SCORES
LA 30 BLT 17 LA’S defense comes up big in Baltimore to snap the Express losing streak.
OAK 24 NJ 17 Invaders edge Generals on two 4th quarter TD’s from Sipe to Duper.
ARZ 17 PHI 22 Philly comes back to win in 4th quarter on two clutch Trout kicks.
DEN 34 WSH 27 Gagliano throws for 331 and 4 scores as Gold move to 8-3.
MGN 20 BIR 9 Stallions D holds tough, but offense cannot generate points in loss.
NOR 17 JAX 6 Williams frustrated all day as Breakers D keeps Bulls out of the endzone.
PIT 21 TBY 35 Risher injury helps Tampa ease past Pittsburgh at home.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Houston Gamblers 25 Memphis Showboats 27
In a game between two teams playing for pride, the Showboats edge the Gamblers on a failed 2 point conversion as time runs out. Houston came back in the final minute of the game with Jim Kelly hitting Victor Hicks with the potential tying score with only 26 seconds on the clock. But, needing 2 to tie, Kelly missed Gerald McNeil in the corner of the endzone and Houston lost by 2, giving Memphis their second win of the year.
The Showboats returned Damon Allen under center and the backup to Walter Lewis played well. Allen went 16 for 32 for 169 yards, threw one score to Willie Gault, but made no mistakes, helping Memphis control the clock for a good part of the first half. At the half the score was 16-14 Houston on two Steve Howell runs and a Jacobs FG (missed PAT for Jacobs as well). In the second half, Memphis would score on 2 field goals of their own, to take the lead 20-19. When, with 5:25 left in the game Memphis ended a long drive with a Buford Jordan TD, it seemed that the game was all but over. But, Houston did not quit and, down 8, they marched the ball down the field and scored in the final minute to pull within 2. But, a fingertip grab was not in the offing on the attempted 2-pointer, and Houston now finds themselves right in the hunt for the worst record in the league. Memphis has their second win in the last month, and heads off to New Jersey next week to try to get a third.
PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
This week we will celebrate a team effort as the New Orleans defense deserves a lot of kudos for shutting down the usually dynamic Jacksonville offense in the Gator Bowl. The Breakers gave up only 229 yards to the Bulls, picked off Doug Williams three times, and held HB George Adams to only 43 yards rushing. Jacksonville did not convert even one of their 9 third down opportunities and held the ball for only 26 minutes in the game. CB Andrew Kitchens shadowed Gary Clark all day, while the linebacking corps filled gaps and pressured Doug Williams on the way to a full team victory. With the win, New Orleans placed themselves in prime Wild Card contention, a game over 500 and even with Oakland and Los Angeles. While the offense has new life with HB Marcus Dupree and an improved Tony Eason, it has been the defense which has led the way and likely will as the Breakers seek to nail down a playoff spot.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 5 weeks left, no team has guaranteed themselves a division title, but both Baltimore and Michigan have locked up playoff spots. Denver has built up a 2 game lead in the division, but has some tough games ahead, while Tampa and Jacksonville look good to both make the playoffs but again it may come down to the season’s final week to determine who will win the division. Birmingham, Washington and New Jersey hurt their chances with losses this week, as Philadelphia pulled a game ahead for the final playoff spot in the East. Oakland, LA and New Orleans seem to be fighting for the two Wild Card Spots, with 5-straight losses by Arizona putting them a game off the pace and desperately in need of a turn around game.
NEWS & NOTES
Everyone is talking QB’s in the USFL this week. Whether it is the discord that is brewing in Jacksonville between beleaguered QB Doug Williams and management, the prolonged injury to Arizona’s Rick Neuheisel, the potential NFL poaching of Michigan’s Bobby Hebert, or the injury to Alan Risher in Pittsburgh, it is all about the QB. There is also concern for Jim Kelly, who is just floundering on a Houston team that cannot seem to pull it together, and with Reggie Collier now hurt, Washington may be in a tough spot as well. Other than Bob Gagliano in Denver, Brian Sipe in Oakland, Steve Young in LA and John Reaves in Tampa it seems like every team has doubts at QB. Some doubt the ability of their QB to stay healthy, some worry that their star QB will be lost to free agency, and some are still waiting for their supposed franchise player to start playing like a truly elite signal caller. So it goes in a league where the passing game often equates with wins. If that position is not secure, then the whole team is insecure.
INJURIES
We had a few scares this week as both Alan Risher and Reggie Collier were knocked out of their games. Neither Pittsburgh nor Washington can afford to lose them for long. Both are expected to be back within a week, perhaps two, so no major trauma there. The same cannot be said for Jacksonville defensive captain Vaughan Johnson, will is out for the rest of the year with a torn quad. Other injuries which will impact the end of the season include Houston TE Jimmie Giles, Breakers WR Nolan Franz, and Bulls LB Charles Bratton.
LOOKING AHEAD
The league’s 13th week feels a bit like a palette cleanser before the divisional rivalry games of weeks 14, 16 and 17. The only matchup of teams with winning records is 6-5 LA facing 11-0 Michigan in the Silver Dome. Otherwise each game is a bit of a one sided affair, with the possible exception of 5-6 Arizona at 6-5 New Orleans. Oakland is in Houston, Denver at Pittsburgh, Tampa in Washington and Jacksonville at Philly. Memphis will go for their third win of the year against 4-7 New Jersey, while the 9-2 Baltimore Blitz host the hard luck 4-7 Birmingham Stallions.
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