SCORES
BIR 41 MEM 0 Joe Cribbs destroys the Memphis D for 263 yards and 3 TDs in blowout.
DEN 24 BLT 31 Evans finds Flowers 3 times for scores as Baltimore edges Denver.
ARZ 20 NJ 26 Walker TD run in overtime gives Generals a quality win at home.
OAK 34 PHI 27 Rising Invaders nip the Stars on the strength of Sipe’s 3TD game.
LA 14 WSH 41 LA falls flat as Collier and James lead Federals to a big win at RFK.
BYES: Houston, Michigan, New Orleans, Pittsburgh
GAME OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay Bandits 41 Jacksonville Bulls 34
It was a game that neither team deserved to lose. Two dynamic offenses going head-to-head for 60 minutes, producing a rollercoaster of emotion for the fans at the Gator Bowl, but with the Bandits pulling out the win and drawing within 1 game of the Bulls. The game began with two straight Bandit scores, as Reaves found Truvillion on a play action fly pattern for 42, and HB Greg Boone capped off a 7-play drive on Tampa’s 2nd possession to go up 13-0 (missed PAT). But that was just the beginning as a Williams to Kemp 35 yarder brought the Bulls within 7. Williams would find Kemp again in the 2nd quarter, and George Adams would dive over the pile to score, giving Jacksonville a slim 21-16 lead at the half.
In the second half, Tampa got back on top when Reaves hit Gillespie for a score. A two-point conversion gave Tampa a 24-21 lead. The Bulls would equalize on a Vince Abbot 28 yarder, only to watch Reaves again find Truvillion screaming down the sideline, connecting on a 78-yard catch and run for the lead. The Bandits added a field goal to go up 34-24 before Jacksonville responded. To begin the 4th, the Bulls kicked another field goal to narrow the gap to 34-27. Reaves then hit the decisive score, again scorching the Bulls secondary as he found TE Mike Tice open on a seam route to go up 41-27. Williams would find Gary Clark for a score with just under 2 minutes left, but when the onside kick attempt failed, Tampa Bay was able to kill the clock and walk out of the Gator Bowl with a 7-point win and a potential tie breaker down the line.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Joe Cribbs fell off the Top 5 Rushers list after a lackluster Week 7 performance. Apparently, he was not happy with that as he just went off on a Memphis Showboats defense that simply was not prepared to contain him. Cribbs averaged an astounding 13.8 yards, scored on runs of 63 yards, 41 yards and 18 yards, and racked up a whopping 262 yards on only 18 carries. Clearly Memphis had trouble as even backup rushers Rodney Carter (7 for 50 yards) and Earl Gant (22 yards on 3 carries) contributed to the route, but what Cribbs did was simply eye-popping. In a stadium where just about half of the fans were clearly Stallions supporters who made the short trip to the Liberty Bowl to watch their team take on the winless Showboats, the cheers for Cribbs were constant and loud. The former Auburn product had his best day as a pro, a pro career that has been spectacular since signing with the Stallions, and both local and visiting fans gave him a standing ovation when coach Rollie Dotsch pulled him out of the game for Carter in the 4th quarter. And a well-deserved ovation it was.
NEWS & NOTES
Call it post-game frustration, or perhaps a slip in decorum, but in locker room interviews after the game, Bulls QB Doug Williams went off, criticizing his team’s defense, the coaching staff and the front office. Williams has clearly been frustrated with Bulls ownership trying to lowball him on a new contract, and with the inability of the Bulls to win the big game in his tenure with the squad. It was an expression of frustration and pent-up feelings of disrespect. In a league where the African American quarterback has gotten more chances than we have seen in the NFL, and where Williams leads a group that includes star players such as Vince Evans, Reggie Collier and Walter Lewis, the tension between Williams and Bulls owner Fred Bullard is palpable, and very likely could lead to Williams either returning to the NFL or seeking a trade within the USFL at the end of the season. With 4 expansion teams recently approved by the league, this may be an opportunity for Williams to find a new home, but certainly the Bulls will do what they can to acquire some value for Williams and very likely the league will be putting pressure on Fred Bullard to ensure that Williams remains a USFL star, and not a triumphant returnee to the NFL.
INJURIES
The slow grind of a USFL season is beginning to manifest in teams expanding their injury report with a lot of players listed as probable or questionable. Fortunately, there were no major multiple-game injuries this week, though a flurry of concussions will impact teams this week. Of the injuries noted, the Generals will likely miss Johnnie “Lam” Jones for at least a week. Denver may be without rookie wideout Bill Brooks for 1-2 weeks, and, Tampa’s Gary Anderson, with a nagging quad injury, may miss next week’s game. Craig James could also miss action with a hamstring injury, though team trainers still listed him as probable. With the Atlantic having their bye in Week 9, both Jones and Craig James should have time to recover and return to their teams for week 10.
LOOKING AHEAD
Week 9 has the Central returning to action as Pittsburgh will try to get their first win of the year in Houston and Michigan will face the Breakers in New Orleans. The Atlantic has the week off, so the remaining games have the 4 Southern squads heading out west to play the Pacific Division. Birmingham faces Denver’s tough D at Mile High, while Jacksonville has to deal with the Invaders in Oakland, and Tampa Bay heads to Arizona to face the Wranglers. Memphis, another winless team, coming off a 41-0 shellacking at home, will travel to LA, where the Express have lost three in a row themselves.
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