Two great games between 4 solid clubs, and it all comes down to who wants it more. What else could you ask for? A perennial bridesmaid vs. a team in their last game in a city they are leaving behind. We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried.
PHILADELPHIA STARS 24 TAMPA BAY BANDITS 17
Eric Truvillion may have won the league Offensive Player of the Year award this year, and his 25 TD’s and 1900+ yards set pro football records, but on this day he was outdueled by the unassuming, reliable play of Philadelphia’s Scott Fitzkee. Fitzkee does not garner the coverages that Truvillion faces regularly, and he rarely rips off 50+ yard sprints to the endzone, but his ability to get open on key 3rd downs, to keep drives alive, and to find holes in the zone proved essential to Philadelphia’s 7 point win in the Conference Finals, sending the Stars to their first USFL Championship.
On this sunny and warm Philadelphia July day, the Bandits wilted against a ball-control offense and bend-but-don’t break defense. The game was close throughout, with both teams scoring twice in the first half. Tampa started out the game with a 48 yard Andrusyshyn kick, only to watch Philadelphia put together a 9 play, 7 minute drive that ended with Kelvin Bryant bursting through the line and glancing off tackles for a 12 yard score. Tampa would get a score of their own as Reaves found Truvillion on a fade route from the 16 to retake the lead at 10-7. But, Philadelphia mounted one more drive in the 2nd quarter, a drive that ended with Scott Fitzkee scoring the first of 2 TD’s on the day, this one a 37 yarder made possible by a collision between Tampa’s cornerback and safety, leaving Fitzkee still standing and able to race along the sideline for the score.
In the second half, Philadelphia would build on its 14-10 halftime lead, and again it was Fitzkee. This time the Stars used Bryant and Johnnie Hector to pound their way to the Tampa 3 yard line before Fusina faked the ball to Bryant, rolled right and found Fitzkee crossing along the back line of the endzone. Not to be outdone, Tampa mounted a drive of their own, and Reaves hit his relief valve, TE Lewis Gilbert for the score to end it, pulling the Bandits back within 4 at 21-17.
But the 4th quarter seemed to slow down the entire game. Perhaps it was the 87 degree heat, perhaps the sticky humidity on this July day, or perhaps the long grind of 17 games already played. Both teams had trouble moving the ball. The only player who seemed unaffected was Philadelphia CB Rob Herron, who jumped a hook route, intercepting John Reaves (Reaves’s second pick of the day) and returning it to the Tampa 20. That play allowed David Trout to increase the lead to 7 and it would be the last score of the day. On Tampa’s final drive, an ill-advised 3rd and 7 pass, deflected off of the shoulder pads of Tampa’s Cris Collinsworth and into the hands of an awaiting Philly defender, ending the threat and allowing the Stars to finish the game in the victory formation. The Stars head to their first Championship, and are likely to draw a very friendly crowd just up Highway 95 at the New Jersey Meadowlands.
CHICAGO 29 LOS ANGELES 10
Philadelphia will face a Chicago Blitz team that dominated in their final game at Soldier Field before relocating next year to Baltimore. The Blitz had Steve Young’s number all day, and their defense limited the Express to 237 yards while Vince Evans and led Chicago to over 460 yards, including 367 yards passing. The Blitz led throughout and LA never found their groove as Steve Young was hemmed in, unable to scramble as Chicago’s D-line emphasized containment and forced Young to play from the pocket.
The star of the game was Evans, who not only passed for 367, but also found 22 yards on the ground. After an early safety for the Blitz, Evans led Chicago on the short post-kickoff drive, eventually finishing the drive by handing the ball to Calvin Murphy, who burst over the goalline to build a 9-0 lead. In the second quarter both teams traded field goals and Chicago entered halftime with Marv Levy beaming about his defense, holding a 12-3 lead.
In the second half, LA came out with a good drive to open the half, and within 5 minutes they had cut the lead to 12-10 with a Young to Hector Sharp pass. But, that was the last they would see of the Chicago side of the field. The remainder of the half was a combination of long Chicago drives, leading to 2 Evans TD passes (to Jackie Flowers and Neil Balholm) and frustrating 3-and-outs on offense. Chicago would end up holding the ball for over 35 minutes in the game, including 19 of the 30 minutes of the 2nd half. Junior Ah You would be named player of the game after recording 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and the game-opening safety. For Los Angeles it was a painful day as they simply could not sustain drives or keep Chicago from doing so. For the Blitz, it was a day to celebrate. Despite fears that no one would show up, out of protest of the team’s relocation, more than 27,000 came out to watch their team’s swan song, and the fans celebrated with the team when the final seconds ticked off the clock. The Blitz were heading to the USFL Championship, finishing 3 frustrating years in Chicago with flair.
1985 USFL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Chicago Blitz (13-3) vs. Philadelphia Stars (12-4)
It took three years for it to happen, but this third USFL Championship will pit the two #1 seeds against each other. Both teams have a lot in common: tenacious and aggressive defenses, offensive playmakers, solid coaching, and a blue collar attitude about preparation and execution on the field.
Philadelphia is less flashy, more meaty, relying on a combination of Kelvin Bryant as their workhorse and Chuck Fusina play action passing to lull teams to their defeat. Chicago’s offensive personality reflects their quarterback, a bit edgier, wiley but also unpredictable. Vince Evans, after an injury-shortened 1984 seaosn, emerged this year as a dual threat quarterback, able to make plays when the scripted part of the play breaks down. Fusina, on the other hand, is a by-the-book manager, rarely turning the ball over, making clutch throws on key downs, and distributing the ball to an underrated group of receivers.
On defense we have two of the best squads, both able to get to the opposing QB and both featuring ball-hawking secondaries. For Chicago the star of the defensive show is league sack master Junior Ah You, who pulled in a record 22 sacks this year. He is backed up by solid players such as LBs Ben Apuna and Ed Brady. Philadelphia’s counterparts are DE William Fuller, LBs John Bunting and Sam Mills and one of the league’s best defensive backfields, led by safety Scott Woerner.
We expect this will be a close game, a hard-fought game, a game with few penalties and even fewer turnovers, but one which will come down to just a few key plays. We don’t expect Chicago to keep pace with Philadelphia’s run game, but we anticipate that Evans will outpace Fusina, so there is balance there as well. Both teams will try to make the other one-dimensional on offense, both will likely avoid blitzing and focus on solid coverage in the passing game. Las Vegas has Philadelphia as only a 1 point favorite, but we think that in the end it will be the Stars who take the victory. Our prediction is Philadelphia 20, Chicago 14.