1992 Week 7 Recap: Takeaways Turn Games.

PIT 24 NJ 19

The Maulers clearly establish themselves as the team to beat in the Atlantic division with a win against New Jersey and now a 6-1 record. Mike Rozier rushed for 145 yards and Alan Risher threw three touchdowns as the Maulers overcame the Generals in the final quarter to seal a win and hold onto sole possession of first in the division.

WSH 20 BAL 10

Washington had a tough go of it in Baltimore against the much feistier Blitz, trailing 10-6 through three quarters before two late touchdowns flipped the script. Barry Word plunged in from 2 yards out as the quarter began, and, following a Chris Miller interception, Don Majkowski found Herman Moore for a 2nd TD to help build a 10-point lead and give the Feds a win they needed to keep pace with Pittsburgh.

TBY 14 BIR 43

It was a whoompin’ at Legion Field as two turnovers and an injury to Troy Aikman hindered the Bandits, while Brett Favre’s 3 TD day, paired with 110 and a score from Joe Cribbs helped Birmingham crush their division rivals. Aikman is likely to miss 2-3 weeks, and John Fourcade needs to be better if Tampa is going to dig themselves out of a 3-4 hole.

HOU 23 NOR 20

The Gamblers got exactly what they needed to boost their team, a win at New Orleans and a share of first place. It was not easy for Houston as Jim Kelly was knocked out of the game after completing only 1 pass. Rookie David Klingler would come in, and he would rely heavily on the Gambler D and Thurman Thomas to get the win. It was a tipped ball from Matt Robinson, ending up in the hands of LB Pat Swilling that gave Houston the chance for the win on a late John Kasay 40-yard FG, but a win is a win and now Houston shares 1st place with the Breakers at 5-2.

TEX 35 CHI 28

Texas’s passing game is beginning to heat up, which is bad news for the league, and was bad news for Chicago on Sunday. Kelly Stouffer threw for 280 and a key TD to Quinn Early, and Reggie Cobb contributed two scores of his own as Texas climbed back from a 28-14 hole with 21 unanswered points in the second half to take the win. The defensive collapse caused for some bleeped language in Coach Schottenheimer’s post-game presser, as he bemoaned the 21-point swing.

ARZ 27 STL 30

St. Louis got solid days from Dan McGwire and Darrell Thompson on the way to a close win at home. The Knights managed to force 2 turnovers in the final 20 minutes of action on their way to three 4th quarter field goals to move from a 21-27 deficit to the 30-27 victory. Rookie Troy Vincent’s late interception of Bosco was key as it set the Knights up for the game winning kick from Olivera.

DEN 10 POR 20

The Thunder got back on the winning track with a home victory against the Gold. Oliver Luck was helped by a 3-headed HB combo of Drummond (42 yds), Flagler (37 yds) and Derek Loville (46 yds). The defense also played well, limiting Denver to only 50 yards rushing, a far cry from their usual run defense woes. The rain probably helped as well as most of the game was played on slick, mushy ground with a lot of sliding and stumbling affecting both teams.

PHI 14 MGN 24

Kelvin Bryant had his first 100-yard day of the year, but it was not enough as Jack Trudeau threw 2 TD passes and the combo of Workman and Culver combined for 135 yards and a score. Philly never led as Michigan scored first on a Butch Rolle TD catch, and was always at least 3 points up on the Stars throughout.

MEM 24 OAK 17

Memphis got a late score from Bobby Joe Edmunds to break a 17-17 tie and end their 2-game losing streak. Mike Kelley had one of his best days this year, completing 76% of his throws and finding Edmunds twice and Jo-Jo Townsell once to outpace the Invaders. Memphis kept Ellard and Duper in check, making 2nd year wideout Ed McCaffrey the leading receiver for the Invaders.

ORLANDO RENEGADES 45 JACKSONVILLE BULLS 48

This is one nobody wanted to see finish, an absolute shootout between the ‘Gades and the Bulls. The two teams combined for 938 yards of offense, including 433 yards passing for Tony Eason, 349 for Collier, and 8 touchdown passes between the two. Dalton Hilliard also found the endzone twice for Orlando, but in the end it was the right foot of Pete Stoyanovich, with 13 seconds left, that determined the outcome.

The game was 7-7 after a tentative start from both offenses in the first quarter. Todd Fowler had the first Orlando TD, while Eason found Jones for Jacksonville’s first score. In the 2nd quarter the Bulls would pull out to a healthy lead with Eason hitting both Steve Johnson and Brian Blades for scores, and Stoyanovich kicking a 23 yarder as the Bulls built the largest lead of the day, 24-7.

Orlando roared back, kicking a field goal to end the first half, and then getting 2 Hilliard TD runs to open the 3rd, andwe were back to 24 apiece. What followed was a back and forth game of one-upmanship. Blades scored again for the Bulls, then John Jefferson for Orlando, Domingo Bryant ran back a rare miscue by Collier for a TD, then Hilliard got his third TD (a reception this time). Hassan Jones and Todd Fowler both scored again, and we knew that it was all about who had the ball last.

Jacksonville received the kickoff after the Fowler TD tied the game at 45, and with just over 4 minutes left, they milked the clock, abandoning the deep ball entirely and relying on short passes and runs by the revenant James Wilder (back after several weeks on the injured list) to slowly move the ball down the field against an exhausted Renegade defense. With only seconds left to play, Edgar Bennett dove to center the ball at the Orlando 17 yard line, and Stoyanovich came in and drove a dagger in the heart of about 15,000 ‘Gade fans who made the trek up to the Gator Bowl. The win moves Jacksonville above .500 at 4-3, and condemns the Renegades to the division basement at 2-5, a position no one predicted for the defending conference champions when this season began.

This week’s Offensive and Defensive performers of the week both come from that exhilarating Orlando-Jacksonville game. On offense it has to be Tony Eason, whose 5-TD day helped Jacksonville edge out the Renegades in front of a raucous crowd.

On the defensive side, this was a week where turnovers and takeaways absolutely turned the tide of several games, but no takeaway was more impactful than Domingo Bryant’s interception for a TD against Orlando. That one play not only stopped a very good-looking Orlando drive, but gave Jacksonville a needed boost and the ability to play for the win late in the game. The combination of offensive fireworks, and one key defensive play in a game that was by no means a defensive showcase, turned the tide for Jacksonville and gave them a much-needed divisional win.

We have news on the LA front, as the league this week, by an 18-1 vote (with Texas obviously abstaining) approved the plan for William Tatham to sell the Texas Outlaws controlling ownership and take on the responsibility of forming an expansion LA Express franchise for the 1995 season. There are several promising bids for the Outlaws franchise and it is expected that a sale will be finalized and approved at some point during the 1992 offseason.

As for Los Angeles, the league has given the rights to the city to Tatham, so there will be no counter bids for the expansion club. The owners also voted to approve an expansion plan that will begin with bids from cities this offseason, with a final decision on which cities, and how many cities, to add in 1995 planned for Spring 1993. The size of the expansion pool, whether LA plus one other city, or LA plus 3 additional citeis, will almost certainly depend upon the quality of the various bids and the potential structural changes caused by a 22 vs. 24 team league. Having 11 teams in each conference, as a 22-team league would entail, may be actually more problematic than having 12 teams in each conference, perhaps in a six-division format.

We already know that there are ownership groups in development for bids in multiple cities, including Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Columbus (OH), Kansas City, Minneapolis and Charlotte. But we also know that the NFL is looking at potential expansion in the same year, so it is very possible that ownership groups will make their pitch to both leagues and some competition between the leagues will be inevitable.

This may favor USFL ownership groups seeking to add a franchise to an already existing NFL city, such as Atlanta, Dallas, or Seattle, and there may also be some bidders who clearly favor one league over the other. Add to this the possibility that the NFL may wish to reexamine “lost” cities such as St. Louis and Baltimore, or explore putting a franchise in a USFL city that has been particularly successful with attendance, a Jacksonville, Birmingham, or Memphis, for example, and the process of having both leagues looking to expand at the same time becomes incredibly complex.

As you may have already noticed, this was a rough week for starting quarterbacks. Troy Aikman of Tampa Bay, Jim Kelly of Houston, and Chuck Long of Chicago are all expected to miss time due to injuries. Aikman’s is an abdominal tear which could take up to 2-3 weeks to repair. He will likely wear a special jacket to protect it after he returns. For Kelly, it is a deep thigh bruise which has him listed as Doubtful for this week, but he may return in Week 9. Chuck Long is dealing with a hairline fracture in a bone in his throwing hand, which might mean 1-3 weeks of recovery. In other news, it looks like NJ Wideout Irving Fryar could miss this week, listed as questionable after dislocating a finger in his right hand this week. St. Louis defensive leader, LB Chip Banks, is also questionable after suffering a groin injury.

Week 8 marks the midpoint of the USFL season, and we have another really strong slate of games as we have intra-conference but inter-division matchups across the board. Washington is trying to gain a game to equal Pittsburgh, but must travel to Birmingham to face young phenom Brett Favre and the Stallions. Pittsburgh will be in Tampa Bay, hoping for a road win themselves to keep one up on the Feds. Meanwhile Memphis hosts the Generals and Jacksonville the Blitz as the Southern teams try to keep on the winning side of the scoreboard. In a game that may shockingly have draft pick ramifications, the 2-5 Orlando Renegades are hosting the 1-6 Philadelphia Stars.

In the Western Conference the most intriguing matchup has Houston traveling to Oakland to take on a sub-.500 Invaders squad that most think are ripe for a winning streak. Texas , back to .500 at 3-3-1 will be in Arizona to face the Wranglers, while Central Division co-leaders New Orleans make the trip up river to face St. Louis. Chicago hopes they can avoid altitude issues and steal a win from the 3-4 Denver Gold, while the Michigan Panthers are expecting to get wet as they visit rainy Portland to face the Thunder.