Chicago and Arizona entered this game with identical 3-1 records, and neither wanted to go home with a loss. The two battled until the final whistle, and then had to play some more to decide the game. Chicago got another masterful game from former NFL QB Bernie Kosar, while Arizona balanced Robbie Bosco’s passing with the rushing duo of Clack and James to eventually come away victorious in the desert.
The game started slowly, with both teams finding it difficult to drive the ball on the other. It was 3-3 after 1 quarter, but a final drive in the quarter helped set up Arizona for a score just as the 2nd quarter began as Bosco hit his favorite safety valve, TE Terry Orr, for a 5-yard TD on a rub route. Chicago answered with a field goal on their next drive, but Arizona seemed to take over as they finished the first half with a 11-play drive and a Darryl Clack TD run. They went into the halftime locker room up 17-6 and feeling good about where they stood.
The second half demonstrated that Marty Schottenheimer is a master of mid-game adjustments. He came out in the second half with a new strategy, moving to more 3-wide receiver formations, and swapping Albert Bentley for Ricky Watters. Bentley responded with a 12 yard TD run to help Chicago get back in the game. A second drive produced a field goal, and suddenly it was 17-17 (thanks in part to a 2-pt conversion).
Arizona responded in the 4th quarter, as Bosco found Bruce Hill in the endzone to go back up by 7, but it was not to last. Chicago again found holes in the Wrangle zone, and this time it was the team’s leading receiver, TE Wessley Walls, who got open on a skinny post, getting position on the safety, and coming down with the game-equalizing score. Arizona tried to get in range for Mick Luckhurst but an untimely holding call forced them to take a knee and send the game to overtime.
In overtime the Machine were forced into a 3-and-out, punting the ball to the Wranglers, and would not see the ball again. Arizona used a combination of short passes and inside runs by Clack to march deep into Machine territory. On a 2nd and 4 from the Chicago 21, the Wranglers planned to simply run Clack off the right side to position the ball for a winning field goal, but when the Chicago linebackers blitzed prematurely, Clack suddenly found himself with open field, and dragging a beleaguered cornerback with him, fell into the endzone for the game winning score. The win gives Arizona a one game lead over Denver and Portland, while Chicago, at 3-2 now falls a game behind Houston in a very tight Central division.
TEX 20 STL 21
The Knights finally notch one in the win column, coming back from a 20-9 deficit in the 4th thanks to two late David Archer TD passes. Archer, who got the start over Dan McGwire, only threw for 198 yards, and was less than accurate, completing only 24 of 50 pass attempts, but when the game needed to be won he found Rocket Ismail for 29 yards and then Tim Moffett from 8 yards out to pull out the win for the Knights.
NOR 25 POR 27
Danny McManus’s quick start is fading fast, and there are calls for Timm Rosenbach to get a shot after another tough loss for the Breakers. New Orleans hung close, thanks to a 115 yard day from Marcus Dupree against the as-always weak Portland rush defense. Portland had its own response, with Robert Drummond rushing for 87 yards and 3 scores. Cris Carter also had a strong day, with 99 yards receiving as the Thunder eked out the home win thanks to a mid-fourth-quarter goalline stand that forced New Orleans to settle for a field goal instead of taking the lead with a TD. That 4 points was enough to be the difference in this one.
MGN 16 OAK 13
Michigan’s defense came to play against their former ALL-USFL QB. Bobby Hebert was scrambling all day against the Panther blitz scheme, throwing 2 picks and getting sacked 3 times. For Michigan, it was hardly an offensive explosion, but a late Brad Daluiso FG was enough to give the Panthers the win.
HOU 41 DEN 23
Denver focused on shutting down Thurman Thomas, and they largely did (46 yards rushing and only 1 reception), but a wild 3rd quarter that saw back to back kickoff returns for scores from Clarence Verdin and Anthony Tuggle, combined with a late Thomas TD run, was enough to help Houston pull past the Gold.
WSH 31 TBY 23
In a game neither team could afford to lose a late injury to Troy Aikman doomed the Bandits to a 1-4 record. Washington got a strong game from their O-line, protecting Majkowski (3 TDs) and finding room for the combo of Barry Word (46 yards) and Terry Kirby (37 yards). Down 23-21, Washington scored the final 10 points and pulled back into the pack in the Atlantic Division.
PIT 26 ORL 29
The league’s other winless team also got into the win column, thanks to an MVP performance from QB Reggie Collier that include two late TD’s to John Jefferson and Marv Cook. Coming back from a 26-14 deficit, the late scores propelled Orlando to victory on a day that saw Mike Rozier hobbled by an ankle injury and only carry the ball 6 times.
PHI 17 MEM 9
A shocker that few saw coming as Philadelphia’s new defense made a statement against the Showboats. The Stars limited the Memphis run game and harassed Mike Kelley, while their rebuilt O-line kept Memphis’s scary DE’s off of Chuck Long. The result was a solid win for the Stars, thanks to scores from two veterans, Mike Quick and Kelvin Bryant.
NJ 13 JAX 19
Both teams moved the ball well in this game, but neither could find their way into the endzone, as we sat through 6 field goal drives and only 1 TD each between the Bulls and Generals. Tony Eason was sacked 5 times, including 2 from Phil Hansen, pulling him into a tie for the league lead. But, despite their line play issues, Jacksonville was able to put the only points on the board in the 4th quarter, two Stoyanovich field goals, to take the win.
BAL 24 BIR 28
Baltimore gave the Stallions a good scare, leading 24-14 after 3 quarters, but Birmingham got two scores in the final quarter, including a 45 yard bomb from Favre to Dawsey, for the win. Both teams had unexpected success running the ball, with Foster & Brooks combining for 115 yards for the Blitz and Fullwood and James Joseph rushing for a combined 100. But, in the end, as expected, it was Favre going deep that gave the W to the Stallions.
When your team starts the year 0-4, it is not surprising that the QB gets a lot of flack, and that is not helped when in one loss he throws 5 interceptions, but if this week is any indication, Reggie Collier is at no risk of being pulled for either Jimmy Jordan or Craig Erickson. Collier opened this week’s game with a perfectly thrown seam pass to Danta Whittaker for an immediate 6 points. He found HB Todd Fowler later in the opening quarter to expand the Orlando lead. After a strong run by Pittsburgh gave them a 26-14 lead, Collier turned his game up a notch in the 4th, finding John Jefferson for 23 yards on a third and 11 and then connecting with TE Marv Cook for the game-winning score. Collier would throw the ball 53 times as the run game simply could not find room, and he would complete 35 of them for 381 yards. For fans of the Renegades who have been stunned by the slow start, it is just the type of performance they were hoping for. It may not be enough to help Orlando into playoff position, as there remain serious questions on defense and with their anemic run game, but it is a start that Orlando fans are hoping will be repeated.
OAKLAND: Fans in the Bay Area are beginning to wonder if the Bobby Hebert they got is the actual guy who led Michigan to two league titles. Michigan Bobby Hebert averaged over 4,000 yards a season and threw 144 TDs to only 37 ints, an average of 36-9 each year. Oakland’s Bobby Hebert is completing only 58% of his passes, has 6 TD’s but 8 Ints so far this year, and has the Invaders sitting at 1-4. Hebet is currently the lowest rated of the league’s 20 opening day QB’s, including Dan McGwire, who has already been pulled in favor of David Archer. Not time to panic yet, and Coach Vermeil has indicated that he is making some adjustments to the offense to better fit Hebert’s style. Expect Oakland to shift away from a pure West Coast offense, dependent on a short passing game, to more of a run-first, play action deep ball offense, which is more along the lines of the system Hebert thrived in as a Panther. Hebert still has a lively arm, but it just seems like the 3-step drop slant & out game is not his best option. We will see if this leads to more success for the Invaders.
TAMPA BAY: Less than a month after we hear disheartening news about NFL-USFL relations in Washington, we get some very positive news out of Tampa Bay. The Bandits and NFL Buccaneers have instituted a first of its kind arrangement to begin in Fall of 1993. Fans will now be able to select one of three ticket packages, the first being exclusive season tickets to one team or the other, the second is what they are calling the “Double Down” package, in which season ticket holders would receive tickets to 8 Buccaneer games in Fall 1993 and 8 to Bandits games the following spring. The final package, known as the “Football Fanatic Fan Pack” is a full 16 game season ticket package in which fans can have the same seats for all games in both leagues, for a cost about 10% lower than buying each of the season ticket packages separately. To see this kind of cooperation between the two leagues is a very good sign indeed, and with Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse exploring options within Tampa-St. Pete for a potential new stadium, it seems very likely that the Bucs and Bandits may well end up working together on a deal to either refurbish the “Big Sombrero” or to finance a new stadium.
A pretty clean week for most clubs, with one notable exception. Tampa, who are already the lowest scoring team in the league, will be without QB Troy Aikman for at least 1, perhaps 2 weeks due to a sprained knee. John Fourcade has been given the start for Tampa, who do not have a strong run game to fall back on, though we expect a lot more carries for Kevin Harmon this week. The good news for Tampa is that Eric Truvillion is listed as probable, so he may return to action to help Tampa’s cause. The other significant injury this week is to St. Louis DT Jerry Ball, who is also likely to miss 1-2 weeks with a hamstring injury.
After the one week reprieve, we are back to divisional games in Week 6. Pittsburgh will be heading to Baltimore with both clubs hoping to get back to .500 with a win. Washington will be in Philadelphia to face the surprising Stars, who currently stand alone atop the division at 3-2. Orlando, after notching their first win, gets a tough follow-up as they must travel to Birmingham to face the undefeated Stallions. Tampa, with John Fourcade getting the start, will be in Memphis, and New Orleans will try to get back to their winning ways in Chicago. Texas and Michigan, both 2-3, face off in the Silverdome. Out West it is Arizona at 4-1 facing the Portland Thunder in Civic Stadium while St. Louis and Oakland both hope for a win to get themselves back in the hunt. In our two interdivisional games we have Houston in New Jersey and Denver at Jacksonville, two good games to finish up the slate.
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