A basement battle, some playoff manuevering, and the Central Division battles it out.
OAK 20 PHI 26— In a game the Philadelphia Stars absolutely needed, they found a way to win. In front of 42,000 raucuous fans, the Philadelphia Stars slogged it out with the Oakland Invaders for 4 quarters before a Fusina to Folsom touchdown put them in front to stay. In a game in which neither team seemed to be able to get out of their own way, Philadelphia relied heavily on the foot of David Trout, who kicked 4 FG’s when the Stars could not punch the ball in for a score, but it was a 43 yard catch and run by TE Steve Folsom that allowed the Stars to salt away the win. After leading 16-6 at the end of 3, Philly’s defense uncharacteristically gave up two quick Oakland scoring drives (a Gordon Banks catch and an Aaron Smart 12 yard run) to find themselves down 20-16. But, with 1:45 on the clock Fusina hit Folsom on a seam route and Philly quickly found themselves up by 3. After Oakland failed on a 4th and 7 attempt from their own 23, the Stars took over, ran down the clock and added a late field goal for a 26-20 win.
DEN 21 NJ 17—In a game between two teams whose recent struggles had put any playoff hopes in question, Denver got the much-needed win to bolster their hopes of retaining the Pacific Division title and the playoff spot that accompanies it. In what was a slow day for both offenses, Denver got just enough from HB Harry Sydney (2 TD’s on only 44 yards rushing) and Ken Johnson avoided costly turnovers to give Denver the narrow win. Herschel Walker would have been held under 100 yards if not for one dynamic 48 yard rush, on a drive that still ended only with a FG for the Generals. The win pushes Denver back over .500 while the loss all but mathematically eliminates New Jersey from any chance at the league’s lone wild card playoff spot.
CHI 29 BIR 41—With the Central Division back to head-to-head matchups, Birmingham dispatched Chicago with a furious 2nd half in which they scored 5 times to pull ahead of the Blitz and put Chicago in the rear view mirror. It was a standard day for HB Cornelius Quarles, rushing for 117 yards and score, but it was elevated play by QB Bobby Lane, who has not always looked sharp this year, which gave the game to Birmingham. Lane threw for 3 scores on the day, despite fierce pressure from Chicago’s Junior Ah You. For Chicago, QB Greg Landry threw for 375 yards, but 3 interceptions proved costly, giving Birmingham short fields to play on. The loss drops Chicago to a disappointing 5-8, while Birmingham’s 9-4 record keeps them in the thick of the playoff hunt.
TBY 10 MGN 20—Tampa learned first hand what much of the league already knew, the Michigan defense is fierce. Holding the much heralded Bandit Ball offense to a total of only 217 yards was enough to help the Panthers double the Bandits’s score 20-10. Two early Holloway TD catches put Tampa behind the 8-ball early, and only a late Truvillion pass from Reaves salvaged the scoreline for the Bandits. Reaves completed only 32% of his passes against the stingy Panther D, while being sacked a painful 8 times, including twice by league tackles leader John Corker. The win keeps Michigan even with Birmingham at 9-4, while dropping Tampa to 11-2. Two games back with 3 to play. Is it impossible for the Panthers to win the division, or is there just enough time to sneak up on the suddenly reeling Bandits?
BOS 30 ARZ 16—The Breakers came to the desert with hopes of solidifying their bid for the Atlantic Division crown, and they showed they are deserving with a solid win over the Wranglers. Richard Crump had one of his best days against the Wrangler D, rushing for 110 yards and 2 scores, while the ageless Johnnie Walton went 20 for 33. The Wranglers, playing without injured QB Alan Risher, could only muster 121 yards passing from Dan Manucci. The depleted Wranglers would muster only 194 total yards of offense on the day, falling to 5-8 and all but giftwrapping the Pacific title to Denver. Boston remains very much a playoff contender with the win.
WSH 24 LA 33—In a game between the undisputable two worst teams in the league, LA showed some sparks and provided the hapless Federals with their 10th straight defeat. The Federals relied heavily on RB Craig James (129 yards on 21 carries) because QB Kim McQuilken just could not get it done, averaging only 4.1 yards per completion. Meanwhile, Tom Ramsey had one of his best days against the Feds, throwing for 331 yards. Jo-Jo Townsell was the recipient of 6 Ramsey passes for 126 yards as well. In a game between two down and out teams, in front of the smallest crowd of the USFL’s inaugural season (8,435 in the Coliseum), someone had to win. LA found a way.
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