SCORES
OKL 10 WSH 52
The homestanding Federals show absolutely no mercy against the Outlaws, building a 28-10 lead and then continuing the onslaught in the second half. Neil Lomax throws for 4 scores and Craig James rushes for 121 in a game that was never close.
OAK 24 BLT 38
Vince Evans returns and solidifies his starting position with a 308-yard, 3 TD game against a solid Oakland team. Even Whittington’s 120 yards rushing could not keep pace with Baltimore in front of a rowdy Memorial Stadium crowd.
LA 31 PIT 24
It was not an easy win for the Express, but it was a win nonetheless. Alan Risher played well, and Mike Rozier gashed the LA defense for 117 yards, but in the end the Pittsburgh D could not hold on to a tie and send the game to overtime, giving up a Young to Martin TD with less than a minute left as LA gets a much needed win.
ARZ 10 PHI 23
Arizona’s defense played well, but their offense simply could not find the endzone against the Stars. Arizona outgained Philadelphia 312 to 244 for the game, but 3 David Trout field goals, and 2 key interceptions of Robbie Bosco helped Philly remain atop the Atlantic Division at 10-1.
DEN 22 NJ 3
New Jersey dropped a game they could not afford to lose. It is clear that with Walker injured this is not the same team, as we saw earlier this season. Doug Flutie tried, perhaps too hard, to compensate for Walker’s absence, but his 2 interceptions were costly. Denver, led by the combo of Harry Sydney and Timmy Smith, controlled the pace of the game and a Vencie Glenn pick 6 at the end of the 4th put the game away for the Pacific Division leaders.
SAN 14 TBY 31
San Antonio stunned Tampa by putting the first 14 points on the board on two excellent passes from Damon Allen to Carlos Carson (70 yards) and to Aubrey Matthews (28 yards) but the Bandits woke up, perhaps a bit late, and the momentum totally shifted as Tampa scored 31 unanswered points, shutting down San Antonio for the final 3 quarters and ending up with a 17-point victory.
NOR 13 BIR 33
In a rivalry game that saw at least 20,000 Breaker fans make the trek to Legion Field, the home team proved the better squad on this day. New Orleans depends on their run game, and the Stallions new it. They stacked the line and held the Breakers to only 44 yards rushing on the day, forcing Tony Eason to beat them. His 3 interceptions proved he could not, and with Cliff Stoudt throwing for 2 scores and completing 67% of his passes, the Breakers simply could not keep pace.
CHI 7 MEM 31
Another horrific day for the Chicago offense as they muster only 180 total yards of offense to Memphis’s 422. Mike Kelley is making a serious bid for the starting job in Memphis, hitting on 27 of 44 passing for 321 and 2 scores. The ageless Mel Gray caught 10 of those balls for 156 yards and both scores. Meanwhile, Todd Blackledge had an unremarkable day, completing 50% of his passes but for only 166 yards. He was not helped by the absence of Albert Bentley, as backup Johnnie Jones rushed 16 times for only 13 yards against a usually porous Memphis defense.
HOU 16 JAX 13
On a rainy day in North Florida, the weather and the Bulls defense kept Jim Kelly’s offense contained, but the same could be said for Jacksonville’s offense facing the #1 ranked Gambler D. Chris Miller looked solid in the start, but Houston focused on limiting George Adams and kept him to only 64 yards on the ground. The Bulls, holding a 13-10 lead after 3, held Houston out of the endzone on two key 4th quarter drives, but could not stop K Dave Jacobs from earning the Gambler win with two field goals.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Michigan Panthers 10 Orlando Renegades 11
In another rain-soaked game, the Renegades break their 6-game losing streak and shock a deflated and desperate Michigan Panther squad. Both defenses, aided by monsoon like conditions, kept the other from mounting much of an offense. Orlando’s Reggie Collier threw for only 89 yards as wind and rain made passing all but impossible. Jack Trudeau fared a bit better, tossing for 168, but also seeing two balls go astray and end up in Renegade hands. One of those tosses proved the difference as the Panthers, milking a 10-5 lead as the 4th quarter began, saw it all go up in smoke as a ball slipped through Derek Holloway’s hands into those of Renegade rookie CB Melvin Jenkins, who ran it back 41 yards for the ‘Gades’s only TD on the day, a winning TD in a game decided by 1 point.
This was not a game that is going to make anyone in Orlando feel that the Renegades are back on track, but for Panther fans this one has to be rock bottom for a team so used to winning. The press back in Detroit may place the blame on horrible weather conditions, but at the end of the day the highly favored Panthers simply could not do what needed to be done to win the game. Following the Renegade pick-6 touchdown, Michigan had two additional chances to get into field goal range, and both times Jack Trudeau and the offense sputtered and stalled, including a horrible call, a draw play on 4th and 6, that fooled no one on Michigan’s final drive.
For Orlando, the win brings them to 5-6 and technically in the hunt for a Wild Card, while for Michigan, the loss means that they are now well out of realistic range to catch Houston and may even be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Panther fans knew that losing Bobby Hebert to the NFL would hurt, but even the most pessimistic likely did not see this season, or today’s loss, as possible.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
This week Vince Evans did his all to put the question of a QB controversy to rest, showing the dual threat potential for the Baltimore offense. Not only was Evans an efficient and dangerous passer, completing 62% of his passes for 308 yards against the Oakland defense, but he was also the team’s leading rusher. His 66 yards on 10 carries outpaced the still-somewhat gimpy Tim Spencer, who only gained 49 yards on 13 carries.
Evans was hot from the start, hitting Stanley Morgan with a 53-yard bomb on the Blitz’s first drive and then following that up on their next possession by driving the Blitz down to the 10 before finding Jerry Malcom for his second score on the day. In the 2nd quarter he dove in from 1 out for his own TD, and then in the 4th he found Stanley Morgan again to salt away the win for the Blitz.
Baltimore will need Evans to be at the top of his game the rest of the way, as their 6-5 record is still in the Wild Card mix, but by no means comfortable. The Blitz have been up and down all year and they need Evans to provide solid leadership down the stretch to avoid a win-lose-win-lose erratic record.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 5 games left, there is still a lot on the line and almost nothing is guaranteed. What we do know is that only the Central Division looks wrapped up. Houston has a 4-game lead on Michigan with only 5 to play, so all they need is 1 win or 1 Michigan loss to wrap up their first division title. Tampa is next up, with a 3-game lead over a resurgent Birmingham. 2 wins or a combo of a win and a Stallion loss will give Tampa the Southern Title. In the Atlantic we have a two-horse race between 10-1 Philly and 8-3 New Jersey. The two battle at Veterans Stadium this week and if Philly can win their home game it may be enough to settle the matter, but a Generals victory and we are going down to the wire. Behind them in the Eastern Conference we have a cluster of teams looking to secure wildcard spots. Baltimore, Washington, and Birmingham are all 6-5 and both Jacksonville and Orlando are only a game behind that.
In the Pacific Division, as usual, we have greater parity. Denver holds a 1 game lead over Oakland, and LA is only a game behind that. It is possible for all 3 to get playoff spots, especially with Michigan slumping right now. With 3 Wildcards in play, even if Michigan takes one, there are 2 more to have, and the two teams who do not win the Pacific title could still get in as they remain ahead of three 4-win teams (Arizona, New Orleans and San Antonio). This week’s matchup between Arizona and LA could end any hopes for the Wranglers and all but guarantee the 3 Pacific teams a playoff shot.
NEWS & NOTES
This may seem like an odd time to discuss potential retirements but rumors out of San Antonio that Rick Neuheisel may be considering stepping away from the game have a lot of folks looking at their own teams to see who may opt out for next year. In Neuheisel’s case, a career hampered by significant injuries each season, and a lack of enthusiasm playing for the financially troubled Gunslingers may be enough to cause the 28-year-old to call it quits earlier than most, but there are some other USFL stars who are getting on in years and whose productivity has slipped, so retirement may not be out of the question.
Birmingham WR Jim Smith will be 34 next year, and he has definitely lost favor behind Ernest Givens for the Stallions. Denver’s two starting tackles are both 33 and have seen some miles on them. Houston SS Keith Moody turns 35 this year, but still seems to be at the top of his game for the top Gambler defense. Mel Gray is lighting up the league, leading in targets and catches, but he has a lot of miles on those legs and his lack of breakaway speed has been noticed by defenders.
In New Orleans, the Breakers brought in 34-year-old Joe Ferguson, despite his 87 year old knees, to mentor Tony Eason. If, as rumors suggest, the Eason years may be over in New Orleans, it may also mean that Ferguson may shift from on-field coach to off-field coach for 1988. Meanwhile in Philly, Chuck Fusina, despite being one of the oldest players in the league, still looks like he has a solid grasp of the offense and has remained largely injury free this year, boding well for next year. The same could be said for John Reaves, who looks as good as ever.
The biggest and perhaps toughest decision may be that of Brian Sipe. The 1986 MVP has looked a lot shakier this year and many fear that he has reached the dreaded “cliff” when solid players suddenly dip significantly in their productivity. Oakland is not talking about the issue openly, but off the record there are some who are wondering if backup Gale Gilbert might not be a better option in 1988.
INJURY REPORT
Chicago gets another blow to their season as their lead back, Albert Bentley is out for the rest of the season with a torn abdominal muscle. The core injury could take 2-3 months to heal, so Johnnie Jones may be Chicago’s option moving forward. Oklahoma TE Mike Tice will be out at least 2 weeks after getting hit across the face and fracturing his jaw. New Orleans will likely be without QB Matt Robinson at least one more week and New Jersey’s Herschel Walker is listed as questionable for the big game this week against Philadelphia. Among those likely to return to action this week are Tampa HB Gary Anderson (hairline fracture in last week’s game), New Orleans wideout Nolan Franz (sprained wrist) and Michigan wideout Anthony Carter (strained quad in the rain in Orlando).
LOOKING AHEAD
Back to divisional play as we head down the stretch in Week 12. Baltimore and Washington face off in what may be a decisive game within the Atlantic for Wild Card consideration. Can the Federals win an important division game for once? In Philly, the Stars have to face their toughest rival, as New Jersey hopes to have Herschel Walker back for the big matchup. In Tampa, the Birmingham Stallions will try to draw closer to a playoff berth if they can upset the Bandits. Memphis and Jacksonville still have slim playoff hopes, but only the winner of this game can stay relevant. Michigan hopes to rebound with a very winnable game at home against Chicago, while the Battle of Texas takes place in San Antonio between the Gamblers and the Gunslingers. Arizona and LA are two more teams with only slim playoff hopes, so it’s a must win game at Angel Stadium. Denver heads to Oklahoma hoping to get their 8th win of the year. In Inter-divisional play, the Maulers are in Oakland, while Orlando heads to the Crescent City to face the Breakers.
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