1988 Week 12 Recap:

A quick editorial note before we get to the recap. I will be taking the weekend off from the blog, but expect to return with new posts on Tuesday. Thanks for following this alt history storyline.

SCORES

BAL 20 WSH 10

Baltimore doubles up Washington by containing the Federals’ run game and relying on their two big time receivers. Jackie Flowers catches 7 for 101 and Stanley Morgan scores the go-ahead touchdown as the Blitz come away from their game at RFK with their 7th win and a share of first place.

NJ 14 PHI 23

Philadelphia pulls the Generals back to the pack by scoring the only points of the second half, 3 field goals, to down New Jersey. Both defenses played well, and both QB’s managed to throw two scores each, but Doug Flutie's 2 interceptions proved the difference as Philadelphis shuts out New Jersey in the second half.

BIR 10 TBY 17

The Stallions got caught in a classic trap game as the Bandits eke out a win at home. Oliver Luck played it conservatively, which allowed him to complete 72% of his passes and avoid costly turnovers, while even a combined 151 yards from Cribbs and Fullwood was not enough for the Stallions.

JAX 24 MEM 34

Mike Kelley had a 4 TD day and the combo of Boone and Jordan combined for 211 yards rushing to crush the Bulls. Despite a good day from Chris Miller (3 TD, 0 Int) the Bulls were outgained 470-234 and Memphis pulled away in the 4th to take the win and gain ground on Birmingham.

CHI 16 MGN 13

Another major setback for the Panthers as they let this one slip away. Chicago scored twice in the 4th, including a last second John Carney field goal, to earn a rare road win. Jamie Morris was the catalyst as he gashed the Panther defense for 103 yards on 18 carries.

ARZ 22 LA 36

In a key matchup of 6-5 teams, LA had a dominant 1st and 3rd quarter to hold off the visiting Wranglers. Steve Young threw 2 touchdowns each to Todd Christiansen and Eric Martin to pace the Express over the Kelly-Stouffer-led Wranglers.

DEN 23 POR 10

A rare sunny day in Portland melted away Portland’s homefield advantage. That and two Kerwin Bell interceptions were the difference as Denver moves to 8-4 atop the Pacific Division.

PIT 31 OAK 14

Pittsburgh reaches .500 after 12 games, a first for the franchise, as they overpower Oakland, building a 24-0 halftime lead and cruising to an easy win. Mike Rozier and Stanford Jennings combined for 122 yards on the ground, and Alan Risher had a strong day with 273 passing and 4 TD’s.

ORL 7 NOR 27

New Orleans manhandles the Renegades to win their 9th in a row as Marcus Dupree rushes for 127 and a score. Four Renegade turnovers help the Breakers dominate early, before allowing a 4th quarter TD.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Houston Gamblers 14 Texas Outlaws 11

Going into the game the predictions ranged wildly, from a shootout in the 40’s to potential blowouts, to what we actually got, two defenses that knew how to control the other team’s offense. Despite the low score, the game was a big one for Houston’s Thurman Thomas, who rushed for 165 on only 19 carries.

Thomas scored the first points of the game, taking a pitch at the 7 and outpacing the defenders to the corner of the endzone. Texas would get on the board early in the 2nd with a 31 yard Mike-Myer field goal, but they had hoped for more. On the play before Doug Williams had found Dokie Williams on a fade route, only for the ball to glance off his fingertips and harmlessly out of bounds.

Houston added to their score on the next drive as Jim Kelly found Ricky Sanders on a very similar route, but in this case, Sanders was able to extend and bring the ball in before crashing to the ground for six. There would not be another scoring threat until midway through the third, when Texas mounted a solid 9-play drive which ended with a short swing pass from Williams to Christopher Justice. The Outlaws went for 2 to bring the game within a field goal, and Stump Mitchell delivered the needed points, plunging into the line and refusing to go down until he had crossed the plane.

But that would be it for either offense. The 4th quarter saw futility on both sides, made even worse when Doug Williams caught a finger in his eye and had to be replaced by Blair Kiel for the final two drives. The game ended 14-11, and while not the most engaging game to watch when all was said and done, it was a key victory for the Gamblers, who create some distance with Texas and try to keep pace with the seemingly unstoppable New Orleans Breakers.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Mike Kelley won the accolades this week, and deservedly so with his 4 TD performance against the Bulls, but let’s not forget how important balance was to the Memphis offense. Not only did Greg Boone’s 127 yards help keep the Bulls defense honest, but even when he was spelled by Buford Jordan the ball kept moving. Jordan would finish with 84 yards himself, much of it on a bruising 43 yard run in the 2nd. The combo of Jordan and Boone forced Jacksonville to put 8, and at times, 9 players in the box to try to slow down the rush attack, and Mike Kelley took advantage, finding Keith Jackson 8 times and Billy Joe Edmunds another 6. Both would score on Kelley passes, as would the venerable Mel Gray. Kelley was clearly at the top of his game, using play action to catch the Bulls defense unprepared, and making key audibles when Jacksonville overcommitted to the run. It was an outstanding overall offensive gameplan, admittedly against one of the worst defenses in the league, but still impressive as Kelley led the Showboats to a whopping 470 total yards.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Something has to give, right? We are seeing tight race after tight race throughout the league, and while a few teams seem to be falling out of contention, many are right in the thick of it. In the Atlantic we have a 3 team race at 7-5 between the Stars, Generals and Blitz, but don’t sleep on Pittsburgh, who have won 3 in a row and are now a very respectable 6-6. In the Central, Orlando’s 3 game losing streak has cost them, while Memphis’s equal winning streak now finds them tied with Birmingham at 7-5.

New Orleans just keeps winning, now 9 in a row, and their 10-2 record is the best in the league, but the Houston Gamblers are still right there, one game back at 9-3, leading up to what could be an epic Week 15 showdown. Texas, now 3 games back of the Breakers, is now solidly in the hunt for a Wild Card. And in the Pacific we have Denver with a 1 game lead over LA, with Arizona now 2 games back but still in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot. So in the East we can say that there are 7 teams essentially in the race for 5 spots (8 if we have not given up on Washington), and out West we have 6 teams in play for the 5 spots (It would be 7, but we have given up on Michigan.)

NEWS & NOTES

Is this the year when defense has finally caught up with the wide open USFL passing attacks. Well, yes and no. On the one hand we did see 3 different QB’s throw for 4 touchdowns this week, but when we look overall at where we are, the numbers seem to indicate that the defenses are making ground. Unlike in past years when a solid 4-5 USFL QB’s would have ratings well above 100, often in the 120’s, this season, only Matt Robinson remains above 100 among eligible players. The next four highest range in the 90’s, which is still solid, but hardly the offensive domination of past years. The other stat of note is that unlike the last few years, when at least one receiver toyed with a possible 2,000 yard season or a 150 catch season, this year, we have no receivers reaching those lofty numbers.

All this is not to say that the season being put together by Texas’s Carlos Carson or Tampa’s Eric Truvillion are not impressive, but they are not challenging the record book. Add to this the rise in interceptions across the league, with some star QB’s such as Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie, Mike Kelley and Steve Young already well over 10 picks, and you have to say that the defenses are winning more battles than in the past. Part of this may be the decline of the “Go Deep” philosophy in Michigan (where Jack Trudeau is not as effective as Bobby Hebert) and Tampa (where Oliver Luck is struggling to fill John Reaves’s shoes) but another may be the ability of teams to sign defensive talent in the draft without as much salary cap damage as going after top QB or WR talent. The USFL failed to sign some recent QB prospects such as Vinny Testaverde or Troy Aikman, and missed out on some big name receivers as well, such as all 3 top prospects in this year’s draft (Michael Irvin, Sterling Sharpe, and Tim Brown). The combination of defensive talent and offenses shifting to a more balanced approach is impacting scoring, and changing the nature of the USFL game, but it may also be producing better games and more balance across the league.

INJURY REPORT

A few scary moments this week as we saw several players carted off the field, and a few others who potentially could be out for the rest of the year as well. Doug Williams took that nasty finger to the eye, which was scary to watch on replay and may cost him next week’s game, but should require nothing more than time to heal. The same is not true for Pittsburgh starting center Thomas Ponder, who had to be carted off the field after what appeared to be a bad knee injury. He is likely out for the remainder of the season. Arizona safety Martin Bayless could also be done after he broke his collarbone during a dogpile.

Portland receiver Gerald McNeil will miss at least 3 weeks with a hyper-extended knee, while Gary Jeter hopes that his partially torn ACL will still allow him to be in action for the playoffs. On the positive side, Arizona CB Everson Walls looks to be returning from a left foot injury, while New Orleans is expecting to have Charlie Smith back at WR after his shoulder injury. In Michigan, Hardy Nickerson’s mid-game injury appears to have just been a minor stinger, and he is expected to suit up next week.

LOOKING AHEAD

Some good divisional battles again in Week 13 as we come down the home stretch towards the playoffs. Pittsburgh will try to gain even more ground with a big game in Baltimore, while New Jersey tries to end any hopes Washington has when they clash in the Meadowlands. Orlando has a huge game at Legion Field against the Stallions, while Tampa and Jacksonville try their best not to lose in a battle of 3-win teams. Denver is at Arizona with the Wranglers hoping to get back into playoff contention with a win. Portland visits Oakland in a game that honestly is not going to mean much. Houston is in Chicago this week while Texas takes a shot at the red hot Breakers in the Super Dome. Out of division we have a great looking game as Philadelphia heads out to LA to face the Express. And finally the Showboats hope they can remain hot as they face the stumbling Michigan Panthers in the Silverdome.