1992 Week 5 Recap: No one Undefeated, No one Winless in Balanced USFL Season

CHI 41 NJ 28

New Jersey’s defense lets them down as Chicago gains 436 yards of offense, including a combined 127 yards rushing from Ricky Watters and Albert Bentley, and 309 yards from QB Chuck Long. At the same time Herschel Walker had a second straight rough game, gaining only 30 yards behind a mysteriously ineffective O-line.

HOU 38 PHI 31

Browning Nagle returns to action and has his best game yet, throwing for 316 and 2 scores with no picks, but it is not enough as Jim Kelly tosses 4 TD passes and Thurman Thomas combines 137 yards rushing with 89 yards receiving for a whopping 216 yards from scrimmage.

MGN 17 PIT 29

The Maulers move to 4-1 out of the gate thanks to a 22 for 27 day for Alan Risher and 95 tough yards from Mike Rozier. Michigan was game, and Rodney Culver averaged 8.2 carries in limited action, but it was not enough as Pittsburgh got a Lydel Carr TD and a safety in the second half to bust open a 20-17 game at the half.

NOR 13 WSH 20

Washington had their best defensive game of the year, limiting Marcus Dupree to only 37 yards rushing and sacking Matt Robinson 4 times on their way to a hard fought home win. Barry Word added 94 yards and 2 scores as he is now the clear lead rusher for the Federals.

TEX 13 BAL 37

Baltimore has a solid defensive gameplan against the Outlaws, winning by 24 despite being outgained by Texas. Chris Miller would throw 3 TD’s in the game, including two early strikes to Derek Hill. Add in a 95-yard day from Barry Foster and even Reggie Cobb’s 106 was not enough to keep Texas in the game. The win is Baltimore’s 2nd of the year, while last year’s #1 Western seed falls to 1-3-1 after 5 weeks.

ARZ 19 JAX 30

Arizona’s defense, after several good outings, struggles to contain the Bulls, as Jamie Morris rushes for 103 and Tony Eason tosses two touchdowns to pace the Bulls to the win. Robbie Bosco found Trumaine Johnson for 114 yards and Bruce Hill for another 124, but the endzone still eluded the Wranglers.

OAK 38 ORL 28

In a rematch of last year’s Summer Bowl, the Invaders again came out on top, courtesy of a 4-TD day from Gale Gilbert. Gilbert threw for 305 on the day, finding Henry Ellard for two scores and then hitting Mark Duper and Sam Bowers for one each as the Invaders outscored Orlando 14-0 in the second half to take the game once again.

POR 24 TBY 21

Oliver Luck gains a bit of revenge against a Tampa fan base that booed him throughout the game. His final minute TD pass to Hart Lee Dykes gave Portland an important road win. Luck was helped by a Tampa D that simply cannot stop the run, allowing 113 to Robert Drummond on only 20 carries.

STL 23 BIR 33

Birmingham hands the Knights their third straight loss as Joe Cribbs gains 120 and Brett Favre throws for 256 and 2 scores. Despite being sacked 5 times, Favre hung in the pocket and did not turn the ball over. The game was not as close as the final score indicated as Birmingham rested some players up 33-9 and St. Louis scored twice against the backups to make the score a little more respectable.

DENVER GOLD 22 MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 17

Denver wins their second in a row as their defense starts to come together for Coach Walton. The bend-but-don’t break philosophy kept Denver in the game despite being outgained 321-192. Down 17-16 with 5 minutes left in the 4th, Dave Krieg found Odessa Turner for a late score to help the Gold knock the Showboats from the ranks of the undefeated.

It was a modest game all around for the Denver offense as Dave Krieg only threw for 133 on a 15/26 day. But, he avoided turnovers, while Memphis fumbled away the ball 3 times against an aggressive ball-hawking Denver D. Kurt Gouveia had a monster game, forcing 3 fumbles and recovering 3 (he recovered two he caused and one forced by Latin Berry). Charles Mincey added a pick-six interception of Mike Kelley to help Denver’s D win the day.

Denver built up an early lead on the Mincy TD and two field goals, but Memphis got TD catches from rookie Carl Pickens and veteran Jo-Jo Townsell to pull back into the game. After a Kevin Shea 53-yarder put them up 17-16 late in the 4th, Dave Krieg led a 2-minute drill to regain the lead that Denver had held all day. After scrambling for a first down on a broken 3rd down play, Krieg faked the ball to Lars Tate on the ensuing first down and found Odessa Turner in single coverage for the winning score.

Memphis, with the loss, still leads the South, but now by only 1 game over Jacksonville, with the rest of the division 1 game behind that. The win, Denver’s 2nd straight, pulls them within 1 game of Arizona at 2-3, in a 4-team pack with that same record.

Let’s reward both our offensive and defensive stars this week. Once again with Houston we find the indominable Thurman Thomas once again proving why he is the most dangerous dual threat in the game today.

Not only does he rush 20 times for 137 yards and a score, but Kelly finds him 4 times for another 89 yards and a second touchdown. This is exactly the kind of performance that has made Thomas a hero in Texas and one of the league’s most marketable backs.

On defense it is the always-consistent centerpiece of the Denver defense, LB Kurt Gouveia who once again shines. His three forced fumbles and equally important three recoveries, ruined Memphis drives and gave Denver the kind of short field that they thrive on with their grind-it-out offense. Add in 9 tackles and Kurt Gouveia was an easy choice for defensive player of the week.

We haven’t talked stadiums in a while, so let’s dive into some news about USFL team homes. The biggest news at present is in Portland, where the city has agreed to the deal proposed by the Thunder to expand Civic Stadium from its current diminutive 24,000 up to 35,500. The renovation and expansion will begin as soon as the Thunder season ends, and is likely to force the Thunder to play several games in Corvallis or Eugene until the renovation is complete, expected to be some time in May of 1993, midway through the USFL season. The Thunder are hoping to have a deal in place with either Oregon State University or the U. of Oregon within the next month, though they have also explored playing a game or two in Seattle to help shore up their regional appeal.

Another team hoping to get approval for renovations are the Memphis Showboats. The Liberty Bowl, with a capacity of 62,380, is certainly big enough for the ‘Boats but they are hoping to get approval to increase the number of luxury boxes and enclosed suites in the stadium. A referendum on this proposal, and a bond issuance to help cover the costs is expected to be on this Fall’s ballots. A similar bond issuance is anticipated in Baltimore, where the 50-year old Memorial Stadium still has amenities more appropriate for the 1970’s Colts than the 1990’s Blitz. Baltimore ownership is hoping to refurbish the aging structure’s internal facilities (offices, locker rooms, training rooms, etc.) but also to expand the luxury suite options by removing some open air seating. The club has not come close to selling out the 53,000 seat stadium, though crowds in the mid-40’s were common when the club first arrived in 1986. The planned renovation, if funded, would reduce capacity to just under 50,000 while adding 10 more suites for corporate and “high roller” sale.

Finally, in his pitch to the USFL to allow the sale of the Outlaws and the rights to the LA Express franchise, William Tatham has thrown around the idea of building a new football/soccer facility in Carson, CA, just outside central Los Angeles. This seems like a longshot idea unless Tatham can find partnership with a second franchise such as the California Angels baseball club or one of the two L.A. NFL teams. Getting either an MLB or NFL team to partner with the USFL on an LA stadium would be a major coup, though, with renegade owner Al Davis in LA you cannot rule out the Raiders going in with the USFL to secure a better home. The Coliseum has hardly been a solid option for the NFL Raiders, just as both it and Angel Stadium were problematic for the now-relocated Express.

Finally, in case you were wondering, all plans or dreams of a new NYC-based stadium for the Generals, something once touted by short-term owner Donald Trump, are on what appears to be a permanent hiatus. With both the NFL Jets and Giants committed to long term deals in the Meadowlands, there is little impetus to create a new stadium for the Generals. And with the Generals carefully crafting a “New Jersey” personality for their team, the thought that the team would abandon this hard-won image to bolt to the certainly more-expensive NYC option seems counter-productive.

The biggest knock for the week was the hip injury suffered by Ronnie Paggett. Paggett, who has been one of the league’s best pass rushers since the USFL began in 1983 is likely to miss the rest of the season, a season many thought would not come as the 37-year old was expected to have retired last year. With an injury like this, he may very well have played his last down of football, something no player wants to consider. Other injuries of note include a hairline fracture of the left arm for Houston wideout Brett Perriman, which may cost him up to 3 weeks as it heals. Michigan also lost DT Pio Sagapolutele, who has had nagging injuries all season. Oakland wideout Wyatt Henderson is likely to miss a game or two with a gimpy ankle, while St. Louis TE Todd Christiansen could equally miss 2-3 weeks with a hyper-extended knee.

Back to division battles for Week 6, and some good ones at that. Baltimore, coming off their second win of the year must face off against the Maulers in Three Rivers, while Philly travels to Washington to face the Federals. Birmingham and Orlando are both 2-3 as they enter their clash at the Citrus Bowl, while Memphis hopes to rebound from their first loss of the season but face the high octane offense of Tampa Bay. Chicago faces a big test in New Orleans this week, while Michigan hopes to steal a win from the Outlaws as they visit the Lone Star State. Out West Portland at 2-3 will visit division-leading 3-2 Arizona, while Oakland heads to Missouri to face the Knights. In inter-divisional play, things do not get easier for the Generals, who have lost 3 straight, as they head to Houston to face the red-hot Gamblers. Jacksonville make the trip up to Mile High to face Denver, winners of two straight.