Championship football. The chance to be declared the Best of the West or the Beast of the East. Two teams’ tickets to the Summer Bowl and a piece of history, to raise aloft the USFL Championship trophy and celebrate being the best team in the league. Four teams enter this week with dreams of just that, and two move on with the chance to bring a championship home. After 16 weeks of competition, 2 weeks of playoff drama, it comes down to this for a chance to book passage to Los Angeles and the USFL Summer Bowl.
Gamblers 14 Invaders 21
One play. Sometimes that is all it takes. One play to swing momentum. One play to clinch a victory or seal a defeat. One play to change the course of a game. One play to define a season. It only took one play for Houston’s entire gameplan to become moot, and one play for them to go from the top of the world to the pits of despair. That play came early on Sunday, when, on the 5th play from scrimmage, Thurman Thomas caught a swing pass, planted to cut, and felt his knee give out on him. The dual threat star of the Gamblers, the center point for their entire offense, was on the turf, holding his knee and waiting for training staff to race across the field to him. His day was done, his game over, and now the Gamblers would watch him hop to the sideline, held aloft by two linemen, and then carted out to the locker room.
The Gamblers would never recover. Henry Ellard would score the first points for Oakland, but the game already felt lost for the Houston faithful. Even when Reggie Sutton returned a Gilbert pass for a touchdown to tie the score, the few Houston faithful in the Oakland-Alameda Stadium did not go wild. They cheered, but it was half-hearted. Oakland would finish the half with Gilbert connecting with rookie Ed McCaffrey to go up 14-7, but there was a sense that the game was over already. In the second half, Oakland would score again, Gilbert’s third TD pass, this time to Wyatt Henderson, and Jim Kelly would find Keith McKeller for a late score, but with the Gamblers only gaining 27 yards with Keith Woodside, and with the defense playing to contain the passing game, the Gamblers were a shadow of themselves. Oakland was heading to the Summer Bowl, in part due to their tenacity, in part due to Gale Gilbert’s poise facing the Houston defense, but just as much because of one play that changed everything.
Federals 20 Renegades 27
It may be a year later, but the 1990 Offensive Player of the Year had his moment this week as the Renegades came back to first tie and then defeat the Washington Federals. Reggie Collier would have one of his best games of the year, completing 29 of 35 throws for over 300 yards and three scores, and the Orlando Renegades, who surprised the league by winning the Southern Division, would be moving on to the Summer Bowl.
The game was a back and forth affair all evening. Orlando took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, with Collier finding Wamon Buggs for an early score and then leading the ‘Gades into field goal range for Fuad Reveiz. Washington would recover and score the next 13 points, retaking the lead when Ray Wersching knocked through his second field goal with only 6 seconds remaining in the half. In the second half, Reveiz would tie the score with a 38-yard kick, but Washington would take the lead 20-13 on a Barry Word 13-yard TD run. It would come down to the final quarter, and in that clutch final period, Collier would shine. He led the Renegades on two consecutive scoring drives, the first ending with a 2nd TD toss to Buggs, and, only 4 minutes later, hitting his top receiver, John Jefferson, with the game winner.
Collier found 8 different receivers on the day, hitting Jefferson 8 times, Buggs and HB Bledsoe 4 each, and TE Dante Whittaker 5 times. Washington too relied on the passing game, getting only 87 yards combined from Word and Harmon on the ground. Don Majkowski played three good quarters, alternating between Joey Walters, Travis McNeal, and rookie Herman Moore, but in the fourth the passes simply did not connect, with Majkowski going 3 for 13 in the quarter. Orlando had shifted the momentum of the game, and held up by the cheers of the partisan Citrus Bowl crowd, the Renegades played shutout defense in the final quarter, helping the team reach a goal that seemed so distant only 4 months ago, the Summer Bowl.
SUMMER BOWL PREVIEW
So it will be the upstart against the also-ran, the up-and-comer against the perennial bridesmaid. Orlando vs. Oakland for the USFL title. This is not a matchup picked by anyone when the season began, but both clubs outperformed expectations all year long and both survived the pressure of the playoff battles to get here. Orlando knocked off the past two league champions to reach the Summer Bowl, while Oakland used home field advantage to take out both New Orleans and Houston, an advantage they may just maintain as a California-heavy crowd is expected in the LA Coliseum next Sunday when the Invaders take on the Renegades. Orlando has the clear advantage in the passing game, with 1990 Offensive Player of the Year, Reggie Collier at the helm. Oakland, behind the shifty moves of Richard Williams, is likely to win the ground battle. Both teams have proven that they have defenses capable of containing the opposition, and both have shown grit in overcoming obstacles to be here.
The two met back in Week 3, an Orlando home loss as Oakland slowed down the Renegades and pulled out a 16-13 victory thanks to a swarming defense and the right foot of Kevin Shea, who kicked 3 field goals to give the W to the visiting Invaders. Jeff Kemp was still the QB for the Invaders at that point. His injury only a week later would prove a turning point for the team, creating a sense of purpose and a somber respect for the game and what it took to win it. The loss would also prove a spark-point for the Renegades, who would go on to win 8 of the next 9 games on their way to the Eastern Conference’s best record and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Orlando seems to have the advantage on paper, with their defense ranked 2nd in the league in points per game (Oakland’s is 8th) and with their offense averaging 5 points a game more than Oakland. But the stats don’t always tell the story. Oakland has been underestimated all year, as Pacific teams tend to be, but they have found ways to win the big games. They were underdogs despite being the home team against both the Breakers and Gamblers, but they fought their way through. It’s that disparity, between who expects to win and who wants to win, between the upstart and the also-ran that makes this an intriguing championship. One way or another we will see a new, first time, champion atop the USFL in one week’s time, and that alone is something to get excited about.
Not all the news this week was about the Championships and the Summer Bowl matchup, though at times it can seem that way. We had big news in the coaching world across the league, and we have seen our first free agent news of the offseason (though technically, all contracts are in limbo until next Monday.)
Memphis has made their choice for Head Coach and fans of hard-hitting, no mercy defense are likely going to be very happy. The mastermind of the 46 defense, former 1985 Bears Championship DC, and former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Buddy Ryan, will be taking the reins of the Showboats. That is likely very good news for the likes of Reggie White, DT Curtis Maxey, LBs, Mike Douglass, Mike Junkin and Eddie Simons, and safeties Bennie Blades and Bubba McDowell. Memphis is about to become a truly aggressive defensive team. It may not be as welcome in the QB room as Coach Ryan is not known for his offensive schemes or his love for QB’s. A good defense can be a great boon to an offense, and after the collapse from playoff contender to also-ran this year, perhaps a focus on one side of the ball is just what the Showboats need.
Baltimore also found their next Head Coach, and in doing so they reached back into the USFL’s past, found a coach who once built an expansion club into a playoff team, and hired former Jacksonville Bulls HC Lindy Infante to reinvent the Blitz team. Infante spent 5 years in Jacksonville, building up the expansion Bulls from the ground up. He began with a 6-10 expansion roster and the very next year had them in the playoffs at 9-7, then a year later 11-5, before the team slipped again. He left Jacksonville with an overall record of 40-40-0 over 5 years, but it is likely his success in building from nothing that intrigued the Blitz the most. They are not an expansion club, but after going 0-16 this season it is clear that they need to start from the ground up. Infante has been signed to do just that, to build a roster, build a culture, and bring back winning football to the Blitz.
The other coaching story this week, one we highlighted last week, has come to fruition. After a long meeting with the New Jersey Generals’ front office staff, including the GM and the President of Football Operations, Perkins announced his resignation from the club. Despite taking the Generals to the pinnacle of the USFL in 1989, winning the clubs only league title, and despite once again making the playoffs this year, with a 7-game win streak following a 2-6 start, Perkins and Generals brass simply could not make it work. Tension over the QB situation spilled into other aspects of the team, and at the end of the day, Perkins simply wanted more control than the Generals were willing to give him. He leaves behind a team that made it to the divisional playoffs, but one which will very quickly need to determine a path forward, for themselves and for QB Doug Flutie. Who the Generals hire to replace Perkins will very likely determine whether the former Heisman Winner is willing to listen to an offer from the Generals or if he will seek to ply his wares elsewhere.
Finally, we have the first inkling of potential free agent signings as several teams seem to have verbal agreements in place with players on the market. According to inside sources you can expect to see the following movement next week:
Philadelphia appears to have a deal ready to go for former Denver and (briefly) Baltimore QB Bob Gagliano. This may be an indication that they have heard from longtime QB Chuck Fusina about possible retirement. Gagliano would likely serve as a backup and mentor for 1991 rookie QB Browning Nagle.
Portland has also hinted at QB news, with an expectation that on Monday they will announce the signing of former Tampa Bay backup Oliver Luck. Luck had some solid numbers in Tampa but was never able to gain the trust of the fans or Coach Spurrier. His arrival in Portland may very well indicate the Thunder’s willingness to trade away former starter David Archer after the comeback season Kerwin Bell had this year.
Denver is rumored to have reached an agreement with former Tampa Bay wideout Willie Gillespie. With both Bill Brooks and Odessa Turner in the free agency pool, Denver may be anticipating one or both leaving the Rockies for greener pastures.
Pittsburgh LB Dino Hackett has all but announced that he is signing with division rival New Jersey, while his teammate Manu Tuiasosopo has been linked to Birmingham.
Other, perhaps more tenuous stories, have New Orleans HB Dalton Hilliard in serious conversations with both Baltimore and Jacksonville, while one of Washington’s 1-2 punch, Kevin Harmon has been in conversations with Tampa Bay. One of the biggest names in the free agency pool, Carlos Carson remains in conversations with the Outlaws, but has also made visits to both Houston and Arizona, while the top defensive star in the free agent pool, LA/STL CB Raphel Cherry has visited Birmingham, Washington, and Philadelphia in the past 2 weeks.
We will, of course, know more next week, as Free Agency officially opens and teams can formally sign players both from the NFL and fellow USFL clubs. For now we sign off with the first of three anticipated uniform unveils this offseason. Russell Athletic has revealed the modified look for the Pittsburgh Maulers. The team will now have a choice between their grey pants and a purple set. You may also notice changes to the helmet stripe, the jersey sleeve stripes, and the addition of the team name to the jersey. Other than that, the Maulers pretty much look like the same team that we have seen on the field since 1984.
