Tampa, Birmingham, and Michigan continue to impress, while once again the West (with the exception of LA) once again looks like the league's weakest division. 3 of 4 expansion clubs win as do 6 of 8 home teams in a wild midseason week.
SCORES
TBY 32 BOS 22 A 17-point 4th quarter by Tampa leaves Boston reeling.
PHI 17 WSH 27 Washington takes over 1st place with an upset win over the Stars.
CHI 16 HOU 23 Ricky Sanders catches 7 for 123 as Gamblers win at home.
OAK 3 MGN 31 Panthers rout the lowly Invaders to remain undefeated.
ARZ 14 PIT 22 Todd Blackledge gets the “W” in his first start in the USFL.
JAX 24 DEN 17 A late 4th quarter TD drive gives Jacksonville a road win.
MEM 17 LA 24 Tony Boddie scores twice to lead the Express.
BYES: None
GAME OF THE WEEK: New Jersey Generals 30 Birmingham Stallions 37
In a game that saw 35 points put on the board in the first quarter alone, it was defense that ended up winning the day as the Stallions held the Generals scoreless in the 4th quarter to take a hard-earned 7 point win in front of over 48,000 at Legion Field. The crowd came to watch Auburn’s Joe Cribbs duel with Georgia’s Hershel Walker, and they were not disappointed. Walker would rush for 117 yards and score twice while Cribbs would outpace him, rushing for 168 yards on 27 carries and adding 2 scores of his own.
After one quarter it was Birmingham 21-14 on the strength of 2 Joe Cribbs runs and a 1 yard dive by FB Ken Talton. At the half it was the Stallions by 10, 30-20, but New Jersey fought back in the third to even the score on Walker’s 2nd TD on the day. Birmingham would own the 4th quarter however, picking off Brian Sipe twice and putting together a 7 minute drive that led to an Earl Gant TD run from the 9 to put them on top by the final score of 37-30. It was a hugely entertaining game, and one that both Auburn and UGa fans would be sure to love as their stars were scintillating once again.
NEWS & NOTES: A couple of breakout performances as teams retooled their depth charts at the midpoint of the season. Marcus DuPree, in his second game and first as the starter in Memphis, reminded us of his best days at OU, with 102 all purpose yards against the LA Express. Todd Blackledge, who brought out over 35,000 to watch him in Pittsburgh, did not disappoint, leading the Maulers to a win and avoiding the INT bug which had hit prior starter Glen Carano. And although he is not a new starter, special kudos to Washington’s Reggie Collier, who carved up the usually dependable Philly D for 327 yards and 3 scores to help the Fed’s take over the lead in the Atlantic Division at 4-4.
INJURIES: No teams were dealt major blows this week, just a range of dings and bruises which will keep some players off the field next week, but not for the long haul. Expected to miss a game or two are NJ QB Brian Sipe (concussion), Tampa wideout Eric Truvillion (neck strain), Feds LB J.D. Fuller (stress fracture in right foot), and Stars C Bart Oates (broken finger).
LOOKING AHEAD: Week 9 offers another full slate of games, highlighted by a huge clash between Tampa Bay and Birmingham for the lead in the Southern Division. Michigan faces its toughest test in weeks, heading out to LA to face Steve Young and the reinvented Express. Philly will visit New Jersey in a a key rivalry game, while out west Denver faces Arizona in a “relevancy bowl” as both try to see if they can catch up to the Express. And on Monday night the surprising Washington Federals will clash with that tough Memphis defense in the Liberty Bowl. A good week with some exciting matchups.
Opmerkingen