SCORES
PIT 10 NJ 20
The Generals guaranteed themselves a winning season with their 9th win by knocking off the Maulers 20-10. Herschel Walker gained 116 on the ground, while Pittsburgh played without both Alan Risher and Mike Rozier (gimpy ankle). The lack of two key offensive starters made for a rough day for the Mauler offense, as New Jersey held them to 211 total yards on their way to a decisive victory.
WSH 14 PHI 24
Don Majkowski returned but looked out of synch with his offense as Philadelphia got a big day from WR Quinn Early (6 receptions for 126 yards). Kelvin Bryant rushed for 90 yards and a score and Chuck Fusina completed 72% of his passes on the way to the Stars victory. Both teams now sit at 5-10 for the year.
ORL 37 JAX 20
Orlando took care of business to move over .500 and closer still to the final Wild Card in the playoff hunt. Curtis Bledsoe contributed 107 on the ground and John Jefferson had his biggest game of the year, catching 6 balls for 108 as the Bulls double-covered #1 receiver Wamon Buggs.
NOR 21 CHI 7
With Chuck Long shaken up in the 1st quarter, it was up to Steve Beurlein, but without pre-game reps, Beurlein struggled to connect with his receivers. Meanwhile Matt Robinson continued his late push for a 2nd consecutive MVP award by throwing for 2 scores. Rookie Wesley Walls had a solid game for Chicago, catching 6 balls for 42 yards.
MGN 12 HOU 20
In a game both teams desperately wanted for playoff positioning, Houston got the better of Michigan thanks to two Jim Kelly touchdown passes. The Houston D made life rough for Mark Hermann, sacking the Panther QB 6 times on the day. Both teams are now at 9-6 and may be resigned to a Wild Card behind New Orleans.
OAK 25 ARZ 20
Arizona was game, but backup QB Jeff Kemp was able to guide the Invaders to a 22-13 lead and then drive the squad for a late game-clinching field goal. The offensive star of the day was Arizona’s Louis LIpps, who had 8 catches for 115 yards, but Oakland managed to eke out the win thanks in large part to the very accurate right foot of Kevin Shea.
LA 29 DEN 17
Oakland now finds themselves tied with Denver after the Gold were upset by an LA Express team led by rookie QB Rodney Peete. Peete had an outstanding game, completing 18 of 26 for 229 yards and 2 scores in the Express win. Bob Gagliano struggled against LA’s complex zone schemes, tossing two interceptions.
TEX 14 BAL 27
The Blitz played spoilers at home against the Outlaws, with Eric Kramer rebounding from a bad outing last week to throw 3 TD’s against the Texas defense. Neil Balholm caught two of them for his best game of the year. Texas had the game tied at 14 with a score to start the 4th quarter, but Baltimore ran off 13 unanswered points to take the win and put a dent in Texas’s playoff hopes.
POR 16 BIR 31
The Stallions played well at home against the 1-win Thunder, building up a 21-3 halftime lead and then cruising to a 15 point victory. Joe Cribbs’ OPOTW performance of 27 carries for 167 yards helped him leapfrog over Herschel Walker for the league rushing lead, while two former Generals, Clarence Collins and Danny Knight both caught scoring tosses from Cliff Stoudt in the Stallions’ win.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay Bandits 27 Memphis Showboats 23
Tampa Bay put themselves in a great position to be able to claim an unexpected Southern Division title with a win at Memphis. One game behind Birmingham, if Tampa can tie either the Stallions or the Showaboats atop the division, their better division record will give them the title.
They needed this game to do it, and they needed a late touchdown to get this game won. It did not start out looking like such dramatics would be needed as the first quarter belonged to the Bandits. Troy Aikman found Kevin Starks for a score early in the quarter and then hit Eric Truvillion for a second to build a 14-0 lead. But, these Showboats are no slouches, and Memphis roared back with 13 unanswered points in the second quarter, getting to within 1 at 14-13 before a late Benny Ricardo field goal boosted the Tampa lead to 17-13 at the half.
The second half began with Memphis taking the lead for the first time in the game. Mike Kelley led Memphis on an 11-play drive that was capped off with a Greg Boone touchdown run. Up 20-17 after 3, the Showboats and Bandits would trade field goals, and with 3 minutes left in the game, Memphis held onto a slim 23-20 lead over the Bandits.
It would be up to Troy Aikman and the Bandits offense to pull this one out. With just under 3 minutes to play, and the ball backed up to their 14 yard line, Tampa began an epic drive to steal a win in Memphis. Aikman hit Anderson on a screen to start off the drive, then got the needed first down on a Lars Tate 7-yard run. Aikman then hit Truvillion and Gillespie on consecutive plays, moving the ball into Memphis territory. A run by Anderson and a quick hitch to TE Kevin Starks, got another set of downs, and a roughing the passer call against LB Eddie Simmons moved the ball into the red zone. 3 plays later the ball was on the Memphis 5 and Aikman hit Tampa’s 2nd TE, Starks, with his 3rd catch on the day, and his 2nd touchdown.
The win pulls Tampa even with Memphis and still only 1 game behind Birmingham. If the Stallions lose next week, Tampa can pull even and win the division only one year after finishing in the cellar. Coach Spurrier has reinvented the team, building an offense around rookie Troy Aikman, while retaining the elements which had worked so well when John Reaves was managing the offense. The Bandits are assured of a playoff spot (as is Memphis) at 10-5, but they have their eyes set on a possible division title and #1 seed.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
For the performance of the week we will go back to the crucial Tampa Bay-Memphis game, and to wideout Eric Truvillion. Truvillion has been a stalwart for the Bandits since the franchise first arrived in Tampa in 1983. He was John Reaves’s favorite target and he has quickly become Troy Aikman’s. This week he caught 9 balls for 168 yards and a score. No one was surprised. Why? Well look at his entire career. This year, one in which he has 67 receptions for 1188 yards and 11 touchdowns is clearly his worst season to date. He caught 108 balls in 1986 for 1959 yards, the closest anyone has ever come to a 2,000 yard season. In every other season he has caught a minimum of 59 balls and his lowest yardage total ever was 1408 last year (when Reaves was injured). He has had double-digit touchdowns each season, including his astounding 25 touchdowns in the watermark year of 1986. This season, even with a new QB he has 67 receptions and not a single drop on the year. The simple fact is that Eric Truvillion has been one of the best, if not the best, receiver in the USFL for the league’s entire existence. That he had a strong week 15 weeks into a season with a new QB (a very good new QB) is not a surprise to anyone.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Here is what we know. New Jersey has won the Atlantic and will play the #3 seed (top Wild Card team) next week. Birmingham wins the South with a victory over Tampa Bay next week, but a loss could bump them back to 3rd in the division and a Wild Card game in the first round of the playoffs. Lots of pressure there. Denver and Oakland are tied at 9-6 and while both are likely to make the playoffs, the bye is waiting for the Division Winner. Denver is at Portland with a good shot of wrapping up the title due to better division record, but if they stumble, Oakland will need to beat Pittsburgh in a final week inter-division game to claim the title.
In the Central New Orleans wins the title and the #1 seed with a win next week against Orlando. Even with a loss, they can still win the division, depending on what Michigan and Houston do. Michigan is home to a tough Chicago squad while Houston plays their in-state rivals at Bobcat Stadium. An upset in one or both games is not inconceivable.
As for the Wild Cards, the Eastern Conference is all wrapped up. We know the five playoff teams are New Jersey, Birmingham, Tampa, Memphis and Orlando, the question is just who gets a bye week and who does not. In the Western Conference we know that New Orleans is in, but with a cluster at 9-6 or 8-7 between Houston, Michigan, Denver, Oakland, and Texas, one of these teams is going to be out. We just don’t know who.
INJURY REPORT
With a lot of teams boasting long injury reports, it is tough to sort out what impact injuries will have on next week’s action. Here are the injuries we see which may cause issues for the key teams battling for their playoff lives:
Birmingham may have to play without Joe Cribbs, who has developed some swelling in his knee. If they can win without him this week, the rest before the Divisional Round may be key.
Orlando T Robert Curry is out and that opens up Reggie Collier to potential pressure.
Alan Risher being out for Pittsburgh could help Oakland clinch a playoff spot.
Denver playing without DE Larry White is a disadvantage, but against Portland not a huge loss.
Memphis will be without WR Bobby Joe Edmunds, putting more pressure on Mel Gray this week.
Texas LB Brian Bosworth is still only questionable for this week’s game with the stress fracture in his foot.
Texas may also be out Stump Mitchell due to migraines which have flared up towards the end of this week.
LOOKING AHEAD
The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly Birmingham at Tampa Bay. That game will essentially determine the division and the #1 seed in the East. The Chicago-Michigan and Houston-Texas games are also huge for all four clubs, while the other key playoff matchups are teams facing non-playoff squads and needing to avoid an upset. This includes Denver @ Portland, Oakland @ Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville @ Memphis. Games with no playoff ramifications include Baltimore @ Washington, New Jersey @ Philadelphia, and Arizona @ LA. The week’s final game, Orlando @ New Orleans will not impact playoff berths, but could alter the rankings and seeding for the playoffs.