In the biggest regular season game in recent memory, the Stars outlast the Panthers to garner just a bit of payback for their Championship Game loss. In other action, winless Birmingham deflates the 4-0 Orlando Renegades, San Antonio shocks New Orleans, and Doug Flutie leads a Walker-less New Jersey to a key divisional win.
SCORES
BLT 19 PIT 3
Baltimore got just what they needed to bounce back from a bad Week 4 loss, a cakewalk in Pittsburgh. The Maulers just did not have anything going on offense as Baltimore loaded the box and held Mike Rozier to only 39 yards rushing. They dared Alan Risher to beat them and he could not. Despite the fact that for the second week in a row Baltimore could not mount a rushing attack of their own, they led from whistle to whistle and got the needed win.
NJ 31 WSH 24
Once again Washington proves they simply cannot win divisional games as a Walker-less Generals squad came in and punched them in the mouth in their own stadium. Doug Flutie had a masterful game, going 21 for 29 for 321 yards and 4TD’s, with 3 of them going to 2nd year TE phenom, Brent Jones. Craig James had a good day, with 117 yards and 2 scores, but it just was not enough for the Feds to get a win.
BIR 27 ORL 10
You knew the party had to end sometime, but there was a lot of skepticism that the 0-4 Stallions could be the team to knock 4-0 Orlando from the unbeaten ranks. No one apparently told Birmingham this as they built a 10-7 lead at the half and then scored 14 unanswered to throw Orlando out of their game. Ernest Givens was the BMOC today, with 112 yards receiving and 2 scores to help the Stallions finally notch a win.
JAX 18 TBY 28
The Bandits took care of business at home as John Reaves threw for 3 scores to move Tampa to the top of the division at 4-1. Ed Luther had a rough day, sacked 3 times and completing only 55% of his throws. For Tampa, the combination of Anderson (68 yards) and Boone (40 yards) helped keep Jacksonville’s offense off the field and helped boost the Bandits over the hump.
ARZ 34 DEN 7
Denver fell flat on their face as Robbie Bosco and the Arizona Wranglers found holes all over the defense. With James Wilder dinged up, 2nd year back, Darryl Clack took over the rushing load in the 2nd half and gained 45 yards on only 9 carrries, along with 2 scores to help put the game away.
CHI 10 HOU 17
Chicago proved game again, but still cannot produce enough offense to win games as Houston struggled, but overcame the Machine on a 4th quarter Kelly to Sanders score. Kelly finished the day with 268 yards and 2 scores in the air, while the shift to Todd Fowler as starting HB again proved fruitful as he added 75 yards on the ground.
NOR 17 SAN 31
This one will likely lead to a shakeup in New Orleans. They fall to 1-4 after another poor performance by QB Tony Eason. After the game, Dick Coury stated that it may be time to shake things up a bit in an effort to improve on what so far has been a disappointing year. For San Antonio it was Rick Neuheisel’s best game of the year, completing 66% of his throws and finding Carlos Carson for 2 scores along with one to Aubrey Matthews.
OAK 27 OKL 24
It was the closest game of the week as the Invaders came back from 7 down to win by 3 in the final minutes, but very few were able to watch it as this matchup was not a premier game on ABC and was only shown in Oklahoma and the Bay Area. Too bad as both Brian Sipe and Blair Kiel had solid games.
LA 23 MEM 15
Memphis’s 2-game win streak ends with a home loss as the Express, outgained in the air and on the ground, find the endzone and outlast the Showboats. Steve Young had a rough day throwing (only 180 yards) but added 35 yards rushing as his scrambles, including a 17-yard scoring dash, helped LA overcome a tough Memphis defense.
GAME OF THE WEEK
It was not the closest game of the year, but the matchup between the 4-0 Michigan Panthers and the 4-0 Philadelphia Stars was one of the most hyped games in several seasons. The rematch of last year’s Championship Game, was all that fans expected. The final score, a significant 19 point win by the Stars, may just end the argument that Michigan is as good with Jack Trudeau as they were with Bobby Hebert in last year’s title game.
Trudeau struggled against the complex Philly defense, completing only 46% of his passes and throwing a key interception which led to a Stars score. And while Philadelphia’s offense was able to keep pace with the Panthers, it was often left to the foot of league leader David Trout to provide Philly with scoring. Trout hit on 5 of 5 field goal attempts, giving Philly enough points to hold off the Panthers.
The Stars defense was clearly the story of the day, holding Michigan to 282 total yards and only 43 yards rushing. William Fuller scored 2 sacks and rookie LB Danny Lockett had his best game of the year, with 6 tackles (3 for a loss) and a key sack to end a late Michigan drive.
The win makes Philly the team to beat and the only unbeaten club in the USFL after 5 games.
PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
While the Sporting News player of the week was TE Brent Jones of New Jersey, we recognize that Jones’s big game is not possible without another strong performance from QB Doug Flutie. Once again missing Herschel Walker, the Generals relied on Flutie to avoid the team’s third straight loss, and the young man from BC came through. Flutie connected with Jones for 3 scores and added another to Johnny “Lam” Jones, a beauty of an out-&-up that fooled the DB and which Flutie sold with a great arm fake. It was clear in the game that Ray Perkins had noted Washington’s issues defending tight ends and built a game plan around Flutie to Jones. Both of them performed and the game plan proved effective in a tight game against the Federals.
NEWS & NOTES
After five weeks of action, we have a clear picture of who is looking dangerous and who needs to work on their game. As is typical this time of the season coaches are beginning to feel pressure and changes to the lineup are inevitable, particularly when we have 5 teams with 1 win or fewer. So let’s run through some of the disappointments so far and see what changes we should expect over the next couple of weeks.
NEW ORLEANS (1-4)
The move some fans have been hoping to see for several years may be happening this week. The sometimes excellent, often erratic, and occasionally horrible Tony Eason may be out at QB for the Breakers this week. Coach Dick Coury has been silent on the issue but there is a lot of buzz that former NY Jet, Bronco and Buffalo Bill backup Matt Robinson may be getting a shot at starting in the USFL. He spent one year sitting behind Doug Williams in Jacksonville, and now in his 3rd season with the Breakers, the 31 year old may very well start next week at Houston.
PITTSBURGH (1-4)
Alan Risher had a good game against San Antonio but completely flopped this week at home against the Blitz. Will Coach Gabriel pull him this week and put in longtime backup Glen Carano? It seems a risky move, as Pittsburgh committed to Risher with a 3-year deal just this offseason and pulling him now, despite his troubles, can only damage Risher’s confidence. No one sees Carano as a long term answer for the Maulers, but unless Risher can move the offense, the Maulers may be looking at another last place finish.
BIRMINGHAM (1-4)
The Stallions got their first win of the year this week, so change may not be immediate, and while Cliff Stoudt has never been close to being a Top 5 QB, he is also not usually a problem for the Stallions. The bigger concern is that if they reach mid-season with only 1-2 wins, there may be pressure to release Head Coach Rollie Dotsch, who has gone 11-21 since appearing in the 1984 USFL Championship. Could Dotsch be let go mid-season? Neither coordinator seems ready to step up. In all likelihood Dotsch needs to make a serious run at 9 wins or he may be out. With former Falcons head man Dan Henning and another former Falcons coach in Leeman Bennett recently let go by the Buccaneers, there are two former NFL head coaches, both with ties to the region out there to step in if Dotsch is released.
OKLAHOMA (1-4)
The pressure that established teams are feeling is not the same for the expansion clubs, and an injury to Doug Williams certainly provides some cover for the 1-4 start, but will it be enough to avoid some personnel shifts? Fans are giddy over the play of Brian Bosworth, and they seem to have accepted Doug Williams as a top notch USFL player, but the rest of the roster is quite a bit more in flux. Don’t be surprised if the Outlaws either scour the free agency pool for possible midseason additions or seek a trade to shore up a weaker position group, such as Wide Receiver, Defensive End, or Cornerback.
CHICAGO (0-5)
How long is too long to stick with Chuck Long? Yes, he is a rookie. Yes, he is on an expansion team. But when you have a veteran former starter in Todd Blackledge on the team, perhaps you should start him and let Long get occasional action as the season moves along. Admittedly, on a team that lacks firepower, Long has not been a disaster. Even with all his issues he is still rated higher than Tony Eason and Steve Young in QBR and he has thrown for more yards than Alan Risher, Vince Evans or Ed Luther, but Chicago is just not scoring points. We doubt they will bench Albert Bentley, and they don’t have better options at wideout than Willie Collier and Mike Friede (now that Reggie Langhorne is out at least 3 months), so what is Coach Bugel to do? Our best guess is that they attempt to sign some depth on the O-line, rotate more players in, and do their best to pound out a couple of wins with the run game and play action, but the reality is they may simply need another offseason to be competitive. It is something fans in Chicago may not have the patience to wait for.
INJURIES
This week was a tough one for Washington. Not only did they lose a tough game to New Jersey, but they lost Dexter Manley for the year with a fully torn achilles tendon. Manley, who already had 5 sacks on the year and was causing havoc lined up next to Jerome Brown at DT. With Manley down, Charles Haley and Jon Cade will have to step up. Baltimore also got unwanted news that their starting TE, Mark Keel will moss at least 10 weeks with a back injury, one which could also cost him the full season. Houston will be missing DE Simon Fletcher for at least a week with a stress fracture, while New Orleans will miss wideout Charlie Smith with a hyper extended knee. The Breakers will also be hunting for a new punter this week, as veteran Jeff Hamm likely fractured his kicking leg trying to make a tackle on a return.
LOOKING AHEAD
Another week with some great matchups as Philly heads to Baltimore in what should be the Blitz’s best shot to get back into the mix. Washington is in Pittsburgh while Memphis travels to Birmingham. The Bandits and Renegades have an unlikely matchup for first place, while New Orleans will try to get on track against the red hot Houston Gamblers. San Antonio will get its first taste of USFL elite when they travel to Michigan. In Denver, the Gold will try to get on track in a tough matchup against the division-leading Invaders, while Oklahoma, hopefully with Doug Williams back under center, head out to LA. Chicago will be in the Meadowlands to face the Generals and Arizona makes a rare cross-country flight to play in Jacksonville.