to the New York Stars' upset of the Generals in Week 4.

Of course, the Tampa Bay Bandits (10-5) are in the playoffs (yawn). There is a party atmosphere in Washington (political pun unintended), where the Federals (10-5) have clinched their first Atlantic Division title, snapping Pittsburgh's string of six consecutive championships.

Some interesting notes from Week 15:

• Jose Fouche kicked a 28-yard field goal as the clock hit zero in overtime, giving the Detroit Wheels a 34-31 win over the New Jersey Generals. Mario Valencia's 29-yard pass to Bobby Logan set up Fouche's game-winner. That completion was preceded by an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Generals two plays earlier. New Jersey CB Mike Williams intercepted three passes.
• The Tampa Bay Bandits took a 38-14 lead after three quarters and went on to defeat the Honolulu Hawaiians, 44-35, in a battle of division leaders. Bandits WR Michael Popa caught seven passes for 196 yards and four TDs.
• In a potential playoff preview, the Oklahoma Outlaws took a 28-6 halftime lead against Portland and went on the beat the Storm, 38-18. Portland QB William Hill threw 70 passes, but none went for a TD, only the third time this season Hill has not thrown a touchdown pass. His Oklahoma counterpart, Dale Brown, fired four TD passes.
• The Chicago Blitz led Memphis, 31-14, with a minute to play in the third quarter but the Showboats rallied for a 37-31 victory on James Perry's 12-yard TD pass to Gerard Hall with 5:22 to play.
• Arizona WLB Joseph Graham had 9 tackles, a hurry, an interception, and a sack, but the Michigan Panthers won their fourth in a row by beating the Wranglers, 29-17.
• Tony Smith passed for 557 yards and five TDs as the San Antonio Gunslingers rolled past the Oakland Invaders, 42-19. San Antonio has won three of its last five, the exceptions being a 1-point loss to Memphis and an overtime defeat to Houston.

Week 16 Preview

The South Division title is on the line when the New Orleans VooDoo (10-5) hosts the Georgia Force (11-4). The Oklahoma Outlaws (11-4) are at Washington (10-5) in a battle of playoff teams. The Houston Gamblers (7-8) will try to finish at .500 for the first time in franchise history when they host the Chicago Blitz (7-8). The Los Angeles Express (8-7) will try to move to 14-0 all -time against the Southern California Sun (3-12).

Record Book

• Portland QB William Hill has already set the league record for passing yards in a season (7,347) and TD passes in a season (58).
• Washington RDE John Broussard has set a league record with 33 sacks this season. Georgia's Ryan Moore and Tampa Bay's William Lewis previously shared the record of 31. New Jersey's James Lockette and Oklahoma's Albert Cruz have 26 with one game to play.
• Oakland's Christopher Curtis has 2,178 receiving yards this season. He will likely finish among the top 10 all-time. Oklahoma's Dusty Heckman holds the record with 2,548. Curtis also has 20 TDs, which will rank among the top 10 all-time as well. He is only 115 yards shy of the record for total yards in a season, held by former teammate Jason Brooks (3,426).
• Three players have tied a league record by returning kickoffs 110 yards for TDs—Portland's James Orourke, Birmingham's Billy Baldwin, and New York's Allan Howard. Howard Cardenas of Philadelphia set a league record with an 83-yard punt return.
• Houston's Daniel McCormack needs one field goal of 50 yards or longer to tie his league record of 16, set last season. McCormack and Oakland's Lester Reed both have 50 career field goals of 50 yards or longer.
• Denver's Duane Cunningham needs one more rushing TD to tie his league record for a WR of 10 rushing TDs in a season.

1980 Week 14 Roundup: Make That 13-1

The Houston Gamblers made history Tuesday.

The Memphis Showboats were ready to line up for the potential game-winning field goal, but time expired with ball at the Houston 16-yard line and the Houston Gamblers hung on to surprise the Showboats, 19-17, their first victory over Memphis after 13 consecutive losses.

Irvin Balzer, LDE, Houston Gamblers

Memphis had used all of its time outs before getting the ball back on their 36 with 49 seconds to play. QB Antonio Wilson completed a 32-yard pass to Sterling Willis and a 26-yarder to Jerome Wheeler, but time ran out after Wheeler's catch.

The Showboats (12-2) had won 11 in a row since falling to the Cleveland Thunderbolts in Week 2. The Gamblers (6-8) are 5-5 since setherick took over as head coach. Daniel McCormack kicked four field goals for Houston, three from 50 yards away or further. LDE Irvin Balzer recorded four of the Gamblers' eight sacks of Wilson.

That outcome marked the fourth time this season a USFL/WFL team beat one of its division opponents for the first time ever. The Philadelphia Bell had been 0-12 against New Jersey before knocking off the Generals in Week 2. The Washington Federals had been 0-12 against the Pittsburgh Maulers before beating them in Week 5. The Michigan Panthers had been 0-13 against the Detroit Wheels before beating them in Week 9.

The Pittsburgh Maulers are 13-0 all-time against the Charlotte Hornets with one game remaining this season, as are the Los Angeles Express against the Southern California Sun.

In other Week 14 games:

• Denver fell to Detroit, but the Gold (9-5) still hold on to the final American Conference playoff spot by one game over Cleveland (8-6), Arizona (8-6) and Oakland (8-6). Denver finishes with games at Southern California and at Arizona.
• The Shreveport Steamer (8-6) are one game out of the final National Conference playoff spot, trailing New Orleans (9-5) for the final wild card spot. New Orleans wraps up with games at Birmingham and  at home against Georgia. Shreveport hosts Georgia and is at Florida.
• Portland QB William Hill had a typical William Hill day—756 yards and seven TDs—in a wild 62-56 win over the Arizona Wranglers. Arizona led, 48-37, entering the fourth quarter but Hill fired three TD passes and Donald Dosch kicked a 53-yard field goal to give the Storm a 59-48 lead.
• The Washington Federals were on the plus side of a lopsided battle of division leaders, taking a 30-0 lead at halftime over Philadelphia and beating the Bell, 37-13. Joe Richardson threw five TD passes for Washington, which nailed down its first Atlantic Division title. 
• The Cleveland Thunderbolts are on their first three-game losing streak since dropping the first three games of the 1975 season. The San Antonio Gunslingers took a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter and held off the 'Bolts, 43-31. Jim Morrison recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass, and made five tackles for the Gunslingers, who forced four Cleveland turnovers.
• The Oklahoma Outlaws moved closer to the playoffs by scoring the last 10 points of the game to edge the Pittsburgh Maulers, 34-28. Oklahoma MLB Victory Lincoln recorded 10 tackles.
• The Michigan Panthers won their third in a row by knocking Chicago out of the playoff hunt, 22-16, on a Jerry Ruiz TD pass with less than 4 minutes to play. Blitz CB Dennis Canning intercepted three passes.
• Southern California MLB Edward Standley had a nice game with 12 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in a 19-13 loss to the Florida Blazers.

Week 15 Preview

The Philadelphia Bell (10-4) can smell their first East Division title, but need at least one more victory, perhaps this week against the Pittsburgh Maulers (6-8). The Detroit Wheels (11-3) could do Philadelphia a big favor by knocking off the New Jersey Generals (10-4). The Shreveport Steamer (8-6) face a must-win situation at home against the Georgia Force (11-3). The Tampa Bay Bandits (9-5) face the Honolulu Hawaiians (11-3) in a battle of teams that have already clinched division crowns. The Oklahoma Outlaws (10-4) are at Portland (11-3) in a game that could potentially impact playoff seeding.

1980 Week 13 Roundup: 10 Is a Magic Number

The magic number for reaching the playoffs in the USFL/WFL seems to be 10 wins.

Anthony Schaefer, K, Arizona

In the league's first six seasons, only four teams have won 10 games and missed the playoffs. They were:

1975 Oklahoma Outlaws (10-6)
1976 Oklahoma Outlaws (10-6)
1976 Arizona Wranglers (11-5)
1979 Orlando Renegades (10-6)

The 1976 Wranglers were unluckiest of all. They sat out the postseason by a half-game because West Division foes Portland and Oakland both finished 11-4-1. Both were eliminated in the playoffs, eventually won by Detroit.

So, if your team has won 10 games, you can feel good. Or at least pretty good.

A few results from Week 13:

• Anthony Schaefer's 57-yard field goal gave the Arizona Wranglers a wild 57-56 victory over the Los Angeles Express, eliminating LAX from the postseason chase. The Express led, 56-44, in the fourth quarter before Arizona scored the final 13 points. Los Angeles QB Nathaniel Cherry threw for 585 yards and seven TDs. Arizona QB Jerry Montalvo had TD throws of 58, 74, 1, 58, and 79 yards.
• James Ewing's 39-yard field goal as time expired gave the Memphis Showboats a 42-41 win over San Antonio. The Gunslingers had scored the go-ahead TD with 48 seconds to play, but Ronald Hensley's PAT was wide right, and QB Antonio Wilson got Memphis close enough with pass completions of 28 and 21 yards in the final minute.
• Matthew Eno's 40-yard field goal with 5 seconds to play lifted the Chicago Blitz to a 27-24 win over the Southern California Sun, putting the Blitz above .500 (7-6) and keeping them mathematically alive in the playoff hunt.
• Pittsburgh scored twice in the last 2 minutes, but fell to the Tampa Bay Bandits, 37-35, all but eliminating the Maulers from the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
• The Michigan Panthers surprised the Cleveland Thunderbolts, 48-10, behind Jerry Ruiz's six TD passes and a defense that forced five turnovers.
• The Denver Gold snapped their four-game losing streak by rolling past the New Orleans VooDoo, 51-10. 
• The Honolulu Hawaiians clinched the Pacific Division title with a 59-19 win over the Florida Blazers.
• Oklahoma RDE Albert Cruz had 11 hurries, 6 sacks, 7 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery during a 46-10 Outlaws win over the Charlotte Hornets.

1980 Week 12 Roundup: Maulers Still Alive

This may be the worst season in Pittsburgh's history, but the Maulers aren't quite ready to pull the plug on it yet.

John Murray, RB, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh (6-6), seeking its seventh consecutive Atlantic Division title, pulled within a game of Washington (7-5) by pummeling the Federals, 49-26. Pittsburgh avenged a 26-3 loss in Week 5, the Maulers' first-ever loss to the Feds.

Washington scored first, but it was all Pittsburgh after that. Scott Deal passed for five TDs as the Maulers extended their lead to 49-12 before the hosts scored a pair of consolation TDs late. John Murray rushed for 184 yards, 96 on one TD run, the third-longest in league history behind Boston's Matthew Brinkley (99 vs. Boston, 1974) and teammate Cliff Thomas (97 vs. Washington, 1976).

Three of Pittsburgh's final four games are against playoff contenders and Washington has two games against contenders down the stretch.

In other Week 12 games:

• The Detroit Wheels took a 24-0 lead over Cleveland after one quarter, gave that lead away, then pulled out a 37-34 win when QB Mario Valencia capped an 82-yard drive with a 17-yard TD pass to Paul Lee with 58 seconds to play. The win gave Detroit a one-game lead over the Thunderbolts in the Midwest Division.
• New Jersey pulled within a game of Philadelphia in the East Division when the Generals' James Roberson scored from a yard away with 3:10 remaining to give his team a 25-19 victory over the Bell. New Jersey trailed, 19-7, late in the third quarter.
• The Portland Storm took over sole possession of first place in the West Division when they scored all of their points in the first half of a 30-13 win over the Oakland Invaders while the Denver Gold lost their fourth in a row, 42-20 to the Honolulu Hawaiians. RDE Keith Smith had three sacks for Honolulu.
• Kenneth Boyd caught an 80-yard TD pass from James Lightfoot to highlight the New Orleans VooDoo's 26-11 win over the Tampa Bay Bandits. New Orleans (9-3) has won six in a row to all but cement a playoff spot.
• Memphis QB Antonio Wilson passed for 654 yards and eight TDs, including a 97-yarder to Ernest McNeill, as the Showboats steamrolled the Houston Gamblers, 65-16, to extend their current win streak to 10 games.
• Arizona QB Jerry Montalvo threw for 679 yards and eight TDs as the Wranglers stayed alive in the postseason race with 56-23 pasting of the Birmingham Stallions.
• Boston CB Charles Bowles had 12 tackles and two interceptions, but the Breakers lost, 33-7, to the Michigan Panthers for their 10th consecutive defeat.
• Shreveport QB Edgar Jones, traded to the Steamer by the Baltimore Stars earlier this season, led an epic drive in the final minute that ended in James Hooper's 54-yard field goal as time expired that gave Jones' new team a 37-35 victory over his old team.

Week 13 Preview

Pittsburgh (6-6) will continue its desperation playoff push when the Maulers host the Tampa Bay Bandits (7-5). The Arizona Wranglers (7-5) will try to drive the final nail into the coffin of the Los Angeles Express (6-6). The Portland Storm (9-3) hosts the Georgia Force (10-2) in a battle of division leaders. The Denver Gold (8-4) will try to get back on track with a home game against the New Orleans VooDoo (9-3).

1980 Week 11 Roundup: The Stars Come Out

Joshua Nickols, SLB, New York

New York has the rest of the league seeing Stars again.

New York defenders picked off Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz six times, twice by SLB Joshua Nickols, as the Stars won their fifth in a row by rolling past the Panthers, 46-17, to highlight Week 11.

Eric Roberge threw four TD passes for the Stars (6-5), who are now just a game back in the National Conference playoff race as well as a game back of New Jersey in the East Division standings.

The Generals (7-4) are the only opponent on New York's remaining schedule that currently has a winning record. The others on the Stars' slate are Chicago, Shreveport, Orlando, and Boston.

In other Week 11 games:

• David McBroom's 40-yard TD pass to Mario Spencer with less than 2 minutes to play capped a 73-yard, 100-play drive and gave the Honolulu Hawaiians a thrilling 32-31 win over the Los Angeles Express. LAX got as close as the Honolulu 35 in the final moments, but a holding penalty and a Robert Gutierrez interception sealed the victory. The Hawaiians hold a two-game lead in the Pacific Division with five games to play.
• The Memphis Showboats have the best record in the league (10-1) after taking apart the Pittsburgh Maulers, 33-6. Gregory Shea returned a kickoff 106 yards, the 15th kickoff return TD of his career. The Maulers (5-6) have set a franchise record for losses in a season.
• Washington RDE John Broussard had 6 sacks, 7 hurries, forced a fumble, and knocked down a pass during a 52-0 shutout of the Charlotte Hornets. The Federals (7-4) need one win to set the franchise record for victories in a season.
• The Houston Gamblers (5-6) are aiming for the first .500 finish in franchise history after outlasting the San Antonio Gunslingers, 23-20, in overtime. San Antonio scored with 4 seconds remaining in regulation to force OT, but Daniel McCormack kicked a 55-yard field goal to win it for Houston.
• In Week 10, Charlotte MLB Fernando Stone made 10 tackles and returned an interception 95 yards for a TD, a USFL/WFL record, during a loss to Pittsburgh. Thomas Wagers of Oakland returned a pick 70 yards for a TD against Denver in 1977.
• In Week 10, Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz passed for 720 yards and nine TDs, in a 76-20 destruction of the San Jose SaberCats. The 720 yards ranks No. 2 all-time, as does the nine TDs.

Week 12 Preview

The Philadelphia Bell (9-2) holds a two-game lead over New Jersey (7-4) in the East Division and could take a giant step toward their first division title with a win at home over the Generals. The Cleveland Thunderbolts (8-3) and Detroit Wheels (8-3) will attempt to break their tie atop the Midwest Division. The Portland Storm (8-3) will host the Oakland Invaders (7-4) in a key West Division game. The Washington Federals (7-4) can throw another shovel of dirt on the grave of the Pittsburgh Maulers (5-6). The Memphis Showboats (10-1) will try to go to 14-0 all-time against the Houston Gamblers (5-6). The Los Angeles Express (6-5) can keep their postseason hopes alive with a win over the Oklahoma Outlaws (7-4). The Denver Gold (8-3) hosts the Honolulu Hawaiians (8-3) in a battle of division leaders.