SCORES
NJ 23 HOU 24 Houston wins its second in a row, edging the Generals by 1.
PHI 24 NOR 20 Stars slow down a Breakers offense without its top wideout.
WSH 20 PIT 14 Craig James’s 115 yard day gives the Federals the edge.
BIR 14 LA 7 Both offenses have trouble finding a groove as Stallions get the W.
JAX 24 ARZ 21 Rick Neuheisel’s return not enough as Wranglers lose 7th straight.
TBY 20 DEN 13 Eric Truvillion finds just enough space to upend Denver at Mile High.
MEM 10 OAK 49 Sipe and Whittington run wild against ineffective Memphis defense.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Baltimore Blitz 11 Michigan Panthers 12
This was not the game we were promised, but it was still a USFL classic. Both teams had defensive schemes perfectly matched to take away the other’s top weapons. Hebert was only able to connect for 180 yards, while Baltimore’s Spencer was limited to 49 yards on the ground in this defensive slugfest. The Blitz slowed the game way down, converting on 10 of 17 third downs to keep long slow drives moving, but failed to reach the endzone, settling for 3 fieldgoals and a safety for their scoring.
Michigan was unable to get the big play downfield, and found themselves down 11-3 at the end of three quarters. But, in the 4th, the Blitz defense began to tire and Michigan did just enough to pull out the win. When the two stars of the game are Michigan LB John Corker and Baltimore backer Sam Norris, the league’s two leading tacklers, you know this is a smashmouth affair, and it certainly was. If not for a blown coverage, which let Michigan’s little used rookie WR Johnny Holloway score to start the 4th quarter, the game may have ended without a touchdown. Holloway’s score, coupled with a late Novo Bojovic field goal were enough for Michigan to pull ahead of Baltimore in a classic game of field position, hard hits, and playoff potential.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Oakland did just about everything right in their game against Memphis. On offense both Whittington and Sipe were on fire, but the big moment in the game came from FS William Liles, who had a season-defining game. In addition to his 70 yard pick-six at the end of the game (an add-on score that did not really impact the final outcome) Liles had a monster play in the 2nd to crush any hopes Memphis had of sticking with the Invaders. The Showboats were driving, and had reached the Invader 17 when Damon Allen hit Roy Delarosa on what looked like a possible scoring play, but as Delarosa dove towards the endzone, ball out in front of him. Liles swatted the ball out of his hands. It rolled back to the 5, where Liles picked it up and raced down the field. He would have scored if not for the speed of Memphis’s Willie Gault, who shouldered him out of bounds at the Memphis 7. The 89 yard fumble return shifted the tide of the game, and the following score, putting Oakland up 21-3, all but ended any chance that Memphis had. It was a top level play in a top level game for Liles.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
OK, here is what we know with 3 weeks left to play. Michigan is Central Division champ and the #1 seed in the West. Baltimore is the Atlantic Division Champ. Jacksonville is guaranteed a playoff spot. Denver needs 1 win to clinch a spot as well. Tampa can do the same with a win and losses by Philly and Washington. Pittsburgh, Houston, and Memphis are out. Other than that it is a total cluster as many teams linger on for potential playoff spots. As we have come to expect in the USFL, a lot will come down to the final two weeks of intra-divisional play as the cluster of teams in the 6-8 win range will battle it out to the final whistle.
NEWS & NOTES
As expected, USFL teams have begun extending or resigning players on contract years in hopes of staving off an NFL raiding of their rosters. Some of the biggest names (Walker, Hebert, James, Rozier, Mills) but many USFL stars have already opted to remain with the league (assuming as well that they will be protected in the USFL Expansion draft and remain with their teams). Some of the names signed this week include:
Pittsburgh HB Mike Rozier (4 year deal)
Michigan LB John Corker (3 year extension)
Michigan DE Ronnie Paggett (2 year deal)
Arizona LB Stan White (2 year deal)
Baltimore LB Ben Apuna (3 year deal)
Baltimore WR Jackie Flowers (4 year deal)
New Orleans LB Marcus Marek (3 year deal)
Philadelphia TE Steve Folsom (2 year deal)
Philadelphia QB Chuck Fusina (3 year deal)
Tampa Bay WR Eric Truvillion (4 year extension)
Memphis LB Eddie Simmons (5 year deal)
LA HB Tony Boddie (2 year extension)
Houston WR Ricky Sanders (3 year deal)
Denver DT Laval Short (2 year extension)
That still leaves some big names in negotiations, and we anticipate that several will wait out the process to see what the NFL has to offer. A busy time for GM’s across the league as they have to weight the salary cap, the impending USFL expansion draft, and the anticipated heavy NFL interest this offseason.
INJURIES
Marcus Dupree had to leave New Orleans’ game this week with what appears to be a broken nose after receiving an elbow to the face. He may have to miss this week’s game but is expected back for Week 15. New Orleans should have Nolan Franz back after he was sorely missed this past week. Jim Kelly, during his second straight high-octane game, jammed his finger but is expected to play this week. Overall a good week around the league’s recovery rooms.
LOOKING AHEAD
In the season’s last inter-division week we have the Atlantic hosting the Southern Division and the Central hosting the Pacific. Several games have playoff implications as well. Birmingham and New Jersey, both 5-8, need to win to stay in the Wild Card race. Philly has a tough game, hosting Tampa. Denver and New Orleans also both need the win. Jacksonville is hoping to hold its lead with a win over the Federals while Arizona is looking at Pittsburgh as its best chance to break a 7 game losing streak. Baltimore hosts Memphis, the Invaders travel to Michigan, and the LA Express hope to return to .500 with a win at Houston.