SCORES
NJ 38 PIT 20
Herschel Walker dominates the Pittsburgh D, leading the team in rushing and receptions on his way to over 200 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs. With the win, New Jersey is now 4 games over 500, a mark they have never hit in their prior 4 years of play.
PHI 31 WSH 28
Philadelphia owns the 4th quarter and sends Washington to yet another divisional loss as the Stars solidify their place atop the Atlantic Division. Chuck Fusina threw for 302 yards and 2 scores to pace the Stars, while Philly’s D picked off Feds QB Neil Lomax twice and allowed only 5 of 13 conversions on 3rd down.
JAX 20 ORL 15
Orlando’s slide continues, losing 4 straight after starting the year 4-0. Jacksonville’s George Adams rushes for 144 and a score against what appears to be a deflated Renegade defense. For the ‘Gades, the brightest star was backup HB Rodney Carter, who averaged 7.2 ypc on his way to a 101 yard day in the defeat. Reggie Collier struggled against the Bulls, with only 125 yards and no scores.
MEM 13 TBY 30
Tampa Bay seeks to run away with the division, beating Memphis handily on a strong day for John Reaves (333 yards and 3 TDs). Eric Truvillion hauls in 6 for 167 and 2 scores in the win. For Memphis, Walter Lewis completes 6% of his throws, but cannot find the big play, throwing for under 200 yards on 23 completions.
CHI 3 NOR 30
Chicago’s offensive woes continue as Todd Blackledge fares no better than Chuck Long had, completing only 45% of his passes for a meager 135 yards and 2 Ints. Meanwhile, Tony Eason was back under center after an injury to Matt Robinson, but completed only 12 of 28 for 147 yards. New Orleans relies on a pick-six from Randal Berlin and 3 field goals to boost their score in the win.
ARZ 8 OAK 31
Arizona outgained Oakland 309 to 252 and yet the scoreboard shows a very lopsided win for the Invaders. The absence of Trumaine Johnson (wrist injury) and three turnovers are the story of the game for Arizona. Two costly fumbles by Darryl Clack and James Wilder, allow Oakland to score on short drives as Arthur Whittington scores 3 times despite being held to only 68 yards rushing.
DEN 23 LA 15
Denver gets a rare road win as Harry Sydney and Timmy Smith combine for 186 yards on the ground, while the Gold D holds Tony Boddie to only 36 yards rushing. Mel Renfro caught both TD’s for LA, one to start the game and one to end it, but between thosetwo drives LA only musters 257 yards for the game.
BLT 13 OKL 27
In a classic trap game, Baltimore overlooks the Outlaws and pays the price. Vince Evans looks pedestrian, throwing for 230, while Tim Spencer only gets 4 carries due to lagging hamstring concerns. For Oklahoma, a strong game from Stump Mitchell (85 yards rushing) and solid defense all day help the Outlaws get their second win of the year.
BIR 40 SAN 3
The Stallions even their record at 4-4 with their fourth straight win as they trample a demoralized Gunslinger squad. Cliff Stoudt throws for 2 scores for the Stallions, while the defense limits the Gunslingers to only 213 total yards and a miserable 20 yards rushing on the day. Scott Stamper and Ken Lacy simply cannot find holes as the Stallion D-line overwhelms the San Antonio blockers.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Houston Gamblers 17 Michigan Panthers 16
Two of the league’s best defenses square off when the Gamblers face the Panthers, with Houston staking their claim on the division. After 3 straight 7-9 seasons, the Gamblers now get their 7th win after only 8 weeks, and build a two game lead over the usually dominant Panthers. And while Jim Kelly did what he needed to, throwing TD passes to both Clarence Verdin and Ricky Sanders in the 2nd half, it was the Houston defense that stole the show.
Michigan QB Jack Trudeau has to be coming out of this game shellshocked. He dropped back to pass 27 times on the game, but completed only 4 passes all day, a truly stunning statistic. The pressure from Houston’s blitz packages was constant, leading to 6 sacks on the day, and clearly rattling Trudeau, who missed several throws and seemed skittish for most of the second half. Michigan was able to run the ball somewhat effectively (Williams and Morse combined for 128) but time after time Houston ended Panther drives by forcing an errant throw or recording a sack on 3rd down.
Jim Kelly did not have it much easier, also sacked far too often (4 times) by Michigan’s pressure, but he was still able to complete 71% of his passes for 254 and the two key second half scores. For the Gamblers, this was a statement win, going into the Silverdome and defeating the defending champs and Central Division titans to take a 2 game lead on the division. While the big name in Houston has always been QB Jim Kelly, fans in the Bayou City are beginning to rally around a truly dynamic, aggressive and effective defense.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
As hard as it is to believe, this is Herschel Walkers first POTW award since 1983. The first big star of the USFL has been solid but not dominating over the past 3 rough years for New Jersey, but this year’s success (a 6-2 record being their best start to a season ever) has given Walker the chance to shine, and this week, after a slow recovery from injury, proved once again that the Georgia product can be one of the league’s most potent weapons. Walker averaged 6 yards per rush against an admittedly weak Pittsburgh defensive front, on his way to 132 yards on the ground. That in itself is a very solid day for Walker, but he also caught 7 balls, 3 while lined up wide for the Generals, gaining another 76 yards through the air, including a beautiful 24 yard touchdown as Doug Flutie found walker alone along the sideline on a swing route. That the best WR performance on the day was only 3 receptions, Walker’s 7 catches demonstrates just how essential he is to every aspect of the New Jersey offense. Expect more from the big guy as the Generals make a serious run at Philadelphia for the division title and their first playoff appearance in team history.
NEWS & NOTES
We will discuss the on-field tidings for all 20 USFL squads in our midseason report, but lets take a moment at the half-way juncture to award our Mid-Season Awards to some deserving parties.
Midseason MVP: Jim Kelly-QB-HOU: Yes, we have to acknowledge the quality of the Houston defense, but this season, Kelly, who has never really sniffed the Top 5 of QB Ratings before is now well-established as one of the league’s most prolific passers. His 19 touchdowns leads the league, and his 2204 yards is also first in the league at the midway point. Even after losing 2 key receivers in the offseason, Kelly is finding ways to get the ball down the field in chunks and, most importantly, lead Houston to a 7-1 start.
Midseason Coach of the Year: We looked long and hard at Houston’s Jack Pardee or Tampa’s Steve Spurrier, but for sheer unexpected success we are going to go with New Jersey Head Coach Ray Perkins. The former Giants and Alabama Crimson Tide coach has found a magic formula to make the Generals not just win games, but exciting to watch. Flutie is playing his best ball and even an injury which kept Walker out of 3 games has not slowed down the 6-2 Generals. Perkins has built a team that believes in itself and which has proven to be truly dangerous when they have all their weapons on hand.
Midseason Rookie of the Year: Normally this would go to a slashing RB or a high-flying WR, maybe even a new QB, but this year the player who is outshining them all is linebacker Brian Bosworth. Bosworth leads the league in tackles and is the undisputed firebrand leader on the Outlaw defense. And yes, this is a 2-6 team we are talking about, but that is certainly not Bosworth’s fault. He is running sideline to sideline, making plays in the offensive and defensive backfield, and holding others accountable, all the while acting as the face of a franchise. There are a lot of issues in Oklahoma, but MLB is certainly not one of them.
MidSeason Award for Best Free Agent Acquisition: Early on it looked like Orlando’s Reggie Collier or Curtis Bledsoe were clearly the frontrunners here, but a bad 4 final weeks of the first half have moved them out of contention. Right now the two players who stand out are both NFL transfers. WR Carlos Carson is 4th in receptions and 6th in yardage despite playing on a mediocre San Antonio expansion squad. His big question going forward is whether or not he can keep up this pace now that Rick Neuheisel is out and Damon Allen is under center. If he cannot, then the likely winner as the best new face in a new place will likely go to Neil Lomax in Washington. Lomax has thrown for 1579 yards and 14 TDs in only 6 games (he missed 2 due to injury). He has also raised the expectations for the entire Federals team. And while they have slipped a bit, falling back to 4-4 overall, this feels like a Federals team that is capable of winning consistently with Lomax at the helm.
INJURY REPORT
A few noteworthy injuries and a lot of tired bodies around the league as the reality that there are no bye weeks this year sinks in. Arizona will be without CB Nolan Cromwell for a solid 2 months or more after a rough collision fractured his collarbone and caused some damage to his shoulder as well. Tampa will miss guard Jeff Zimmerman at least a month with a nasty groin injury. New Orleans will have to wait at least one more week for QB Matt Robinson, and Baltimore will be without HB Tim Spencer, who injured his right knee this past week. Players expected back this week include LA linebacker Niko Noga, Jacksonville QB Ed Luther, Memphis WR Bobby Joe Edmunds, Pittsburgh CB Ron Osborne and Arizona TE Terry Orr.
LOOKING AHEAD
We kick off the second half of the season with a full inter-division slate of games. On the East Coast, Orlando will play the Blitz in the Charm City. Tampa has a tough game at New Jersey. Birmingham will try for a 5th straight win in Philadelphia. Jacksonville heads to Pittsburgh. Washington hosts the Memphis Showboats. Chicago has a tough home match against Oakland. Oklahoma must face Houston’s brutal D in the Astrodome. Michigan hosts the Wranglers. Denver heads to the Big Easy to face the Breakers and LA is in San Antonio to take on the Gunslingers.
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