A new season is upon us, full of excitement, full of potential, and 20 teams that all think they are better than the year before. There will be time for harsh realizations later, for now it is all about optimism and the chance to start over. Week one is here, and Season 9 is about to kick off. Are you ready for some USFL Football?
(And just a quick website note. I have updated the TEAMS page with new historical records and links to both present (1991) and past uniforms for each team. Enjoy)
NJ 17 PIT 21
Pittsburgh’s defense comes up big against the Generals, holding the New Jersey offense to only 10 points to help backup Jeff Hostetler bring the Maulers back after starter Alan Risher is knocked out of the game. Hostetler responds with a late TD to rookie Mike Pritchard (his only catch of the day) to knock off a division rival in front of an appreciative home crowd.
PHI 20 WSH 13
Philadelphia comes back from a 13-0 deficit to knock off the defending Champs. TD receptions by Mike Quick and Quinn Early highlight the Philly comeback as the defense shuts out Washington in the second half. Washington shifted Barry Word to Halfback for most of the game, as he rushed for 59 yards on 16 carries.
JAX 20 ORL 24
Timm Rosenbach is sacked 6 times by an aggressive Renegade defense but comes close to bringing the Bulls back in the 4th quarter. The Renegades get 3 TD’s from Reggie Collier, including 8 catches and 2 scores from John Jefferson.
MEM 24 TBY 30 OT
Aikman finds HB Todd Bell for an overtime TD to edge the Showboats in the season opener. Both QB’s throw for three scores each in a back and forth game, but Aikman’s 418 yards include a lateTD to Chris Kelley to tie the game and a game-winning drive to open the extra period.
CHI 24 NOR 30
A late Frederick Wilder pick-6 proves to be the game winner for the Breakers, who win despite going 0 for 11 on third down, thanks in part to 3 Chuck Long turnovers. In an otherwise even game, a 4-0 turnover margin for New Orleans helps them hold off a plucky Chicago squad.
HOU 12 MGN 13
A late TD from Vince Workman is the difference in a game that saw only 6 field goals until the game’s final minute. Both offenses struggled to finish drives as neither team is able to mount an effective ground game against the solid defense of their opponents.
ARZ 14 OAK 30
In his first game as the starting QB, Jeff Kemp leads the Invaders to a solid win over the Conference Champion. The Oakland defense gets the assist as they corral 2 turnovers and limit 3rd downs to 3 of 11 for the Invaders. A late Tory Nixon interception helps seal the deal for the homestanding Invaders.
DEN 19 LA 25 OT
In the week’s second overtime game, the rookies shine in overtime, with McGwire hitting Rocket Ismael for the winning score as time in the extra period ticks down. McGwire finishes the day with 243 yards and 2 scores, and newly acquired HB Buford Jordan rushes 18 times for 68 yards to help LA get the season off on the right foot.
BAL 13 POR 35
The Thunder overpower the Blitz at home as an effective Kerwin Bell replaces David Archer after a 1st quarter blow to the head. Cris Carter has a huge game with 139 yards receiving and a score for Portland, one of 4 TD’s thrown by Bell on the day. Baltimore looks sloppy, with 13 penalties for 113 yards on the day.
Birmingham Stallions 27
Texas Outlaws 30
Kelly Stouffer outduels Cliff Stoudt and sets up Nick Mike-Myer for a game winning field goal with 3 seconds on the clock to give Texas fans in San Marcos a thrilling victory. In a game which Texas led throughout, Cliff Stoudt found Ernest Givens with only 1:14 left to play to tie the game, only to see their hopes for overtime fade away as the Outlaws mount a frantic final minute drive to snatch victory on the walk-away field goal.
In a game which saw Carlos Carson catch 8 balls for a whopping 187 yards, none were bigger than a 38 yard reception on a 3rd and 17 with only 22 seconds left. Stouffer escaped the grasp of Kevin Greene and flung a desperation pass to Carson, who outlept two defenders to bring the ball in and put Texas in range for the gamewinning kick. The kick was frantic as the offense and kick teams had to scramble to get on the field and get lined up as the clock ticked down, but the 42-yarder sailed true, sending the Texas crowd of just over 24k into a frenzy.
Birmingham had trailed most of the game, despite a solid dual threat game from Joe Cribbs. Cribbs finished with 79 yards rushing along with 4 receptions for 61 yards and a TD on the day. For Texas one of the stars of the game was rookie CB Merton Hanks, who picked off Cliff Stoudt, sacked him on a corner blitz, and kept fellow rookie Lawrence Dawsey to only 2 receptions on the day.
Troy Aikman’s 418 yards edges Carlo Carson’s 187 yard day to take the first POTW award and powers the Bandits to a key early win against rival Memphis. Aikman found 9 different receivers on the day, but his clear favorites were the two wideouts Truvillion and Collinsworth, with the former gaining 137 yards and a score on 6 receptions and the latter hauling in 5 balls for 110 yards. Rookie Ben Coates also proved he was an effective receiver, snagging 4 balls for 67 yards. Aikman threw the ball 45 times as lead back Lars Tate was unable to get anything going, gaining only 1 yard on his 13 carries. Aikman’s 280 yards and 3 scores in the 2nd half and overtime were the difference after being largely contained by Memphis’s defense in the first half of the game.
For the first time in years the USFL’s opening weekend avoids any major weather concerns, as unseasonable warmth across much of the country allows the league its highest opening week attendance yet. Leading the way were large crowds in Washington to greet the new champions, as well as the usual strong attendance in Florida and in the domes in New Orleans and Michigan. Portland and Texas, which have the two smallest stadiums in the league, bring up the rear but both boast sellouts in their smaller venues. Even LA rebounds from their worst attendance year with a solid crowd of nearly 35,000 to greet the new look Express of McGwire and Ismael.
Despite seeing both Alan Risher and David Archer knocked out of games in the opening weekend, the week was a relatively injury-free affair, with only a handful of injuries that will keep players out for a week or more. Pittsburgh will likely have to start Jeff Hostetler for 1-2 weeks as Risher recovers, while Portland lists David Archer as doubtful, meaning Kerwin Bell will likely get 1 start before he returns. Other injuries likely to cost a player a week of action were a shoulder injury for Washington DE Charles Haley, knee swelling for Pittsburgh LB Eric Kumerow, a sprained knee for Denver wideout Odessa Turner, and an elbow injury for Michigan TE Butch Rolle.
The two divisions in each conference face off as the South and Pacific travel to face squads from the Atlantic and Central Divisions. Orlando will be in Baltimore, Tampa tests New Jersey, Birmingham is in Philadelphia, Jacksonville travels to Pittsburgh, and the Memphis Showboats will try to bounce back as they face the Defending Champs in Washington. In the Western Conference it will be Oakland in Chicago, Portland in Houston, Arizona faces the tough Michigan Defense, Denver is in the Big Easy to face the Breakers, and LA travels to San Marcos to face the Outlaws.