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PIT 24 NJ 19 The Maulers clearly establish themselves as the team to beat in the Atlantic division with a win against New Jersey and now a 6-1 record. Mike Rozier rushed for 145 yards and Alan Risher threw three touchdowns as the Maulers overcame the Generals in the final quarter to seal a win and hold onto sole possession of first in the division. WSH 20 BAL 10 Washington had a tough go of it in Baltimore against the much feistier Blitz, trailing 10-6 through three quarters before two late touchdowns flipped the script. Barry Word plunged in from 2 yards out as the quarter began, and, following a Chris Miller interception, Don Majkowski found Herman Moore for a 2nd TD to help build a 10-point lead and give the Feds a win they needed to keep pace with Pittsburgh. TBY 14 BIR 43 It was a whoompin’ at Legion Field as two turnovers and an injury to Troy Aikman hindered the Bandits, while Brett Favre’s 3 TD day, paired with 110 and a score from Joe Cribbs helped Birmingham crush their division rivals. Aikman is likely to miss 2-3 weeks, and John Fourcade needs to be better if Tampa is going to dig themselves out of a 3-4 hole. HOU 23 NOR 20 The Gamblers got exactly what they needed to boost their team, a win at New Orleans and a share of first place. It was not easy for Houston as Jim Kelly was knocked out of the game after completing only 1 pass. Rookie David Klingler would come in, and he would rely heavily on the Gambler D and Thurman Thomas to get the win. It was a tipped ball from Matt Robinson, ending up in the hands of LB Pat Swilling that gave Houston the chance for the win on a late John Kasay 40-yard FG, but a win is a win and now Houston shares 1st place with the Breakers at 5-2. TEX 35 CHI 28 Texas’s passing game is beginning to heat up, which is bad news for the league, and was bad news for Chicago on Sunday. Kelly Stouffer threw for 280 and a key TD to Quinn Early, and Reggie Cobb contributed two scores of his own as Texas climbed back from a 28-14 hole with 21 unanswered points in the second half to take the win. The defensive collapse caused for some bleeped language in Coach Schottenheimer’s post-game presser, as he bemoaned the 21-point swing. ARZ 27 STL 30 St. Louis got solid days from Dan McGwire and Darrell Thompson on the way to a close win at home. The Knights managed to force 2 turnovers in the final 20 minutes of action on their way to three 4th quarter field goals to move from a 21-27 deficit to the 30-27 victory. Rookie Troy Vincent’s late interception of Bosco was key as it set the Knights up for the game winning kick from Olivera. DEN 10 POR 20 The Thunder got back on the winning track with a home victory against the Gold. Oliver Luck was helped by a 3-headed HB combo of Drummond (42 yds), Flagler (37 yds) and Derek Loville (46 yds). The defense also played well, limiting Denver to only 50 yards rushing, a far cry from their usual run defense woes. The rain probably helped as well as most of the game was played on slick, mushy ground with a lot of sliding and stumbling affecting both teams. PHI 14 MGN 24 Kelvin Bryant had his first 100-yard day of the year, but it was not enough as Jack Trudeau threw 2 TD passes and the combo of Workman and Culver combined for 135 yards and a score. Philly never led as Michigan scored first on a Butch Rolle TD catch, and was always at least 3 points up on the Stars throughout. MEM 24 OAK 17 Memphis got a late score from Bobby Joe Edmunds to break a 17-17 tie and end their 2-game losing streak. Mike Kelley had one of his best days this year, completing 76% of his throws and finding Edmunds twice and Jo-Jo Townsell once to outpace the Invaders. Memphis kept Ellard and Duper in check, making 2nd year wideout Ed McCaffrey the leading receiver for the Invaders. ORLANDO RENEGADES 45 JACKSONVILLE BULLS 48 This is one nobody wanted to see finish, an absolute shootout between the ‘Gades and the Bulls. The two teams combined for 938 yards of offense, including 433 yards passing for Tony Eason, 349 for Collier, and 8 touchdown passes between the two. Dalton Hilliard also found the endzone twice for Orlando, but in the end it was the right foot of Pete Stoyanovich, with 13 seconds left, that determined the outcome. The game was 7-7 after a tentative start from both offenses in the first quarter. Todd Fowler had the first Orlando TD, while Eason found Jones for Jacksonville’s first score. In the 2nd quarter the Bulls would pull out to a healthy lead with Eason hitting both Steve Johnson and Brian Blades for scores, and Stoyanovich kicking a 23 yarder as the Bulls built the largest lead of the day, 24-7. Orlando roared back, kicking a field goal to end the first half, and then getting 2 Hilliard TD runs to open the 3rd, andwe were back to 24 apiece. What followed was a back and forth game of one-upmanship. Blades scored again for the Bulls, then John Jefferson for Orlando, Domingo Bryant ran back a rare miscue by Collier for a TD, then Hilliard got his third TD (a reception this time). Hassan Jones and Todd Fowler both scored again, and we knew that it was all about who had the ball last. Jacksonville received the kickoff after the Fowler TD tied the game at 45, and with just over 4 minutes left, they milked the clock, abandoning the deep ball entirely and relying on short passes and runs by the revenant James Wilder (back after several weeks on the injured list) to slowly move the ball down the field against an exhausted Renegade defense. With only seconds left to play, Edgar Bennett dove to center the ball at the Orlando 17 yard line, and Stoyanovich came in and drove a dagger in the heart of about 15,000 ‘Gade fans who made the trek up to the Gator Bowl. The win moves Jacksonville above .500 at 4-3, and condemns the Renegades to the division basement at 2-5, a position no one predicted for the defending conference champions when this season began. This week’s Offensive and Defensive performers of the week both come from that exhilarating Orlando-Jacksonville game. On offense it has to be Tony Eason, whose 5-TD day helped Jacksonville edge out the Renegades in front of a raucous crowd. On the defensive side, this was a week where turnovers and takeaways absolutely turned the tide of several games, but no takeaway was more impactful than Domingo Bryant’s interception for a TD against Orlando. That one play not only stopped a very good-looking Orlando drive, but gave Jacksonville a needed boost and the ability to play for the win late in the game. The combination of offensive fireworks, and one key defensive play in a game that was by no means a defensive showcase, turned the tide for Jacksonville and gave them a much-needed divisional win. We have news on the LA front, as the league this week, by an 18-1 vote (with Texas obviously abstaining) approved the plan for William Tatham to sell the Texas Outlaws controlling ownership and take on the responsibility of forming an expansion LA Express franchise for the 1995 season. There are several promising bids for the Outlaws franchise and it is expected that a sale will be finalized and approved at some point during the 1992 offseason. As for Los Angeles, the league has given the rights to the city to Tatham, so there will be no counter bids for the expansion club. The owners also voted to approve an expansion plan that will begin with bids from cities this offseason, with a final decision on which cities, and how many cities, to add in 1995 planned for Spring 1993. The size of the expansion pool, whether LA plus one other city, or LA plus 3 additional citeis, will almost certainly depend upon the quality of the various bids and the potential structural changes caused by a 22 vs. 24 team league. Having 11 teams in each conference, as a 22-team league would entail, may be actually more problematic than having 12 teams in each conference, perhaps in a six-division format. We already know that there are ownership groups in development for bids in multiple cities, including Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Columbus (OH), Kansas City, Minneapolis and Charlotte. But we also know that the NFL is looking at potential expansion in the same year, so it is very possible that ownership groups will make their pitch to both leagues and some competition between the leagues will be inevitable. This may favor USFL ownership groups seeking to add a franchise to an already existing NFL city, such as Atlanta, Dallas, or Seattle, and there may also be some bidders who clearly favor one league over the other. Add to this the possibility that the NFL may wish to reexamine “lost” cities such as St. Louis and Baltimore, or explore putting a franchise in a USFL city that has been particularly successful with attendance, a Jacksonville, Birmingham, or Memphis, for example, and the process of having both leagues looking to expand at the same time becomes incredibly complex. As you may have already noticed, this was a rough week for starting quarterbacks. Troy Aikman of Tampa Bay, Jim Kelly of Houston, and Chuck Long of Chicago are all expected to miss time due to injuries. Aikman’s is an abdominal tear which could take up to 2-3 weeks to repair. He will likely wear a special jacket to protect it after he returns. For Kelly, it is a deep thigh bruise which has him listed as Doubtful for this week, but he may return in Week 9. Chuck Long is dealing with a hairline fracture in a bone in his throwing hand, which might mean 1-3 weeks of recovery. In other news, it looks like NJ Wideout Irving Fryar could miss this week, listed as questionable after dislocating a finger in his right hand this week. St. Louis defensive leader, LB Chip Banks, is also questionable after suffering a groin injury. Week 8 marks the midpoint of the USFL season, and we have another really strong slate of games as we have intra-conference but inter-division matchups across the board. Washington is trying to gain a game to equal Pittsburgh, but must travel to Birmingham to face young phenom Brett Favre and the Stallions. Pittsburgh will be in Tampa Bay, hoping for a road win themselves to keep one up on the Feds. Meanwhile Memphis hosts the Generals and Jacksonville the Blitz as the Southern teams try to keep on the winning side of the scoreboard. In a game that may shockingly have draft pick ramifications, the 2-5 Orlando Renegades are hosting the 1-6 Philadelphia Stars. In the Western Conference the most intriguing matchup has Houston traveling to Oakland to take on a sub-.500 Invaders squad that most think are ripe for a winning streak. Texas , back to .500 at 3-3-1 will be in Arizona to face the Wranglers, while Central Division co-leaders New Orleans make the trip up river to face St. Louis. Chicago hopes they can avoid altitude issues and steal a win from the 3-4 Denver Gold, while the Michigan Panthers are expecting to get wet as they visit rainy Portland to face the Thunder.

PHI 24 WSH 27 OT Browning Nagle had his best game as a pro, throwing for 318 yards and 3 scores, but it was not enough against the Federals as Don Majkowski threw for 3 scores of his own and Barry Word added 108 yards rushing to power the Federals to an overtime win. Joey Walters caught 2 scores and Ray Wersching kicked the game winner on the Feds’ opening drive in overtime to spoil Nagle’s solid performance. BIR 38 ORL 33 Brett Favre’s solid play finally led to a quality win for the Stallions. The young QB threw for 399 yards and 3 scores, despite suffering 7 sacks at the hands of the Orlando defense. For his part, Reggie Collier matched Favre, with 3 scores of his own, but it was not enough as Birmingham scored 24 unanswered points in the 2nd half to upend the Renegades. MEM 23 TBY 27 Memphis suffered its second consecutive defeat after a 4-0 start as Troy Aikman and the Bandits stayed close throughout and then got two 4th quarter field goals to pull ahead for good. Eric Truvillion was his usual dazzling self, catching 6 balls for 97 yards and both Aikman TD’s in the win. Despite the loss, Greg Boone climbed the rushing leaders list with 126 yards on the ground. CHI 17 NOR 34 A big 2nd quarter propelled the Breakers to a home win against the division-rival Machine. Marcus Dupree and Erric Pegram combined for 112 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns as New Orleans relied on the run game to control the tempo of the game. Chuck Long went 32 of 44 for 298 playing catchup, but could not keep pace with New Orleans’s scoring. MGN 0 TEX 24 It is the rarest of feats in the USFL, to pull off the shutout, and it is the first shutout of the Panthers in 10 years of play, but the Outlaws mustered just enough defense and Michigan made just enough mistakes to have it happen. The Michigan run game just never developed and the Panthers went 3 of 10 on third down as Texas dominated the game. Kelly Stouffer’s 79 yard TD pass to Quinn Early was all the scoring the Outlaws would need, though they also got TD’s from Reggie Cobb and Dokie Williams. POR 10 ARZ 24 A solid three-phase game from the Wranglers moved them to 4-2 on the year. James and Clack combined for 130 yards rushing and Robbie Bosco found both Terry Orr and Trumaine Johnson for scores as Arizona pulled away in the second half. Oliver Luck had trouble on third down as the Wrangler pash rush repeatedly pressured him to make quick decisions. In the end, it was enough to slow down Portland and give Arizona a home victory. OAK 12 STL 6 It was a game only a kicker could love. 6 field goals were all the scoring that came about as both defenses simply stifled the red zone offense of their opposition. Both QB’s threw for over 250 yards on the day, but neither could break the red zone defense of their foes, so it was kick after kick, with Oakland benefiting from a solid day from Matt Bahr. On defense Marcus Cotton was the star for St. Louis with 11 tackles, while Ron river paced the Invaders with 7 tackles, 3 for loss, and a sack. NJ 23 HOU 26 OT New Jersey loses another close one as Houston takes the game to overtime on a Kelly to Ernie Jones TD with 42 seconds in regulation. Herschel Walker had a solid game with 140 yards rushing, but it was not enough as Houston mixed things up, giving Tim Manoa and Keith Woodside carries to rest Thurman Thomas. The two combined for 72 yards rushing, paired with Thomas’s 77 yards to match Walker yard for yard. JAX 21 DEN 24 OT The third overtime game of the week saw Denver edge the Bulls at home for their third straight win. Both teams ran the ball well, with Jamie Morris leading the Bulls attack with 91 yards, while Lars Tate and Timmy Smith combined for 118 yards on the day. The big blow for Denver was a Mark Carrier TD catch and 2 point conversion that put them up 21-14. Jacksonville tied the game with only 14 seconds left, but they were spent and Denver easily moved into field goal position in overtime and secured the win with the foot of Brian Speelman. BALTIMORE BLITZ 31 PITTSBURGH MAULERS 34 With three overtime games it was hard to pick just one game this week to highlight, and we ended up picking a game that did not go to overtime. In Pittsburgh the Maulers and Blitz battled down to the wire, but a final minute score from Alan Risher avoided overtime and raised Pittsburgh up to the best record in the league at 5-1. For Baltimore it was another near miss, as the team is playing hard each week but have not yet seen results in the Win column to prove it. Both the Maulers and Blitz traded scores throughout the day. In the first quarter it was 2 field goals as well as a Mike Shaw TD catch for Pittsburgh and a Jackie Flowers reception for a score for Baltimore. In the 2nd quarter Pittsburgh took over, getting scores from both Mike Rozier and TE Pat Kelly. Baltimore stormed back in the 3rd, getting two TD’s of their own, one from Donnell Woolford on a pick-six of Risher, and another TD catch from flowers. So, it all came down to the final quarter, with both teams tied at 24. Pittsburgh would score first, a 32 yard Rafael Septien kick. This was answered with a Barry Foster TD run, as Foster had his best day as a Blitz player, rushing for 112 yards on 21 carries. The Maulers had the final answer however, as they marched down field with time winding down and with only 30 seconds left on the clock, Risher atoned for his earlier pick-6 by finding Raynard Brown for the winning score. Baltimore tried a desperation drive and final Hail Mary but it was not enough as Pittsburgh escaped with a tough divisional win and stays in sole position of first place in the Atlantic. It is safe to say that everyone watching the USFL this season has been impressed by the play of young QB Brett Favre. Since coming in for an injured Cliff Stoudt in Week 1, he has been lighting up the scoreboard, but often to no avail as the Stallions D has not helped him win many games. This week’s 399 yard performance is his highest yardage total to date, and adding another 3 TD’s to his previous total of 13 puts him among the league leaders. With Cliff Stoudt scheduled to be able to play in 2 weeks, Coach Erhardt is going to have a tough decision in front of him. Favre has been hot, but facing four tough games against Tampa, Washington, Pittsburgh, and then Arizona, Erhardt may favor the veteran. Favre has won 3 of 5 starts, including the last two games, so if he can pull of a victory next week against Tampa, it may be tough for anyone to question the decision to keep him in when the Stallions host the Federals in 2 weeks. Having Stoudt available and prepped to sub in if needed may just be the best option when you have a young gun who is doing everything right but who may eventually hit a wall or encounter defenses better prepared to face him. In a slow week for USFL news, we thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the USFL stars who departed for the NFL to see how they were faring in the senior league. Some have found true success, including Super Bowl trophies, while others have had solid careers but not attained the glory they had hoped for. Among the stellar success stories is former Chicago and Baltimore Blitz Head Coach Marv Levy. After five seasons with the Blitz, including a USFL Championship Game appearance in 1985, Levy left the USFL and has since found a home in Buffalo with the NFL Bills. In his time with the Bills, Levy has turned the blue collar team into a Super Bowl Champion, His squad, led by DE Bruce Smith and QB Boomer Esiason have won their division each of the past 3 years and in Super Bowl XXV they knocked off the New York Giants on a last second Nick Lowery field goal. Congrats to Coach Levy. Perhaps the biggest name made in the USFL to depart for the NFL is former Michigan Panther QB Bobby Hebert, who joined another former USFL coach, Jim Mora, with the New Orleans Saints. Since arriving in the Big Easy, Mora and Hebert have helped the Saints rise to new levels of success never before seen by the traditional also-rans. Moving the team from 8-8 in 1990 to 12-4 in 1991, and an early favorite for a Super Bowl appearance this season. QB Steve Young and HB Christian Okoye have also had moderate success since their jump to the NFL before the 1989 season. Young spent a year and a half as the very high-priced understudy to Joe Montana before getting the starting job in San Francisco for the 1991 season. He started 10 games that year, finishing with a 5-5 record. Okoye started off very strong in Kansas City, racking up over 1,400 rushing yards in his first year with the Chiefs, but has had two injury-plagued seasons since then, though he did reach 1,000 yards in 1991, helping KC reach the divisional playoffs before dropping from the postseason. Ricky Sanders, former receiver from the Houston Gamblers, got himself a Super Bowl ring, winning the title this past January with the Washington Redskins, who kept Buffalo from achieving a repeat, thanks in part to Sanders and his receiving mates, the "Posse". Other former USFL players to win Super Bowl rings include Center Kent Hull (NJ) and LB Ray Bentley (MGN), both with the 1990 Bills, and Safety Dave Dumars (DEN) who left the Gold and immediately found himself on a record-setting defense with the 1985 Chicago Bears. Less fortunate was one of the USFL's brightest stars over the past few years, wideout Carlos Carson, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason, began Eagles camp only days after the end of his USFL season with Texas and developed a nagging hamstring injury which hampered his ability to play for Philly. Carson would appear in only 10 games for the Eagles and catch only 46 balls for 711 yards, far below his prime seasons in the USFL. With a full NFL offseason to recover, we hope for better things for Carson in the years to come. Several teams are looking to hit the trade wires and the waiver lists as we hit the mid-season and injuries are beginning to pile up. Oakland will be without T Muhammad Elowinibi for the rest of the year, so look for them to sign a swing tackle to play either side of the line. Baltimore will likely be on the search for a run-stuffing DE after losing Charles Buchanon for the year with a torn ACL, and Jacksonville, who may be without MLB Charles Bratton for as much as 6 weeks, may try to snag a fill-in backer if they can. Houston will be missing Brett Perriman in their offense for at least 2 weeks with his fractured arm, while Portland is hoping that Kerwin Bell’s injury is on pace for a return as early as Week 8. The Week 7 slate of games includes some interesting divisional battles. In the Atlantic both Baltimore and New Jersey find themselves at 2-4 and need upset wins this week against Pittsburgh and Washington to try to stay alive in the tough division. In the South Orlando is hoping to regain their form against 3-3 Jacksonville while Tampa Bay and Birmingham, both 3-3, hope to get a leg up when they clash this week. In the Central it is a battle royale for the division as Houston visits New Orleans. Meanwhile Texas and Chicago, both at 2-3-1 are hoping not to tie again as one of them is hoping to reach .500 with a win. Out West, St. Louis is hoping for some home cooking against Arizona, while Denver puts their 3-game win streak on the line as they visit Portland. In inter-divisional play, Michigan, losers of 3 in a row, now face the 1-5 Stars who have been playing better than their record indicates. Memphis is hoping to end their 2 game slide, but have a tough task against the defending league champs, who cannot be happy to be 3-3 at this stage of the year.

CHI 41 NJ 28 New Jersey’s defense lets them down as Chicago gains 436 yards of offense, including a combined 127 yards rushing from Ricky Watters and Albert Bentley, and 309 yards from QB Chuck Long. At the same time Herschel Walker had a second straight rough game, gaining only 30 yards behind a mysteriously ineffective O-line. HOU 38 PHI 31 Browning Nagle returns to action and has his best game yet, throwing for 316 and 2 scores with no picks, but it is not enough as Jim Kelly tosses 4 TD passes and Thurman Thomas combines 137 yards rushing with 89 yards receiving for a whopping 216 yards from scrimmage. MGN 17 PIT 29 The Maulers move to 4-1 out of the gate thanks to a 22 for 27 day for Alan Risher and 95 tough yards from Mike Rozier. Michigan was game, and Rodney Culver averaged 8.2 carries in limited action, but it was not enough as Pittsburgh got a Lydel Carr TD and a safety in the second half to bust open a 20-17 game at the half. NOR 13 WSH 20 Washington had their best defensive game of the year, limiting Marcus Dupree to only 37 yards rushing and sacking Matt Robinson 4 times on their way to a hard fought home win. Barry Word added 94 yards and 2 scores as he is now the clear lead rusher for the Federals. TEX 13 BAL 37 Baltimore has a solid defensive gameplan against the Outlaws, winning by 24 despite being outgained by Texas. Chris Miller would throw 3 TD’s in the game, including two early strikes to Derek Hill. Add in a 95-yard day from Barry Foster and even Reggie Cobb’s 106 was not enough to keep Texas in the game. The win is Baltimore’s 2nd of the year, while last year’s #1 Western seed falls to 1-3-1 after 5 weeks. ARZ 19 JAX 30 Arizona’s defense, after several good outings, struggles to contain the Bulls, as Jamie Morris rushes for 103 and Tony Eason tosses two touchdowns to pace the Bulls to the win. Robbie Bosco found Trumaine Johnson for 114 yards and Bruce Hill for another 124, but the endzone still eluded the Wranglers. OAK 38 ORL 28 In a rematch of last year’s Summer Bowl, the Invaders again came out on top, courtesy of a 4-TD day from Gale Gilbert. Gilbert threw for 305 on the day, finding Henry Ellard for two scores and then hitting Mark Duper and Sam Bowers for one each as the Invaders outscored Orlando 14-0 in the second half to take the game once again. POR 24 TBY 21 Oliver Luck gains a bit of revenge against a Tampa fan base that booed him throughout the game. His final minute TD pass to Hart Lee Dykes gave Portland an important road win. Luck was helped by a Tampa D that simply cannot stop the run, allowing 113 to Robert Drummond on only 20 carries. STL 23 BIR 33 Birmingham hands the Knights their third straight loss as Joe Cribbs gains 120 and Brett Favre throws for 256 and 2 scores. Despite being sacked 5 times, Favre hung in the pocket and did not turn the ball over. The game was not as close as the final score indicated as Birmingham rested some players up 33-9 and St. Louis scored twice against the backups to make the score a little more respectable. DENVER GOLD 22 MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 17 Denver wins their second in a row as their defense starts to come together for Coach Walton. The bend-but-don’t break philosophy kept Denver in the game despite being outgained 321-192. Down 17-16 with 5 minutes left in the 4th, Dave Krieg found Odessa Turner for a late score to help the Gold knock the Showboats from the ranks of the undefeated. It was a modest game all around for the Denver offense as Dave Krieg only threw for 133 on a 15/26 day. But, he avoided turnovers, while Memphis fumbled away the ball 3 times against an aggressive ball-hawking Denver D. Kurt Gouveia had a monster game, forcing 3 fumbles and recovering 3 (he recovered two he caused and one forced by Latin Berry). Charles Mincey added a pick-six interception of Mike Kelley to help Denver’s D win the day. Denver built up an early lead on the Mincy TD and two field goals, but Memphis got TD catches from rookie Carl Pickens and veteran Jo-Jo Townsell to pull back into the game. After a Kevin Shea 53-yarder put them up 17-16 late in the 4th, Dave Krieg led a 2-minute drill to regain the lead that Denver had held all day. After scrambling for a first down on a broken 3rd down play, Krieg faked the ball to Lars Tate on the ensuing first down and found Odessa Turner in single coverage for the winning score. Memphis, with the loss, still leads the South, but now by only 1 game over Jacksonville, with the rest of the division 1 game behind that. The win, Denver’s 2nd straight, pulls them within 1 game of Arizona at 2-3, in a 4-team pack with that same record. Let’s reward both our offensive and defensive stars this week. Once again with Houston we find the indominable Thurman Thomas once again proving why he is the most dangerous dual threat in the game today. Not only does he rush 20 times for 137 yards and a score, but Kelly finds him 4 times for another 89 yards and a second touchdown. This is exactly the kind of performance that has made Thomas a hero in Texas and one of the league’s most marketable backs. On defense it is the always-consistent centerpiece of the Denver defense, LB Kurt Gouveia who once again shines. His three forced fumbles and equally important three recoveries, ruined Memphis drives and gave Denver the kind of short field that they thrive on with their grind-it-out offense. Add in 9 tackles and Kurt Gouveia was an easy choice for defensive player of the week. We haven’t talked stadiums in a while, so let’s dive into some news about USFL team homes. The biggest news at present is in Portland, where the city has agreed to the deal proposed by the Thunder to expand Civic Stadium from its current diminutive 24,000 up to 35,500. The renovation and expansion will begin as soon as the Thunder season ends, and is likely to force the Thunder to play several games in Corvallis or Eugene until the renovation is complete, expected to be some time in May of 1993, midway through the USFL season. The Thunder are hoping to have a deal in place with either Oregon State University or the U. of Oregon within the next month, though they have also explored playing a game or two in Seattle to help shore up their regional appeal. Another team hoping to get approval for renovations are the Memphis Showboats. The Liberty Bowl, with a capacity of 62,380, is certainly big enough for the ‘Boats but they are hoping to get approval to increase the number of luxury boxes and enclosed suites in the stadium. A referendum on this proposal, and a bond issuance to help cover the costs is expected to be on this Fall’s ballots. A similar bond issuance is anticipated in Baltimore, where the 50-year old Memorial Stadium still has amenities more appropriate for the 1970’s Colts than the 1990’s Blitz. Baltimore ownership is hoping to refurbish the aging structure’s internal facilities (offices, locker rooms, training rooms, etc.) but also to expand the luxury suite options by removing some open air seating. The club has not come close to selling out the 53,000 seat stadium, though crowds in the mid-40’s were common when the club first arrived in 1986. The planned renovation, if funded, would reduce capacity to just under 50,000 while adding 10 more suites for corporate and “high roller” sale. Finally, in his pitch to the USFL to allow the sale of the Outlaws and the rights to the LA Express franchise, William Tatham has thrown around the idea of building a new football/soccer facility in Carson, CA, just outside central Los Angeles. This seems like a longshot idea unless Tatham can find partnership with a second franchise such as the California Angels baseball club or one of the two L.A. NFL teams. Getting either an MLB or NFL team to partner with the USFL on an LA stadium would be a major coup, though, with renegade owner Al Davis in LA you cannot rule out the Raiders going in with the USFL to secure a better home. The Coliseum has hardly been a solid option for the NFL Raiders, just as both it and Angel Stadium were problematic for the now-relocated Express. Finally, in case you were wondering, all plans or dreams of a new NYC-based stadium for the Generals, something once touted by short-term owner Donald Trump, are on what appears to be a permanent hiatus. With both the NFL Jets and Giants committed to long term deals in the Meadowlands, there is little impetus to create a new stadium for the Generals. And with the Generals carefully crafting a “New Jersey” personality for their team, the thought that the team would abandon this hard-won image to bolt to the certainly more-expensive NYC option seems counter-productive. The biggest knock for the week was the hip injury suffered by Ronnie Paggett. Paggett, who has been one of the league’s best pass rushers since the USFL began in 1983 is likely to miss the rest of the season, a season many thought would not come as the 37-year old was expected to have retired last year. With an injury like this, he may very well have played his last down of football, something no player wants to consider. Other injuries of note include a hairline fracture of the left arm for Houston wideout Brett Perriman, which may cost him up to 3 weeks as it heals. Michigan also lost DT Pio Sagapolutele, who has had nagging injuries all season. Oakland wideout Wyatt Henderson is likely to miss a game or two with a gimpy ankle, while St. Louis TE Todd Christiansen could equally miss 2-3 weeks with a hyper-extended knee. Back to division battles for Week 6, and some good ones at that. Baltimore, coming off their second win of the year must face off against the Maulers in Three Rivers, while Philly travels to Washington to face the Federals. Birmingham and Orlando are both 2-3 as they enter their clash at the Citrus Bowl, while Memphis hopes to rebound from their first loss of the season but face the high octane offense of Tampa Bay. Chicago faces a big test in New Orleans this week, while Michigan hopes to steal a win from the Outlaws as they visit the Lone Star State. Out West Portland at 2-3 will visit division-leading 3-2 Arizona, while Oakland heads to Missouri to face the Knights. In inter-divisional play, things do not get easier for the Generals, who have lost 3 straight, as they head to Houston to face the red-hot Gamblers. Jacksonville make the trip up to Mile High to face Denver, winners of two straight.

BAL 17 WSH 20 The Blitz and the Federals battled down to the last second before a Ray Wersching field goal with 22 seconds left gave Washington the win. It was Mike Hohensee who led the Feds on their game-winning drive after Don Majkowski was knocked out by a possible concussion late in the 4th. NJ 14 PIT 20 The battle for first in the Atlantic went into overtime at 14 apiece, but a Louis Lipps TD catch gave the Maulers the win in the extra period. Pittsburgh’s defense was outstanding, intercepting Doug Flutie 3 times and holding Herschel Walker to only 1.9 yards per carry, a monumental feat. Mike Rozier and Lydell Carr combined for 145 yards rushing to power the Mauler offense. JAX 33 ORL 17 Jacksonville took the road win and tightened up the Southern Division with a strong offensive and defensive performance. Rookie Edgar Bennett got his first TD of the year and Jamie Morris another as the two compensated for the injured James Wilder. The Bulls D also came to play, picking off Reggie Collier twice as Jacksonville evened both teams’ records at 2-2. MGN 13 CHI 20 The Machine got their first win of the year and gave Michigan their first defeat as Chicago built up a 20-3 lead and then held on against a late Panther rally. Chicago’s D held Jack Trudeau to only 56% completion rate and sacked the Michigan QB 5 times on the day, while 2nd year HB Ricky Watters gained 71 yards rushing and another 11 receiving to help Chicago to the early lead in Chuck Long’s return to action. HOU 41 TEX 31 In another classic Gambler-Outlaw shootout, Texas held a 31-28 lead after 3 but Houston ran roughshod over the tired Outlaw defense in the 4th quarter, scoring 13 unanswered to take a 10 point win. Jim Kelly had a monster day, throwing for 403 yards and 5 scores, including 2 to league TD leader Ricky Proehl, and a beauty of a screen to Thomas that went 62 yards as Houston denies their in-state rival a home win. OAK 10 ARZ 14 Arizona’s rebound season is for real as the Wranglers knock off the defending champs at home in Tempe. Touchdown tosses to Trumaine Johnson and Bruce Hill proved to be enough as the Wrangler D held Oakland to only 269 total yards and shut down rookie HB Siran Stacy, 4 carries for only 16 yards. STL 27 DEN 29 The Gold get their first victory of the year as they edge the visiting St. Louis Knights. Dave Krieg threw for 2 scores and the RB group of Tate, Smith, and Travis rushed or a combined 132 to keep the Knights at bay, despite 118 rushing from the duo of Jordan and Thompson. PHI 23 NOR 41 Bob Gagliano threw for 439 and 2 scores, but the Stars were simply unable to keep pace with the Breakers. Marcus Dupree had a huge game, carrying the ball 17 times for 165 yards and 3 TD’s against a Philly D that clearly had no answers for his slashing style and breakaway speed. Add in a Frederick Wilder Pick-6 and a Herman Fontenot 104 yard kickoff return and you have a decisive win for the home team. MEM 23 POR 12 Surprising Memphis moves to 4-0 with a road win in Portland. Two TD’s from Greg Boone and another from Tommy Agie and once again it seems Portland’s run D is their downfall. It also did not help that Kerwin Bell was knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter. Oliver Luck went 25 for 38 playing catchup, but was unable to get the Thunder into the endzone. Birmingham Stallions 31 Tampa Bay Bandits 34 Two teams sitting at 1-2 and not wanting to fall to 1-3 fought tooth and nail for a win in this classic by the bay. Surprisingly Tampa was able to outrush Birmingham as the combo of Harmon and Bienemy racked up 149 yards to Cribbs and Fullwood’s 107. The Bandits also got 253 yards and 2 scores from Troy Aikman, which helped them overcome a 301 yard, 4 TD day from Birmingham’s new favorite son, Brett Favre. Tampa actually seemed to be in control after 3, with a 27-14 lead, but two early 4th quarter TD’s from Birmingham, both TD tosses from Favre, one to Ernest Givens, and one to Danny Knight, brought the Stallions back. They added a field goal with about 3 minutes left to take a 31-27 lead, but were unable to hold off a Tampa 2-minute drill. Troy Aikman took the ball on his own 23 yard line and took Tampa all the way back, needing a TD to win the game. They got it in the form of a swing pass from Aikman to Bienemy from the 6 yard line as the fans in Tampa Stadium erupted. The win moves Tampa into a tie for second with Jacksonville and Orlando, all three chasing the undefeated Memphis Showboats. The loss knocks Birmingham to 1-3, with Favre earning his third loss despite putting up gaudy numbers for the Stallions. Jim Kelly pretty much gave us no choice with the 4th quarter he put on against Texas. His 403 yards on the day marks the first time he surpassed the 400-yard mark since a route against the then Oklahoma Outlaws back in their expansion season of 1987. His only other 5 TD day was a year earlier than that, in 1986 against the Invaders. The veteran Gambler found 8 different receivers on the day, including a rare TD catch for 3rd string HB Patrick Egu and two more scores for league leader Ricky Proehl. With this stellar game, Kelly lept over several fellow QB’s to move into 1st place in the QB Rating rankings this week. With interception issues in past seasons, this is a position Kelly has rarely approached, much less attained. But this year Kelly has been able to limit his errant throws, while increasing his effectiveness in play action. He will still gamble on the long ball or the tight double coverage, but he has so far avoided the reckless throws which so often cost him in past seasons. Against Texas, Kelly was effective and ruthless, helping the Gamblers even their record at 2-2 and get into the hunt, chasing 4-0 New Orleans. A very very early look at the league award races has the usual QB-heavy list for MVP already in play, with Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, and Troy Aikman putting up excellent early season numbers. They will also likely contend for offensive POY as well. On defense the top candidates right now include 1991 Rookie of the Year Phil Hansen, already with 7 sacks this season, St. Louis LB Chip Banks, Memphis LB Eddie Simmons, and a newcomer, Houston CB Reggie Sutton, who leads the league with 3 interceptions, one run back for a score. The Rookie of the Year Race is tough to call, with Michigan HB Rodney Culver at 235 yards after 4 weeks and Oakland’s Siran Stacy trailing at 192 yards. This year, it may go to defense again, as Birmingham’s Darryl Williams already has 20 tackles and 2 sacks. Mark D’Onofrio of Pittsburgh is a darkhorse candidate if the Maulers keep winning. For Coach of the year, it has to be first year man Buddy Ryan in Memphis so far. He has the Showboats defense roaring and the offense is returning to a run-first mentality which seems to be working well for the ‘Boats. If Memphis falters, there may be room for Arizona’s Ted Tollner as his team rebounds from a poor 1991 season. A few significant injuries to report this week as Oakland DT Mike Ruth could be out for the season with a torn ACL, while St. Louis DT Milton Lerner faces at least 6 weeks on the injured list after fracturing a bone in his forearm. Baltimore will be without wideout Anthony Miller for 2-4 weeks with a torn bicep and Portland may be looking at as much as a month with Oliver Luck at the helm after Kerwin Bell was diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury. Players expected to be out at least a week with minor injuries include New Orleans WR Charlie Smith, St. Louis TE Todd Christiansen, Jacksonville WR Hassan Jones, Pittsburgh TE Mike Shaw, and Chicago CB Robert Massey. Philadelphia is expecting Browning Nagle to return to action this week, and despite solid performances from backup Bob Gagliano, Nagle is expected to resume the starting position. It is the Central vs. the Atlantic and the Pacific visiting the South as we see our first of only 2 full weeks of inter-conference play this season. Chicago will be in New Jersey after their first win of the year. Houston goes to Philly, Michigan to Pittsburgh, and New Orleans visits Washington. Texas and Baltimore, both with only 1 win, round out the Central-Atlantic slate. In Pacific-South games surprising Arizona will be in Jacksonville, Denver heads to Memphis to face the undefeated Showboats, Oakland tries to regroup in Orlando, and Portland’s Oliver Luck returns to Tampa. The week rounds out with a banged-up Knights squad heading to Legion Field to face the Stallions.

PIT 17 BAL 14 After falling behind 17-7 to the Maulers, Baltimore got a late TD from Miller to Hill, but could not convert the onside kick to get the ball back for a game tying fieldgoal. Pittsburgh got a monster day from Mike Rozier against the Blitz D, as Rozier carried the ball 29 times for 156 yards. WSH 16 PHI 26 The Stars showed why it was wise to bring in a veteran QB as Bob Gagliano came in for an injured Browning Nagle and led the Stars to their first win of the season. Nagle went out late in the 2nd with what appeared to be a neck injury after a hard hit from Dexter Manley. Gagliano came in, went 9 of 16 and threw a TD to Mike Quick to give Philly a lead they would not relinquish. Kelvin Bryant added another as Philadelphia reveled in a 10-point win over the defending division champ. ORL 24 BIR 21 The Renegades got two field goals in the final 2 minutes of the game to steal a win away from the Stallions. Fuad Reveiz was the hero as he not only nailed a 53-yard attempt as time ran out, but also provided the chance by kicking a perfect high-hopping onside kick after Orlando had tied the game at 21 with 2 minutes left. Orlando recovered, and 5 plays later it was Reveiz’s leg for the win. TBY 13 MEM 27 Memphis continues their surprising fast start as the Buddy Ryan-led defense proves effective against Tampa’s deep ball attack. Troy Aikman finished with 284 yards, but Tampa only scored 13 against the tough Memphis D. The Showboats got 2 scores from Mike Kelley and a solid 87 yards rushing from Greg Boone on their way to the win. CHI 24 TEX 24 OT Well, it was not a win, but for the first time in 14 games a Marty Schottenheimer-led team did not lose. After falling behind on a Quinn Early TD catch with only 1:50 left in the game, Scott Zolak did the unexpected and led the Machine down the field, hitting Wendell Davis for the game-tying score with only 18 seconds left to play. Neither team could find their footing in overtime, so the game ended as a tie. NOR 21 HOU 7 New Orleans took advantage of 3 Houston turnovers to hold the Gamblers at bay and walk out of the Astrodome with a win. Neither team looked in rhythm on offense, but it was Houston that made the fatal turnovers and came out on the losing end. POR 26 DEN 7 Portland’s defense and an ineffective run game doomed Denver to a 19-point loss. Denver could only muster 33 yards rushing on the day, and a total of 165 total yards as Portland dominated the line of scrimmage. Four Al Del Greco fieldgoals and short TD’s from both Webster Slaughter and Cris Carter were more than enough for the Portland offense in this one. STL 7 ARZ 30 The St. Louis Knights ran into a buzzsaw in Tempe as the Wranglers racked up more than 400 yards of offense on their way to a convincing home victory. Robbie Bosco threw for 203 and 2 scores, while the combo of Clack (56) and James (143) provided nearly 200 yards of rushing to the Wrangler attack. NJ 8 MGN 24 The Michigan Defense regained some of its old swagger, limiting Doug Flutie to 51% completions while nabbing 5 sacks on the day as the Panthers rolled over the 2-0 Generals. Jack Trudeau only completed 50% of his throws, but for 292 yards and 3 scores, one each to Rolle, Carter and rookie HB Rodney Culver. Culver also added 48 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Jacksonville Bulls 31 Oakland Invaders 30 In a game that had one of the best back-and-forth 4th quarters you could hope for, the Jacksonville Bulls would not go away and got the final score of the day to take a 1 point lead and hold it until the whistle sounded. It was an evenly matched game from start to finish, with Tony Eason throwing for 334 while Gale Gilbert notched 336 yards. Henry Ellard nabbed 9 passes for 165 while Hassan Jones was the star for Jacksonville with 5 catches for 125. Tied at 17 in the 3rd quarter, the Invaders took a lead on a Matt Bahr 48-yard field goal, and then added to it when Mark Duper caught a beautiful ball from Gale Gilbert and took it 34 yards for a score. Down 27-17, Jacksonville responded with a drive of their own, and after 9 plays, TE Steve Johnson got the TD toss from Eason to pull within 3. Oakland would drive again in response, but when a 3rd and 7 pass was defleced out of the hands of Sam Bowers, they had to settle for 3, now leading 30-24. Jacksonville got the last laugh as they ate up 3 minutes of clock before Johnson’s game-winning score. Tony Eason would finish with 4 TD’s on the day, including the game-winner with just over 1 minute left on the clock. Gilbert would finish the game with 3 scoring tosses, but likely convinced that with just a little more time he could have made it to 4 and regained the lead for Oakland. But, time was not on their side, and with the clock winding down a final Hail Mary failed to find a receiver and Jacksonville was heading home with their first win of the season. Just on sheer pluck alone, we are going to give this week’s game ball to Scott Zolak of the Chicago Machine. Zolak, subbing for the injured Chuck Long, had a poor outing last week and came into this week with no guarantee that he would be able to finish the game if he could not come through. He bookended the game with 2 TD’s both to Wendell Davis, the first to begin the scoring in the 1st quarter, and then to wrap it up with 18 seconds in the game to tie the score at 24. In between these two tosses, Zolak threw the ball an unnerving 54 times, despite 34 carries between Ricky Watters and Albert Bentley. He would complete 28 of those tosses for 258 yards and 3 TD’s on the day. These are not mindblowing numbers, but they were enough to give Chicago some hope and keep Texas off the field long enough to come back and tie the game. The tie, while frustrating for all parties, marks the first success of Marty Schottenheimer’s short tenure in Chicago, and Zolak, who was looking over his shoulder to see if former Seminole Reggie Slack was going to get a shot, came through with a gutsy performance for the Machine. We don’t get a chance to salute gutsy performances that don’t lead to wins very often, so this week we will. Three weeks into the 1992 season and once again we have to wonder if we have some teams with QB controversies already. The obvious first place to look is in Birmingham, where and injury to Cliff Stoudt has provided 2nd year QB Brett Favre to get a shot at the starting gig. He has looked very good, leading all quarterbacks in the USFL with a 106.9 QBR and 6 TDs to zero interceptions to date. However, he is only 1-1 in his two starts, and with as many as 4-5 more weeks before Cliff Stoudt returns, a lot can change. If Favre is sitting at 5-1 at that point, or is even 3-3 but has a top QBR, it may be hard to pull him. New Head Coach Ron Erhardt has had nothing but praise for the young gunslinger, but would you really remove an icon like Stoudt from the Stallion lineup? The other obvious spot where a team might change courses is in Philadelphia, where Browning Nagle was ineffective in his first two games, injured this week, and his replacement, veteran Bob Gagliano was able to rally the Stars to a victory. Gagliano is likely to start again next week with Nagle out, and if he performs well it may be hard for Coach Bicknell to justify a swap back to the younger Nagle. Finally, what will happen to Dave Krieg if he continues to struggle and the Gold continue to lose? Vince Evans certainly knows his way around a USFL field, but will Coach Walton feel comfortable putting the journeyman USFL vet in and removing the high profile NFL transfer? Unlikely at 0-3 but at 0-6 or 0-7, we could see it happen. A bad week for injuries around the league as we saw several top players go down. Baltimore will have to go without their starting RDE as Charles Buchanon is out at least 3 months. Arizona lost FS Martin Bayless for 2 months with broken ribs, while New Orleans wideout Charlie Smith could miss up to a month with a neck injury. Out for up to 2 weeks we have Michigan DT Pio Sagapolutele, Chicago guard Mike Munchak, and Oakland wideout Wyatt Henderson. Jacksonville’s James Wilder could be in a similar situation after a stress fracture was discovered in his left foot. Players who are listed as Doubtful or questionable, and are considered day to day include Baltimore CB Leslie Frazier, Tampa FS Roy Gee, Pittsburgh DE Scott Keller, Tampa wideout Chris Collinsworth, and the aforementioned Browning Nagle, who might get the start this week despite lingering pain. Week 4 provides more divisional action. New Jersey and Pittsburgh, both starting the year well at 2-1 face off at Three Rivers. Baltimore and Washington, both 1-2 will try to level their records at RFK. Birmingham and Tampa are also trying to get to .500 as they clash in Tampa Stadium. Jacksonville is in Orlando for an in-state rivalry game. Michigan takes their 3-0 record to Chicago, who stand at 0-2-1 after their tie this week. Houston will try to reach 2-2 if they can win in San Marcos against the Texas Outlaws. Oakland is in Arizona this week, with a chance to get back to .500 against the Wranglers, while Denver will try to get their first win as they host the St. Louis Knights. In inter-conference play we have Philadelphia headed to New Orleans to face the 3-0 Breakers while Portland is at home to another 3-0 team, the Memphis Showboats.

BIR 26 BAL 20 Brett Favre has a solid game (2 TDs, 287 yards) in his first pro start, and shows off a big arm, hitting Shannon Sharpe on a 33 yard TD and Ernest Givens on a 46-yarder to lead the Stallions to a win in Baltimore. Baltimore’s Chris Miller completes 72% of his passes, with newly-arrived Bill Brooks the main recipient (7 for 88 yards), but falls short on the scoreboard. JAX 10 NJ 35 The Generals impress both on offense and defense against Jacksonville. Doug Flutie hits Lam Jones for a big 43-yard score to open the game, and a John White 39-yard interception return score helps the Generals pull out of reach in the 3rd quarter. Tony Eason is sacked 8 times by the Generals’ pass rush, including 3 sacks by last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and the single season sack record holder, Phil Hansen. MEM 14 PHI 3 A low-scoring affair as neither team was effective at turning field position into points. Memphis got a big day from Greg Boone (119 yards) and Philadelphia got decent production from Kelvin Bryant and rookie Bernie Parmalee, but Browning Nagle continues to struggle, throwing 2 interceptions that killed drives and kept the Stars from scoring needed touchdowns. ORL 22 PIT 27 The Maulers get a big early season win over Orlando as Mike Rozier rushes for 140 yards and Raynard Brown makes both his catches count, scoring two TD’s on the day. Dalton Hilliard got only 10 carries as it was Todd Fowler who had the hotter hand for Orlando, carrying the ball 20 times for 76 yards. The key play of the game was Moe Gardner’s 12 yard fumble return for a score in the 3rd quarter for Pittsburgh. TBY 14 WSH 34 The Feds rebound from an opening week defeat by thrashing the Bandits. Don Majkowski threw for 3 scores and the Federals defense pressured Troy Aikman all day, causing 2 interceptions and snagging 5 sacks of the Bandits QB. ARZ 40 CHI 19 Arizona gets all the breaks in a beatdown of the Chicago Machine. Scott Zolak completes only 48% of his passes and throws 2 interceptions (one for an ARZ touchdown) in his first start in the USFL, while Clack and James combine for 124 yards rushing and Robbie Bosco throws for 2 scores as Arizona rolls. DEN 21 HOU 41 Houston dominates (462 yards to 241) as Jim Kelly throws for 315 and 3 scores. Thurman Thomas adds 123 on the ground and contributes 3 catches for 37 yards as well. Dave Krieg tosses 3 scores of his own, but his two interceptions are costly for the Gold. OAK 11 MGN 14 Michigan wins a tough defensive battle against Oakland thanks to TD’s from Dexter McNabb and rookie Rodney Culver. Culver rushes for 115 yards on the day, surpassing Vince Workman on the carries list, though Workman’s 56 yards on only 8 carries also help the Panthers grind out a win. For Oakland, two Gale Gilbert interceptions prove costly in a close game. POR 14 NOR 31 The Breakers come back from a 14-0 deficit after 1 quarter, scoring 31 unanswered points as both Marcus Dupree and Erric Pegram rush for scores. Matt Robinson finds both Charlie Smith and Michael Jackson for 2nd half TD’s as well as the Breakers shut down Portland despite 159 yards from Robert Drummond. ST. LOUIS KNIGHTS 29 TEXAS OUTLAWS 24 Whether it is the change of scenery, the maturing of a roster, or the refinement of a new system, something has helped to change the outlook of the once punchless LA Express into a more focused, more dangerous St. Louis Knights team. One week after winning their first game as the Knights in their new home at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the “newest” franchise in the league came into San Marcos, Texas and upset last year’s #1 Western Conference team. The Knights did it by keeping pace with what had been one of the league’s most potent offenses, gaining 406 yards on the day, only 20 yards less than the Outlaws’ total. The combination of Buford Jordan and Darrell Thompson averaged 5.5 yards per carry, gaining 111 yard between them, and QB Dan McGwire, now starting his 2nd year under center, went 20 for 33 for 296 yards, 2 TD’s and no interceptions. Texas was expected to win easily, and despite 107 yards from Reggie Cobb, and 3 TD tosses from Kelly Stouffer, they were in a dogfight all day. Early on it looked like they would take the game as planned, with two early Kelly Stouffer TD passes putting them up 14-0 after 1 quarter, but St. Louis roared back in the 2nd, with Buford Jordan scoring on a 34-yard run, then McGwire hitting Rocket Ismael for a score. After a few field goals, it was 20-17 Knights after 3. St. Louis boosted the score to 23-17 with a Scott Olivera field goal to begin the 4th, but Stouffer found Eric Metcalf for a third TD toss, with only 1:56 left in the game and it seemed that despite the valiant effort by St. Louis, the Outlaws would take this game by 1 point. What happened next was a shock to the Outlaw faithful at Bobcat Stadium and a stunning final drive for a franchise that had shown no offensive punch for almost 2 full seasons. Getting the ball at their own 25, Dan McGwire completed 3 straight passes, including an 18-yarder to Eric Martin, to get the ball to the Texas 44. A false start penalty 3 plays later left St. Louis with a 4th and 16, seemingly ending any hope for a comeback, but an amazing play from McGwire, he found Eric Martin again, and Martin turned what looked to be a 10-yard out into a 48 yard play all the way to the Texas 2 yard line. Only a diving tackle from Najee Mustafaa kept Martin from scoring, but only 1 play later McGwire hit Moffett on a bootleg option play and St. Louis was up 5. They went for two and failed, but the damage was done. The Knights had pulled off an amazing comeback victory, scoring with only 16 seconds on the clock and shocking not only the Outlaw faithful, but the entire league. This week we had three strong candidates for player of the week and all three were on the same team. Houston manhandled the Denver Gold and in doing so we had outstanding performances from three different Gambler players. QB Jim Kelly went 17 for 31, throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Thurman Thomas rushed for 123 yards and caught 5 balls for another 37, and CB Reggie Sutton, clearly the least heralded of the three, had a monster day, making 5 tackles, intercepting a Dave Krieg pass and running it back for a touchdown, but also forcing 2 fumbles on the day, and recovering one. Sutton’s interception for a touchdown only 7 seconds into the 3rd quarter took a 21-17 Denver lead and flipped it upside down, giving Houston a lead they would never relinquish as they went on to score 24 unanswered points. It proved to be the spark that started Houston on the path to a dominant half and their first win of the season. Kelly would hit Proehl for his 3rd TD on the day, Thomas would rush for 73 yards in the half, and the Gamblers would shut down the Gold for the rest of the game. All three performers would prove essential to the Houston win, so we award all three with our POTW this week to recognize a true team effort in knocking off the Gold. Some news out of the New York league offices of the USFL as the league shored up some leaguewide business. Firstly, the expected has happened, as the league and the ABC/ESPN networks have agreed to an alteration of their 3 year TV contract. The league will lose just about $18M in revenue over the next three seasons due to the loss of the Los Angeles market, and has committed to a return to LA for the 1995 season. ABC/ESPN will continue to cover 9 games per week (10 in weeks 1, 2 and 16 this year), with FOX having the rights to 1 game per week, the Friday Night tilt in weeks 3-15, as well as 2 playoff games. The new agreement also essentially guarantees that in 1995 we will have expansion rather than relocation as the contract requires the league to provide ABC/ESPN with 10 games per week. The contract with FOX also requires a growth to 1 game per week each week by 1995, so that means that the league has agreed to 11 games per week at a minimum. A 22 team league would be able to meet that expectation, though the USFL has not ruled out the possibility of moving to 24 teams. According to inside sources, the league has also looked at the possibility of shortening the season from 16 to 14 weeks to allow them to maintain a July championship while beginning the season later in March. Reducing the number of weeks in the season would be a controversial move as it would require that salaries across the league be restructured and recalculated for the shorter season. More to come on both the season schedule and league structure to be sure as the league decides just how to meet the expectations of its television contracts. In another announcement from the league, the logo for the 10th league championship (or 3rd Summer Bowl, depending on your perspective) has been released. This logo combines the summer iconography we have seen with the Orlando and Los Angeles Summer Bowls with landmarks of the host city, Washington DC, while retaining a very “summery” look in its use of color. The 1992 Summer Bowl will be hosted at RFK stadium in Washington, D.C. on August 2nd, the first time the championship game has been held in August. The game will begin at dusk, with a 7pm ET start, and organizers are hoping to avoid what can be some muggy humid weather in DC at that time of year. Another week of bruises, bumps, and bad breaks as several teams lost key performers, at least for a couple of weeks. The one injury expected to be more than a 1-2 week issue is the torn posterior cruciate ligament in the right knee of Tampa Bay DE Fred Stokes. Stokes is expected to be out at least 6 weeks and possibly longer after going down this week. Among the 1-2 week concerns we find WR Alfred Jackson of Orlando, tackle Matt Patchan, also of Orlando, Center Tony Mayberry of Tampa Bay, HB James Wilder of Jacksonville, and FS roy Gee of Tampa Bay, in what seems to be a plague against Florida teams. Several other players are likely to miss this week, listed as Doubtful or Questionable, including DE Dwayne Board of Chicago, DT James Herribone of Denver, and CB Derrick Beasley of Washington. Expected back in action Week 3 we have HB Barry Foster of Baltimore, LB John Offerdahl in New Jersey, WR Weegie Thompson in Jacksonville, and SS Marcus Quinn in Oakland. Back to some divisional action in Week 3 as the Blitz host the Maulers, the winless Stars take on Washington, the Stallions and Renegades clash in Legion Field, and the Bandits take on the 2-0 Memphis Showboats at the Liberty Bowl. In the Western Conference we have Chicago, looking for its first win, headed to Texas, the Breakers in a big game vs. Houston in the Astro Dome, the surprising Knights in Arizona, and a battle of 0-2 teams as Portland head to Denver. Our two inter-divisional games are intriguing as well, with 2-0 New Jersey facing off against 2-0 Michigan in Pontiac, while the Bulls hope to get their first win of the year, facing the league champion Invaders in Oakland. We should have some good games out of this slate of matchups, to be sure.