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USFL LIVES

1989 Week 8 Recap: Monsters of the Midseason

SCORES

PIT 29 PHI 38

It was a shootout in Veterans Stadium as the Stars scored 21 in the first and then outlasted the Maulers’ comeback attempt. Alan Risher threw for 3 scores, and Rozier ran for 151, but that did not outpace Fusina’s 4 scores and Bryant’s 136 yards rushing as offense ruled the day in Philadelphia.


JAX 13 BIR 19

Another early lead and slow comeback as Birmingham built up a 16-0 lead at the half and then held on as the Bulls tried to claw their way back. Joe Cribbs finished with 103 yards on the ground, but the Stallions’ only TD came on defense as Roman Lewis returned an errant Chris Miller pass 41 yards for the key score.


ORL 24 MEM 10

Orlando was ready for the Showboats as they held Memphis to only 49 yards rushing. Collier found both John Jefferson and Mike Williams for scores in the 3rd to break open what had been a close game. With the win Orlando evens their record at 4-4, while Memphis drops a game behind the Stallions at 5-3.


TEX 22 CHI 23

Albert Bentley scored his league-leading 7th TD as Chicago held on to defeat Texas in front of the largest Machine crowd ever at Soldier Field. Michael Haynes was the star of the day, catching 7 for 116, while rookie TE Wesley Walls caught 5 for 94. The result evens both teams up at 4-4.


NOR 45 MGN 21

We knew the Breakers’ offense would eventually catch its rhythm, but we did not expect it would happen against the tough Panther D. Matt Robinson threw three first half touchdowns to spot New Orleans a 24-7 lead at the half. 3 more touchdowns by the Breakers in the final period closed out an impressive win.


OAK 30 LA 9

Gale Gilbert returned to spark the Invaders and once again the Express offense was AWOL. Gilbert threw TD’s to both Duper and Ellard on the way to a 100.5 QBR for the day, while Steve Young was abysmal, throwing 4 interceptions against the Oakland defense.


POR 16 ARZ 34

The Wranglers get healthy against the sad sack Portland Thunder, as James Wilder has his best day in the league, rushing for 141 and 2 scores. Kelly Stouffer remained at QB for the dinged up Robbie Bosco, and found both Trumaine Johnson and Louis Lipps for scores. Portland started Ed Luther again, but still no W on the Thunder season.


HOU 14 WSH 17

Tough aggressive defense won the day for the Federals, despite giving up 454 total yards. Houston just could not punch it in and the Federals eke out the win on a Ray Wersching field goal. The loss moves Houston to a surprising 4-4, while Washington reaches midseason at 3-5.


DEN 19 TBY 34

Another outstanding day for rookie QB Troy Aikman, as he throws for 351 yards and 4 scores against the usually stalwart Denver D. Add in 120 on the ground for Gary Anderson and you have the formula for a walk-away win by the Bandits.


GAME OF THE WEEK

New Jersey Generals 24 Baltimore Blitz 24 OVERTIME Eric Kramer gets his first start of the season and avoids the loss, but also does not get the win as Baltimore scores late to tie the game but neither team can get on the scoreboard in overtime. The game ends in a tie, and complicates the Atlantic Division by doing so.

With Vince Evans out for the year with a torn ACL in his right knee, it will be up to Eric Kramer to lead the Blitz for the rest of the year. Kramer took the reins today and did fairly well, completing 53.3% of his passes for 250 yards and 2 scores, including the game tying toss to Jackie Flowers as time ran out. For the Generals it was a missed opportunity, as they took a 24-14 lead early in the 4th on a Brent Jones TD from Doug Flutie, but could not hold on defense as Baltimore stormed back.

In overtime, both teams struggled to sustain drives as both defenses dug in their heels. The game ended with a desperation field goal attempt by Luis Zendejas from 57 yards out, but it failed to reach the goalposts and the game ended in a tie. The result keeps New Jersey atop the Atlantic at 4-3-1, while Baltimore is second at 3-4-1, just a half game ahead of all three other teams, all at 3-5.



PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

While we could give the award to either Matt Robinson or Troy Aikman, both of whom threw 4 TD passes this week, we are going to recognize the team effort from the New Orleans D-line this week. In a game that the Breakers had to have against the division-leading Michigan Panthers, the offense certainly kicked into overdrive, but so did the defense. The DE combo of Jerry Reese and Daryl Wilkerson were on the Michigan QB’s all day, combining for 4 sacks (2 apiece) and 9 additional hurries. Add to this a total of 4 forced fumbles (again 2 each) and 2 fumble recoveries and the Breakers’ defense came up big, giving their O short fields and shutting down any thought of a Panthers comeback. The Breakers’ defense would end up with 7 takeaways on the day, including 3 interceptions, 1 on Trudea, 2 on Brett Pease. All three Michigan QB’s would see action as Coach Stanley did what he could after Trudeau went out in the 2nd quarter, but both Mark Herman and Pease were ineffective against the pass rush of the Breakers.


NEWS & NOTES

The USFL has chosen their man. Former Big 8 and Big 10 Commissioner Wayne Duke will replace Chet Simmons as Commissioner of the USFL beginning at the Summer League Meetings in August. Duke, who has spent the better part of his career in NCAA athletics is expected to act as arbiter in disputes between owners, as salesman to sponsors, as chief negotiator with television networks, and as spokesperson for the league. With ongoing tensions between the USFL and both the NFL and NCAA over player acquisition methods, scheduling, and the potential for the signing of underclassment, there is a lot on Mr. Duke’s plate to be sure.


One of the key decisions to be guided by Mr. Duke is whether or not the time is right for the USFL to expand again. After the 1987 expansion the league cited 1990 as the soonest possible window for additional expansion endeavors, and in the time in-between, the USFL has seen steady growth in revenue and attendance. While the expansion clubs in Texas and Portland are somewhat limited by the size of their current stadiums, the league as a whole is seeing healthy attendance numbers as a rule, and television viewing continues to be above projections, although the 1988 Houston-Memphis Championship Game failed to reach viewership to equal 1987’s Philly-Houston matchup, overall both regular season and playoff viewership has been very solid. While there are certainly cities and ownership groups hoping to gain the new commissioner’s ear, there is also sentiment among many in ownership that the league still needs time to stabilize and strengthen its current 20-team structure. Due to scheduling, a new expansion would probably add another 4 teams, creating a 24-team league and requiring a new divisional structure. Some argue that while expansion is an inevitability, a delay may prove beneficial for the league as it continues to work on its relationships with the NFL, the NCAA, and even the CFL, which has been devastated by the player deficit with both NFL and USFL rosters absorbing talent.


Mr. Duke is expected to attend the August League Meetings but has already started to be seen around league circles, attending Chicago’s game against the Texas Outlaws this week. Mr. Duke, who lives in Chicago, has not stated whether he will relocate to New York, where the league has maintained their central offices, or if he will work primarily out of Chicago.



INJURY REPORT

Some key players will be out for a while after a pretty rough week in the USFL. The biggest blow may be to the Birmingham Stallions, whose veteran DE Bob Barber will be out for the rest of the year after rupturing his achilles tendon. Barber, who has been a sack leader for Birmingham for 5 seasons, is done for the year, and that will put pressure on Art Still to take on double teams each week. Pittsburgh DE John Bosa will not miss the full season but is expected to be out possibly 6 weeks. Houston WR Ricky Sanders remains out, likely to miss the LA game, while Michigan has listed DE Ronnie Paggett as questionable. But it is not all bad news in Michigan as WR Anthony Carter and CB Keith Bostic are both expected to return to action this week. Also listed as probable are Memphis HB Buford Jordan, Denver wideout Mark Carrier, LA Linebacker Chip Banks, Philly back Kelvin Bryant, and Oakland QB Jeff Kemp.



LOOKING AHEAD

We kick off the second half of the season with inter-divisional play as a lot of teams jockey for position. Baltimore will try to reach .500 with a win at Jacksonville, while New Jersey hosts the tough Memphis Showboats. Philly is in Orlando and Pittsburgh is in Tampa Bay as its PA vs. FLA. The Federals have a tough task ahead of them in Legion Field against Birmingham, while Chicago heads out to Denver, looking to get a game over .500 with a win. Two teams having offensive issues meet when LA hosts the Houston Gamblers. Oakland matches up with Michigan in an intriguing game between two winning teams. New Orleans is in Portland with a chance to get right into the thick of the playoff hunt, while the Texas Outlaws and Arizona Wranglers, both 4-4 hope to start the second half of the season off right with a win in Tempe.

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