SCORES
WSH 28 BLT 10
Washington gets a key divisional win against their closest rival as Neil Lomax throws for 306 and Mark Bavaro gets the longest TD of his career, a 69 yard highlight reel catch and rumble. Baltimore QB Vince Evans was scrambling all day: Sacked 3 times, hurried another 9, and with an eventual rushing total of -16 yards on 13 carries as the Federals D contains and confounds the dual threat QB.
PHI 22 NJ 14
Like two heavyweight fighters these two danced around each other and waited for key moments to deliver haymakers. Flutie to Jones for 60 yards, Fusina to Quick for 20, rookie Quinn Early caught 6 for 53 and in the end the Stars simply had 1 more in them than the Generals.
TBY 24 BIR 27 OVERTIME
After Saturday’s game this looked like a lock for Game of the Week. An overtime thriller that saw Ernest Givens catch the game-tying TD with just over a minute to play and then Scott Norwood booted home the winner. Givens would have 153 on the day, matching Eric Truvillion’s 145 as both teams found big plays throughout the game.
MEM 14 JAX 13
Another monsoon game in Jacksonville as Tropical Storm Alice made this one tricky. The storm never made landfall, but the winds and rain made this a tough offensive slog. Greg Boone’s 1 yard plunge in the 3rd would be the difference maker as Memphis pulls out a tough win in tough conditions. Despite the horrible weather, over 32,000 Bulls faithful showed up to watch.
TEX 25 HOU 17
The Texans showed off that they are for real, forcing Jim Kelly into one of the worst games of his career. Kelly threw for 291 but also tossed 4 picks to the aggressive Outlaw defense, three to NFL import Najee Mustafaa, who blanketed Ricky Sanders all day. Meanwhile Texas used a balanced approach with Doug Williams throwing for 203 and the combo of Mitchell and Stamper rushing for 104 against the usually stout Gambler D. The end result is that at the end of the day Texas is alone atop the Central at 3-0.
MGN 10 CHI 20
Just as Texas shocked the Gamblers, the Ed Luther-led Michigan Panthers were clearly looking past Chicago and paid the price. The Machine outgained the Panthers 336-279 as QB Chuck Long found his rookie receivers early and often, gaining 260 and tossing 2 scores. Michael Haynes was the hot target, cathing 6 for 116, but Wendell Davis also caught 5. TE Scott Eccles is becoming a red zone favorite, catching 2 TD’s on the day.
LA 34 ARZ 14
Christian Okoye ran over the Wrangler D to the tune of 135 yards and 2 scores as the Express ruined the home opener in Tempe. Robbie Bosco contributed to the bad day as well, tossing 3 interceptions to help LA turn a 7-3 deficit after one into a 24-7 lead by halftime. It was over from there as LA contained Bosco, Wilder and the Wranglers.
POR 10 DEN 21
Kerwin Bell had another good day, outgaining Bob Gagliano 363-141 on the day, but the Thunder could not find the endzone often enough against a steady Gold defense. Bill Brooks looked in top form, catching 7 balls and a key 4th quarter TD to end the drama in Denver. The Denver D also held Portland to 3 of 11 on third down and 0 for 3 on fourth down to salt away another home victory.
GAME OF THE WEEK
New Orleans Breakers 42 Pittsburgh Maulers 46
The New Orleans – Pittsburgh clash was not a high priority game on ABC, but it was perhaps one of the wildest games in USFL or pro football history. In a game where it seemed neither team could effectively stop the other, Alan Risher threw a whopping 6 touchdowns and Breaker HB Marcus Dupree rushed for a staggering 255 on only 16 carries. It was a bad day to bring your parents to the game if you were eithet teams’ punter as the two teams combined for over 900 total yards of offense and put up a combined 88 points.
After Pittsburgh built up early 7-0 and 14-7 leads, New Orleans had a strong 2nd quarter, with Charlie Smith catching 2 Matt Robinson tosses for scores to take a 21-14 halftime lead. But, while the first half was exciting football, it paled in comparison to what happened in the 3rd quarter. The quarter began with New Orleans backed up after Charlie Smith bobbled the kickoff and got stuffed at the 7 yard line. After a poorly-executed play action pass led to a sack of Matt Robinson at the 3 yard line, the Breakers opted to give the ball to Dupree on 2nd and 14. The likely did not expect to gain the full 14 on that play, much less 97 yards and a score. Dupree, went off tackle, split the difference between two racing linebackers, then spun out of the grasp of a safety and it was off to the races. 97 yards later a clearly winded Dupree was celebrating in the endzone after the longest rush in USFL history.
On their next possession, New Orleans would increase the score to 35-17 on a Nolan Franz TD. Pittsburgh answered with a Danny Buggs catch from Risher, his 3rd TD on the day. Dupree then broke off yet another astonishing TD run, this time from 68 yards out, again off-tackle left. But, as the 3rd quarter wound down, it was Pittsburgh’s turn for the big play as Risher found TE Mike Shaw on a seam pattern that ended up going 73 yards for a score. 5 TD’s in the 3rd and New Orleans was up 42-31, a good lead, but not good enough.
In a heroic 4th quarter the Pittsburgh D finally made some key plays, while Risher led the Mauler offense on two scoring drives to pull back to 42-38 and eventually take the lead 46-42. He hit Buggs again from 26 for his 5th TD toss, made the 2 pointer and then came back on the very next drive to find Willie Collier for his 6th and the win. In the end Risher would have 376 on the day, would complete 31 of 39 and would set the USFL record with six TD tosses.
There has not been a lot to root for at Mauler games, other than the skill of Mike Rozier, these past 4 seasons, but if this game is any indication, the Maulers are going to be a much more entertaining team this season. Coach Bugel is opening things up and Alan Risher is beginning to show signs of the fun-loving gunslinger we saw when he was with Arizona. For New Orleans another tough loss, and despite the success of Marcus Dupree, the Breakers have to be concerned that their defense is so vulnerable in the air. They got no sacks on Risher, and gave up 435 total yards despite holding Mike Rozier to only 79 yards on the day. So, for them, time to rethink their defensive schemes, while for the Maulers, it is time to start thinking about something other than a 10-loss season.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
We could have given this to Risher, but since we highlighted his record-breaking exploits above, we thought we would give some kudos to a defensive star, Texas Outlaw NFL import Najee Mustafaa had a game that few have been able to pull off guarding Houston’s Ricky Sanders. While some of the credit should go to the Outlaw D-line, which kept the pressure on QB Jim Kelly all day, Mustafaa’s three interceptions of Kelly showcased his instincts, timing and playmaking ability. He gave up a few to Sanders, but he also defended 4 balls and ended 3 Houston drives with well-timed drives on curl or incutting routes to steal the ball and keep Texas on top throughout the game. Mustafaa will likely be lined up against every opponent’s #1 receiver for the rest of the year, and if he shows his stuff like he did this week, he could possibly walk away with a Defensive Player of the Year award.
NEWS & NOTES
League owners met over conference call for their first check-in of the season. The biggest item on the agenda was the TV contract with ABC/ESPN. The contract has a buy out for one game a week and the USFL seems to be looking at taking it in order to confirm a contract with the fledgling FOX Network for a Saturday night showcase game begining next year. FOX is looking to get into the sports market, and a weekly showcase game would give them a quality option during the slower spring and early summer months.
The league owners also discussed a moritorium on expansion at least through the 1990 season as there is great interest in both consolidating the current franchises after a tumultuous year and in renegotiating the league's revenue sharing plan. Finally, there was discussion regarding the Championship game, which is scheduled to be played in Philadelphia this year and Michigan the next. There are some within the league who are hoping to set up either a permanent home for the game, while others are hoping to push forward a divisional rotation which woudl guarantee that the game rotated between the clubs in each of the 4 divisions. Nothing decided at this stage, but something to keep an eye on as we progress through the year.
INJURY REPORT
Very few long-lasting injuries this week, with the worse being a back injury to Memphis CB Derrick Burroughs which may keep him out for several weeks. Pittsburgh rookie CB Quintin Jones also went out and is listed as doubtful for next week after getting his bell rung trying to shut down Dupree. Arizona tackle Kirk Lowdermilk may miss a couple of weeks with tendinitis in his left patella, while DE Jerry Reese for the Breakers suffered a stress fracture in his foot which will take some time and rest to heal. Among those likely to return to action after missing a week or two we have Dave Dumars for Baltimore, Jack Trudeau for Michigan, Ron Pitts for LA, and DE Bob Buckowski for Texas.
LOOKING AHEAD
Week Four matches up the Pacific and Southern divisions as well as the Central and Atlantic Divisions. Of the inter-conference games, the best matchups appear to be New Jersey at Michigan, Tampa at Arizona and Birmingham at Denver, but don’t sleep on the Texas-Pittsburgh matchup, as both teams are impressing early. In other games Memphis will be in Oakland, Jacksonville is out in LA, Orlando heads out to Portland, Philly is in the Super Dome to face the Breakers, Baltimore is in Houston and Washington takes on the Machine in Chicago.