OAK 9 MEM 20
Memphis’s top ranked scoring defense lived up to their ranking, keeping Oakland out of the endzone and adding 7 points of their own on a Bubba McDowell interception return TD. Oakland outgained Memphis but could not turn yards into points as the Showboats wore them down over 4 quarters and ground out a big 7th win.
LA 23 JAX 30
The Bulls win their second in a row as they edge LA. Once again their reconfigured offense shows signs of life as the combo of James Wilder and Jamie Covington combine for 115 yards rushing and 2 scores. Eason does not have another monster game, but contributes a key TD pass to Lawyer Tillman to help the Bulls eke by the Express.
ARZ 14 TBY 21
A late Aikman to Truvillion TD helps Tampa hold onto their home advantage and squeak past the feisty Wranglers. Darryl Clack had 2 TD’s on the day for Arizona, but Truvillion matched that and his late game score was the decisive one in this game.
DEN 10 BIR 37
Both sides of the ball continue to struggle for the Gold as they cannot muster enough offense to keep pace with Birmingham’s 408 yards, including a solid 95 yards rushing for Joe Cribbs. Between Cribbs and Brent Fullwood Birmingham got 4 TDs, 3 on the ground and 1 through the air. Denver’s Cody Carlson threw for 275 and a score, but the ground game just could not get traction and Denver only converted on 3 of 13 third down attempts against the Stallions’ D.
POR 17 ORL 24
David Archer was back under center for Portland, and Reggie Collier was out for Orlando, but the Renegades still triumphed at home. Backup Jimmie Jordan did just enough to help Orlando win, but the real star was free safety Tim McDonald, who picked off two Archer passes and ran both back for scores. Archer played well in his first game back, but those two mistakes were backbreakers for the Thunder.
MGN 10 NJ 16
A game time decision to pull Jack Trudeau due to concerns over his throwing shoulder led to a disjointed Panther offense. And while New Jersey lost Herschel Walker to a hip injury after only 2 carries, they found a new run game, as Doug Flutie used planned bootleg runs and sharp scrambling away from pass pressure to rush for 103 yards on the day, including a stunning 63-yard touchdown run in which no defender got within 5 yards of him.
CHI 14 WSH 20
A big rebound win for the Federals at a raucous RFK. Majkowski hit Gunn and Harmon for scores and the defense made life tough for Chuck Long, sacking the Iowa grad 6 times on the day. Long found 10 different receivers in his 23 receptions, but none broke out for the big play the Machine needed on offense. Charles Hayley led the Feds with 2 sacks, but it was a team effort as they pressured Long throughout the game.
HOU 20 BAL 0
Houston wins their third in a row as Eric Kramer fails to lead Baltimore into scoring range all day. Newly relocated wideout Ricky Proehl continues to flourish for the Gamblers, adding another 115 yards to his totals, while Thurman Thomas added 67 yards on the ground and 47 through the air to power the Gamblers’ retooled attack.
TEX 28 PIT 20
Kelly Stouffer’s 4 TD passes accounted for all the Texas points, and just enough for them to steal a road win in Pittsburgh. Both Carson and Metcalf again topped 100 yards receiving and Cobb contributed 78 yards on the ground to overcome a game Maulers team. Mike Rozier did his part, rushing for 112 yards and a score, while Alan Risher struggled, throwing 2 picks to only 1 TD on the day.
New Orleans Breakers 30 Philadelphia Stars 27
While the Stars scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes of the game to force overtime, including a stunning 59 yard field goal as the clock struck double-zeroes, in the extra period it was New Orleans who claimed the victory on a field goal from Tim Mazzetti. In a game where two Chuck Fusina mistakes were returned by the Breakers for scores, the Philadelphia signal caller persevered and forced the game into overtime with two late scores, only to watch from the sideline as Mazzetti hit the game winner.
The first of Fusina’s two costly pick-6 plays came on the 2nd play of the game when he threw behind his receiver and Randall Berlin caught the ball in stride, returning it 26 yards to the house. The second came at the beginning of the 4th quarter as Frederick Wilder caught the pick on a tip from the CB and returned it 46 yards to put New Orleans up 24-17. After a Mazzetti field goal with 8:28 left made the score 27-17, it looked like the end for the Stars.
Fusina was unphased by the second interception and led Philadelphia down the field, scoring with a short swing pass to Vai Sikahema just at the 2 minute warning to pull within 3. After a hard won 3-and-out on defense, the Stars got the ball back and marched downfield for a possible tying score. With only 1 second left, and the clock stopped as Mike Quick stepped out of bounds on the Breakers 42 yard line, David Trout lined up for a longshot fieldgoal, well beyond his past record of 53 yards. The snap was perfect, Trout’s foot hit solidly and the entire stadium watched as the ball just barely grazed the top of the crossbar and went in. It would be overtime.
After their furious comeback, the Stars had momentum but were clearly spent. The defense, which had done so well to get the vital 3-and-out at the end of regulation, was unable to keep pace with the mix of Dupree runs and Robinson passes as the Breakers took the opening drive of overtime down to the Stars’ 19 yard line. Tim Mazzetti lined up for the eminently makeable 36 yarder and the ball sailed straight down the middle to give the homestanding Breakers the win. The emotional victory pushes New Orleans to 8-2 and the best record in the league. The heartbreaking loss slips Philadelphia to 6-4 and one game behind the surprising Washington Federals.
While we were impressed by Doug Flutie’s combo of 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing, we have to honor FS Tim McDonald of Orlando this week. His two pick-6 interceptions were the difference for the Renegades on a day when they had to run their offense with backup Jimmie Jordan. McDonald snagged the first pick cleanly as he stepped in front of Portland receiver Hart Lee Dykes on a poorly designed in pattern. Avoiding an initial tackle attempt by Dykes, McDonald found a seam and scooted 22 yards for the score. His second interception of the day was far more complex, as the ball first hit the fingertips of linebacker Winston Moss, then deflected off of the shoulder of TE Clint Didier, turning into a classic tip drill. McDonald snagged the ball, but had to avoid a maze of offensive players turned defenders. He spun past Cris Carter and just barely made the endzone before being tripped by HB Terrance Flagler. In a game where the Orlando offense could only muster 10 points, these two dramatic interception returns helped the Renegades move their record to 6-4 and remain in range for a late division title run, just one game behind Memphis and Tampa Bay.
We have reached Week 10 and once again we can begin our playoff countdown by saying that nothing is guaranteed at this early date. If the playoffs were to begin today Memphis, Washington, New Orleans and Arizona would be division winners and Tampa, Philly, Orlando, Michigan, Texas and Oakland would be wildcards, but it is not that simple.
In the East both division leaders have tenuous holds on their positions. Washington leads Philadelphia by only 1 game, though the rest of the division seems to be fading, 3 games behind the Feds. In the South, Memphis leads Tampa Bay only by a tie breaker as both sit at 7-3, and Orlando is only a game behind that, with Birmingham now at 5-5 and only 2 games back. Even the three 4-6 teams in the East are still in play.
In the West, New Orleans hold a 1-game lead over Michigan, but the Panthers, having beaten the Breakers this year, would hold the tiebreaker if they two were even. Texas is only 1 game behind Michigan and will likely be a factor as we finish out the Year. Arizona has the healthiest lead of any division leader, with a 2-game advantage over an Oakland team that has lost 4 in a row after starting the year at 4-2. With little threat expected from LA, Portland or Denver, the Wranglers just need to play .500 ball to wrap up a division title, a bye, and a home playoff game. But they may want to do better in hopes that New Orleans and Michigan duel it out and the Wranglers can sneak into the #1 seed with a schedule rich in weaker divisional games.
Not directly USFL news but word out of St. Louis today that the city has approved construction of a new domed stadium and conference center downtown which will have a capacity of approximately 63,000 attendees for football. With no major college program in the city, the MLB Cardinals very content in Busch Stadium and with the NFL Cardinals having left for Phoenix in 1988, this is viewed as a clear move to attract a new professional football franchise. The NFL has been exploring possible expansion, and this would have to put St. Louis on the map for any expansion. The USFL has delayed any expansion talk until at least 1993, but again this might make St. Louis a contender in USFL expansion as well, but there is concern around the league that patience for an expansion franchise opportunity may not be there, since there have been groups vying for a USFL franchise since the 1987 expansion.
With the spring league’s somewhat marginal profit balance the idea of selling a franchise for a one time windfall is not unappealing and there are several teams who might consider relocation if their current owners could come away from a deal with a significant profit after several years of slow growth. Of course, the other view is that the USFL finances continue to improve and the potential for greater profit may be with continued ownership moving forward, so it is more of a short-term vs. long-term debate at this point. The new St. Louis dome is expected to begin construction in late 1991 with a completion date set for 1995, so we may not see any immediate movement towards relocation or expansion (in the NFL or USFL) but, along with several other cities with vacant stadiums, the creation of a new dome in St. Louis certainly makes the prospect feel more urgent.
Dings, bruises and soreness but no big injuries this week. After being forced to sit a week, both Reggie Collier and Jack Trudeau are expected back. David Archer will be expected to be in better form after a rough first week back, and Bob Gagliano is now listed as doubtful, which is an improvement over his status over the past 2 months. Herschel Walker may have to sit for a second week after a hip injury took him out of last week’s game, and Marcus Dupree may miss up to 2 weeks with a fracture suffered vs. Philadelphia.
The only severe injuries which will cost players significant time this week were a shoulder injury to Texas left tackle Long Sessions (out for the remainder of the year) and a broken jaw for rookie TE Shannon Sharpe of the Stallions (another year-ender).
Week 11 is a cross-country showdown as Atlantic faces Pacific and Central faces Southern across the board. Washington is in Portland to try to force the Thunder into a 7th straight loss, while Baltimore heads to Oakland with both teams stuck at 4-6 right now. Pittsburgh hopes to get a 5th win if they can get past the LA defense. New Jersey is in Denver where Bob Gagliano may be able to suit up for the first time in nearly 10 weeks. Finally, in the marquee East-West matchup, Philadelphia is in Tempe to face the Wranglers with both teams sitting at 6-4.
In the South-Central matchups we find a possible shootout of desperadoes as the Bandits visit the Outlaws. Birmingham has a tough matchup in what may be a packed Super Dome as they face the Breakers. Orlando will be in Michigan and Memphis travels up the river to Chicago. In a battle of teams that have had rough years but find themselves on short win streaks the Bulls will try to win their 3rd in a row as they face a Gambler team trying to win their 4th straight.