SCORES
BAL 14 WSH 24
The Feds and the Blitz finish out the string with a pretty entertaining game at RFK between these regional rivals. Don Majkowski hit Webster Slaughter and Duane Gunn with TD tosses, and 2nd year back Kevin Harmon got the start and rushed for 5 yards and TD for the Feds.
NJ 27 PHI 10
The Generals wrapped up their first Division title and a 10-win season by knocking off the Stars despite resting Doug Flutie and Brent Jones. Herschel Walker played the whole game in his effort to win the rushing title. His 90 yards were enough to take the title and help New Jersey to the win.
JAX 16 MEM 20
Memphis thrilled the home crowd with a tighter than expected scrap with the Bulls. Memphis needed a Kelley to John Embree TD with only 1:07 left to earn their 11th win on the year and lock up the top Wild Card spot in the East. Grewg Boone rushed for 93 yards and Mel Gray caught 8 for 77, finishing the year as the receptions leader in the USFL.
CHI 17 MGN 18
It took all they had, but Michigan knocked off Chicago and finishes the year with 10 wins and a Wild Card berth. Mark Hermann overcame 2 early interceptions and later found Derek Holloway to pull within 2. He then led the Panthers to the game-winning field goal, despite getting no help from the run game, which notched only 28 total yards on the day. Chicago finishes 7-9, with Steve Beurlein subbing for the injured Chuck Long.
HOU 38 TEX 30
Another great shootout between the Gamblers and Outlaws in San Marcos. Jim Kelly had a strong day, throwing 3 TDs to only 1 Int, and Thurman Thomas garnered AP Offensive Player of the Week honors with his 126 yards rushing and 42 yards receiving. His two TD’s helped Houston outpace the Outlaws, who also got 3 TD passes from their veteran QB.
ARZ 31 LA 16
The Express had hoped to finish strong and make it to 8-8, but the Arizona defense was not going to give rookie QB Rodney Peete any breaks. They sacked Peete 3 times and picked off a pass in the endzone to help lead the Wranglers to a season-ending victory.
DEN 35 POR 3
Denver needed the win to lock up the division, and Portland simply had nothing to play for and it showed. Denver built up a 28-0 lead on 3 Bob Gagliano TD tosses and a strong day for Harry Sydney before coasting down the stretch. The win gives them the Pacific crown and a bye week.
PIT 10 OAK 20
Oakland did their part at home, but Denver’s win means the 10-6 Invaders will be a Wild Card team and will be playing next week. Gale Gilbert had a solid day, avoiding turnovers and putting Oakland on the board with a TD pass to Sam Bowers. Richard Williams contributed a score, and Kevin Shea did the rest as the Invaders doubled up the Jeff Hostetler-led Maulers.
ORL 13 NOR 34
With Houston and Michigan still on their heels, New Orleans could not rest their starters, so, instead, they put a licking on the Renegades. Dalton Hilliard acted as the lead back, gaining 76 yards on the day, and TD’s to Charlie Smith and Dan Ross were enough to boost New Orleans to an easy win. Orlando, who were already locked into the #5 seed, assisted by resting both Reggie Collier and Curtis Bledsoe to get some playing time for Jimmie Jordan and former Houston HB Todd Fowler.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Birmingham Stallions 22 Tampa Bay Bandits 19
This was the clear game of the week around the league. A Tampa win and they leapfrog both Memphis and Birmingham to claim the Southern Division crown and a bye week. Lose and they fall to the #4 seed and have to play next week. For Birmingham, a win got them the title, but they would have to play without All-USFL HB Joe Cribbs, whose right knee was still swollen at gametime. It would have to be a conservative game for the Stallions against a wide open attack from Tampa Bay.
Tampa came out swinging to begin the game. After holding Birmingham to a 3-and-out on their first drive, Tampa drove the ball the length of the field, with Troy Aikman finding Chris Collinsworth for a short TD catch and the game’s first lead. The Tampa drive took only 2:14 to traverse 74 yards. The contrast in styles would be obvious as Birmingham received the kickoff and proceeded to mount their own drive, one that would last nearly 9 minutes and would end with a Brent Fullwood plunge at the goal line. The game would have been tied, but Scott Norwood, who had not missed an extra point all season, bounced the PAT off the right crossbar. 7-6 Tampa, and the stylistic war had begun in earnest.
The second quarter would be a battle of field position and turnovers as both teams had trouble mounting a second successful drive. Tampa initially had the better field position after a poor Birmingham punt, and they managed a field goal out of it, but after another Birmingham punt, the field would flip when Troy Aikman was picked off by Anthony Blaylock in Bandit territory. Birmingham could not move the ball and settled for their own field goal. At the half 10-9 Tampa and the nervous Birmingham fans in attendance in Tampa Stadium were already wondering if Norwood’s miss would be decisive in this close game.
Birmingham helped to calm the nerves of their faithful when they moved the ball well on the first drive of the 3rd quarter and once again put points on the board with a 44-yard Norwood kick. They now led 12-10. Only 1 play later, things would get even better for the Stallions, as Tampa’s Speedy Neal muffed the kickoff catch and in the scramble to grab the ball, kicked it forward to an oncoming Stallion. Stallion reserve CB Donnell Woodberry fell on the ball and the Stallions were in position to add more to the scoreboard. It took them 6 plays to get from the Tampa 22 into the endzone, but when Cliff Stoudt hit TE Walter Reeves with the scoring pass, things were looking very good for the Stallions, now up 9.
Unphased, Tampa responded with a fast-paced, 10-play drive, that took them from their own 29 to the Birmingham 8 yard line. From there, backup HB Lars Tate bulled through the line, broke a tackle, and plunged into the endzone to bring Tampa back to within 2 at 19-17. On the next possession it looked as if momentum had turned for good. Tampa pinned Birmingham at the 17 on the kickoff, and on their first play from scrimmage, the Stallions were called for holding, moving the ball within the 10. A Fullwood run cost them 3 more yards and now they were at the 5 with a 2nd and 18 in front of them. They called a play fake, but the Tampa defenders did not bite on the run. DE Skip McClendon made a B-line for the slow-footed Stoudt, and pulled him down just inside the endzone for a safety and a tie game.
Tampa received the safety kickoff and could do nothing, with Aikman missing Gillespie on a 3rd and 5 toss. Tampa punted and Birmingham went to work on what would end up being the game-winning drive. It took them 13 plays, and they milked the clock down to just under 2 minutes before trotting Scott Norwood out on the field. The long-time Stallion kicker put the ball between the uprights and Birmingham had a slim lead at 22-19. The division would depend on their 2-minute defense.
After a touchback on the kickoff put the ball on the 20, Tampa struck quickly, with Aikman finding Truvillion for 12 on the first play from scrimmage. A Gary Anderson run of 4 made it 2nd and 6, and then Birmingham started to assert themselves. On 2nd down, Aikman retreated, intending to throw to TE Chris Kelley, but he felt pressure from DE Art Still and pulled the ball back down. Still recorded a sack and forced a 3rd and 12. Aikman found Collinsworth, but only for 10 and it would be a 4th down call that would determine whether Tampa could come back or not. Coach Spurrier eschewed the run option in favor of a bootleg with Aikman, looking for Gillespie crossing the center of the field. Aikman got the throw off, but Gillespie was covered too tightly by FS Roman Lewis, and Lewis’s left hand got between the ball and the receiver. Gillespie cried pass interference, but neither the on-field referee nor the replay official agreed with him. Birmingham had held on and claimed their prize, the Southern Division Title, a #1 seed and a bye week.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
To say Houston missed HB Thurman Thomas during his injury is an understatement. Thomas was injured Week 10 against Baltimore on only his 3rd carry of the day. The Gamblers would go on to surprisingly lose that game. He would then miss the next 2 weeks of action before returning in Week 13. Houston would barely beat Jacksonville in Week 11, and lose to New Orleans in Week 12. The Blitz and Breakers loses would be their only two losses in the season’s entire 2nd half.
With Thomas back in Week 13, he gained 166 combined yards as Houston knocked off Tampa. The next two weeks he had modest games (75 yards and 58 yards) against Chicago and Michigan (both division wins for Houston).
And that brings us to this week. With the Lone Star Rivalry on the line, and playoff positioning to be had, Thomas came out and just decimated the Outlaw defense. He rushed for 125 and 2 scores, he was also the team’s 3rd leading receiver, catching 3 balls for 42 yards (2 of those being key 3rd down pickups). The big final game helped Thomas get over 1,000 yards rushing for the year, finishing with 1,126 to go along with 570 yards receiving and a combined 11 touchdowns (3 receiving). In only 2 years, Thomas has become one of the most respected, feared, and admired players in the league. His chemistry with QB Jim Kelly is a thing to behold, and with these two playing well down the stretch, and with plenty of playoff experience on this squad, no one looks forward to playing the Gamblers in the postseason.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
After 16 weeks, we are down to 10 teams left. Some knew their position going into this week, and some needed the W to move up the seeding. For teams like Baltimore and Texas, whose fade down the stretch cost them a chance at the post-season, this will be a bitter memory. For others, like New Orleans and New Jersey, who came on strong in the season’s final quarter, it is hoped that this is just the beginning. So, what do we have in store as the post-season begins?
EAST
Birmingham is your #1 seed. They will await the winner of the Wild Card play-in winner. New Jersey as the #2 seed already knows who they will play, as they have 2 weeks to prepare for a tough foe, #3 seed Memphis. The two play-in opponents know each other well and are in-state rivals as #5 seed Orlando will head down the highway to nearby Tampa Stadium to face off against the #4 seed Bandits.
WEST
New Orleans, on the strength of a season-ending 5 game win streak, earns the #1 seed and a bye. Denver, winners of the Pacific Division by virtue of their 6-2 division record, also gets a bye before they face the top Wild Card entrant, the Michigan Panthers, in the Divisional Round. The last two entrants, Houston and Oakland, came down to a 3rd tie breaker before it was decided that Oakland would be the #4 seed and host the Wild Card game, while Houston would need to win 3 road games if they wished to return to the Championship. The winner of the Wild Card game will head to New Orleans next, to face the Breakers.
The other side of the final standings provide us with our first 10 picks in the 1989 Collegiate Draft, with Portland the #1 selection at 1-15 for the year. Philadelphia will select 2nd, a very unfamiliar position for them, while Pittsburgh will be third. The next 3 picks will require some tie-breakers as Arizona, Washington and Jacksonville all finished at 6-10. Pick 7 belongs to Baltimore, pick 8 to LA, pick 9 to Chicago, and pick 10 to the once 8-4 Texas Outlaws, who fell to 8-8 on four straight season-ending losses.
NEWS & NOTES
We are accustomed to Black Monday being a period when disappointing teams let their GM’s and Head Coaches go, in hopes of finding glory with new leadership. And in most years it is pretty predictable who that will be. We had listed several coaches on the hot seat this year, but a surprising thing happened this past Monday. Not only did several losing teams not cut loose their coaches, but a team no one expected to lose their head man found themselves shocked by a resignation.
OK, first things first. As expected, Rusty Tillman’s tenure in Portland is officially over. He stepped in as the interim head coach upon the release of Jack Patera, but he had only been the Special Teams coach prior to the sudden promotion, so no one was surprised when the Thunder announced on Monday that they were already working on signing a new coach, and that Rusty Tillman was not a finalist. That we knew would be the case.
We were surprised that a 7-9 season was enough for LA’s John Hadl to keep his position, but the Express have confirmed that he will remain the Head Coach in LA for the 1990 season. The same essentially happened in Pittsburgh, where Ted Marchibroda, after a very disappointing 6-win season was retained, and in Chicago, where progress towards 7-9 was seen as a good sign for Joe Bugel.
What shocked the league, was the story out of Philadelphia, where the Stars’ only Head Coach in franchise history, a two-time League Champion coach, Jim Mora, announced his resignation from the Stars after a 5-win season. Mora was not seen as being in any way under pressure this year. One bad year after 7 straight playoff seasons was not going to cause the Stars to lose faith on a coach who brought them two league trophies. Speculation is running wild that Mora resigned not because he had suffered a significant setback with his team this year, but because greener pastures had been calling.
With another year on his contract with Philadelphia, it would not be appropriate (and possibly not legal) for the NFL to officially come calling, but with 3 NFL teams surprisingly still without head coaches this late in the offseason, there is rampant speculation that somehow word got to Mora that he had a job waiting if he left the Stars. If that is the case, expect an announcement soon, and then expect the USFL’s attorneys to start exploring whether or not the NFL or one of their clubs engaged in any unethical or illegal tampering with the Stars coach. We suspect that the surprising story of Jim Mora’s resignation in Philadelphia is not over, and may be the beginning of something big. Possibly even a retaliatory strike after last year’s NFL complaints about the signing of Marty Schottenheimer by the USFL Blitz.
INJURY REPORT
This week, we are going to look only at the 4 wild card teams, as we can see how the rest helped the remaining 6 bye-week teams to recuperate when we report next week. So, here are players likely to miss (or to return for) the Wild Card Round.
ORLANDO: LT R. Curry (Out), RG D. Cadigan (Out), WR Alfred Jackson (Probable)
TAMPA BAY: WR Ch. Collinsworth (Out), CB L. Pritchard (Probable)
HOUSTON: LB Todd Howard (Out), LB David Peace (Out), SS Keith Moody (Doubtful)
OAKLAND: WR W. Henderson (Out), T K. Robbins (Probable), SS M. Quinn (Probable), HB R. Williams (Probable)
The injury to Collinsworth has to be a concern for Tampa, as Willie Gillespie is best suited as a slot receiver. They may move Brett Perriman into Collinsworth’s spot to keep Gillespie in the middle of the field. For Houston, being down 3 defensive starters means they are going to have to count on team defense as Jesse Small and Chris Chenault step in at LB, and John White replaces Keith Moody at strong safety. Expect less blitzing and more zone for Houston as they try to cover for each other. With Oakland having two strong outside receivers, that could be trouble for the Houston D, so it may come down to Kelly and Thomas outpacing Gale Gilbert and the Oakland Offense.
LOOKING AHEAD
We will have a full playoff preview before next Sunday’s two Wild Card games, but we have the schedule ready now so you can start salivating.
Sunday, July 2—1 pm Eastern Time: Orlando Renegades (5) @ Tampa Bay Bandits (4)
Sunday, July 2—4:30 pm Eastern Time: Houston Gamblers (5) @ Oakland Invaders (4)