Summer Bowl 2010 was one of the most hyped, most anticipated games in the near-30-year history of the USFL. With two of the three 3-time title winners going head to head, both more than 10 years removed from their last title, there was a lot of pride on the line. And this was not even the first time these two have met in the league’s title game. Back in 1987 Philadelphia and Houston clashed in the league’s 4th title game, before it was known as the Summer Bowl. The Stars came away from that epic game with a 39-38 victory over the Gamblers. Chuck Fusina defeated Jim Kelly in one of the most exciting and action-packed games in league history. Fans in 2010 expected much the same from this year’s matchup of the two top teams in the league, both #1 seeds in their respective conferences.
What fans got was a nip and tuck game, complete with big plays, defensive stands, and a fourth quarter game winner. Halfback Shaun Alexander came up big for the Gamblers, wideout Steve Smith for the Stars, and both QB’s had strong games on behalf of their teams. On defense, CB Shaun Springs led all players with 11 tackles, while teammate Willie Andrews, a surprise All-USFL selection this year, made good with the game’s only interception. James Farrior, one of the newer Gambler players, added 2 tackles for loss and a sack, while for Philadelphia it was rookie Sean Lee who impressed with 8 tackles, 2 for a loss.
The game started with the usual fanfare. The pregame at Columbia Sportswear Stadium featured Oregon native Meredith Brooks singing “America the Beautiful” and the national anthem performed by the United States Coast Guard Band. The Coast Guard featured prominently in the festivities as Portland decided to honor the oft-forgotten force of the U.S. Armed Forces. It was Coast Guard helicopters that did the fly over prior to the game, with one helicopter lowering a Coast Guard Seaman to the field to deliver the coin for the pre-game coin toss. Houston won the toss and elected to receive the ball with the opening kickoff, an unusual choice in a league where nearly 80% of all coin toss winners opt to defer to the 2nd half.
The Gamblers’ decision to take the ball first turned out to be a good one. Clad in the home dark uniforms, Houston took the field, and in pretty short order moved down the field and put points on the board. It would take Houston only 6 plays to find paydirt, well within the scripted opening plays set up by Wade Phillips and his OC. The scoring play came on a swing pass from Hasselbeck to Kevin Faulk, a 39-yard catch and run that got the Gambler fans in the crowd to their feet. Less than 2 minutes into the game and Houston had taken a 7-0 lead.
Philadelphia would struggle to move the ball on their first drive. Steve Slaton was stuffed on first down, Kurt Warner connected with Brent Celek, but only for 4 yards on the first pass for Warner, and on third down, he did not connect with Dallas Clark. Philadelphia was forced to punt. Houston also struggled when they got the ball back. Shaun Alexander rushed for 7 on first down, but a false start on 2nd down wiped most of that out. On a 3rd and 5, Hasselbeck tried to hit Mike Sims-Walker, but the pass was off target and nearly picked off by Jairus Byrd. Houston punted the ball right back to the Stars.
On their second possession, Philadelphia had more success. Hasselbeck connected with Steve Smith on the first of 9 receptions for the speedy wideout. He also found Clark with a 12 yard pass, and then got some help from Steve Slaton with a 4-yard run on 3rd and 2. On a 2nd and 2, Warner went for it all, sending a deep ball to Reche Caldwell. Caldwell brought the ball in and thought he had a touchdown, but the replay showed that he had stepped out at the 1. But, with first and goal at the 1-yard line, surely the Stars would punch it in.
Not so fast, as former Renegades HC Lee Corso would say. Philadelphia shot themselves in the foot, losing 3 yards on an ill-conceived sweep left that was blown up by James Farrior. On 2nd down they went play action but Warner could not find a receiver. He scrambled (not his forte) and managed to avoid a sack, gaining 1 yard back. On 3rd and goal from the 3, the Stars tried to force the ball in the middle with Slaton but again got stuffed. With a 4th down once again from the 1-yard line, Coach Harbaugh got conservative and sent out Mike Nugent for the chip shot 18-yard field goal. 7-3 Houston with nearly 5 minutes left in the quarter.
The Stars and Gamblers would trade drives, with both gaining one first down before either penalties or miscues forced them to punt the ball. Houston got the ball back with 10:02 left in the 2nd quarter. They would grind out a first down on the back of Shaun Alexander, but on the next 1st down, they would use the success of Alexander’s runs to surprise the Stars. Faking the ball to the big back, Matt Hasselbeck had plenty of time to survey the field, and what he found was a streaking Roy Williams, behind the defense and with a step on the corner. He lofted a deep arcing ball to the sideline and Williams came down with it. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie went for a diving tackle, but when he missed on the attempt, Williams high stepped his way the remaining 10 yards to complete the 44-yard scoring play. Houston was now up by 11, 14-3.
The Stars rebounded on their next drive. They would use nearly the rest of the half, slowly dinking and dunking their way down the field, in no hurry between plays. Their slow-play of the drive, played right to their advantage, giving them the chance to end the half with a score. They were helped along the way by an offsides penalty on a 3rd and 3, but for the most part they simply took what the Houston defense would give them, eventually finding themselves on the 1-yard line of the Gamblers. Unlike their first attempt at a short TD, they went play action on 1st down. The move worked, and Kurt Warner found TE Dallas Clark in the endzone as the Gamblers bet on the run. With only 35 seconds left in the half, Philadelphia cut the Houston lead to 14-10. The Gamblers, getting the ball back on the kickoff, opted to take a knee and go into the break with the 4-point lead.
The halftime show featured another local favorite, Portland band Everclear, who performed their hits “Santa Monica” and “Father of Mine” before being joined on stage by Seattle’s own Foo Fighters for rousing renditions of “Everlong” and “Learn to Fly” before finishing with the Everclear song “Wonderful”. The crowd seemed appreciative of the grunge NW sound, and the second half was ready to begin. Both clubs had regrouped in the break, neither feeling that they needed major adjustments, simply being efficient and making the plays that were in front of them. In their interviews with sideline reporter Erin Andrews, both Jim Harbaugh and Wade Phillips talked about making plays, players knowing their roles, and playing within themselves.
What resulted from the halftime talks was a third quarter with no scoring at all. Both teams made key mistakes, including a fumble by Steve Slaton, and a key third down penalty on Houston WR Ike Hilliard, wiping out a long gainer to Roy Williams due to the call of an intentional pick play by the veteran. Houston had a shot to widen the lead to 7, but, uncharacteristically, kicker Dan Carpenter shanked a relatively easy kick, a 28 yarder from the 11. The ball just never lined up right and went far to the right, causing Carpenter and holder David Sepulveda to look at each other in disbelief.
Philadelphia would get the ball back with 3:37 left in the third quarter and would mount their best drive of the half, an 11-play, 71-yard march towards the Gamblers’ endzone that ended with a controversial no call on what appeared to be pass interference in the endzone against Houston’s Shaun Springs. The refs saw no foul, and Philadelphia was forced to settle for a short Mike Nugent field goal just as the 4th quarter got underway. We now had a 1-point Houston lead at 14-13.
Houston failed to earn a first down on the ensuing possession and Gambler fans were starting to get nervous. Their vaunted offense had been held scoreless for over a quarter and did not look to be in synch. Philadelphia, on the other hand, put together another strong drive, marching the ball down to the Houston 5-yard line, largely on short passes from Warner to Clark, Caldwell, and Steve Smith. On 2nd and goal from the 5, Warner would look to a far-less well-known name, rookie slot receiver Marshall Newhouse, and the rookie, who had only 12 receptions all year, now had one to remember, a Summer Bowl TD reception that gave the Stars a 19-14 lead midway through the final period. The Stars would go for two to create a 7-point lead, but were unable to connect, leaving them with a precarious 5-point advantage with 7:31 left to play.
Houston would have one, maybe two shots to get the game winner. Down 5 they knew that a field goal was of no use. They would need to score a touchdown to take the game and the league title. They mounted a fast-paced drive, using a mix of huddles and no-huddle to impact Philadelphia’s substation package. Hasselbeck connected with Ike Hilliard on a huge 35-yard completion from the 30 all the way to the Philadelphia 35. He would connect with Hilliard only 3 plays later for the lead. It was an out-and-up double move route that caught Quentin Jammer guessing wrong, making a play on the initial move and out of position when the ball went over the top. The 18-yard TD toss from Hasselbeck to Hilliard was the 12th scoring connection of the year between the two veterans. When Shaun Alexander punched in the 2-point PAT try, going off tackle and using a strong second effort to push his way through the pile, the Gamblers were up by 3. But, with 4:15 left to play, there certainly was time for the Stars to snatch the lead back, or at least get a game-tying kick and send the Summer Bowl to overtime.
It would be on Houston’s defense to hold off any Philadelphia comeback. At first that did not seem likely, as on consecutive plays, Kurt Warner connected with Steve Smith to gain first 9 yards and then 8 more. A Slaton run gave the Stars a second first down and they were quickly at midfield. They crossed the 50 on a short toss from Warner to Caldwell. A draw play to Slaton gained nothing, leaving Philadelphia with a 3rd and 6 and setting up the play of the game for the Houston defense. Warner lined up in the shotgun, Slaton to his left and 3 receivers on the right (Smith, Caldwell, and Troy Williamson). Houston, which had been rushing only 4 (3 linemen and 1 backer) added a 2nd blitzer to the pass rush in the form of strong safety Patrick Chung. With the defense bearing down on him, Warner made a toss towards Caldwell, but Willie Andrews was watching the QB’s eyes and snatched the ball away from the receiver. He would return it only 7 yards, but the pick meant that Houston would have the ball back with fewer than 2 minutes to play.
Houston rushed for 6 on first down, forcing Philadelphia to use their last timeout and try to avoid a first down. Another Alexander run brought Houston within 1 yard of a first down. On third down, they used the QB sneak to gain the needed yard, and from there it was 2 kneel downs and the Houston Gamblers were the 2010 USFL Champions, the first team to reach a 4th title in league history.
Matt Hasselbeck, who attempted only 16 passes, completing 11 for 260 yards and 3 scores, was named the MVP. Coach Phillips held the trophy aloft before passing it to his QB, who then shared the trophy with the whole team. The Gamblers stayed on the field, reveling in the confetti, music, and attention. Philadelphia returned to the locker room, clearly dejected at the missed opportunity. While perhaps not the most riveting Summer Bowl in league history, this was still a very good game, played well by two very talented teams and decided by only 3 points. A good finale for a very exciting and engaging season.
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