Mayhem seems the right term as 8 of 10 games went to the road team this week. We also saw a rare shutout in Orlando, a Chicago shootout in New Orleans and a game in Washington that felt more like 1940's football than the usually high flying USFL game of today.
SCORES
NJ 20 PIT 13
Herschel Walker dominates in a must-win game for the Generals. Walker’s 134 on the ground proved the difference in a hard-fought game at Three Rivers. In a game where neither team passed for over 180 yards, Walker shone while New Jersey contained Mike Rozier (who seems to be having a down year), helping the Generals move to 5-3 and a 3-way tie atop the Atlantic Division.
PHI 10 WSH 3
Neither team could get much going on offense as the defenses held tough on a blustery afternoon in DC. Craig James outrushed Kelvin Bryant 94-55, but it was the ability of Chuck Fusina to connect with Mike Quick and rookie Quin Early that helped Philly score a late TD to take the win in a game that simply did not produce much excitement.
JAX 27 ORL 0
A rare USFL shutout as the Bulls win their second game at the expense of an ill-prepared Renegades squad. Chris Miller had a solid day (playing only 3 quarters) and Tony Eason got his first playing time for the Bulls as Jacksonville simply handcuffed the Renegades, outgaining Orlando 306 to 188. It was 24-0 after 1, and the Bulls coasted the rest of the way for a rare win this year.
MEM 27 TBY 17
A game-winning performance from the Memphis D as Eddie Simmons returned an early Oliver Luck interception all the way for 6, only to have his backer mate Mike Junkin do the same in the 2nd quarter. Those two scores, plus a solid “payback” game from Greg Boone against his former Tampa teammates (146 yards on 20 carries) was all Memphis needed to walk away with a 10-point win.
CHI 31 NOR 41
Another shootout win for the Breakers, who have to be concerned after allowing Chicago rookie HB Jamie Morris romp for 115 yards and 3 scores. This was the best game by far for the Chicago offense against a Breakers D that just does not seem to be pulling their weight. Fortunately for New Orleans, Matt Robinson again had a banner day, throwing for 4 scores to lead the Breakers to another high-scoring win at home.
HOU 24 MGN 10
Houston came to the Silverdome and took care of business against Jack Trudeau and the Panthers. A rushing score each from Thomas and Fowler, and a Jim Kelly toss to Greg Anderson were enough to keep Michigan at bay. The Panthers managed only 167 in the air as Trudeau struggled against a Houston pass rush that sacked him 5 times. With the win, Houston keeps pace with the Breakers at 6-2 while Michigan is an uncharacteristic 4th in their division.
ARZ 14 OAK 24
Oakland contained the Arizona offense and got contributions from across the offensive squad to upend Arizona. Richard Williams teamed with Paul Palmer to provide 113 yards rushing (to Arizona’s paltry 52) and TE Raymond Chester gathered in 72 yards for Oakland. The win is Oakland’s 3rd and puts them right back in the moshpit that is the Pacific Division, only 2 games behind Denver.
BAL 23 POR 20
The Thunder always seem to play tough in front of the home crowd, and they had Baltimore looking shaky for most of the game as Portland built a 17-3 halftime lead. But two hookups between Vince Evans and Jackie Flowers (38 and 32 yards) brought the Blitz back in the 3rd. A late Zendejas field goal tied the game and in overtime Baltimore got a chipshot kick for the win.
BIR 34 TEX 24
Experience won out as the Stallions outlasted the Outlaws. Cliff Stoudt had a rare 4 TD day as he found Jim Smith three times on the day. Joe Cribbs was held to only 43 yards rushing but caught 5 for 24 yards as the screen game continued to work all day for Stoudt. Texas’s Dokie Williams caught 4 for 131, including a 64-yard score, but it was not enough as Birmingham came out on top.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Denver Gold 24 Los Angeles Express 21
A slobberknocker division game in Angel Stadium as the Gold ended a 3-game losing streak and pulled out a late victory against the Express. In a game that saw Bob Gagliano knocked out of the game early in the 3rd quarter, Cody Carlson came in and helped lead Denver to a key TD and a late FG to win the game. Steve Young had to shoulder the load as Christian Okoye was still not able to play. LA gained only 18 yards on the ground against the very aggressive Denver D.
It was a game of momentum swings from the start. LA jumped out to a 10-0 lead after a Young strike to Mel Renfro, but in the 2nd quarter Gagliano found Mark Carrier for a score and the Gold went into the half down only 3. Denver opened the 3rd with a long 13-play drive that ended with a Harry Sydney bowling ball rumble into the endzone to give Denver a 14-10 lead. The drive was costly as QB Bob Gagliano, who has been something of an Iron Man since getting the starting gig several years back, will likely miss several weeks with what looked like a bad hamstring injury.
LA came back on their next drive, as Steve Young found Eric Martin for a 28 yarder to get into field goal range. The drive stalled and LA had to settle for a Scott Olivera 26 yarder to pull within 14-13. On the next drive Denver caught LA napping. A well-timed play action pass call on 1st and 10 completely fooled the Express, who expected Carlson to hand off until he got a hang of the game. Instead, Carlson reared back and hit Mark Carrier for a 70-yard score, one play, 7 points on the board for Denver.
The surprise deep ball hurt LA, and they went 3-and-out on their next drive. Denver’s O then shifted gears, using the clock and pounding the ball with Harry and Timmy Smith. Cody Carlson made a nice throw on a 3rd and 8 to keep the drive going, and eventually it ended with a Brian Speelman 44 yarder to build the lead to 24-13. LA would mount a drive, but Denver’s shell defense kept the ball in front of them and forced LA to use a lot of clock. The Express did score on a Young to Christiansen 2-yard pass, but with only a minute left in the game there simply was not enough time to do more. Denver took sole possession of first place at 5-3 while LA would drop back with Arizona a game behind at 4-4.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
It’s a pretty common trope in sports for a player who was let go by one team to return with another and seek some measure of revenge. For Greg Boone, it was more about showing what he was capable of than actually hurting the Bandits. After backing up Gary Anderson for several years in Tampa, Boone was left unsigned when his contract ran out, a victim of Tampa’s salary cap issues, and so he moved on and joined the Memphis Showboats. In Memphis he got a chance that he never truly had in Tampa to be the clear bellcow back for the Showboats. He has responded with 692 yards (currently 5th among league backs) for Memphis, and this week he returned to Tampa not with animosity, but with a “look what you could have had” attitude, rushing for 146 yards on 20 carries as Memphis outpaced the struggling Bandits to win their 4th game and even their record at 4-4. Boone says he bears no ill will towards Tampa, and he still has many friends among the Bandits roster, but he is also happy to be with a team that is giving him a chance to shine.
NEWS & NOTES
We are midway through the season and while our Midseason Report Card will look at the teams and their seasons so far, we wanted to take a look at individual achievements at the midpoint of the season. So, here are our wholly unofficial Midseason Award Winners.
Most Valuable Player: Matt Robinson, QB-NOR: While the Breakers hoped Robinson would be able to hold off Matt Dunigan in a QB battle, no one expected what we have seen from the veteran this year. He leads the league with a 121.9 QB Rating, has thrown 26 touchdowns, on pace for a league record, and has led New Orleans to a league best 6-2 record. Not bad for a “journeyman”.
Most Improved Player: Nolan Franz, WR-NOR: Another Breaker, and while Franz has been a solid starter in the league since its inception, he has never been viewed as an elite receiver. That may be changing this year as his chemistry with Robinson has him leading the league in TD receptions (11) and near the top 5 in both receptions and yards. Franz is benefitting from a solid offense around him, but he is also showing that with age comes wisdom and that wisdom is helping him find openings in opposing defensive zones.
Coach of the Year: While it is tempting to reward Texas’s Woody Widenhofer for a great start with a newly formed team, or to give first year coach Bill Arnsparger credit for New Orleans’s outstanding offense, we want to reward a coach who started the year on the hotseat but is turning things around. Baltimore looked to be on the way down, with a lot of questions on defense and an offense that simply did not seem talented enough for the Atlantic Division, but the Blitz have been outperforming expectations, earning big wins and building enthusiasm in the Charm City. Marv Levy, who many thought was a likely candidate for the chopping block, may be doing his best work in motivating and focusing the Blitz roster into a team that is more than the sum of its parts.
Comeback Player of the Year: LB Putt Choate from Portland. Choate suffered a rough year in 1987 playing for the San Antonio Gunslingers. His numbers declined precipitously from his time in Denver, and he simply could not mesh with the rest of the linebacking corps in San Antonio. In Portland he is a team captain, a leader on a defense that has had some good moments. He leads the team with 56 tackles and has forced 3 fumbles already this year. He is surrounded by some young talent in rookie Cedric Figaro and NFL signee Billy Ray Smith, and he is molding Portland’s LB corps into a solid squad.
Rookie of the Year: This is currently a 2-player race, with Chicago receiver Michael Haynes (54 receptions, 618 yards, but only 1 score) trailing slightly behind Houston HB Thurman Thomas (700 yards and 6 TDs) who is also second in receptions for a running back, trailing only Joe Cribbs. Haynes may be hurt in voting by the fact that there are 3 standout rookies on Chicago’s Squad (fellow receiver Wendell Davis and HB Jamie Morris), but that does not take anything away from Thomas’s outstanding rookie year in Houston.
Breakout Performer of the Year: Washington LB Brandon Zavala. Zavala has been a tireless effort guy in Washington for several years but has never been able to gain the stats and the praise that a top defender normally sees. This year, however, Zavala is on pace for a 130-tackle season and he is being recognized as a sideline-to-sideline threat. Washington needs to win some more games if Zavala wants to have any chance for Defensive Player of the Year when the season ends, but his performance this year is turning heads and gaining the cautious attention of offensive coordinators around the league.
INJURY REPORT
Bob Gagliano’s leg injury garnered a lot of attention this week, and while it is rare for Battlin’ Bob to miss any time, he is only expected to miss a week or two as he rehabs the hammy. The same cannot be said Portland’s lead back, Rodney Carter, who is out at least 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone. Philly rookie TE Alex Higdon may be out even longer after he broke his wrist this week during a scrum after a Stars fumble. Houston may be missing Kiki DeAyala again after a new injury, a broken finger, will force the team to devise a league-legal cast or splint. Michigan wideout Anthony Carter went out this week with a stress fracture in his right foot, and although he is upbeat and expecting to be back soon, we expect it will be at least 2-3 weeks before he returns to action. Finally, Memphis rookie TE Keith Jackson is listed as doubtful after he fractured his nose in a melee that broke out late in the Tampa-Memphis game. Video did not clearly show what happened, but it is possible that he caught an elbow from his own teammate who was grappling with a Tampa defender.
LOOKING AHEAD
We enter the second half of the season with the Southern Division visiting the Atlantic and the Pacific headed to face the Central Division squads. It will be a battle of 5-3 teams as Orlando head to Baltimore, and another as the Stallions face off against the Stars. Tampa has a tough draw at New Jersey, while 2-6 Jacksonville hopes to get to 3 wins against the 3-5 Pittsburgh Maulers. Washington, desperate to get back into 1987 form will face off against the 4-4 Memphis Showboats. In the Western Conference we are looking forward to a battle of styles as freewheeling Arizona heads to Michigan. Denver will try to keep pace with the explosive New Orleans Breakers in the Super Dome. Houston will prepare some home cooking for the Portland Thunder, while Texas hopes to get back to their winning ways as they host the LA Express. Finally, in a battle of 3-5 teams hoping to edge closer to .500, Oakland will be in Chicago to test the Machine.