NJ 24 BAL 9
The Generals’ second half streak continues as they easily put away the fading Blitz to move above .500 and right in the thick of the playoff hunt. New Jersey got another dual output game from QB Doug Flutie a it seems clear that the success with QB runs that they found when Herschel Walker was injured has now been fully incorporated into the offense. Walker finished with 66 yards on only 15 carries, while Doug Flutie had 102 yards and a score to go along with 152 yards passing and 2 TD, as he was named the AP Offensive Player of the Week.
PIT 20 PHI 38
Chuck Fusina surgically dissected the Mauler defense on his way to a 4-touchdown day. Hitting 4 different receivers (Quick, Early, Green and Donovan) for scores, Fusina completed 70% of his passes and was not sacked once by the Mauler defense. Pittsburgh outgained Philly by 342-289, but was simply not as efficient, completing less than a third of their 3rd down attempts.
JAX 21 BIR 5
With Chris Miller back under center the Bulls won their 4th game in 5 weeks as Cliff Stoudt simply could not get the Stalliions into scoring position. The Bulls defense, led by Vaughan Johnson, sacked Stoudt 4 times and picked him off once to keep the Stallions out of the endzone. Miller hit James Wilder for a 40 yard TD toss on the team’s first drive and the Bulls never looked back. The loss all but removes Birmingham from playoff contention.
ORL 16 MEM 10
A huge win for Orlando as they move into a tie with Memphis at 8-5. In a game highlighted by defense, the Renegades got two big plays that put them over the top, a 32-yard TD reception by John Jefferson in the 1st quarter and a 75 yarder from Collier to Wamon Buggs in overtime that gave them the win. The toss, helped Collier make up for 3 interceptions which kept Memphis in the game and helped them tie the score, sending the game to overtime. On the first play of overtime, Buggs took advantage of single coverage, got behind the CB and Collier hit him on a deep ball for the ages.
NOR 30 MGN 16
Michigan has now dropped 4 in a row and fade to 3rd place in the Central as New Orleans builds a healthy 3-game lead to all but wrap up the division title and #1 seed. A combined 110 yards from Dupree and Hilliard, paired with a defense that sacked backup QB Mark Hermann 5 times was just the ticket for the Breakers. Hermann, subbing for an ailing Jack Trudeau, was running for his life all game as 5 different Breakers recorded sacks and DE Jerry Reese spent most of the day tormenting the former NFL player.
OAK 26 LA 3
Things are just getting worse in LA, where, one week after having barely 9,000 on hand, the Express mustered 11,000 fans for the in-state rivalry game, and many of them wore paper bags over their heads as the LA “Distress” once again failed to show up offensively. Walter Lewis completed only 16 of 33 and their leading rusher, Tony Richardson, gained a total of 21 yards on the day. Oakland, which is still in the playoff hunt behind Arizona, got what they needed from their offense as Richard Williams put up 110 and a score in the decisive win.
POR 24 ARZ 27
Portland put a scare into Arizona, sending the game into overtime on an Archer to Cris Carter pass with just over a minute left, but the Wranglers got the win on a Mick Luckhurst field goal on their first overtime drive. Portland actually outgained Arizona 411 to 387 in a very entertaining game that saw Archer and Bosco combine for 6 touchdown tosses.
DEN 15 WSH 23
Bob Gagliano returned to action for the Gold after nearly 3 months on the sideline. He looked good, completing 25 of 38 passes, but for only 170 yards as Denver dinked and dunked to avoid the Federal passrush. Washington was also content to use the short passing game, but with scores from both Joey Walters and Terrance Mathis, they were able to overcome the Gold and garner their 8th win.
HOU 13 TBY 33
Hoping to give backup Oliver Luck as easy a path as possible in his first start of the year, Tampa turned up the defensive pressure, blitzing Jim Kelly and sacking the Houston signal caller 7 times on the day. Meanwhile, Luck had a very strong game, completing 27 of 38 passing for 306 yards and 2 scores. The defense set up the offense all day as Houston went only 1 for 10 on third down and Kelly completed only 46% of his passes.
Texas Outlaws 31 Chicago Machine 34
In a game with significant playoff implications, the Chicago Machine erased a 10-point deficit with 3 scores in the final quarter to overtake the Outlaws and put themselves into the Wild Card race. It was a game of momentum swings as a big Chicago 1st quarter turned to all Texas in the 2nd and 3rd only for Chicago to regain the edge in the 4th.
The game began with a Texas TD, as Reggie Cobb continued to impress, but quickly turned as Chicago scored 3 TDs in the first quarter, two Bentley plunges and a Long to Langhorne connection from 14 yards out. A costly Chuck Long interception to start the 2nd gave Texas momentum and over the next 2 quarters they would score 4 times, including a 32-yard toss from Stouffer to Theo Young and a 13 yarder to the always dangerous Carlos Carson.
But, as often seems to happen, a key mistake once again shifted momentum. On their own 22, backup HB Lee Rouson fumbled a handoff from Stouffer. It was pounced on by Chicago LB Mark Munford and the Machine were back in control. They would score three times in the final quarter, including a second TD for Langhorne, and with 20 seconds left on the clock kicker John Carney would connect from 40 yards out to give Chicago the final 34-31 lead.
The win keeps Chicago in range for the final Wild Card in the West, while Texas now falls 3 games behind New Orleans, though certainly in good position for a Wild Card themselves.
We are still trying to figure out why it took Ray Perkins so long to see the value of having Doug Flutie run the ball. Sure, when you have Herschel Walker in the backfield it makes sense to make him your bell cow, and with Flutie barely reaching 5’9” you probably do not want him risking his body too long, but after several years of trying to force Flutie to play the role of a pocket passer, the injury to Walker forced Perkins’ hand and the results have been amazing. In the 4 games since Walker first went down Flutie has had rushing days of 103, 99, and 102 yards. Only in Week 12, when Walker returned and Perkins once again got away from using Flutie that way, were his number significantly lower.
The new strategy of using Flutie as a rusher may have come out of necessity, but now seems a viable path forward. New Jersey, after a 2-6 first half, have won 5 in a row and have thrust themselves right into the thick of the playoff hunt, only 1 game behind Philadelphia, Washington, Orlando and Memphis in the standings. A stumble by any of those squads and the Generals could have a shot to repeat as Champions. A huge part of the turnaround has been the emergence of Doug Flutie as a dual threat, free to scramble when needed and now worked into the run game with designed plays.
This week, against the beleaguered Baltimore Blitz. Flutie completed 68% of his passes, threw for 2 TDs, and also took off and ran for 102 yards and his third huge TD run of the season (a 60 yarder) as defenders fully bit on the play fake to Walker and left Flutie all alone on a bootleg, the third team in 4 weeks to fall prey to the fake out. Flutie has been able to avoid the big hit that everyone fears, has proved to be an elusive runner, and it has improved his passing game as well, as teams now must commit a spy to cover his scrambles, leaving one less defender in coverage. With the new dimension to his game, Flutie may have given Ray Perkins the answer as to how to revive the Generals’ offense and get the team back into the playoffs.
We are coming down to crunch time for USFL teams to make or break their seasons. Here is what you need to know with 3 weeks left.
New Orleans, with a 3-game lead on both Arizona and Texas, has all but locked up the #1 seed out West.
The Wranglers still have 2 games up on Oakland, so they are feeling good about their chances to win the Pacific for the first time in team history.
Philly and Washington look good at 8-5 but have to be worried about the 7-6 Generals and about each other as they battle for the Atlantic crown.
Tampa’s 1 game lead over Memphis and Orlando, along with their 4-1 division record puts them in front for the division crown, but with Aikman out, they will need to find ways to generate wins on defense.
New Jersey needs Memphis, Orlando, Washington, or Philly to slip so that they can catch up, so watch those final divisional games as the Generals hope to knock off both the Feds and Stars in the next 2 weeks.
Oakland and Chicago look like they are going to battle for the final Wild Card spot, but if Michigan, losers of 4 in a row, continue to fall, both the Machine and Invaders could sneak into the dance.
Pittsburgh and Houston now need major help to find themselves in the playoffs. They need to win out and hope that at least 2 teams above them fall hard.
Not to put a damper on things as we gear up for the final run to the postseason, but this is also the time of year when we have to look at the veterans in the league and wonder about potential retirements. There are a few big name players who may be considering the move as they reach that stage where their souls are willing but their bodies do not agree. Among the senior members of the USFL who may be thinking about hanging up the cleats we find Philly QB Chuck Fusina (36), Birmingham LB Larry McPherson (35), Baltimore safety Tommy Wilcox (35), ageless Memphis WR Mel Gray (35), Michigan DE Ronnie Paggett (35) and New Orleans LB Marcus Marek.
Truth be told, we are not seeing much decline in Fusina, Paggett, or Marek, but at 35-36 playing 16 brutal games a year can be an issue even for players at the top of their game. Philadelphia, Michigan, and New Orleans would be wise to start thinking about a replacement plan as they start gearing up for this year’s draft. Even if they do not retire this year, Father Time is coming.
The other potential pool of retirements could come from players who are younger but who have suffered multiple injuries, making their physical strains more of a concern. This could include standouts like QBs Jack Trudeau, Tony Eason and Vince Evans, HB’s Richard Williams and Curtis Bledsoe, DT Michael Cline, tackle Long Sessions, or even punter Sean Landeta. The key for these players is rehabilitation and the ability to play without pain.
As each club looks at its roster, the issue of retirement is not one they want to leave to chance. Surprises like the retirement of John Reaves 2 years back are exactly what teams want to avoid, so it is imperative that they keep lines of communication open so that plans can be made to replace players whose time has come. Just who that will be this year is open for speculation, but it is well-known that not all who are wearing cleats, pads and a helmet this summer will be back next March.
Some good news on the injury report for a change. First off, Tampa has estimated 1-2 more weeks for Troy Aikman, meaning a return for the season finale, and at worst, a first-round playoff game is possible. Likewise, Memphis HB Buford Jordan has been upgraded to Doubtful from Out, so his return for a playoff run seems likely. Gary Barbaro, who has missed most of the season, may be ready to go for the final push for a miraculous 2nd half of the season for New Jersey, as he is listed as questionable for this week. Orlando may also see Ironhead Hayward on the field in limited action this week.
The USFL has divisional games all the way through Week 16, so the rivalry games and key playoff position battles will be fierce from now on. In Week 14 we start things off with a huge game for New Jersey as they head to RFK to face the Federals. New Orleans can wrap up the Central if they can beat Texas in San Marcos, while Chicago has a big game in Houston to try to get back into the thick of things. Michigan has a tough inter-divisional game against Memphis as they hope to snap their 4-game slide, while the Philadelphia Stars are hoping their homestand against LA gives them a leg up on DC and NJ. In other games Tampa hosts Jacksonville, Arizona is in Denver, Oakland is in Portland, Orlando gets the Stallions at home, and the Maulers, still mathematically alive at 6-7, hope to hit 7-7 as they play the Blitz in Three Rivers.