Divisional play resumes and injuries start to have an effect on games. Three teams remain winless, while only 2 remain undefeated as the season heats up.
SCORES
PIT 28 NJ 16
A fumble return touchdown by Eric Kumerow sparks a 21-0 run by the Maulers in the 2nd quarter to blow past the stumbling Generals. Pittsburgh races out to a 286 halftime lead despite a slow day for Mike Rozier (20 carries for only 37 yards), knocking Doug Flutie out early in the game and frustrating Timm Rosenbach all game long.
WSH 16 PHI 28
Philadelphia wins their 3rd straight thanks to 104 yards and 2 TD’s from Kelvin Bryant. Washington backs Harmon and Jenkins combine for only 27 total yards as Philly loads the box and forces Don Majkowski to go it alone. Washington’s only TD comes on an errant pass from Fusina, picked off and run back by Mark Kelso.
ORL 28 JAX 7
Jacksonville continues to struggle on both sides of the ball, giving up 332 yards passing to Collier and 112 combined between Bledsoe and Fowler. Chris Miller can only complete 44% of his passes on the day and James wilder only gets 10 carries as the Bulls go 2 for 16 on 3rd down and punt the ball 11 times on the day.
TBY 14 MEM 31
Memphis gets a big divisional win on the strength of their run game. Boone rushes for 78 yards and 2 scores on 17 carries while Jordan adds 72 yards and a TD of his own on 13 carries as Memphis pounds the ball all day against the Bandits. Tampa, on the other hand, still is not getting the production they need from Tate and Bell, who combine for only 40 yards rushing.
NOR 29 CHI 22
The Machine again cannot catch a break despite playing well on the day. Up by one with 3 minutes to go, the Chicago defense fails them, allowing New Orleans to march down the field and win the game on a Robinson to Charlie Smith TD with just over 1 minute left. Dalton Hilliard also has a field day with 133 yards on only 9 carries, including a 46 yarder and a 29 yard TD dash.
OAK 6 ARZ 24
A strong day for the Wrangler defense, as they hold Oakland to 204 total yards, sack Gilbert 4 times and limit Richard Williams to only 83 yards rushing. On offense, the star was Louis Lipps who caught 6 balls for 98 yards and a score.
LA 0 DEN 16
The Express are shut out for the 2nd time in their first 3 games as their offense simply could not get anything going. Denver kept the pressure on all day, and despite some offensive shortcomings, never gave the Express a chance to threaten their modest advantage. LA was sloppy throughout, committing 12 penalties for 115 yards on the day, a major factor in their inability to get on the scoreboard.
POR 10 BAL 24
Portland comes back to earth after 2 season-opening wins as they struggle in Baltimore. Vince Evans tosses 2 TDs to Jackie Flowers and the Blitz defense limits the touches by Slaughter and Carter to contain the Thunder offense, holding them to 258 total yards on the day and controlling the clock for almost 37 minutes of the game.
TEX 20 BIR 22
Texas comes back late but cannot catch the Stallions as Birmingham wins despite losing Joe Cribbs in the 1st quarter. Cribbs may miss several weeks, but backup Brent Fullwood proved he could carry the load, rushing for 112 yars on 18 carries for Birmingham. Despite 116 yards from rookie Reggie Cobb, Texas struggled to score, putting up only 13 points on offense (with a kick return TD their other 7).
GAME OF THE WEEK
Michigan Panthers 24
Houston Gamblers 21
A late Tony Franklin field goal gives Michigan their 3rd consecutive win and pushes the hard luck Gamblers to an 0-3 start. With Thurman Thomas returning from injury, a lot was expected of the Houston offense, and they did put up a combined 301 yards on offense, but they also gave up 410 as their defense continues to struggle against accurate passers.
Jack Trudeau had a field day over the first 20 minutes of the game, tossing two touchdowns to wideout Danny Knight and setting up an easy 1 yard plunge for Richard Williams with a near-touchdown toss to Derrick Holloway early in the 2nd. It was 21-0 early for Michigan before Houston got their bearings and began to claw back. The Gamblers would do just that, scoring on a Kelly to Verdin toss, a Thomas run, a 2-pointer, and two Dave Jacobs field goals to take the lead with just 2:32 left in the game.
Michigan, whose offense had been contained during the Houston comeback and throughout the 2nd half, found a second wind in the final minutes and got the Panthers in range for Franklin. In heartwrenching style, Houston fans watched as Franklin missed a 43 yarder only to see a yellow flag for offsides on the Gamblers move the ball up 5 yards and give Franklin another chance. He did not miss the second attempt, and with no time left on the clock the Panthers got the 3 points that put them on top and sent the Gamblers to a brutal 0-3 start under new coach Ray Willsey.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We are giving this week’s award to the two-headed halfback combo of Boone & Buford in Memphis. While neither back cracked 100 yards, each rushed for over 70 and allowed Memphis to own time of possession in their big matchup against Tampa Bay. They also accounted for 21 of Memphis’s 31 points, putting their stamp on the game and giving the Showboats a very early leg up on the competition in the very competitive Southern Division.
In a league dominated by bell-cow backs like Walker, Bryant, Rozier, Cribbs and Thomas, Memphis, along with New Orleans, are showing that a 2-back rotation can be effective and can help a team control the clock, the pace of the game and the scoreboard.
Greg Boone, since coming out of Gary Anderson’s shadow in Tampa has proven to be a particular nemesis for his old team, often having his best games of the year against his former club, while Buford Jordan, another castoff, from the Breakers to the Showboats, is a reliable 3 yards when you need 2 and a very effective goallline back as well. The combo play well in Memphis, and are much needed as the Showboats try to weather an injury to their gunslinging QB Mike Kelley. Their performance this week allowed rookie Cary Conklin to minimize his risks, play the game close to the vest and protect the ball, knowing that the Showboats could convert on 3rd down and keep the clock running. Jordan even had an uncharacteristic role in the passing game, catching 3 balls for 36 yards as Memphis debuted a wrinkle in their screen game, something usually reserved for when Boone lines up in the backfield. All in all a strong performance from the Showboats against a tough opponent, and one highlighted by the play of their 2-back rotation.
NEWS & NOTES
It is usually around this time of the season, 3 games in, when we start looking at the winless teams and wonder what changes they might make. But this year feels different. There are three winless teams in the league, Houston, Chicago, and Jacksonville, and in the case of at least 2 of them, we see something you usually don’t expect from an 0-3 squad, quality play. Jacksonville clearly has issues. Their defense has been atrocious and their offense anemic. They currently rank 19th in PPG (a measly 9.3 a game, with only LA’s 2 shutouts saving them from a 20th ranking) and their defense is also ranked 19th in points allowed, with an even 28 points a game scored on them. That is not only reason for concern, that is just miserable. But, when we look at the other two winless teams, we do not see the same signs of despair.
Yes, Houston’s defense has not been its usual self. They currently rank last in PPG and YPG allowed, giving up nearly 34 points a game and 393 yards a game. That is a huge concern for a team that appeared in two title games and won a championship through tough defense and timely scoring. But, while the defense is struggling, the Houston offense has been able to keep pace and keep them in games. If they can figure out what the defensive issues are, they are not far from evening things out.
Chicago is an even tougher case, as the Machine, by all accounts, have played well, certainly well enough to win a game, on both sides of the ball. They have given up 75 points in 3 games, and scored 60, a relative balance, though not in favor of them, and they have been in all 3 games, losing to Michigan by 5, Oakland by 3, and New Orleans by 7. So, the question seems to be whether or not the Machine know how to finish. They have talent, but they have not yet developed a winning attitude, one where they enter games expecting to win instead of hoping to win. Coach Bugel seems to have them on the right track, but the results do not bear that out, and if Chicago once again finishes with a .500 or sub-.500 record, it may force ownership to look in a new direction. This will be the 4th season for the franchise, and while there was clear progress between year 1 and 2, if that progress does not lead to a winning record in 1990, they may have to look elsewhere.
INJURY REPORT
One injury this week overshadowed all others. Joe Cribbs went down hard and looked to be in a lot of pain early in the game against Texas. While the team has not released all of the details of his injury, it does appear to be an ankle injury and the Stallions are saying that the optimistic timeline is for Cribbs to return in a month. Without more info, fans are left to wonder if the Stallions will have to rely on Brent Fullwood for a much more significant portion of the season.
Apart from the Cribbs injury, there were some significant setbacks for some veteran players this week. LA guard Gary Zimmerman is likely to miss at least 2 weeks with a wrist injury. Michigan wideout Daron Carter will miss the same for an ankle. New Jersey QB Doug Flutie is listed as doubtful this week due to a neck injury suffered against Pittsburgh, while Memphis will likely be without Mike Kelley for at least another week. Chicago wideout Michael Haynes is listed as questionable after suffering a hamstring injurythis week, while Arizona is concerned about their star wideout, Trumaine Johnson, who seemed to suffer a knee injury late in the game this week. Finally, Washington will likely miss DE Charles Haley this week as he deals with turf toe.
LOOKING AHEAD
Week 4 offers some intriguing matchups as the Southern Division returns to the Atlantic to face off in the conference and the Pacific teams head to the heartland to take on the Central Division. We are not going to miss the matchup between the Bandits and the Stars in Veterans Stadium this week, and we also like the prospects of the Renegades at the Flutie-less Generals, the Showboats taking on the Blitz, and the Maulers looking to move to 3-1 if they can upend the Showboats. Washington also has a rare opportunity to reach 3-1 to start the year as they host the winless Bulls.
Chicago will hope to get past their 0-3 start as they host the anemic offense of the LA Express, but the more engaging game out west is the 2-1 upstart Portland Thunder traveling to the 3-0 Michigan Panthers. That game will be a true test of the overhaul the Thunder did to their roster and a tough prep for new coach Dennis Erickson. Other Western Conference games to catch if you can include 2-1 Arizona facing 2-1 New Orleans in the Superdome and 2-1 Oakland looking to send Houston to 0-4. Finally, we have the Denver Gold traveling to San Marcos to take on the 1-2 but always dangerous Texas Outlaws.
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