SCORES
NJ 26 BAL 13
New Jersey doubles up Baltimore in the Flutie-Miller grudge match as Doug Flutie has his best game of the year. Flutie goes 23/40 for 307 yards and runs in 2 TDs as the Generals win despite yet another bad game for Herschel Walker. This marks the 4th straight week under 100 yards for the usually dependable back.
PHI 24 PIT 21
A huge upset in the Keystone Clash as Browning Nagle throws 2 TDs, including the game winner to Tom Donovan with only 1:18 left to play to knock off the league-leading Maulers. Rozier still had a huge game, averaging 7.3 yards per carry on his way to 167 yards rushing, but Philly was able to hang close and get that one key drive at the end to upend Pittsburgh.
JAX 31 BIR 30
Another great finish as Birmingham and Jacksonville dueled to the very end. Rosenbach had 413 yards passing, outdoing Favre’s 357. In the end it was Rosenbach to Wilder for 11 yards with 58 seconds in the game that gave the Bulls the win. Ernest Givens had 168 yards and 2 scores in the losing cause, while Brian Blades had 117.
MEM 30 ORL 27
This great Southern clash went to overtime to find a winner as Craig Erickson had another strong game in relief of Reggie Collier, throwing for 287 yards and 3 scores. Memphis got the win thanks in part to a blocked punt in the 2nd quarter when Orlando had to punt from their endzone. The ball never made it off the foot of the punter and Mike Junkin landed on it for 6.
HOU 24 CHI 21
Houston built up a 24-6 lead before Chicago came roaring back, but it was too little, too late for the Machine as the Gamblers held on to win. Chuck Long returned to action an dthew for 276, but it was Jim Kelly’s 3 TD passes and Thurman Thomas’s 190 combined yards from scrimmage that did in the Machine and gave Houston sole possession of first place in the Central.
NOR 24 MGN 37
Michigan used their pass rush to disrupt and torment Matt Dunigan, causing 5 sacks and 2 interceptions on their way to a big divisional win over the Breakers. Jack Trudeau had one of his better games this year, throwing for 297 yards and 3 scores. LB Jim Schwantz had his highlight moment, snagging a tipped ball and running it back 43 yards for a TD to help the Panthers get back in the playoff hunt.
ARZ 14 DEN 13
Denver played this one close, but two Dave Krieg interceptions and a 4 of 12 third down conversion rate gave Arizona just enough of an edge to pull out a needed win. Neither offense looked good in this one, but a Lionel James 1 yard plunge and a 4th quarter Bosco to Hawkins TD pass was enough to defeat the Gold.
POR 17 OAK 18
Another nailbiter in a week of great battles and close games. In this one Portland built up a 17-3 lead at the half, thanks to a Drummond TD run and a Webster Slaughter 10-yard score. In the second half Oakland came alive, scoring 15 points on a FG, a Paul Palmer TD run and a Gilbert to Ellard game-winner with only 42 seconds left (missing the 2-point PAT on both scores). A heartbreaker for the Thunder, but a solid home win for the Invaders, who now join a 3-way tie atop the division.
TBY 44 STL 17
Troy Aikman and Mike Rae split action as Aikman got poked in the eye and sat most of the second half. Both QB’s threw for 2 scores each as Tampa rolled over the Knights. Eric Truvillion was huge, catching 7 balls for 170 yards and a score. Collinsworth added 2 more scores and Kevin Harmon, despite being limited to only 10 carries and a 2.8 yard average, punched in a TD as the Bandits simply outclassed the Knights on the day.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS 30 TEXAS OUTLAWS 27
In a week with so many last second game-flipping scores and so many close matchups it was hard to pick just one game of the week, but for sheer drama, the matchup between the Feds and Outlaws had it all. It was a battle of backups as Mike Hohensee and Glen Carano got the starts. Both would play well, and both would get help as the two teams battled back and forth all game long under the hot Texas sun.
The scoring got underway after a bad punt gave Washington the ball on their own 47 yard line. They drove down the short field and Barry Word dove off tackle from the 1 to put them up 7-0. They added a field goal early in the 2nd before Texas got on the board with an Eric Metcalf 23-yard score. Each team then traded short drives and field goals as the game went to the half at 13-10 Federals.
Texas would gain its first lead of the day on an errant Hohensee pass, that ended up in the hands of LB Garth Jax. Jax got a convoy of Outlaw defenders on his way 29 yards to the endzone and suddenly Texas was up 17-13. Washington responded with a Hohensee to Walters TD pass that regained the lead only 5 minutes later.
Texas began the 4th quarter with a quick 5-play, 62 yard drive that was capped off by a Carano to Early 20-yard TD pass. They would get a Federals turnover on the next drive and add to their lead with a field goal. Texas up 27-20 with 8:12 left to play. But, as had happened all game, the Feds responded to the Texas lead with a good drive. It took them 6 minutes, but they tied the game on a 1-yard Jamie Covington plunge with 2:33 left to play.
Kicking the ball deep, Washington held Texas to a 3-and-out, and took over the ball with just over 1 minute to play. They used short passes to the sidelines, and one really nice draw play to Word to move the ballot the Texas 35, and on 4th and 3 they opted to go for the long field goal. Ray Wersching connected on his longest kick of the year, a 52-yarder, and Washington got the road win. With Pittsburgh’s loss already in the books, the win pulled the Feds within 1 game of the Atlantic leaders, while the loss pushed Texas back to .500 at 5-5-1.
This week’s performance of the week is going to Jacksonville QB Timm Rosenbach. The one-time General is making a case for a starting job, perhaps not with the Bulls, but somewhere. After serving as Doug Flutie’s backup, and making the BC star feel uncomfortable, Rosenbach was traded to Jacksonville, where he was presumed to be the starter.
An injury gave Tony Eason a shot, and Eason had an MVP season to keep Rosenbach on the bench. Now the longsuffering QB has had his chance to turn the tables and show that he has what it takes to start in the USFL. Since Eason’s injury, Rosenbach has been lighting up the scoreboard and has helped to push the Bulls to 8-3 and a share of first in the division. This week that included a 413 yard game with 3 TD passes as the Bulls edged past the Birmingham Stallions, 31-30. If he continues to perform like this, he is going to have a lot of leverage against the Bulls to either promote him to the starting position or trade him somewhere that will give him the starting gig. There are quite a few teams that might be in the hunt for a QB this offseason, so don’t be surprised if continued strong outings from Rosenbach lead to Jacksonville asking top dollar for a trade and the QB finding his desired starting gig somewhere in this league.
Once again we are in a situation where the standings are tightening up. Pittsburgh’s loss means that we have 3 teams tied atop the Eastern Conference playoff standings at 8-3, with Washington only a game back at 7-4. Birmingham currently holds the 5th spot, but Tampa and Orlando are both within range to jump up and steal that last playoff berth. In the West, we have Houston at 7-4 and then 5 teams all at 6-5 as no division is settled yet.
Texas, Chicago , St. Louis and Michigan are all within 1 game of those four as well, so we are looking at 9 teams realistically battling for 5 spots. With divisional matchups highlighting the schedule in weeks 13-16, this is going to get scrappy all across the league.
Thinking about Timm Rosenbach, and others who have stepped in and played well this season as backup QBs, we have to wonder just how much QB movement we will see this offseason. We only have a few starters who are free agents (Gale Gilbert being the most noteworthy), but we do have several teams who could use an upgrade at the position. Who is likely to move, and who is likely to be in the QB market. Let’s look at teams with potential flux at the position.
JACKSONVILLE: They have to be looking to sell as Rosenbach is not happy as a backup and with his recent performance the market will be high and the Bulls can cash in for picks or players. Expect them to keep Eason and trade Rosenbach.
BIRMINGHAM: Do they really keep Cliff Stoudt as a backup? Favre is clearly going to be the starter from now on, but will Stoudt be satisfied fading into the background after being the starter in the southern Steel City since 1984? I expect the Stallions would like to retain both, but that may be up to Stoudt.
BALTIMORE: They have gone with Miller as their QB all season, over Eric Kramer, but neither looks like a guy you can count on to lead you out of the bottom half of the league. Do they start over and try to sign someone new, or do they give Miller another year, with more talent around him and see if our analysis is wrong.
NEW JERSEY: Doug Flutie, for all his flash and highlight reel moments, is just not consistent enough or effective enough. It has been 2 years since he helped the Generals to a league title, but fans seem to be turning on him. Does New Jersey admit that trading Rosenbach was a mistake and go after a QB through trade, or do they stick to their guns and retain the Heisman winner as their QB?
DENVER: First they tried Vince Evans, now Dave Krieg, and maybe the issue is that there is not enough talent around either of them, but it seems obvious that this offense is in trouble. Is a new QB the answer or does Denver need to invest in receivers, a true bellcow back, and some line improvements?
PHILADELPHIA: Browning Nagle has had some moments, especially in the past 2 weeks of Philly wins, but he has also had some real stinkers. Coach Bicknell has hesitated to bring in Gagliano, and we are not even sure that Gagliano is the answer. Our expectation is that Nagle is likely to get a second year to show what he can do, but if the asking price for a Rosenbach, Stoudt, or even Craig Erickson is not too high, do they go hunting a new starter?
NEW ORLEANS: If Matt Robinson decides that 2 straight years ended on the IR is enough for him, the Breakers have to get a more talented signal caller. Matt Dunigan is simply not good enough to consistently win in the USFL. This is a prime destination for Rosenbach, or Stoudt if New Orleans is not afraid of his age. They could also look for a high impact rookie, if they are willing to compete with the NFL to sign a rising star like Washington State’s Drew Bledsoe or Notre Dame’s Rick Mirer. That is an expensive route to go, and neither prospect has much of a fanbase in the south. We could see a trade for Stoudt as a 1-year solution as the Breakers wait for 1994 and a potential run at Tennessee’s Heath Shuler.
ST. LOUIS: Dan McGwire has improved this year, enough at least to keep David Archer on the bench. We would have looked at the Knights as a prime player for a QB upgrade in the preseason, but with them playing better as a team and with McGwire improving, we think they are a longshot to try to upgrade. They are more likely to look to the run game and the defensive line as areas of improvement.
Outside of a few scary injuries, such as Washington guard Mark Hutson’s season-ending broken leg, or Baltimore CB Torrin Dorn’s back injury, this week was relatively good around the league on the injury front. We did see Kelly Stouffer sit out a game due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder, but he is expected to get the start next week. Troy Aikman left the game after suffering a poke to the eye, but he will be fine for Week 12. Don Majkowski may miss another week before he can return. It also looks like at least 1 more week on the sideline for Joe Cribbs in Birmingham. Expected back this week are Wamon Buggs in Orlando, LB Bob Crable in St. Louis, tackle Eugene Chung for Texas, and LB Broderick Thomas in Arizona.
We have 2 weeks of inter-divisional play and 3 weeks of division games left on the schedule, and this week marks our last Atlantic-South and Central-Pacific clashes of the year. With both divisions in each conference so tight and with so many playoff positions in dispute, this week could be a huge factor in determining who is in and who is out. Birmingham hopes to rebound with a home game against the Generals, while Jacksonville has to be wary of a feisty Philadelphia squad. Memphis has the toughest matchup as they face a Maulers team that is sure to be angry after their loss this week. Washington is hoping to pull closer to Pittsburgh if they can top the Renegades in Orlando, and Baltimore, still looking for a 3rd win, is in Tampa to face the Bandits. Out in the Western Conference, Houston and Arizona will tussle in Tempe, New Orleans has a tough game in Oakland, Texas will be in Portland, Chicago starts a new rivalry with St. Louis as the two face off in Busch Stadium, and the Michigan Panthers are hoping to reach .500 with a win in Denver.