Week 10 of the 1996 USFL season gave us an epic battle in Pontiac, a battle of expansion clubs with a coach’s livelihood on the line, a Knights club making a statement, and another crushing defeat for Dan Reeves and the Atlanta Fire. We saw Tyrone Wheatley and Jim Kelly go off in their matchup this week, and we saw Baltimore’s John Randall rack up 4 sacks from the DT position against the Stallions. Joey Galloway continued to impress and John Fourcade got a rude homecoming to Tampa Bay. In other words, it was a good week for football fans.
We had a feeling that the matchup of the Gamblers and Panthers in Pontiac would be a fun one, but even we could not have anticipated the craziness of this game and that the Panthers would end the weekend as the top seed in the season’s first playoff rankings. Michigan and Houston both had their offenses in tune and ready to roll this week. For Houston, as usual, it was the aerial assault, with Jim Kelly throwing for 440 yards and 4 TDs, while for Michigan, which had Sean Salisbury under center for yet another week, it was the Tyrone Wheatley show, as he carried the ball 22 times for 122 yards and 4, count them, 4 rushing TDs.
The game started fast from the opening whistle, as Houston made a statement with a rapid fire 4-play, 77 yard drive, culminating in laser of a pass from Kelly to Antonio Freeman for a 19-yard score. Houston never even saw 2nd down on the drive, picking up big chunks through the air on each play as their initial scripted plays just fileted the Michigan defense.
The Panthers would respond, though not quite as quickly, but their 11-play drive yielded equal results as they drove down to the Michigan 7, where Salisbury found Jeff Campbell on a fade route for an equalizing score. They doubled down to take a 14-7 lead after a tipped ball led to a Jim Kelly interception. Michigan capitalized as Tyrone Wheatley got the first of his 4 rushing TD’s with a 19-yard run along the sideline on a perfectly executed pitch out play.
Houston would answer with a field goal after a controversial offensive pass interference call against Brett Perriman negated an apparent TD. On replay it was clear that Perriman pushed off of the defender to create space, and the Michigan crowd was not going to give any benefit of the doubt to the visiting Gambler receiver. Houston settled for a field goal, a capitulation which would come back to haunt them by the game’s end.
Michigan took no time to come back, going on their own quick strike attack, and in 5 plays they were back in the end zone, this time with Wheatley’s longest run of the day, a 3rd and 2 run off right tackle that broke through the initial defense and went for 25. The score gave Michigan a 21-10 lead, but there was still time in the half for Kelly and the Gamblers to draw closer. They did just that with Jim Kelly now hitting Perriman for an undisputed score with just under 1 minute left in the half. The two teams would go to the intermission knowing they had a battle on their hands, Michigan up 21-17.
The second half looked like it would be all Houston, as halftime adjustments allowed the Gamblers to race out to 14 3rd quarter points and a 31-21 lead. After a short drive by Michigan to open the half stalled, leading to a punt to the Houston 31, the Gamblers again struck quickly, 6 plays and only 1:22 off the clock and Kelly found Thurman Thomas on a 17-yard scoring toss. After a Rodney Culver fumble on the next drive for Michigan gave Houston great field position, Kelly struck again, this time hitting James Pruitt on a play action bomb on the first play from scrimmage.
But, despite the quick strikes of the Gamblers, Michigan was not discouraged and maintained their balanced attack. Starting a drive with just under a minute to go in the 3rd, Michigan burnt up 8:30 and once again Wheatley found the endzone, this time on a 1 yard plunge on 2nd and goal. Back to within 3, the game was far from over.
Houston’s first drive of the 4th was thwarted by a 3rd down holding call, which led to a 3rd and 17 that the Gamblers failed to covert. Michigan was equally ineffective on their next drive, with Salisbury missing on an out route to Weegie Thompson on 3rd and 7. Houston would get the ball back, and after gaining 2 first downs, one by penalty and one on a 7 yard Thomas draw play on 3rd and 4, the Panthers got a stroke of luck. On a 2nd and 7, Kelly did not see Hardy Nickerson coming on his blindside. The speedy LB clipped Kelly just as he released the ball, causing it to flutter in the air, well short of his intended receiver, Antonio Freeman, and into the arms of Garland Rivers for his second pick of the day. Rivers returned the ball 17 yards and set Michigan up with a short field.
The Panthers would not let this opportunity pass them by, and, burning clock as they moved down the field, they again entrusted the ball to Wheatley within the 5 yard line. Wheatley fell short of the goal line on 1st and goal, but used a well-seen cutback to find a gap in the Houston line on 2nd and goal from the 2, sliding into the endzone and giving Michigan the lead once again, 35-31. But with just over 2 minutes left, and with two time outs left in their pocket, the Panthers had time to regain the lead before the game would end.
Houston started strong, with Kelly hitting Thomas on a 13 yard screen to open the drive. He then hit Ron Heller for 7. Thomas got stuffed by the Michigan D on 2nd down, but Houston seemed to have converted on 3rd and 3 when Antonio Freeman caught a slant over the middle, but there was a flag on the field. Holding was the call and on 3rd and 13 Kelly could not connect with Perriman, setting up a 4th and 13 that the Gamblers had to go for. Kelly looked for Perriman again, but Chris Snyder was there to get a hand between the ball and Perriman’s awaiting hands. Turnover on downs with just over 1 minute to play. Sean Salisbury took a knee and the Panthers had not only taken over the lead in the division, but the entire conference with their 7-3 record. That they had done this over a span of games when Doug Flutie was out with an injury spoke to the team effort and the depth of the roster that Coach Holtz had put together. With Flutie expected back next week Michigan would now be the hunted instead of the hunter. For Houston, a strong game from the offense, but the defense let them down. They will need to regroup as they had a second tough road game to come the next week in Jacksonville.
CHI 17 TEX 20
While Houston-Michigan was the big ticket this week, the other Central Division clashes were no slouches themselves. In the Alamodome Texas got a late touchdown to sink the Machine’s hopes for a road win. After an ineffective first half, Coach Schottenheimer pulled Scott Zolak in favor of Dan McGwire, and Chicago responded with 10 3rd quarter points to take the lead, but Texas had enough in them for one more drive and Reggie Cobb put them on top for good with a short pass for a score.
NOR 7 STL 14
The Knights defense is getting some believers as 31,202 showed up in the Gateway City to root on their squad as St. Louis shut down the New Orleans offense. Terrell Davis was brickwalled, rushing 21 times but gaining only 23 yards as New Orleans appeared not to have a plan B. The Knights’ offense was not exactly explosive, but they did enough to secure a win and now find themselves at 6-3-1 and in serious playoff discussions.
ARZ 9 POR 26
The job is Trent Green’s for the rest of the season after Arizona traded away Robbie Bosco, but he is going to have to show more if he hopes to stave off a potential move to sign a rookie QB. 19 of 43 with 2 interceptions is not going to do it. For Portland, Jack Trudeau played well, throwing for 3 scores, and when Arizona bottled up Robert Drummond (26 carries for only 55 yards) it was Amp Lee who had a bigger impact, gaining 30 yards on the ground and another 45 in the air.
DEN 23 OAK 20 OT
It was not easy, but Denver got the road win in Oakland that they needed. Ken Harvey had a strong game for the Invaders, recording 2 sacks, 11 tackles and a forced fumble to keep Oakland in the game and help send the affair to overtime, but in the end the right foot of Denver’s Jeff Wilkens gave Denver the W.
LA 24 SEA 27
With rumors swirling that coach Woody Widenhofer was on the hotseat the Dragons responded with their best game of the year to help keep coach on the sideline. Loville and Potts combined for 91 yards and Timm Rosenbach found Robert Claiborne for the winning score as regulation wound down.
BIR 17 BAL 27
Baltimore bounced back from their first loss of the season by clamping down on Birmingham’s Brett Favre. Favre went 18 for 28 with only 1 TD and a pick, and was sacked a stunning 11 times by the Baltimore defense. John Randall’s 4 sacks set a team record, but it was a nightmare for Favre all day as his line could not account for the injury to T Emory Yates and just had no answer for the Baltimore rush.
JAX 27 NJ 10
Despite a strong game from the Generals on defense, their offensive ineptitude gave Jacksonville a solid 17-point win. New Jersey focused on Natrone Means and held him in check all day, but with 2 TD passes to rookie Terrell Owens, the Bulls had more than enough to outpace the punchless Generals offense.
MEM 44 OHI 21
Memphis dealt Ohio a stunning blow to their ego, manhandling the Glory all day. Heath Shuler threw for 358 and 4 scores against an Ohio defense that simply did not have an answer. And while Joey Galloway’s 6 receptions for 134 yards were impressive, it was not enough as the Glory simply could not slow down the Memphis offense.
ORL 10 PHI 17
A defensive struggle as Philly comes back from a 10-9 deficit with their only TD of the game in the final 3 minutes of regulation. Chuck Long hit TE Eric Green to get a 15-10 lead, and then found Green again for the 2 point PAT to go up 17-10. It was then up to the Stars’ defense to hold off a late Orlando rally. A 4th and 5 deflection from Lorenzo Lynch did the trick and Philly kept pace, 2 games behind the Blitz in the Atlantic.
TBY 38 PIT 24
John Fourcade got a rude return welcome to Tampa Bay, as the Bandits kept the pressure on all day. Fourcade would throw for 2 scores, but his 2 picks helped Tampa build up a lead they would not relinquish. Troy Aikman took advantage of Pittsburgh’s poor pass coverage to the tune of 384 yards, and Errict Rhett scored twice as the Bandits got the road win.
ATL 0 WSH 23
Atlanta looked helpless against a Federals’ defense that was out for blood. The Fire had only 6 first downs on the day, and none until the 2nd half. They also rushed for a pitiful 3 total yards as neither Blair Thomas or Fred McAfee could get anything going. Expect Coach Reeves to return to veteran Cliff Stoudt next week in a last gasp effort to salvage something out of the year.
RECORD PACE: This could be a major season for broken records in the USFL. We are seeing some numbers that are already making headlines, and more may be to come. Here are just a few of the stats to keep an eye on:
Yards Receiving: The current record is 1,959, set by Eric Truvillion of the Bandits in 1986, but Joey Galloway is on pace to shatter that record with yards already under his belt in 10 weeks.
Passing TDs: The record of 47 was set by Brett Favre in 1992, but Jim Kelly has an outside shot with 6 games left. Kelly sits at 31, so he needs 17 in the final 6 weeks, which is a tall order, but not out of the ballpark.
Passer Completion %: Joe Montana set the record in his first year in the league with Michigan, locked in at 72.5%, but don’t look now, with 10 games down Denver QB Mark Brunell sits at 74.5%. Six weeks and a playoff run can lead to more risks and completion percentage is not exactly a stat that players can easily pad, but Brunell is in range and ahead of the record at this point.
Rushing TDs: Tyrone Wheatley sits at 11 after 10 games, with the record being 18 set by Robert Drummond only 2 years ago. Can Wheatley equal or surpass that total? The Michigan offense revolves around him, so it is not out of the question.
Sacks: Phil Hansen set the mark at 23 three years ago, but he now stands at 16. Are another 8 out of the question in 6 remaining games? We are not so sure.
Interceptions: New HOF entrant Raphel Cherry has the league record with 9 picks in his 1990 season, and while several players have reached 8, no one has caught that key 9th pick. But, with 6 games to play, Michigan’s Chris Snyder sits at 7, only 2 picks away, so it becomes a question of whether teams continue to throw in his direction or not.
GIVE THE D SOME LOVE: This is the first time in a long time that we can say this, but we have a real shot of seeing a defensive player take both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year awards. MVP may be a bit of a longshot for DE Phil Hansen, especially if the Generals continue to lose, but his 16 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries are a shining light in a dark season in New Jersey. If Joey Galloway keeps up his scorching pace, and especially if Ohio manages to stay in the playoff hunt, the MVP may be tough for Hansen to get, but he is certainly not out of the running at this poin.
The Rookie of the Year award may be more attainable as Philadelphia is in the middle of a division title hunt and rookie DE Regan Upshaw is making a huge difference for the Stars. His 11 sacks are 4th best in the league and his presence has made life that much easier for the rest of the Stars line. With Leon Lett now injured, things may get a bit tougher for Upshaw, but with Moe Williams slowing down in Memphis, and Terry Glenn playing on a bad Generals team, the path seems wide open for Upshaw to become the ROTY and not just the best defensive rookie.
INJURY REPORT: Seattle got news it did not want on Monday, when it was determined that Timm Rosenbach’s bad knee was not just a strain but a full on ACL tear. He will be gone the rest of the year and now Coach Widenhofer has to look to David Klingler or to one of his 2 rookies to start. In Ohio backup Dave Brown suffered a broken leg in limited action this week, so he too is gone for the year. Expect the free agent market for QB’s to heat up with both teams looking for depth.
Other injuries of note this week include Washington CB Lorenzo Lyles, who could be out for some time with a fracture in his right arm. WR Lawyer Tillman could also miss significant time with a shoulder injury, while Philly suffered a defensive setback when DT Leon Lett went down. He could miss as much as a month of the seasons’ final 6 weeks.
No big surprises as we take our first long look at the playoff standings for this 10th week of the season. Baltimore controls their own destiny, with a 2 game lead over Philadelphia in the division, and 3 games up on Birmingham for the #1 seed. In the West it is Michigan winning the tiebreaker over Denver and New Orleans for the #1 seed at present, but there are a lot of battles to come. St. Louis is the surprise entry in the current mix, but the way their defense has been playing all season it should not be a shocker to see them currently in 4th position. The Eastern Conference looks to be one that could come down to the final weeks as the current #5 seed, Washington, is there due to tiebreakers against Memphis and Ohio. Pittsburgh, losers of 5 straight, are fading fast, while Jacksonville and Memphis seem to be headed in the right direction. Texas holds onto the final spot in the West at present, but Portland is right there as well.
Week 11 showcases the two conferences going against each other, with no divisional or conference matchups on the docket. Among the high profile games we find Mark Brunell and the Gold headed to Philadelphia to play the Stars. We also like the look of the showdown in Jacksonville, where the Houston Gamblers face off against Chris Chandler and the Bulls. Michigan is in Memphis in an intriguing game, and we expect Flutie back under center for the conference-leading Panthers. In Tampa, the Bandits will have a tough task as they face off against the Breakers, while in Orlando, the 4-6 Renegades are hoping for some home cooking against the Texas Outlaws.
In other action, 1-9 Arizona is at Pittsburgh. You know Robbie Bosco is hoping to get the start against his former team in this one. LA is in New Jersey, the former being all offense with no D, and the latter being all defense with no O, so something has to give. Oakland is in Washington, while Portland has a tall order ahead of them as they head to Baltimore to face the Blitz. Seattle and Ohio battle in a showdown of 2nd year teams and Chicago will be in Birmingham to face the Stallions. Finally, it is Atlanta at home against the Knights and that tough defense. Not what Cliff Stoudt will want to see in his first start of the season.
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