Week 5: Overtime Anyone?

 Week 5 had 5 one score games, including a pair of OT contests, and the Orlando Renegades got their first win by scoring a league high 55 points. Four of the eight divisions are tied and the East is separated by 1 game. Portland has a 2 game lead in the West while San Jose and Florida enjoy 3 game leads. Portland also boasts the top scoring offense (189 points) and defense (39 points), with an average margin of victory of 30 points a game. 

Bell 23 Steamer 17 (OT)

Shreveport didn't exactly gain a bunch of yards, with 215 total, but they held a 17-3 lead through 3 quarters thanks to a pair of George Marcil 1 yard TD passes. Philadelphia wasn't great on offense either, with 343 total yards, 75 of that coming in OT, and the Bell suffered 3 turnovers. QB Robert Hernandez was responsible for 1 of the turnovers with an interception, but he also threw a 4th qtr TD pass to Brian McDonald to trim the deficit to 17-10. Shreveport got the ball back and immediately had their lone turnover of the game, an interception returned for a TD by Jason Richards and the game was suddenly tied. The next scoring chance came on the last play of regulation, but Philadelphia K Lucio Grant was short on a 58 yard try and we were headed for extra football.

In OT, both teams get a chance with the ball unless the first team scores a TD, then it's game over. Three plays into OT, on a 3rd and 6 from the 29, RB James Moon took the handoff and raced 71 yards to the end zone for the game winning, walk off TD, enabling Philadelphia to remain undefeated this season.

Storm 29 Wheels 17

As noted above, Portland is having an excellent season, but the Detroit Wheels hung with the Storm all game, and might have won had they exercised better ball security. Jose Moses and Timothy Roquemore led the Storm RBBC, combining for 26 carries and 112 yards, while Melvin Driggers threw for 282 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. Portland was not very good in the red zone today, with 1 TD and 4 FG in 5 trips, which helped keep the Wheels in the game despite their 5 turnovers. QB Gabriel Flanagan was responsible for 4 of those with interceptions but Portland had 3 turnovers themselves. 

Portland held a 19-14 lead entering the 4th and a Kent Olden FG got Detroit within 2 points before the turnovers started. Timothy Roquemore fumbled it away to Detroit but Gabriel Flanagan promptly gave it back via interception. Portland then drove for a bit, nearly reaching the red zone when Driggers threw his interception, only to have Detroit give it right back again. Flanagan completed a short pass to Matthew Houston, who then lost it on a fumble. The Storm would add a FG to take a 22-17 lead with 3:37 to go, then added a TD on a short drive after the Wheels turned it over on downs. The game was sealed inside the final minute on Flanagan's 4th INT to help Portland remain unbeaten.

SaberCats 19 Sun 9

San Jose scored on their first 4 possessions to take a 16-0 lead before Southern California started to chip away with 3 FG of their own. The SaberCats led 16-9 after 3, with Lester Turner's 5 yard TD run the difference in the game so far. San Jose ran the ball better than they threw today, as the Sun defense limited Jake Plummer to 108 passing yards and kept Mark Hsu from making an impact (4-62-0). Rodney Richardson led the way with 99 rushing yards, and the team had 143 yards total. Southern California out gained San Jose 268-231, but while the SaberCats played turnover free football, the Sun lost the ball twice on interceptions and 3 times on downs.

Blazers 48 VooDoo 10

Florida QB Sidney Maggard threw for 542 yards on 34/44 passing with 5 TD and 1 INT. The 542 yards are a league high so far, topping the 480 New Jersey's Don Ferguson threw for last week. Florida got off to a blazing start, with TDs on each of their first 4 drives. All 5 Maggard TDs came in the first half as Florida led 38-0 at halftime. Four of those 5 TDs were big play strikes, 75 yards to Ray Parker, 95 yards to Freddy Jones, 57 yards to Kevin Forester, a 1 yarder to Parker snuck in there before an 81 yard strike to Jones again. Jones caught 6 for 222 yards total today, with Parker next at 81 total receiving yards. RBs Robert Romero (61 rush yards, 59 receiving) and Kevin Forester (43 rushing, 77 receiving) both had 120 combined yards from scrimmage.

Blitz 30 Thunderbolts 27 (OT)

Chicago had won 2 straight after starting 0-2, and at the 2 minute warning, it looked like they were headed for a 3rd straight victory. Leon Rupe had just kicked a FG to give the Blitz a 27-13 lead, but Cleveland QB Tony Romo immediately found James Bull for a 75 yard TD. That cut the score to 27-20 and rather than kick deep and play defense, they tried an onside kick. The Thunderbolts recovered and 5 plays later, Romo found Mark Howe for a 22 yard TD to tie the game at 27.

In OT, Chicago got the ball first and punted. Romo then threw an INT, setting up Chicago just inside the 50 yard line, but 2 plays later, Ronald Brown gave it back with an interception of his own. Three punts later, there was just 1:29 left in OT when Chicago got the ball on their own 22. A pair of pass completions got the Blitz in FG range and Leon Rupe booted the game winning 42 yard FG as the OT clock expired.

For Cleveland, Tony Romo was 36/52, 379 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT while James Bull caught 8 passes for 223 yards and 2 TDs. Chicago got 105 rushing yards from Dale Davis, while Ronald Brown completed 31/44, 356 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT. Ian Gordon caught all 3 TD passes as part of his 5 catch 153 yard game.

Gamblers 20 Gold 13

Tony Dean threw a pair of 1st qtr TD passes to help Houston to an early 14-0 lead on the defending champs. The first score came on the first play from scrimmage, a 78 yard TD to Lloyd Ellis, then their second drive covered 98 yards in 7 plays, ending on a 28 yard TD pass to Wesley Hull. Those 2 drives accounted for over half of Houston's total yardage as the Denver defense stiffened up. Unfortunately for Denver, their offense was stymied all game long, as they had just a pair of FGs until the final minute, when they finally cracked the end zone. The onside kick failed, and Tony Dean knelt down twice, preserving victory for the Gamblers.

Stallions 27 Force 24

Birmingham and Georgia played a wild game with a crazy finish. The Stallions led 20-10 after 3 quarters thanks to a pair of Willie Benge TD passes. Georgia came back in the 4th with a 51 yard TD run by Thomas Sanchez and a 15 yard TD pass from Milton People to John Huynh. The TD to Huynh came with 1:19 left and gave the Force a 24-20 lead. With 0:33 left, Ralph Hooks intercepted a pass that seemed to seal the win for Georgia, but a pass interference penalty by Kyle Pedersen nullified it. On the very next play, Willie Benge found Richard Sutton for a 52 yard game winning TD.

For Shreveport, Willie Benge completed 36/50 for 305 yards and 3 TDs, while the skill players split up the yards relatively evenly. Milton People was 24/37, 378 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT for Georgia, and his favorite receiver was Matthew Taylor, who caught 8 for 206 yards.

Express 6 (NY) Stars 3

Defense ruled this game as the teams combined for 436 offensive yards, zero red zone trips and a combined 3-26 on 3rd down conversions. Los Angeles had 2 first half FGs for a 6-0 lead that they held until the middle of the 4th. William Mauriello threw an interception that New York turned into 3 points. Los Angeles then drove a little bit but missed on a 52 yard FG try, then New York missed a 51 yard try inside the 2 minute warning. From there, Los Angeles ran out the clock and hung on for the win.

Federals 20 Panthers 9

Michigan did a lot of things right in this game, except they couldn't crack the end zone, losing to Washington. The Panthers tried to play keep away from the Federals, as they ran 49 times for 123 yards, attempting just 23 passes. They held the ball for 39 minutes, and the Panthers defense frustrated Scott Bieber all day. Bieber only completed 11/29 for 112 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. The running game picked up Bieber's slack though, as Robert Trammell ran for 117 yards on 14 carries and James Dunn ran 8 times for 61 yards and a TD. Dunn's TD came just before the 2 minute warning to extend the slim 4 point lead to 11.

Maulers 32 Hornets 3

Pittsburgh had 4 times the yards of Charlotte (531-131) and Will Allison tossed 3 TD passes to lead the Maulers to victory. Allison finished the game 28/37 for 390 yards and no turnovers. RB Chris Goldberg ran for 92 yards and caught 4 passes for 84 yards and a TD to lead the skill players with 176 combined yards. Joel Davis caught 4 for 111 yards and Robert Erickson had a combined 101 (30 rushing, 71 receiving). 

Stars 21 Bulls 6

Jon Snow tossed 3 TD passes, 2 in the 1st qtr as Baltimore got out to a quick 14-0 lead before going on to defeat Jacksonville. Snow threw for exactly 300 yards and WR John Warkentin caught 2 of his TD throws, racking up 118 yards in all on 4 receptions. Orville Barker (14 carries, 24 yards) and company had trouble running the ball, but Barker caught 4 for 90 yards as the 2nd leading receiver for the Stars. Jacksonville was the opposite, as they ran decently (30-106 yards) but had just 96 passing yards, 77 after taking the sack yardage away.

Showboats 44 Hawaiians 23

Memphis had trouble stopping Honolulu RB Anthony Davis, who ran for 64 yards and caught 11 passes for 107 yards, but the Hawaiians defense had no answer for the big plays Memphis put up when they had the ball. Erik McNamee ran for 102 yards while Norman Maldonado threw for 469 yards on just 15 completions, with 6 TDs and 2 INTs. Mark Glenn caught 3 for 149 yards and 2 TDs while Thomas Ballard caught 2 passes, both TDs covering 131 yards. 

Honolulu scored first for an early 3-0 lead before Memphis started putting up points to take a 35-13 halftime lead. Honolulu won the second half 10-9 but the early deficit was too much to overcome.

Renegades 55 Bandits 27

Orlando fumbled it away on their first possession but bounced back for touchdowns on their next 3 to take a 21-3 lead after 15 minutes. Tampa Bay would fight back to get within 28-17 by halftime, and a 3rd qtr FG cut the lead to 28-20. Orlando then went on a 27-0 run to seize the victory, with a last minute Bandits TD rounding out the scoring. 

Tampa Bay out gained Orlando 407-395 but Bandits QB Antonio Martinez threw 6 INTs. Martinez otherwise completed 29/52 for 395 yards and 3 TDs. Richard Miller caught 2 of those as part of his 5 catch, 100 yard game. Darren Cotton added 126 receiving yards on 9 receptions. For Orlando, Emory Howard finally had a good game this year, completing 25/34, 290 yards and 4 TDs, spreading the ball to 10 different receivers. RB Ben Dehaven was the leading receiver for the Renegades (3-76-1) and he also ran for 112 yards and a score as Orlando gets their first win of the season.

Generals 40 Breakers 21

New Jersey has been the most pass happy team in 1993, and while they ran 29 times for 149 yards, they still threw 45 passes. The Generals aren't complaining about the results though, as Don Ferguson completed 39/45 for 401 yards and 4 TD passes, all to different receivers as New Jersey beat division rival Boston. The Breakers moved the ball well when they had it but New Jersey kept the ball 40 minutes, out gaining Boston 550-239. Cody Schiavo led the Generals receivers with 9 catches, 117 yards while David Koresh ran for 73 and Sam Beckett 70.

Gunslingers 25 Outlaws 7

San Antonio played ball control offense, keeping the ball 38 minutes while rushing 53 times for 188 yards. Charlie Shanks ran 28 times for 104 yards and a TD while Randy Leger added 79 yards on 18 carries. All of that rushing left little work for QB Robert Fanelli, but he threw 3 TD passes on 14/18 passing for 170 yards. Eugene Bufkin caught 2 of those scoring tosses and the only bad spot for San Antonio was K Benjamin Regalado missing 2 of 3 XP kicks.

Invaders 30 Wranglers 13

The W-L record doesn't show it but the Arizona Wranglers are much better than they've been at any point in the last 3+ seasons. The losses are much more competitive and they were in this game for 3 and a half quarters. The first half ended 16-13 Oakland and 2 more second half FGs gave the Invaders a 22-13 lead mid 4th. That's when future HOF LB Victor Thomas intercepted Zachary Kinkead, returning it 20 yards for essentially the game clinching score. In all, Kinkead finished 20/35, 247 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT for Arizona while Oakland's Andrew Moreno was 29/42 for 227 yards and a TD. Invaders RB Ronald McDevitt ran 21 times for 103 yards and was the leading receiver with 66 yards on 7 catches. K Robert Albertson made all 5 of his FG opportunities.

Week 4: And Then There Were 4 Undefeated

 We lost one of the unbeaten teams this week as the Pittsburgh Maulers defeated the Washington Federals, leaving both tied atop the Atlantic with 3-1 records. Five of our eight divisions have two teams with 3 or 4 wins, so we could see some wild division races for the playoff push. Statistically, we are on pace to have 14 1,000 yard rushers and WR Mark Hsu is on pace for 3,000 receiving yards which would shatter the record of 2,548 set in 1976 by Oklahoma WR Dusty Heckman. New Jersey is throwing the ball 56 times a game despite having 3 competent RBs, so I guess more game plan changes coming. We also had our first kick/punt return score this week as Birmingham took the opening kickoff to the house. There are 6 kickers on pace for 40 made FGs, and the last 3 years we've had no more than 2 over a full season. DE Shawn Hicks of New Jersey is on pace for 24 sacks and 60 hurries, and nobody has had 20 sacks or 30+ hurries since Portland's Fred Baker in 1990 (Joseph Gerald of Baltimore also had 32 hurries but just 16 sacks). Florida FS John Osbourne already has a Rookie of the Year and a Defensive MVP award and he seems to be aiming for another MVP as he has 5 INTs already, allowing just 22.2% completions. Houston CB Paul Sabella has the same 22.2% catch allowed and he is one of three players with 4 INTs already. 

Maulers 26 Federals 9

This was a FG kicking contest through the first half and most of the 3rd qtr, with each team nailing 3. Late in the 3rd, Pittsburgh intercepted Scott Bieber for the 2nd time of the game, turning that into the game's first TD, a 5 yard TD pass by Will Allison to Franklin Cherry. On the next Maulers possession, the pair hooked up again, this time for 61 yards as Pittsburgh surged to a 14 point lead early in the 4th. The Pittsburgh defense held Washington to just 174 total yards, which is usually just the combined yards of that game's top playmaker for the usually prolific Federals offense. WR Franklin Cherry caught 5 passes in all for 107 yards and those 2 TDs to lead the Pittsburgh offense.

SaberCats 14 Outlaws 7

Most of this game was punts, though San Jose had 3 good drives to one for Oklahoma. For the most part, the Outlaws defense held their own against the big play offense of San Jose but a 10 play, 86 yard TD drive followed by a 95 yard 1 play drive on the next series gave the SaberCats a 14-0 lead. Jake Plummer threw for both TDs, the first one to Curt Boren and the 95 yard bomb went to Mark Hsu. Hsu had 158 yards today, giving him 758 for the season, a pace which, if continued, would see him with 3,032 receiving yards. Wow!

The game remained 14-0 until early in the 4th, when Oklahoma got a 1 yard TD run by Mark Johnson to cut the deficit in half. That capped an 11 play, 54 yard TD drive set up by the Outlaws defense forcing a three and out following a punt at the 4 yard line. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, they would only get the ball one more time as the SaberCats ran out the final 4:46 after an exchange of punts to hang on for the victory.

Blazers 29 Renegades 3

Florida had it all working today against division rival Orlando. The Blazers defense allowed just 194 yards and intercepting Emory Howard twice. Three Florida RBs combined for 40 carries and 134 yards while Sidney Maggard threw for 3 TD passes. Maggard was 21/25, 308 yards and 0 INTs, and he produced a pair of 100 yard receivers. WR Ray Parker caught 6 for 122 yards and 2 TDs while TE William Merkel caught 7 for 120.

Storm 31 Bulls 3

Portland had it all working today against Jacksonville, and I just realized Portland and Florida will play this season, in Week 12. Will they both be 11-0 by then? Portland's defense limited the Bulls to 145 total yards, intercepting 2 passes and recovering a fumble. The Storm had 5 players run the ball for 168 yards, though Jose Moses (19-82) and Timothy Roquemore (12-53) did most of the heavy lifting. QB Melvin Driggers threw for 290 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT, with the leading receiver, RB James Pritchard, getting 75 yards. Pritchard also ran 3 times for 25 yards, giving him exactly 100 for the game. Driggers TD passes all went to different receivers.

Bell 16 (NY) Stars 10

Philadelphia scored on 4 of their first 5 drives, although 3 scores were just 3 points each, and the Bell defense barely hung on at the end to survive New York. Philadelphia WR Craig Hines caught a 40 yard TD pass from Robert Hernandez to give the Bell a 10-0 lead, and Hines finished the day with 127 yards on 5 receptions. Philadelphia would add a couple of FGs for a 16-0 lead midway through the 3rd before the Stars tried to bounce back. A FG and a Willie Bust TD pass to Don Freeman got New York within 16-10 with plenty of time left. New York's last drive began with 5:05 to go and the Stars kept the ball 14 plays, advancing as deep as the Bell 6. Three plays later, they turned it over on downs and Philadelphia hangs on for the win.

Express 31 Hawaiians 28 (OT)

Los Angeles QB William Mauriello threw 3 first half TD passes and Gary Sappington had a 76 yard TD run as the Express enjoyed a 28-7 halftime lead. Honolulu came alive in the second half, as the Hawaiians defense shut down the Express offense and could have won in regulation. First, they got a 70 yard TD run from Robert Schuler to cut it to 28-14. Then Carlton Allen had a short TD run and Derek Henry  threw a short TD pass to Anthony Davis to tie the game at 28. David McInnis was wide left on a 37 yard attempt with 2:34 to go and the next drive, Henry was intercepted as Honolulu was just outside the red zone. 

Overtime started and Henry threw his 2nd late game INT, setting up Los Angeles in FG range. Six plays later, Mario Price splits the uprights for a 28 yard FG to give the Express their first win of the season.

Showboats 20 Force 19

Memphis QB Norman Maldonado threw a 64 yard TD pass to Mark Glenn on the opening drive before the game saw 5 straight FGs in the first half. The Showboats led 13-9 at the break but Georgia QB Milton People threw a 7 yard TD to Louis Gonzalez to take a 16-13 lead. Midway through the 4th, the Force added a FG for a 6 point, short lived lead. A few minutes later, Maldonado closed out the scoring with a 66 yard scoring strike to Omar Jenkins, with the XP giving Memphis the slim 1 point lead. Georgia had one last gasp at a win, but their 61 yard FG attempt was short, allowing the Showboats to hang on for victory. 

Panthers 20 Wheels 13

The good news for Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan is that only 3 of his 38 pass attempts hit the ground. The bad news is that he only completed 30 of those 38 to his teammates, with the Michigan defense intercepting 5 passes, 3 by Ronald Sparling. Wheels WR Matthew Houston had a big game, catching 9 for 144 yards and a TD, but it wasn't enough. Michigan ran the ball 44 times, limiting Larry Henderson's opportunities but he still completed 13/19 for 163 yards and a TD with no INT. RB Walter Simmons ran in a score and 2 John Hensley FGs were enough to win the first battle of Detroit.

Thunderbolts 20 Wranglers 17

Arizona QB Zachary Kinkead threw 2 first qtr TD passes as the Wranglers got out to a 14-0 lead over Cleveland. The Thunderbolts were able to cut the lead down to 17-6 at halftime. Kinkead threw his 2nd INT of the game on the Wranglers first drive of the second half, and the Arizona offense went nowhere the rest of the game. Cleveland QB Tony Romo came alive in the 4th qtr, leading the Thunderbolts to a pair of TD drives, the 2nd one coming with 1:15 left to give Cleveland their first lead of the game. This game ultimately hinged on field position, and Cleveland's average start was 20 yards closer than Arizona, thanks to Thomas Brott pinning 5 of 7 punts inside the 20.

Invaders 19 Gold 10

Denver is finding out that it's not all fun and games being the hunted as their World Bowl hangover continues. QB Andrew Brewer threw an interception on the opening drive, giving Oakland a short field. Andrew Moreno took advantage, firing a TD pass to Jessie Heidt for an early 7-0 lead. Oakland built that lead up to 16-0 after 3 quarters thanks to 3 Robert Albertson FGs and a defense that was overly stingy. Denver are the defending champs for a reason though, and they fought back with a 14 play, 75 yard drive for a TD early in the 4th. Andrew Brewer found Douglas Crowley for a 6 yard TD pass that cut the deficit to 16-7, then the Gold defense intercepted Moreno, leading to a FG, and just like that Denver is back in the game, down 6. Brewer threw an interception of his own on Denver's next drive, leading to an Oakland FG and a 19-10 lead. There were less than 2 minutes remaining at this point, and the final Gold drive ended on downs, enabling Oakland to even their record at 2-2.

Blitz 32 Stars 14

Denver isn't the only team facing a World Bowl hangover, as Baltimore falls to 2-2, 3rd place in the Atlantic. Chicago was led by RB Dale Davis, who ran 26 times for 140 yards to help the Blitz hold the ball for nearly 36 minutes. QB Ronald Brown threw for 290 yards and 2 TDs to Ian Gordon and Chicago played turnover free football. Defensively, they prevented Baltimore from hitting big plays, as their longest gain was just 35 yards, and the Blitz forced 5 consecutive three and out drives.

Bandits 41 Hornets 31

Charlotte and Tampa Bay had a wild game in Florida today, as both teams had over 400 yards of offense, mostly through the air. In fact, all 9 TDs scored in this game through the air. Charlotte got out to a 10-0 lead before 3 Antonio Martinez TD passes in the 2nd qtr gave the Bandits a 21-10 lead. Charlotte QB Robert Ament threw his 2nd TD pass in the final minute of the first half to give us a score of 21-17 Tampa Bay at the break.

Martinez would throw 2 more TD passes in the 3rd qtr as the Bandits opened up a 35-17 lead entering the 4th. Ament would throw 2 TD passes in the 4th, and a 2 point conversion pass as well, as the Hornets got within 38-31 inside the 2 minute warning. The onside kick failed and Tampa Bay killed the clock, sealing the win.

For Charlotte, Robert Ament was 37/47, 333 yards, 4 TD and an INT. Edward Conley was their leading receiver, catching 6 for 98 yards and a TD. Tampa Bay QB Antonio Martinez only completed 17 of 39 passes, but those 17 completions covered 426 yards, and Martinez threw 5 TDs to 1 INT. Garry Fowler caught 5 passes for 204 yards and 2 TDs while Darren Colton caught 8 for 138 and a TD.

VooDoo 30 Stallions 10

New Orleans RBs Thomas Thomas and Donald Briggs combined for 142 rushing yards and QB James Jones tossed 2 TD passes to lead the VooDoo to a division win over Birmingham. VooDoo LB Gene Gilbert intercepted a Willie Benge pass midway through the 2nd qtr and took it to the house for a TD, and an early 27-0 lead. Hopes of a Stallions comeback quickly faded as their next 4 drives went three and out.

Steamer 34 Breakers 6

Shreveport had a 14-6 lead after the 1st quarter despite scoring zero offensive points. James McMahon returned the opening kickoff 101 yards for a score and Christopher Landreneau intercepted a Joseph Haight pass and returned it for a TD. From there, the interceptions kept flowing, with both QBs throwing 4 each by game's end. The big difference was the running game, where Boston ran for 24 yards on 16 carries while Shreveport ran for 282 yards on 40 carries. Jeffrey Morris led the way with 19 carries, 177 yards and a TD.

Gamblers 26 Gunslingers 0

Tony Dean threw a 1st qtr TD pass to Anthony Fulks and a 4th qtr TD pass to Hugh Chance, while K Earl Castro nailed 4 FGs in between as Houston shutout San Antonio. Houston had 3 RBs get more than 1 carry and as a team, they ran for 150 yards in support of Tony Dean's spread the ball passing attack. RB Lloyd Ellis led the way with 73 rushing yards and 28 receiving. San Antonio was able to run the ball on Houston, with 113 yards on 24 carries, but they only had 113 passing yards and turned the ball over twice. 

Generals 44 Sun 3

QB Don Ferguson continues to lead the league in passing yards, thanks to throwing way more passes than anyone else, and the trend continued today. New Jersey ran the ball 20 times for 112 yards, so they can run, they just don't. Ferguson was 41/58, 480 yards, 4 TD and an INT, with the scoring passes going to 4 different receivers. Cody Schiavo led in yardage, catching 6 for 124 and a TD, while WR Eric Davis (10-94-1) and TE Redd Foxx (10-84-1) caught 10 passes each to lead the Generals offense to victory. Defensively, New Jersey had 3 sacks and 3 INTs. 

 

Week 3: Only 5 Undefeated Teams Remain

 Maybe it's just me but 5 teams at 3-0 seems low, as does 4 teams 0-3. The unbeaten teams so far are the San Jose SaberCats, Portland Storm, Florida Blazers, Washington Federals and Philadelphia Bell. We have a lot of football in front of us, but how long can those teams keep their streak alive? There were 6 one score games this week with 1 shutout.

SaberCats 36 Gamblers 33

This was a strange box score, as there were some things in Houston's favor that usually indicate a team is going to win.. The Gamblers defense forced 6 turnovers, 4 interceptions by Jake Plummer  while committing just 1 turnover on offense. Houston also had the better time of possession and double the red zone opportunities (6 to 3), scoring all 33 points in the red zone to just 14 for San Jose. The SaberCats also committed 8 penalties versus 1 for Houston. There were some other things that were relatively even, like first downs, rushing attempts, passing attempts, and sacks. What each team did with their rushing/passing attempts tells the real story though.

Both teams ran the ball 30 times, but led by 150 yards from Rodney Richardson, San Jose out rushed the Gamblers 202-81. Tony Dean had a much better completion percentage than Plummer, but the Gamblers lacked the big play today. Plummer was just 16/32 on the day, but as usual, he hooked up with Mark Hsu for 3 long TDs, 69, 86, and 75 yards respectively. Hsu finished with 6 catches, 281 yards and those 3 long TDs. 

Despite all of that, the game was a back and forth affair with 7 lead changes. Houston led 26-21 entering the 4th before the SaberCats retook the lead on Hsu's 2nd TD and a 2 point conversion. Houston got a TD run from Francisco Russell to take a 33-29 lead, but the next offensive play was Hsu's 3rd TD catch which turned out to be the game winner. Houston went 3 and out after Hsu's 3rd TD and never saw the ball again.

Bell 30 Generals 24

Philadelphia hasn't made the playoffs since 1982, but with today's victory over New Jersey, the Bell are all alone at the top of the East with a 3-0 record. Philadelphia had 401 offensive yards, led by big play WR James Jones, who caught 5 for 171 yards and 2 TDs. Jamie Epperson chipped in 121 rushing yards as Philadelphia overcame a subpar game by QB Robert Hernandez, who threw 2 INTs and completed just 16/35 passes. 

The Generals took a 17-7 lead into halftime but Philadelphia wiped out that deficit with a 20-0 3rd qtr. New Jersey cut the lead to 27-24 with 6:13 to play but the Generals defense couldn't get off the field as the Bell ran all but 22 seconds off the clock, adding a FG to force New Jersey to drive the length of the field. It didn't happen and Philadelphia wins.

Storm 27 Renegades 6

Portland got 290 passing yards and 3 TDs from Melvin Driggers as the Storm defeated Orlando today. Portland's defense allowed just 222 yards and intercepted 2 Emory Howard passes in shutting out the Renegades for the first 3 quarters. 

Blazers 37 Bandits 13

Florida QB Sidney Maggard completed 30/37 for 393 yards and 4 TDs and the Blazers ran for 181 yards in crushing division rival Tampa Bay. Robert Romero led the rushers with 93 yards while TE William Merkel caught 12 passes for 174 yards and a score. Tampa Bay QB Antonio Martinez had a rough day, completing 15/44 for 310 yards and 4 INTs, allowing Florida to control the ball over 45 and a half minutes of game action.

Federals 34 Hornets 3

Charlotte scored first for an early 3-0 lead but that would be as good as it got for the Hornets. Washington out gained Charlotte 533-88, thanks to Scott Bieber's 401 passing yards. Bieber only found 4 receivers today with Andrew Favela leading the way with 4 catches, 227 yards and 3 TDs. Matthew Cuevas caught the other TD and had 4 catches for 100 yards on the nose. RB Robert Trammell ran for 109 yards and James Dunn ran for 61 and the pair had the other 74 receiving yards (Trammell 44, Dunn 30).

Panthers 13 Maulers 10 (OT)

Michigan got the ball first but QB Larry Henderson started right where he left off last week, throwing an interception on the first drive of the game. Henderson threw 6 in last week's loss and HC Jose Espinoza had to be thinking about pulling him, especially after Will Allison turned it into a Pittsburgh TD with a 10 yard pass to Howard Aguirre. Henderson would settle down after that, finishing the day 25/35 for 179 yards and a TD, with no more interceptions, although his teammates lost 2 fumbles.  

Pittsburgh would add a 2nd qtr FG to take a 10-0 lead, but the Michigan defense held strong after that, forcing either a 3 and out or an interception on all but one subsequent drive. Their best ball movement was their final drive of regulation but time ran out as they crossed midfield. The Panthers clawed back in it, tying the game at 10.

In the extra session, Michigan got the ball first but turned it over on downs after a failed 4th and 1, with Pittsburgh taking over at their own 43. They weren't far from field goal range, but a holding penalty on 1st down set the Maulers back and they had to punt. Michigan drove to midfield and punted, pinning Pittsburgh at their own 6. Another Maulers 3 and out gave the Panthers the ball with 1:33 left to play at Pittsburgh's 48. Two pass plays later and Michigan had a 1st and goal from the 3, where they opted for the short, game winning FG by John Hensley.

VooDoo 13 Steamer 10

Shreveport could have taken an early 2 game lead on the rest of the division with a victory over New Orleans today, but the VooDoo had other ideas. Neither offense produced many yards, 474 combined to be exact, and only 1 player rushed for more than 28 yards while just 1 receiver topped 46. Shreveport's James Brown caught 4 passes for 93 yards, including a 65 yard TD in the 3rd to tie the game at 7. The teams alternated scores, with New Orleans scoring first, then taking a 10-7 lead following the Steamer TD. Shreveport would tie the game at 10 early in the 4th but New Orleans K Jordan Fuller's 47 yard FG at the 2 minute warning was the winning margin.

Hawaiians 16 Breakers 14

Honolulu RB Anthony Davis had 189 combined yards, 142 rushing, and a TD to lead the Hawaiians to victory. The Hawaiians kept the game closer than it should have been, only scoring 16 points in 5 red zone trips, QB Derek Henry tossed 3 interceptions, and David McInnis missed a FG. Boston QB Joseph Haight tossed a pair of TD passes to WR Bob Carder, the second of which gave the Breakers a 14-13 lead midway through the 4th qtr. Honolulu's final drive began with 4:08 on the clock and they used all of it to get in range for a game winning 24 yard FG by McInnis.  

Invaders 9 Bulls 3

Oakland RB Ronald McDevitt ran for 133 yards with 58 more receiving to lead the Invaders into FG range 3 times. Robert Albertson made all 3 and the 9 points stood up for the win as the Oakland defense shut down the Jacksonville passing attack. Joseph Serio completed 18/36 for 87 yards with a sack and an INT for the Bulls, who actually converted 8/19 on 3rd down to just 2/11 for Oakland. The Bulls also had the ball nearly 10 minutes longer, but could not even reach the red zone once, as their drives started at their own 19 on average.

Stars 31 Wheels 17

Detroit hung with Baltimore, but their lack of running game (9 carries, 9 yards) hurt them in the end. Baltimore ran for 146 yards, led by Orville Barker's 102 and a TD. William Halford added the other 44 yards and was also the leading receiver with 2 catches for 85 yards and a score. John Warkentin was right behind him with 83 yards and a TD on 7 receptions as Baltimore wins their 2nd in a row.

Gold 42 Wranglers 12

Arizona was trying to climb over .500 but they had to play the winless defending champs , and the result was predictable. The Wranglers racked up 301 offensive yards and scored 4 times, albeit all FGs and the defense forced 5 Denver turnovers, but the rest of the news is bad for Arizona. In between the turnovers (2 INTs and 3 lost fumbles), Denver had 660 offensive yards, including 256 on the ground and they converted 5/7 3rd down opportunities en route to 6 scores, all TDs. 

Denver was led by Andrew Brewer's 404 passing yards and 6 TDs, 4 going to Douglas Crowley, who caught 5 for 207 yards in all. RB Jake Peralta had a double triple, rushing for 128 yards on 16 carries and catching 9 passes for 106 yards and a score. RB Fredrick Whidden caught the other TD pass as part of his 2-58 yard receiving day while adding 71 rushing yards.

Showboats 23 Gunslingers 0

RB Erik McNamee ran 30 times for 129 yards and a score while QB Norman Maldonado passed for 204 yards with a TD and 0 INT to lead Memphis to 23 points today. It wasn't a great offensive showing but they held the ball for almost 40 minutes and the Memphis defense took away the offensive bullets of the Gunslingers. San Antonio finished the day with just 96 total yards, rushing 13 times for 10 yards and having 10 drives be three and out.

(NY) Stars 20 Stallions 3

Birmingham had the bad draw of facing a new GM in his first game, which makes game planning a crapshoot. New York had a twist on the old 3 yards and a cloud of dust, changing it to 2.47 yards and...The Stars ran the ball 44 times for just 107 yards, but QB Willie Bust was efficient and turnover free, finishing 16/21, 168 yards and a TD. RB Willie Hall had a combined 111 yards on 86 rushing yards and a TD to go with 25 receiving to pace the Stars skill players.

Thunderbolts 20 Sun 10

Tony Romo threw for 256 yards and 2 TDs with WR James Bull accounting for 117 yards and a score as Cleveland beat Southern California. Bobby Colley and Evan Hershey combined for 123 rushing yards and the Thunderbolts defense sacked Wilmer Kimble 5 times. 

Force 24 Outlaws 10

Georgia and Oklahoma both had their RBBC in full swing. The Force had 3 rushers combine for 123 yards on 29 carries while the Outlaws had 6 RB combine for 163 yards on 43 carries. Georgia did fumble 4 times, losing 3 and the first one set up Oklahoma for a very short 5 yard TD drive and an early 10-0 lead. The Outlaws passing game didn't support the rushing effort as they had 96 yards all game through the air and they had 7 three and outs after the 10-0 lead. Georgia meanwhile, got 2 TD passes from Milton People to Matthew Taylor, who caught 3 in all for 103 yards. The second TD came early in the 4th, enabling the Force to take the lead 14-10, and they would go on to score 10 more points and the 17 point outburst allowed Georgia the come from behind victory.

Blitz 25 Express 16

We had both teams seeking their first win and Los Angeles held the lead at the half 13-9. Chicago scored first with a 54 yard Leon Rupe FG before William Mauriello found Robert Lott for a short TD pass and a 7-3 lead. Blitz QB Ronald Brown then found David Karim for a 73 yard TD and Chicago had a 9-7 lead after Rupe missed the XP. The Express then added a pair of FGs before the break, but the Blitz made the proper adjustments in the 2nd half. Chicago held Los Angeles to 30 yards and 3 points the final 15 minutes while the offense scored on 4 of it's 5 possessions to score their first win of 1993. 

 

Week 2: World Bowl Hangover?

 Week 2 is now complete, and our defending champions the Denver Gold are still seeking their first win. Is this a World Bowl hangover? Elsewhere in the West division, Portland seems to be on a mission as they are 2-0, outscoring the opposition 102-13, and the Arizona Wranglers are 1-1, the first time the Wranglers have been .500 or better since 1989. Overall, the league saw 3 one score games in Week 2 with nobody getting shutout.

Wheels 23 Gold 14

Detroit QB Gabriel Flanagan completed 27/33 for 225 yards and 2 TDs, leading the Wheels to victory over the defending champs. Both TD passes went to Eric Hollar and the Wheels got out to an early 10-0 lead. Andrew Brewer was able to lead the Gold to 379 offensive yards, but they couldn't crack the end zone until late in the game down 17 points. Detroit had 342 turnover free yards of their own, and the Wheels defense intercepted 2 Brewer passes. Both offenses performed well on 3rd down, as Detroit converted 7/14 and Denver 5/12.

Storm 50 Showboats 10

Memphis QB Norman Maldonado was intercepted 3 times today, the first 2 coming on the first two drives of the game. Portland turned those into 10 points, and coupled with a TD on the Storm's opening drive, Memphis was in an early 17-0 hole. Maldonado was also sacked 4 times by the Portland defense, and the only bright spot for the Showboats was Fred Wink catching 5 passes for 108 yards against his former team. Melvin Driggers had a nice game without Wink, completing 35/49 for 357 yards and 5 TD passes. Jeffrey Frost caught 3 of those TD passes as part of his 9-100 yard day. Jose Moses had a combined 148 yards and a rushing TD (61 rush yards, 9-87 receiving) while Timothy Roquemore had a combined 108 yards and a receiving score (34 rush yards, 5-74 receiving).

Gamblers 37 Panthers 7

Houston (121 yards) and Michigan (127 yards) both ran the ball well, and both QBs completed 17 passes, but the similarities end there. The Gamblers used a RBBC for their rushing attack while Walter Simmons got the bulk of Michigan's carries, getting 106 yards on 19 carries. Houston's Tony Dean only had 211 passing yards, but he had 4 TD passes against 1 INT. Michigan's Larry Henderson had 188 yards passing with 1 TD and 6 INTs. Those turnovers allowed the Gamblers to build a 28-7 halftime lead, then cruise in the second half. Jett Black caught 5 passes for 101 yards and 2 TDs and Anthony Fulks caught the other 2 TD passes from Dean. 

Blazers 24 Invaders 21

Oakland drove 91 yards for a TD on their opening drive, the final 68 coming on an Andrew Moreno TD pass to Nelson Martinez for an early 7-0 lead. Florida's Robert Romero ran for 95 yards today, and his 2nd qtr TD tied the game at 7. Florida QB Sidney Maggard threw for 274 yards and the 1st of his 2 TD passes gave the Blazers a 14-7 lead. Oakland would lose two fumbles in the 2nd qtr but the Invaders would tie the game at 14 on Andrew Moreno's 2nd TD pass. On the opening drive of the second half, Moreno threw his 3rd and final TD pass, 2nd to Jessie Heidt, giving Oakland a 21-14 lead. The Invaders would punt the rest of the game until their final drive, which ended on downs. Florida pulled within 21-17 early in the 4th, and inside the 2 minute warning, Maggard found Ray Parker for the game winning 11 yard TD pass.

Maulers 30 Thunderbolts 23

Cleveland led Pittsburgh 20-10 entering the 4th qtr, but the Maulers scored 2 touchdowns and 2 field goals in the 4th to get a come from behind victory. The tide turned when Scott Garnett sacked Tony Romo, causing a fumble. Jerome Bradley recovered the ball, advancing to the Cleveland 27 and 4 plays later, Will Allison fired his 2nd TD pass to William Obrien to get within 3 points. The Thunderbolts answered with a long drive that stalled in the red zone, but they did get a FG to extend the lead to 23-17. On the next offensive snap, Will Allison fired his 3rd TD pass, this one a 75 yard catch and run to Franklin Cherry, giving Pittsburgh a 24-23 lead. Pittsburgh would add a pair of FGs to give us our final score of 30-23. Allison threw for 301 yards today on 26/38 passing with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Franklin Cherry caught 4 passes for 117 yards and the long TD.

Gunslingers 9 Force 7

This was our 3rd and final one score game of the week and there wasn't much offense to talk about. Charlie Shanks ran for 104 yards for San Antonio, but the Gunslingers were only able to score a FG on their opening possession. The 3-0 lead held up until the 3rd qtr, when Georgia cracked the end zone on a Milton People 22 yard TD pass to Gordon Janes. Following an exchange of punts, the Gunslingers had a 13 play, 64 yard drive that took almost half of the 4th qtr, and that drive ended with a FG, cutting Georgia's lead to 7-6. San Antonio would force a punt and they got the ball back on their own 20 with 4:42 to play. This drive took 11 plays covering 69 yards, and Benjamin Regalado's 3rd FG came as time expired, giving San Antonio the come from behind win.

SaberCats 22 (NY) Stars 6

San Jose kept New York out of the end zone all day and Jake Plummer completed 21/24 passes for 263 yards and 2 TDs. Mark Hsu caught 5 passes for 149 yards and 1 of the TDs to lead the skill players in stats, again. Defensively, San Jose held the Stars to 167 total yards, intercepting Willie Bust once and sacking him 3 times, including once for a safety. 

Steamer 31 Outlaws 19

Shreveport used a RBBC to run for 184 yards and their WR BC saw 10 different pass catchers combine for 182 yards as QB George Marcil completed 24/29 with 3 TD and 0 INT. WR James Brown caught 4 for 85 and a TD as the only receiver for the Steamer with over 22 yards. Oklahoma had 310 yards of offense themselves and they got a good game from QB John Crisp, who completed 18/25 for 207 yards and 2 TDs. The Outlaws defense had trouble getting off the field though, as Shreveport converted 8/14 3rd down opportunities, was perfect on 4 red zone trips, and held the ball for 38 minutes.

Federals 19 Bulls 9

Both offenses struggled to pass the ball today, combining for 237 yards in the air, but both teams were having success on the ground. The Bulls even got a TD when a RB had a short loss on the play, according to the box score/game log description. "45-Brian Turner ran to WAS 0 for a short loss. TOUCHDOWN!" Um, ok then. Jacksonville ran for 138 yards today, but Washington had 179. The Federals were led by Robert Trammell, who ran for 101, adding 63 receiving yards on 8 catches, while James Dunn ran for 78. John Bazile would kick 4 FGs and Washington improves to 2-0.

Bell 23 Stallions 13

The first half ended 3-3, then Birmingham took a 10-3 lead on a 1 yard run by Francis Schultz. Philadelphia immediately tied it up on a 75 yard pass from Robert Hernandez to Andres Freeman, or so they thought. The XP was no good, and the Stallions would add a FG for a 13-9 lead in the 4th. From there, it was the Jamie Epperson show, as he caught a swing pass and took it 60 yards for the go ahead score, then his 13 yard TD run at the 2 minute warning put the game away for the Bell. Epperson finished with 81 rushing yards and 63 receiving on 3 catches. Philadelphia is 2-0 and next week they play 2-0 New Jersey for the early lead in the East.

Generals 26 Express 3

New New Jersey QB Don Ferguson completed 35/56 passes for 405 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT to lead the Generals to victory. WR Cody Schiavo caught 7 passes for 128 yards and a TD to lead the receiving corp and the defense sacked William Mauriello 5 times. Shawn Hicks had 3 of the sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety. 

Stars 34 Bandits 23

Tampa Bay QB Antonio Martinez threw for 330 yards and 3 TDs (1 INT), but was just 34/60 passing. Baltimore QB Jon Snow was much more efficient, throwing for 252 yards with 4 TDs and 0 INT on 25/29 passing. Snow was also untouched by the Bandits defense while Martinez was sacked 4 times by Baltimore. Tampa was able to hang close to Baltimore, trailing 24-17 after 3, but the Stars pulled away in the 4th for the win. Stars WR John Warkentin had 112 receiving yards and a TD on 5 catches while William Halford had a combined 119 yards. FB Cal Thornton caught 2 TDs on the day, giving the rookie 3 already this young season.

Wranglers 20 Renegades 3

Arizona is now 1-1 with today's victory, their first time at .500 or better since the end of the 1989 regular season. The Wranglers defense held Emory Howard under 100 passing yards, and despite allowing 168 on the ground, they forced 4 fumbles, recovering 3 to stymie the Orlando offense. Arizona QB Zachary Kinkead has had a rough career so far, though a lot of that is the fault of previous ownership. At the end of 1989, the Wranglers were 8-8, their 6th straight season .500 or better. Jaybird took over at that point, and Arizona went 4-44 in his 3 seasons before he left the USFL. Kinkead came into this season with a TD/INT ratio of 4/39, but so far, he is vastly improved.

Hornets 29 Blitz 20

Charlotte QB Robert Ament threw for 322 yards and a TD and Lawrence Linville booted 5 FGs to lead the Hornets to victory. Chicago ran the ball much better than Charlotte, but QB Ronald Brown was barely over 50% passing, finishing 19/36, 242 yards with a TD and an INT. The Hornets held a 26-13 lead at the 2 minute warning before Chicago scored a TD to get within 6. The onside kick failed, allowing Charlotte to add 3 points to put the game away.

Hawaiians 24 Sun 6

Honolulu QB Derek Henry overcame 2 INTs to throw for 207 yards and 2 TDs with support from a running game that generated 159 yards. Anthony Davis had 97 of those yards, adding another 39 yards receiving and a TD. The Hawaiians defense intercepted Wilmer Kimble 3 times while also sacking him twice. Southern California actually scored first with an early FG, and they also scored the last 3 points of the game, but losing 24-0 in between means a loss.

VooDoo 31 Breakers 7

New Orleans got 3 TD passes by QB Joseph Jones and 120 rushing yards and a TD from RB Thomas Thomas to lead the VooDoo to victory over Boston. The Breakers spread the ball around on offense, with 10 different pass catchers and 5 different rushers, but it resulted in just 258 yards as the Breakers fumbled 4 times, losing 3. Each of those lost fumbles led to New Orleans TDs. The VooDoo also spread the ball around in the passing game, with 3 different receivers catching TD passes and the top yardage was Nicholas Dorey's 50.

Season 20 Begins: Opening Weekend

 Throughout this season, we'll take a look back at our league's history here. Right now, we have the All Time Conference teams, the All Time Playoff Team and a brief look at the 4 Hall of Fame players selected in the first round of the 1974 allocation draft. History is great to look back on, but we also have a present and a future to look forward to, and Week 1 is now in the books. We had six games decided by one score or less, a pair of shut outs and both defending champion Denver and National Conference champs Baltimore lost.

Thunderbolts 16 Gold 10

Denver won World Bowl XIX with the #1 offense in the league, but Cleveland held the Gold to 269 total yards and just 10 points. The Thunderbolts controlled the clock with their running game as Bobby Colley ran 16 times for 73 yards while Evan Hershey ran for 70 yards on 11 carries. QB Tony Romo wasn't great but he out performed Andrew Brewer, throwing for 249 yards with a TD and an INT. Brewer did get Denver on the scoreboard first, with a 5 yard TD pass to Richard Huff, but Brewer would end the day with just 183 yards through the air. Romo tied the game at 7 with a TD pass to Herbert Paradise and Carlos Reed finished the scoring by booting 3 short FGs for Cleveland to just 1 for Denver's Robert Deacon.

Federals 33 Stars 24

The schedule maker did Baltimore no favors, as they throw them right into the fire against bitter division rival Washington. For the new owners, the Stars and Federals have been battling to be top dog in this division for the last decade, and they've had several playoff games against each other as well. There was also some controversy when the All Time Playoff Team was announced and it was revealed that Baltimore QB Jon Snow was the top choice over 3 time Champion Tony Dean. 

There was an actual game, and while Snow tossed a pair of TD passes, he also threw 3 interceptions, leading the Stars to defeat. The Federals defense allowed a lot of yards and points but their offense had their back. QB Scott Bieber threw 4 TD passes and no INTs, finishing with 295 yards in the air. RB James Dunn led the Washington ground game with 69 rushing yards while chipping in 6 receptions for 137 yards and one of Bieber's TDs. 

Panthers 31 Blitz 28

Michigan traded William Mauriello to Los Angeles, clearing the way for 2nd year pro Larry Henderson to be the starter. Through the first 90 seconds of the 4th, it looked like a bad decision as the Panthers had turned it over 6 times, 4 on Henderson interceptions and they trailed Chicago 25-9. Henderson did have an early 75 yard TD pass to John Tingle and the Panthers defense scored 2 points when a Blitz screen pass got stuffed in the end zone. Chicago only had 258 yards of offense and could not take advantage of all those turnovers, getting 5 Leon Rupe FGs. 

The 4th qtr was wild, as Henderson got the Panthers within 10 on his 2nd TD pass to Tingle. Rupe's 5th FG gave Chicago a 28-15 lead with 5:39 left but Henderson wasn't finished. Walter Simmons caught Henderson's 3rd TD pass and a 2 point pass to Kevin Terry  got Michigan within 5 at 28-23. The onside kick failed but the Panthers defense did not, forcing a three and out. We were now inside the 2 minute warning and Michigan had the ball at their own 10, needing a TD. Henderson got them down the field and found Kevin Terry for his 4th TD pass of the day, and the pair then hooked up on another 2 point conversion. The Panthers had a 31-28 lead and a Jesse Barnett INT sealed the win for Michigan. 

On the day, Henderson was 37/65, 464 yards with 4 TD and 4 INT. John Tingle had 2 of those TDs as part of his 9 catch, 132 yard day.

Bandits 27 Bulls 24

Last season the Bandits drafted 2 QBs, Thomas Lawson in the 2nd round, Antonio Martinez in the 3rd, opting to start Lawson. This season, they're opting for Martinez, and he finished the day 31/44, 336 yards with 2 TD and 2 INT. TE Darren Cotton was his favorite target, catching 10 passes for 122 yards and a TD. Garry Fowler had 8 catches for 95 yards and a TD as well, but suffered a leg injury. For Jacksonville, it was the William Morrison show. QB Joseph Serio threw for 246 yards and a pair of TDs, both to Morrison, and receivers not named Morrison had just 90 combined yards. 

The game itself was back and forth for 3 quarters before the scoreless punt fest of a 4th. Tampa Bay took an early 14-0 lead, getting one score on the ground and one through the air. Jacksonville then matched that, even getting 1 rushing and 1 passing TD. The Bandits broke the tie with a FG before Jacksonville got another TD for a 21-17 lead. One more Bandits FG before halftime gave us a 21-20 score headed to the locker room. Jacksonville extended the lead to 24-20 with a FG before Martinez found Fowler for the game winning TD pass with 4:30 to go in the 3rd.

Maulers 12 Wheels 6

Not much action from this game to discuss, so I'd like to point out that both teams are coming off playoff seasons and hope to build off that success for a deeper run this year. The defenses came to play as neither offense topped 300 yards or cracked the end zone. Pittsburgh K Brett Bowman was 4/4 on FGs while Detroit's All Pro K Kent Olden was 2/3 and that's it. Pittsburgh wins the kicking contest.

Steamer 20 Gunslingers 16

Most of the scoring came in the first half as the teams played to a 13 all tie. Shreveport scored first with a FG but San Antonio had 2 of their own to take an early 6-3 lead. Shreveport took the lead back on a Jeffrey Morris 13 yard TD run, but the Gunslingers answered with a Robert Fanelli TD pass to Eugene Bufkin. A FG right before halftime tied the game at 13 until a San Antonio FG late in the 3rd broke the tie. Shreveport got a TD pass from George Marcil to Martin Haley with 1:33 to play that turned out to be the game winning TD.

Breakers 15 Hornets 7

Boston took an early 3-0 lead before Henry Young gave Charlotte the 7-3 lead with a 6 yard TD run. Boston isn't known for having a big play offense, so when they got the ball at their own 9 in the final minute of the first half, the Hornets probably figured they'd run the clock out. It was just a swing pass to RB Ralph Harris, but he broke a tackle and sprinted down the sideline for a back breaking 91 yard TD. The XP was no good, but that momentum swing carried over to the second half and Boston added on a couple of FGs for the final margin.

Blazers 29 Renegades 0

Florida looked dominant today, making life rough on 2nd year Orlando QB Emory Howard, limiting him to 9/21 passing for 70 yards with 3 INTs. Offensively, Robert Romero and Ronald Kirby combined for 100 yards on 32 rushes while Sidney Maggard also looked good. Maggard was 29/40, 350 yards and 2 TDs while 4 receivers had between 60-90 yards. About the only negative for the Blazers was too many FG tries in the red zone, though it didn't matter today.

Gamblers 36 VooDoo 0

This is like a carbon copy of the previous game. Houston made life rough for 10th year vet Joseph Jones, holding him to 15/41, 72 yards and 3 INTs. They even sacked Jones in the end zone for 2 points to throw salt in the wound. Offensively, Lloyd Ellis and Francisco Russell combined for 145 yards and a TD on 35 carries. Tony Dean let his play speak for him amid all of the Snow/Dean debate about playoff greatness. Dean was 24/38, 324 yards and 3 TDs, 2 of those to Hugh Chance, who caught 5 balls for 104 yards. Russell added 78 receiving yards, giving him 150 combined yards while Ellis also topped 100 combined (117) with 43 receiving yards.

Storm 52 Invaders 3

Portland's defense had a sack and 3 INTs while the offense was led by Melvin Driggers and his 6 TD passes. Driggers finished 22/34, 352 yards and 1 INT to go with the 6 pack of scores and of course the leading receiver was Richard Robinson. Robinson caught 1 of the TDs as part of his 3-113 day, while Val Smith had 7 catches, 99 yards and 2 TDs. The Storm rushing attack was on point as well, with 3 RBs combining for 156 yards and a score on 24 carries. Only a 2nd qtr Robert Albertson FG prevented a shutout. 

SaberCats 23 Hawaiians 14

Familiar story for San Jose, as Mark Hsu dominated the receivers, catching 4 for 170 and a TD while Jake Plummer had 236 total passing yards. The SaberCats also had 140 rushing yards and a TD combined from Graham Peterson and Rodney Richardson. San Jose took a 20-3 lead into the 4th and led 23-6 until Honolulu got a TD and a 2 point conversion in the final minute to make the final margin closer.

Showboats 38 Sun 3

PrivateSnowflake is back for his second tour of duty running Memphis. He got the Showboats dynasty started by winning back to back World Bowls (VI and VII) before he left MFN, then of course Memphis would win 3 more titles since, 2 by Infinity on Trial and 1 by Tribewriter, who now runs Pittsburgh. PS is now seeking to return Memphis to glory, as they missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 1983.

That journey got off on the right foot as Memphis seemingly moved the ball at will. Only 2 players carried the ball but Erik McNamee (19-128) and Thomas Saunders (14-47) combined for 175 yards, with Saunders scoring 3 TDs. QB Norman Maldonado was making his regular season debut after sitting on the bench for 2 years, and he took an instant liking to veteran WR Fred Wink. The pair hooked up 4 times for 146 yards and 2 TDs while Maldonado finished 24/36 for 371 yards with those 2 TDs to Wink and an INT. 

Defensively, they held Southern California under 200 offensive yards and only allowed a 3rd qtr FG.

Generals 25 (NY) Stars 13

New Jersey was one of several teams breaking in a new starting QB and the Generals got a mixed bag from former Washington backup Don Ferguson. His 2nd pass was intercepted and the offense struggled in the red zone, but he finished the day 34/58, 337 yards and 2 INTs. Ferguson did follow up that 1st INT by leading New Jersey 91 yards in 12 plays for a TD on the next drive. That TD was the only one of the day for the Generals, and it was scored by rookie David Koresh. Koresh also led the Generals in receiving yards with 99 on 6 receptions. For New York, QB Willie Bust threw 2 TD passes, but one was very late in the game after New Jersey had a 25-7 lead. Bust was just 12/25 passing but 8 of those incompletions were actually knocked down by New Jersey defenders. New Jersey made 5 trips into the Stars red zone, coming away with just 1 TD and 4 FGs, as K Al Borland booted 6 in all, as the lack of TDs kept the game close.

Stallions 48 Force 10

Birmingham has 4 QBs on the roster but it looks like they picked the correct starter in former Gunslinger Willie Benge. Benge fired TD passes to 4 different receivers, finishing 27/41, 378 yards with 0 INT. The receiving yards were spread out as 4 different receivers had between 63-82 yards. The running game was working for Birmingham as well, with Francis Schultz leading the way with 122 yards and a TD on 22 carries. The Stallions finished with 578 offensive yards, converting 12/19 3rd down attempts and both 4th down tries as they held the ball over 40 minutes.

Bell 23 Express 6

RBBC is becoming a trend in the USFL as Philadelphia is just one of many teams I saw giving 3 RBs a decent amount of carries. The running game was the difference in this game as the Bell rushed for 171 yards on 43 carries while Los Angeles only ran 10 times for 6 yards. The Express scored first and last, both FGs, but in between Philadelphia scored 23 unanswered points. Jamie Epperson led the Bell RBBC with 86 yards and a TD on 21 carries, adding another 45 yards on 3 receptions. In the passing game, Robert Hernandez was 21/29, 197 yards, 2 TD and an INT, with the receptions and yards evenly distributed. Seven different receivers caught passes today for Philadelphia and they all had between 2-4 receptions and 20-45 yards each.

Outlaws 21 Wranglers 9

Arizona is trying to rebuild but things got off to a rough start on the opening kickoff. John Gates fumbled the ball and it was scooped up by Oklahoma's George Moss for a quick 7-0 Outlaws lead. The Wranglers would punt and John Quimby ran for the first of his 2 TDs for a 14-0 lead. Quimby would get another TD run early in the 2nd qtr to give Oklahoma a 21-0 lead. Arizona would get a TD and a safety to cut the lead to 21-9 at halftime, but the second half was a punt fest with no points for either team. Oklahoma used 6 RB/FB in their RBBC with the top 4 all between 7-9 carries for 34-50 yards each.

World Bowl XIX: Gold Rush

 Denver Gold 24 Baltimore Stars 23

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

1992 Conference Championships

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

Gold 30 Gamblers 24 (OT)

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

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

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

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

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

Stars 41 Blazers 20

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

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

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

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