Four big playoff matchups as the USFL's expanded 8-team playoff swings into action. The playoffs get off to a fiery start with domination from two division winners, a feisty 4th seed and a backup quarterback rising to the occasion.
SCORES
Birmingham 31 Philadelphia 28
Proof once more that having a solid backup quarterback is worth the investment. Bob Lane, who had barely played all season, was tabbed to start against the Stars when Cliff Stoudt was unable to go due to lingering concussion-related issues. All Lane did was throw for 3 scores and a 73% completion percentage. Relying predominantly on play-action off of Philly’s focus on RB Joe Cribbs, Lane was able to hit three different receivers for scores, including the tying score midway through the 4th quarter.
Philadelphia QB Chuck Fusina also played well, throwing for 334 yards and 4 scores as the Stallions defense equally focused on stopping the run. Fusina found all three of his top receivers for scores, Fitzkee, Donovan and Collier. Kelvin Bryant scored the fourth TD at the end of the 3rd quarter to give Philly a 28-21 lead, but it would not hold. In the 4th, Birmingham killed 7 minutes on a long drive that led to the Lane to Lonnie Parker TD pass. They then held Philadelphia and got the ball back with 3:35 left in the game. Another time-consuming drive ended with a Scott Norwood field goal with 58 seconds left to give the Stallions the road win and propel them into the Conference Championship game next week.
Boston 17 Tampa Bay 44
It did not take long for Tampa to put to rest any Boston ideas of an upset. The Bandits scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions, and, along with a safety when Buford Jordan could not get out of his own endzone, and Tampa built a 23-3 second quarter lead that they would never relinquish. While Boston had some good series, it was not enough against Tampa’s offensive onslaught. John Reaves threw for 2 scores, and RB Gary Anderson scored three times, from 1 yard, 3 yards and 1 yard again to cap long Tampa drives. Boston avoided the long bombs that typify the Tampa offense, but they could not get off the field on 3rdd down and Tampa just kept adding scores. The Bandits will face off against a familiar foe next week, division rival Birmingham.
Arizona 27 Michigan 37
Give it up for the Wranglers. Most pundits had this game as a total blowout, but the Wranglers came in with a strategy to contain the Michigan offense, and for 3 quarters it worked pretty well. They played hard, and proved that despite their 7-9 record, the Wranglers were a solid squad. Despite having little luck running the ball with Tim Spencer or Mike Cade, the Wranglers managed to stay in the game, trailing at the half by only one score, 24-17. Despite over 60,000 fans cheering him on, Michigan QB Bobby Hebert was clearly bothered by Arizona’s defensive plan, as he threw 3 interceptions and no touchdowns, a season worst for him. But, despite these issues, the Panthers proved they were a tough out, with 3 scores from RB John Williams and another from Ken Lacy as they pulled away at the end. Michigan will face Steve Young and the Express next week, again in front of what should be a great crowd at the Silverdome.
Denver 3 Los Angeles 32
Denver Gold fans came into the game hopeful that Bob Gagliano would be able to return to lead the Gold once again, but it was not to be. It was a game-time decision, but Craig Morton was forced to go with Craig Penrose, and, unfortunately for the Denver faithful (who seemed almost as prevalent at Angel Stadium as Express fans) Penrose was not up to the task. The reluctant starter completed only 39% of his passes, was sacked for a safety, and fumbled away a ball that gave LA a very short field right before the half. LA, led by QB Steve Young (22 of 28 for 249 yards) and a RB trio of Mack, Boddie and Harrington ate up the clock, winning the time of possession by 39:10 to 20:50. By halftime it was 17-0, and by the end of the 3rd quarter backup QB Mike Rae was able to get into the game. With the win, LA now moves on to face Michigan in the Conference Championships.
NEWS & NOTES
The USFL named its ALL-USFL Team this week, and to no one’s surprise, the team is led by several Michigan and Tampa Bay players. Both Bobby Hebert and John Reaves make the squad, as do receivers Eric Truvillion and Derek Holloway. New USFL players also made an impact, including league rushing champion Joe Cribbs, rookie wideout sensation Gary Clark, and the likely defensive rookie of the year, Memphis' Minister of Defense, Reggie White. Here is the full roster of the 1984 All-USFL Team:
OFFENSE
QB B. Hebert MGN
QB J. Reaves TBY
QB D. Williams JAX
RB J. Cribbs BIR
RB H. Walker NJ
RB M. Rozier PIT
FB M. Davies MEM
TE M. Shaw PIT
TE L. Gilbert TBY
WR T. Johnson ARZ
WR E. Truvillion TBY
WR G. Clark JAX
WR D. Holloway MGN
T A. Gardner MGN
T W. Israel NJ
T D. Massey PIT
G B. Aydolette BIR
G D. Navarro CHI
G A. Regan BOS
C K. Hull NJ
C B. Oates PHI
DEFENSE
DE J. Ah You CHI
DE R. White MEM
DE R. Paggett BIR
DT L. Short DEN
DT E. Weaver LA
DT K. Lathrop ARZ
LB J. Corker MGN
LB J. Fahnhorst ARZ
LB M. Marek BOS
LB S. Morris CHI
CB D. Martin DEN
CB R. Osborne PIT
CB J. George TBY
FS H. Bonner MEM
SS L. Hale JAX
S S. Woerner PHI
P W. Moss NJ
K E. Herrera MEM
KR A. Allen LA
INJURIES
A couple of potentially gameplan-altering injuries as we head into the conference championships. LA will be without rookie RB Kevin Mack, who suffered a torn knee ligament this past week and will likely need surgery in the next few weeks to be able to return to the lineup next Spring. Michigan may be without league leading tackler John Corker, listed as questionable for this week’s games with a hand injury. Tampa will miss ALL-USFL TE Lewis Gilbert, who suffered a shoulder injury in their game against Boston. And in Birmingham, Cliff Stoudt is still listed as questionable. Backup Bob Lane played well in the Stallions upset win over Philadelphia, but the Stallions are certainly hoping that Stoudt can return for the big matchup against the Bandits.
LOOKING AHEAD
LA has the talent and a solid roster, and could challenge the Panthers. If they follow the gameplan demonstrated by Arizona, they could again frustrate Bobby Hebert. That said, our money is on Michigan. They have just so many weapons, and even when their MVP candidate QB has a rough week they still scored 37 to beat the Wranglers. We are just not confident LA can do better.
As division foes, Tampa and Birmingham have already played twice this year, splitting their series. The Stallions match up well against the Bandits, again, if Cliff Stoudt can return and play or if Bob Lane has one more super-sub day left in him. Tampa is the clear favorite, playing at home and with a healthier team, but Birmingham does 2 things you want a playoff team to do. They run the ball well and they defend against the run. They have the 5th rated scoring defense in the league and the 4th rated rush defense, but the big question is if they can contain John Reaves and the Bandit Ball deep passing attack. They were 12th against the pass this year, but played well both games against Tampa. Our money is still on the Bandits to return for a 2nd year to the Championship, but Birmingham is capable of the upset.
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