Week one brings with it hopes, dreams, and surprises. That was certainly the case this week as the prognosticators and Las Vegas books had a miserable time trying to look smart. Upset after upset, and surprise performances galore. We had a barn burner to open the year as the Gamblers and Stars went to overtime in a Summer Bowl rematch, and we had a rookie shine in their debut as Cam Newton made believers out of a rabid Stallion fanbase. All that, plus an injury that is just bizarre. This Week in the USFL.
HOUSTON GAMBLERS 38 PHILADELPHIA STARS 35 OVERTIME
What a way to kick off the new season. Friday night saw a rematch of the Summer Bowl and this game may have been even better than July’s championship bout. This game had everything, but what it had mostly was scoring, and lots of it. Over 900 yards of offense and big plays galore were the story as the Stars and Gamblers resumed where they left off in the Summer Bowl, back and forth, showing each other up whenever they could, and taking the action into an extra period before this game was decided.
And it was wall to wall. We saw 19 points scored in the first quarter, 15 in the second, 14 in the third, and 22 in the fourth. Never a dull moment. It began with Philadelphia driving the ball on the opening possession, following the usual pomp, flyover, anthems, and honorees. Troy Williamson caught a 37-yard pass on the drive for the Stars, and while it would be his only catch on the day, it helped set up the opening score, a 44-yard Mike Nugent field goal to put Philadelphia on the board.
Houston would answer, scoring first on a 73-yard bomb to Ike Hilliard that shook the Philadelphia defense. The PAT was no good, so Houston took a 6-3 lead, but they would get the ball right back as Kurt Warner threw the first of 3 picks on the day. This one set up the Gamblers in Philly territory and 5 plays later Shaun Alexander expanded the lead to 13-3. The quarter would end with Philadelphia again moving the ball well and adding another Nugent field goal to pull within 7.
The second quarter was largely a Houston show as they added two more field goals and a safety, with Kavika Pitmann showing he still has it by wrapping up Warner in the endzone, building the Houston advantage to 21-6. But, Kurt Warner, who would throw for over 450 yards on the day against the Gambler pressure, found his halfback, Steve Slaton, with 1:03 left in the half to pull Philadelphia right back in the game at 21-13.
On their opening drive of the second half, Houston would have to settle for another field goal, their 3rd on the day, and went up 24-13, but Philadelphia answered with a long drive that produced a Slaton TD run, and when they tacked on the 2-point conversion (a Warner throw to Brent Celek), they were only down 3, 24-21. Houston finished the 3rd with another field goal and built the lead back up to 6 at 27-21, but it seemed obvious that the lead would not hold.
It did not. On their first possession of the 4th quarter, Kurt Warner hit 3rd down back Leon Washington with a perfectly timed screen and Washington took it 31 yards to the house to give Philadelphia its first lead since the opening field goal drive. Up 28-27, the crowd in the Linc was in full voice and Houston heard it on their next drive. Matt Hasselbeck, being the veteran he is, ignored the crowd noise and drove the Gamblers down the field, but as they got close to the redzone, Seth Payne tipped a pass intended for Vernon Davis, and it was pulled out of the air by Quentin Jammer. The Stars had the ball back, up by 1, but It would not last. In the rare back-to-back play scenario, Kurt Warner’s next pass saw Ronde Barber jump the hook route, snatch the ball away from Stevie Johnson, and race 19 yards to paydirt, putting Houston up 33-28, and silencing the crowd. Hasselbeck would convert the 2-pointer and Houston had a 7 point lead with 5:59 left to play.
Philadelphia did not go into hurry up mode, but moved efficiently down the field, taking what Houston’s D would give them. It took the Stars nearly the full 5 minutes, but when Warner connected on his third TD pass of the game, a 5-yard crossing route to his new number 1 receiver, Johnson, the game was tied.
The Gamblers settled for a shot at overtime and won the toss to get the ball first. For the next 8 minutes both teams would get a shot. Houston did not reach midfield on their first drive. Philadelphia got closer, close enough to send out Mike Nugent to attempt a 55-yarder. Nugent could not get enough leg into the kick and it fell short, meaning Houston got the ball back in great field position. With time running down, Hasselbeck connected with Ike Hilliard again, this time a 22-yarder, then found Mike Sims-Walker for 11, and with time winding down in overtime, they sent out Dan Carpenter for an attempt at another 50+ yarder, this one from 52. Carpenter got his full body behind the kick and it soared true, ending the game with another Houston victory. The defending champs had defended their Summer Bowl win with a second defeat of Philadelphia, this time in Philly. A great game to kick of the season and a great display of what USFL football is all about.
TAMPA BAY 20 BOSTON 14
A cold, windy and overcast day in Beantown, but the weather was just fine for the Bandits, who raced out to a 17-0 lead on Boston before the Cannons made it interesting. Willis McGahee was the star for the Bandits, rushing for 140 yards on only 14 carries, including a 44-yard TD. Adrian McPherson got the start for Boston but struggled to a 24/43 day with a pick. Joey Galloway topped 100 yards (112) in his first game as a Bandit.
TEXAS 21 WASHINGTON 22
A nail biter in DC as the Feds needed two 4th quarter TDs to upend the Outlaws. With 2:43 left to play, Washington went for 2 and secured the win instead of heading to overtime. A gutsy call to be sure. Joe Flacco played well for Texas, throwing for 247 and 3 scores, while Washington got 122 yards rushing from Deuce McCallister but both 4th quarter scores came from understudy Rod Smart.
LAS VEGAS 13 ATLANTA 0
The Fire were doused as Atlanta came out as flat as a roadkill possum on opening day. Las Vegas held them to only 32 yards rushing and only 10 first down. The Thunder offense was not exactly explosive, but a lone Marshawn Lynch TD and two field goals from Jeff Reed would be all they needed in the game.
ORLANDO 17 NASHVILLE 20
A good one in Music City as Nashville trailed 14-10 after 3, but fought back and got a TD catch from rookie Demarius Moore to secure the home opening win over the ‘Gades. Eli Manning, in his first action for Orlando, threw for 249 and2 scores against a well-known foe, but in the end it was Jay Cutler’s 2nd TD pass that gave Nashville the win.
MICHIGAN 13 ARIZONA 27
Brian Griese threw for 318, with 107 and a score to Hines Ward, but it was not enough as Arizona got TDs from Tomlinson, Gronkowski, and Domenic Hixon ina dynamic first half that saw them go up 21-7. From there it was Tomlinson and rookie Stevan Ridley rushing to grind down the clock and take the opener.
NEW ORLEANS 10 BIRMINGHAM 30
A stellar debut for Cam Newton as he throws for 2 scores and runs for another in a huge divisional win to open the season. Down 10-0 after 1, Birmingham scored the next 30 points and ran away with a game they were expected to lose. The new-look Stallion defense produced 4 sacks of Drew Brees and held the former MVP to only 16 of 33 through the air.
OHIO 19 PITTSBURGH 16
A nice rivalry game that also led to an upset as Ohio got just enough, including 10 points in the final frame, to upend the Maulers in front of nearly 52,000 fans for the home opener. It was Steve Smith catching the game winner from Dereck Anderson as the former backup got the W after being chosen over Vince Young to start the season opener. Cody Pickett was sacked 4 times and thew a costly pick late in the game that protected the Ohio lead and the eventual win.
CHICAGO 10 ST. LOUIS 28
Is it trouble for the Machine or have the Skyhawks finally put it all together? Whatever the interpretation, this was a welcome site for over 43,000 at the Dome as the Skyhawks, scored a huge opening week win over a divisional foe and a rival. Josh Freeman threw for 362 and 3 scores as both Jordy Nelson and Tyler Jacobs surpassed the 100-yard mark.
CHARLOTTE 9 MEMPHIS 3
A real snoozer in Memphis as the two defenses dominated this game. Memphis amassed only 169 total yards as Ryan Mallett started his USFL career with a 17 of 36 day, sacked 4 times and with a pick. Jake Delhomme’s first game in teal and purple did not go much better, though he did throw for 286 yards. The star of the game was Monarch kicker Brandon Coutu, who got all the scoring for Charlotte.
SEATTLE 23 PORTLAND 13
The Cascade Clash was a pretty decent game, A.J. Feeley got the start for Portland and went 31 of 53 as the Stags tried to exploit Seattle’s secondary. Seattle responded with TDs from Ladell Betts and David Boston, enough to take the upset win on the road and spoil the Stags’ home debut.
LOS ANGELES 10 DENVER 0
A cold fog and occasional snow flurries made for a tough surface for this game, but not as rough as Denver’s offense in this game. Matt Leinart threw 3 picks, including one that set up the only touchdown of the game, a short Keyshawn Johnson TD catch. Mark Sanchez got hurt in a bizarre incident that saw him catch a stray elbow from his own tackle, sending him to the turf and cracking his jaw. A weird end to a weird game in the snow.
JACKSONVILLE 13 OAKLAND 14
The Bulls gave Oakland a fight and rookie Ryan Williams struggled in his first action, gaining only 22 yards on 1.4 yards per carry, but the Invaders found a way to win, with Joey Harrington hitting Pierre Garçon in the 4th with the game winner. Tim Tebow threw 2 picks, but also completed 23 of 34 for 230 yards in the loss.
BALTIMORE 28 NEW JERSEY 14
New Jersey held the lead for 3 quarters, but the Blitz scored 22 points in the final 15 minutes to take advantage of a fading General defense. Ron Dayne was the star on offense with 134 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns. New Jersey was hurt by Sam Bradford’s departure in the 2nd quarter with a concussion. Jeff Blake, on in relief, just could not generate any offense and Baltimore eventually broke through in a big way to win the early divisional matchup.
Oddsmakers Get Week 1 All Kinds of Wrong
It seems like Las Vegas bookmakers, just like players and refs, need to shake the rust off when the new season begins. They simply missed on so many games this week that it created chaos as underdog after underdog either covered the spread or won their games outright. The biggest upset of the week was St. Louis taking it to Chicago despite being a 9-point underdog, but the sports books also missed on the Breakers-Stallions game, on Panthers-Wranglers, Express-Gold, Dragons-Stags, Glory-Maulers, and Thunder-Fire. Add to that the missed spreads in the Knights-Renegades, Bulls-Invaders, and Outlaws-Federals games and it was a bad week to be the money man at Caesar’s or Bally’s.
Now, the books can be forgiven for missing the Stallions’ scoring explosion. No one saw that coming. And the LA-Denver game was severely impacted by weather in the Front Range. But some of the other games tell us that we may have to reevaluate who is ready for the year to begin or who we may have over- or underrated. It is only week 1, but this could be an early sign that times are changing, and the league may be ready for a shift in power. If that is the case, this could be a very exciting season for fans and a very rough one for Las Vegas.
Rookies Make First Impression
The first week of the season is always an exciting time for rookies and the fans who are hoping their club got a gem in the draft. Not all the big name players got into action this week. Jake Locker watched as Adrian McPherson got the start in Boston, for example, but there were several top name players who not only got into action, but started to show their stuff.
The star of the week from the rookie class had to be Cam Newton, who looked very comfortable in Stallion scarlet and gold. He picked up right where he had left off at Auburn. Not only did he lead Birmingham to an upset victory in the season-opening division game against New Orleans, but he did it with style, connecting on 23 of 33 passing with 2 scoring tosses. He hit new TE target Julius Thomas with an 18-yarder and then followed that up by finding Terrell Owens with a second scoring toss. He also added a 16-yard TD run, one of 6 carries on the day. It was the type of performance that will get Stallion Nation excited and sell a lot of number 10 jerseys.
Opening day was not as rewarding for Oakland’s top pick, halfback Ryan Williams. Williams got plenty of touches, carrying the ball 16 times and catching 2 of 3 passes tossed his way, but he averaged only 1.4 yards per carry for a rough 22 yards on the ground and added only 19 yards receiving. Not the kind of opening day that will have fans forgetting about Ricky Williams. Oakland pulled out the win against Jacksonville, but they have to be concerned that their run game, once a dominant piece of their arsenal, has not yet found its way.
Williams was not alone in struggling as a rookie back. Ohio’s DeMarco Murray was also held under 2 yards per carry, gaining only 19 yards on 12 carries for the Glory. Arizona draftee Stevan Ridley had only 5 carries, but managed a respectable 3.4 yards per carry on his way to 17 total yards, Charlotte’s Taiwan Jones had only 5 rushing yards for the Monarchs. Perhaps the best HB day went to New Jersey’s Delone Carter, who spelled MJD for 8 carries, rushing for 34 yards and showing a burst on a 15-yard sprint.
Among receivers, we got a good look at Jerrel Jennigan with the Stallions. The rookie caught 4 Newton throws for 37 yards. In Atlanta, Thunder WR Aldrick Robinson also started off strong with 4 catches and 40 yards for the visiting Thunder. Chicago’s Austin Pettis caught 2 of 4 balls thrown his way, picking up 28 yards, including one 18-yard catch that caught our eye. But the biggest eye-popping performance was from former Tennessee star Denarius Moore, who started his career in Nashville with 5 catches on 6 throws, for 60 yards and 2 scores, showing some break away speed and a penchant for the sideline catch.
Among the defenders chosen in this year’s draft, we saw Adrian Clayborn pick up his first career sack for the Skyhawks, who hope it is one of many. Cameron Jordan led all Breakers with 4 tackles in their game against the Stallions, Baltimore’s Robert Quinn picked up 3 tackles, but was also called for offsides twice in the Blitz victory over New Jersey. Among the linebackers, the best day was had by Texas’s Jonathan Mouton, who had 7 tackles and 2 passes defended for the Outlaws. Akeem Ayers had 5 tackles for the Dragons in their upset of Portland and St. Louis saw a second rookie come up big as LB Aldon Smith finished the day with 5 tackles, two of them for a loss as he burst into the backfield to disrupt the run game.
It was not a huge week for secondary starters among the rookies. Patrick Peterson had 4 tackles for the Breakers but no real chances for a pick. Chimdi Onekwa for Ohio did him a bit better with 6 tackles, but that was also due to giving up several receptions in the Glory game against Pittsburgh. LA safety Rahim Moore saw 25 plays but did not find his way onto the boxscore, while Jacksonville’s Jaiquawn Jarrett and Chicago’s Da’Norris Searcy were largely on the field only for kick returns and kick coverage.
Ron Dayne Burst Out of the Gate
A big day for Baltimore, and a bigger one for Ron Dayne as his 134 yards and 3 totat touchdowns were the engine that helped Baltimore pull off a 14-point win on the road in New Jersey. Dayne averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the day had several runs in which he looked untackleable. He also saw some action in the passing game, something we generally don’t associate with the big guy. Dayne was thrown to three times, caught two, and turned one into a 40-yard TD. A very good day for the 12-year veteran who says his goals this year are to add a 11th 1,000-yard season to his HOF resume and to take home the rushing title. He is certainly off to a good start on both accounts, and that could also help Baltimore find team success as any time Dayne is the focus of the defense, it makes life that much easier for Ben Roethlisberger and the Blitz passing attack.
St. Louis Receivers Fly High in Week 1
If Ron Dayne was the story on the ground this week, the St. Louis Skyhawks were our aerial story of the week, with Josh Freeman throwing for over 360 yards and both Jordy Nelson and Tyler Jacobs making big play after big play on their way to twin 100+ yard games. Nelson had a 48-yard catch among his 4 receptions for 132, a whopping 33-yard average. Not to be outdone, veteran Tyler Jacobs had three catches for 116 and two scores, averaging 38.7 yards. Even TE Fred Baxter put up big numbers against the Chicago secondary, catching 2 balls for 49 yards.
Fans of the Skyhawks have been waiting for their passing attack to click, and this game seems like everything they could have hoped for. Yes. Freeman was sacked 5 times by the Machine, but he also completed long ball after long ball, including a 43-yard Nelson TD and a 77-yard backbreaker to Jacobs. If this is a sign of the offense St. Louis will put out there each week, this may well be a club ready to shed its reputation as a struggling expansion club.
Dansby Out 4-6 Weeks with Knee Injury
All the Week One news was not positive as injuries again marred an otherwise celebratory atmosphere. Among the most impactful injuries this week was Karlos Dansby, the athletic Wrangler LB, who went down with a dislocated knee, an ugly injury to see on the field. There was tendon damage, and that is likely to keep Dansby out of the Wrangler defense for at least 4 weeks, perhaps longer. Arizona will sub in Orlando Huff, with Travis Goethel helping out, but the loss is a big one for a Wrangler defense that is not considered one of the league’s deepest.
Mark Sanchez Breaks Jaw in Wild Blooper, Will Miss 2-4 Weeks
One of the weirder injuries this week, but one which will still negatively impact the team, was LA Express QB Mark Sanchez, who took some friendly fire and now could miss 2-4 weeks. Sanchez was trying to escape pressure by moving up in the pocket, but slipped, lowering his head just as newly-acquired center Chris Spencer was setting up a power move on a defender. Spencer’s elbow caught Sanchez right under the facemask, cracking against the QB’s chin. The blow sent Sanchez to the turf, where he spent the next few minutes apparently unconscious from the uppercut. He was able to walk off the field, but was sent immediately to the locker room for x-rays. The tests confirmed what Coach Williams feared, a broken jaw. It won’t need to be wired shut, but will require a few weeks before it is safe for Sanchez to return to action.
Sanchez will give way to free agent acquisition Kevin Kolb at least for the next 2 weeks, and perhaps longer. The good news, if there is any from this bizarre incident, is that it occurred late in the game against Denver and the 10-0 score at the time held up for the rest of the game, starting LA off 1-0 on the season. But, they will now head to Jacksonville for a cross-country showdown with Kolb at the helm before getting their home opener in Week 3 against the Wranglers.
After highlighting two impactful injuries from week 1, we can now review some of the others, including two players who will miss at least 2 months after suffering broken bones this week. Chicago will lose CB Marlin Jackson from a secondary that struggled against St. Louis. Jackson suffered a fracture in his fibula in the game and will need to be in a boot for at least 6 weeks, meaning a return in fewer than 8 weeks is very unlikely.
For Nashville the issue is at fullback, where Peyton Hillis broke his wrist in a dogpile after a fumble. Hillis will miss at least 8 weeks as well and Nashville will now need to seek out a backup as they only had Hillis at the position on their roster. For next week, expect TE Jake Ballard to fill in, but the Knights will try to find a more suitable long-term answer in the free agent pool.
Other significant injuries this week include New Orleans guard Evan Mathis (biceps), Michigan guard Lennie Freeman (back), Oakland FS Chris Conte (arm), LV corner Will Allen (neck), and LA halfback Ray Rice, who could miss 1-2 weeks with a hyperextended knee. Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game against Baltimore with a concussion but is expected to play in Week 2. The same is true for Willis McGahee, who pulled up with a hamstring issue at the end of his 140-yard day, but is back at practice and expected to suit up this week.
League to Celebrate 30 Seasons in 2012
Only one week into the 2011 season and we are already talking about 2012. Why? Well, it is not every year that the USFL can celebrate a milestone and 30 seasons is certainly a milestone worth recognizing. The 2012 will be the USFL’s 30th and this week they announced some plans to commemorate the momentous achievement.
The league has announced three commemorations of the anniversary season. The first will be a patch to be worn on the jerseys of all 28 USFL clubs, taking the place of the standard USFL “U” logo. The logo features the years of the first and 30th season, the number 30 and the “U” all as one design.
The second commemoration will be limited to the 12 franchises which started in the league in its inaugural year. All 12 clubs (Arizona, Baltimore [Chicago], Birmingham, Denver, Michigan, New Jersey, New Orleans [Boston], Oakland, Philadelphia, Nashville [as LA Express], Tampa Bay, and Washington) will wear 1983 throwback uniforms whenever they face another 1983 club. So, expect to see Breaker Blue, the Blitz in red jerseys, and the Knights wearing “LA” monograms on their helmets.
Recognizing that three of the original 12 teams have relocated, and wanting to recognize the league’s commitment to their original cities, the 2012 schedule will feature a “Once and Present Kings of the Spring” event in Week 1 of the 2012 season. The Blitz will play at Chicago, the Breakers in Boston, and the Nashville Knights will visit LA to play the new Express. In those three games, the visiting “relocated” teams will wear their retro 1983 uniforms, while the three home teams, the Machine, Express, and Cannons, will wear the uniforms from their inaugural year in the USFL—1987 for Chicago, 1995 for LA, and 2002 for Boston.
Expect a lot more from the USFL as they gear up for the big anniversary season. It will be a season-long celebration of the little league that could and did take on the NFL and continues to be a major player in American sports culture.
New Orleans Goes a Step Further in Celebrating their 30th
It appears that the Breakers, not content with occasionally breaking out the original 1983 wave pattern helmets and Breaker Blue uniforms, are going to go a step further. Beginning next week, New Orleans, through their website as well as USFLFootball.com will start a contest to decide whether the 2012 Adidas redesign should maintain the current color scheme, a scheme the Breakers have used since 1994, or if the team should return to the Breaker Blue, Navy, and silver colors they wore in both Boston and New Orleans for their first 12 seasons.
The team has already committed to keeping the current breaking wave logo as part of the Adidas redesign, but now fans get to vote on the color scheme. The voting will run from Week 2 of the USFL season through week 8, with results revealed at the Breakers’ Week 10 game against the New Jersey Generals.
It will be a tough call, as there is a lot of nostalgia for the old blue-on-blue look, while many love the current teal version, which also has a lot of history behind it. Both looks are iconic, largely due to the forward-thinking design of crashing waves the Breakers have always had as part of their look. But, we will see if it is old school blues or new school aqua that wins the day for the Breakers as they suit up with a new design in 2012.
The Breaker Vote can be reached on our poll site. Find it at the top of the screen. The poll will stay open through Week 8's recap with the results revealed in Week 10.
Feds, Bulls, Outlaws to Join New Orleans in Getting New Looks for 2012
The Breakers will not be the only clubs sporting new looks in 2012. Texas, Jacksonville, and Washington will also be on the docket for an Adidas overhaul. We already know that Washington will have a 1983 retro look for a good part of the season (including all games against their 4 division rivals), but they may just add a twist to their other games with a new design. Don’t expect them to move away from the iconic white helmet, after all, no one in Washington wants the Federals to look too much like the hated NFL Philadelphia Eagles.
Texas tried to shift up their logo a few years ago, but the “active” Outlaw was just not accepted and was quickly dropped to a secondary logo. Fans love the ornery outlaw logo that the club has used since the merger of the Oklahoma Outlaws and San Antonio Gunslingers prior to the 1988 season. Don’t expect to see a change there, but many fans are hoping that the club will return to the “snakeskin” striping they wore in the 1990’s a popular and very distinctive look.
Finally, the Jacksonville Bulls are unlikely to make major shifts. Their helmet has been regularly called one of the best in the league in fan polls, and the maroon over pewter color combo has been with the Bulls since the beginning. Expect some tweaking, as always, and perhaps a secondary logo for the Bulls, something they have never really had in their 28 year history. We should find out the new Bulls’ look as well as all the Adidas updates within the current season as most clubs want to reveal the look before fans wander off in August.
Week one had surprises and some great opening games. So, what does Week 2 hold for us? How about another huge NE Battle as Washington heads to Philadelphia. Or a Southern Division clash between the two teams that have been neck and neck for the division title, the Breakers and Knights? We have Chicago at Pittsburgh, both Central contenders trying to avoid an 0-2 start, and we have the surprising Birmingham Stallions at home against a good Baltimore squad. The league champions are at home for the first time as they host the Generals, and St. Louis has a chance to surprise another division foe as they travel to Michigan to take on the Panthers. Looks like another good week of football ahead of us.
FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Nashville (1-0) @ New Orleans (0-1) NBC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Los Angeles (1-0) @ Jacksonville (0-1) ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Denver (0-1) @ Ohio (1-0) ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Washington (1-0) @ Philadelphia (0-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET New Jersey (0-1) @ Houston (1-0) ABC
SATURDAY @ 4pm ET St. Louis (1-0) @ Michigan (0-1) FOX
SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Las Vegas (1-0) @ Oakland (1-0) ESPN
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Charlotte (1-0) @ Tampa Bay (1-0) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Memphis (0-1) @ Orlando (0-1) FOX
SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Baltimore (1-0) @ Birmingham (1-0) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Boston (0-1) @ Texas (0-1) ABC
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Atlanta (0-1) @ Seattle (1-0) ABC
SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Arizona (1-0) @ Portland (0-1) FOX
SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Chicago (0-1) @ Pittsburgh (0-1) EFN
Aren't the Knights the original Express?