Wildcard Weekend

Outlaws 17 @ Hawaiians 3
Gamblers 31 @ Storm 13
Thunderbolts 7 @ Panthers 44
VooDoo 6 @ Renegades 7
Generals 20 @ Bell 44
(NY) Stars 3 @ Maulers 31

Point Spreads Divisional Round

Gamblers (-1) @ Showboats
Outlaws (-2) @ Panthers
Renegades @ Stallions (-2)
Bell (-1) @ Maulers

Wildcard Weekend has come and gone with no real surprises on the scoreboard. Congratulations to the winners, good luck going forward. As for Honolulu, Portland, Cleveland, New Orleans, New Jersey, and New York, you all deserve congrats for fine seasons as well, even though we're all going home to watch the rest of the post season.

Oklahoma 17 Honolulu 3

Oklahoma got the ball first and scored a 75 yard TD on the 2nd play from scrimmage as Raymond Settles found Arthur Reina for a 7-0 lead. The game remained 7-0 into the 2nd quarter where Honolulu turned the ball over on 2 straight drives with an INT and a fumble. The INT didn't hurt but the fumble set up the Outlaws just outside the red zone where they would convert. Raymond Settles' 3 yard TD run gave Oklahoma a 14-0 lead.

The second half was mostly punts with each team kicking a FG for a final score of 17-3. Honolulu actually out gained Oklahoma by nearly 100 yards as the Hawaiians defense played a great game, holding the Outlaws to 3.15 ypc and forcing Settles into a bad day, completing just 12/26. Oklahoma was 0/12 on 3rd down but had no turnovers, while Honolulu had 2. The Hawaiians had a drive end on downs at the Oklahoma 2 late in the first half and the game ended with Honolulu at the Oklahoma 2.

Victor Russell was 36/56, 325 yards and an INT for Honolulu with Dave Yang getting 129 combined yards on 11 rushes and 11 receptions. Raymond Settles had a TD pass and TD run while Adam "Not Pacman" Jones led the rushing with 72 yards.

Houston 31 Portland 13

The first half was Portland's type of game, a knockdown, dragout fight, with the Storm leading 6-3. Houston had 2 first half turnovers and had a 3rd on the 2nd play of the 2nd half. That turnover would be the last Houston drive of the game to not end up with points for the Gamblers.

Portland punted following the fumble recovery, leading to a Houston FG that tied the game at 6. Portland turned the ball over their next 2 drives leading to a FG and a TD for Houston, making the score 16-6 Gamblers. Houston scored a pair of TDs in the 4th, both with failed 2 point tries and added a FG while Portland cut the lead a bit with a late TD of their own, but Houston's offense was too much in the second half and the champs advance.

Raymond Oswalt was 35/55, 309 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT for Portland, with Michael Thompson catching 8 for 102 yards. Dale Baber was 28/45, 381 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT for Houston. Lex Luger caught both scoring tosses among his 7 for 118 yards. Macho Man Randy Savage nearly had a double-triple game, rushing for 93 yards and a TD while catching 11 for 131 yards for a combined total of 224.

Michigan 44 Cleveland 7

Michigan had no trouble beating Cleveland for the 3rd time this season, as the Thunderbolts went three and out on their first 5 possessions with an INT on the 6th. At this point, the Panthers had a 24-0 lead on their way to a 34-7 halftime score. Michigan tried to get Cleveland back in the game as Willie Reddish threw an INT 3 plays into the 3rd qtr but the Thunderbolts missed a FG and the rout was still on.

Cleveland's Felix Vaughn ran 15 times for 94 yards while Carl Langlois completed 20/31, 114 yards and an INT. Willie Reddish completed 34/53, 403 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT and a rushing TD for Michigan. Larry Stafford ran for 87 yards and a TD, adding 59 yards on 4 receptions for 146 combined yards. Charles Keller had 185 combined yards, running for 71 and catching 9 for 114. Derrick Venable caught 10 for 115 yards and 2 TDs.

Orlando 7 New Orleans 6

New Orleans out gained Orlando 360-196 but Orlando was able to put the ball into the end zone once while New Orleans had to settle for a pair of short Mark Adams FGs. Every first half drive ended with a punt except the last drive of the half when time ran out, as the defenses dominated play in the 0-0 half.

New Orleans had a nice drive at the start of the 3rd but opted for a FG facing 4th and 1 from the 8. Probably the wise decision at the time but hindsight is always 20/20 and the internet coaches were screaming after the game that they should have went for it. Easy to say when it's not your job on the line. Early in the 4th, the VooDoo faced a 4th and 4 from the 13 so this was an easier decision to make it 6-0 with a FG.

Orlando has punted after every drive up to this point and would go three and out one more time before Dwayne Byrd found Lyle Opitz for a 56 yard TD in the middle of the 4th, with the XP making it 7-6. For Orlando kicker Roger Love, XPs are not automatic as he missed 8 during the regular season (51/59) but he made the most important one so far this season.

New Orleans would have 2 chances to take the lead but turned it over on downs both times as they couldn't quite get into FG range as Orlando holds on for the win and advances to the Divisional Round.

Orlando had no stat lines worth mentioning but they don't care since they won. Willie Graham was 31/51, 334 yards with Benjamin Jones catching 6 for 146.

Philadelphia 44 New Jersey 20

This is almost a carbon copy of the Cleveland/Michigan game as New Jersey punted on their first 5 possessions with an INT on the 6th that was returned for a TD by Lewis Gomez, making the score 31-0 Philadelphia. New Jersey would get a FG at the end of the half to trail 31-3 at the break and they won the second half 17-13, but it was too little, too late as the Bell win and advance.

Joel Jasso had 329 passing yards on only 14 completions, with 4 TDs and an INT. Joe Solis caught 3 TDs among his 6 for 157 yards. Roderick Uribe caught 3 for 106 yards and the other scoring toss. Frederick Martin ran for 86 yards while Alfredo Montoya ran for 79. New Jersey got a combined 100 yards and a TD from Vic Mackey while Kevin Via threw 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.

Pittsburgh 31 New York 3

The game started off well enough for the (NY) Stars as they forced a three and out then drove for a FG and an early 3-0 lead. The rest of the first half went bad though as Pittsburgh had the ball 20:42 of the first half as the Maulers had drives of 12 plays, 75 yards (TD), 5 plays, 45 yards (FG), 17 plays, 94 yards (TD), and 7 plays, 69 yards (TD).

That takes us to halftime where Pittsburgh led 24-3. New York turned the ball over on their first two drives of the second half, with Pittsburgh converting one into a TD and the rest of the game was about running the clock down to 0:00.

Jamie Orman was 23/38, 147 yards and an INT for New York. Pittsburgh got 102 rushing yards from Israel Wick and 81 with a TD from USFL rushing leader Matthew Goebel. Brian White completed 22/35, 225 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. Patrick Howard caught 7 for 96 yards and 2 TDs.

Divisional Round

Gamblers 33 @ Showboats 36
Outlaws 24 @ Panthers 10
Renegades 14 @ Stallions 36
Bell 6 @ Maulers 13

Point Spreads Conf. Champ.

Outlaws (-3) @ Showboats
Maulers @ Stallions (-3)

Memphis 36 Houston 33

Houston got the ball first and had a 13 play drive to start the game. After 12 plays the Gamblers faced a 4th and goal from the 1 when Gus "Hightest" Gas got stuffed. Memphis took over inside their own 1 and promptly gave up a safety when Michael Olsen was tackled in the end zone by Brandon Daniels after a handoff. Leading 2-0, Houston took the free kick and this time finished the drive with a 7 yard TD pass from Dale Baber to Lex Luger. Memphis got the ball back and this time Michael Olsen made it to the Houston end zone instead of his own, as he ripped off a 69 yard scoring run. John Everhart missed the XP so the score stayed 9-6 Houston. The Gamblers came right back on their next play, getting a 75 yard Baber to Luger TD, with the XP giving Houston a 16-6 lead after 1 quarter.

The second quarter saw the defenses take charge, forcing punts until inside 3 minutes before halftime. Dale Baber was intercepted by John Rosado, setting up Memphis in good field position. Erik McNamee would find William Beasley for a 32 yard TD pass, with the XP making the score 16-13 Houston. The Gamblers got the ball back and quickly drove down the field, getting inside the Memphis 10 when the impending end of the first half compelled them to kick a FG for a 19-13 halftime lead.

Memphis got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and found themselves with a 1st and goal from the 2 after a McNamee 71 yard pass to Todd Heap. McNamee found Michael Larson on the next play for a 2 yard TD and the XP gave the Showboats a 20-19 lead. Houston was forced to punt and on the next Memphis drive, McNamee found William Beasley again, this time for a 44 yard TD. Everhart missed the XP again though and the score is now 26-19 Memphis. Following another Gamblers punt, Memphis started driving but stalled as the 3rd quarter came to an end.

The Showboats started the 4th with a FG attempt and Everhart made it, extending the Memphis lead to 29-19. Each team quickly exchanged punts before Houston struck for a score after Dale Baber threw a 15 yard TD pass to Leonard Gentry. The 2 point pass was knocked down but the Gamblers were now trailing 29-25. Houston then forced a three and out, getting the ball back with 10 minutes to play. Dale Baber led a 9 play, 74 yard TD drive that took over 5 and a half minutes off the clock. Gus "Hightest" Gas scored on a 9 yard run, then Baber threw to Lex Luger for the 2 point conversion, making the score 33-29 Houston.

Following another exchange of punts, Memphis took over on their own 24 just inside the 2 minute warning. Houston brought pressure but McNamee found his hot read Cesar Houser, who took the dumpoff and ran 76 yards for a TD to give Memphis the lead 35-33. This time Everhart made the XP and the Showboats led by 3. Houston had time for 1 more drive, which stalled. Earl Castro trotted on the field to attempt a game tying 60 yard FG which wasn't short by much according to game film, but alas it was short. Memphis ran out the remaining clock to advance to the Conference Championship.

Erik McNamee was 18/27, 358 yards and 4 TDs for Memphis with no 100 yard receivers or rushers. Houston's Dale Baber completed 43/63, 520 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. Harley Race caught 9 for 165 yards while Lex Luger caught 9 for 148 yards and 2 TDs.

Oklahoma 24 Michigan 10

We'll skip to the 3rd quarter of this game as the first half saw just 3 FGs as Oklahoma led 6-3 at the break. The Outlaws got a FG on their opening possession while each team kicked a 2nd qtr FG.

Michigan got the ball to start the 3rd and punted, while Oklahoma passed every down on their first second half drive. Settles was 6/8 on the 78 yard drive with the TD going to Ronald Dingle from 11 yards out, with the XP making it 13-3. Michigan would answer with a 14 play, 75 yard TD drive. Oklahoma actually intercepted Willie Reddish early in the drive but it was negated by a pass interference penalty. Reddish completed the drive with a 1 yard TD pass to Warren Johnson with the XP cutting the Outlaws lead to 13-10.

Toward the end of the 3rd Reddish was intercepted again, although this time there were no flags. This led to an Oklahoma FG early in the 4th to push the lead to 16-10. Oklahoma would get the ball back after a punt and go on a long drive, taking almost 7 minutes off the clock. Samuel Diaz was wide right on a 47 yard FG attempt but Michigan now only had 3:44 to score a TD. The Panthers were forced to punt and Raymond Settles threw a 40 yard TD pass to Arthur Reina, making the score 22-10. The 2 point try was good and the game was essentially over with Oklahoma advancing to the Conference Championship.

Birmingham 36 Orlando 14

Orlando started the game hot, driving 75 yards in 9 plays for a 7-0 lead when Dwayne Byrd found Henry Ward for a 35 yard TD. Birmingham answered with a FG to cut the lead to 7-3, then each team punted. Dwayne Byrd threw a 76 yard TD pass to Lyle Opitz and the XP gave the Renegades the early 14-3 lead.

Birmingham's offense struggled in the first half but they got a 57 yard punt return TD from Barry Stringfellow and another Al Borland FG to trail at the half 14-13.

The second half was all Birmingham as the Stallions took the lead on the 3rd Borland FG 16-14 and never looked back. Orlando would fail to gain 100 more yards after their first 3 drives, and all of those quick punts tired out the Renegades defense. Late in the 3rd and through the 4th, Birmingham started sustaining drives and racking up yards and points as they go on to win 36-14.

Russell Gall threw for 379 yards and 2 TDs with Gary May catching 7 for 147 yards. Al Borland was 5/6 on FG tries.

Pittsburgh 13 Philadelphia 6

Pittsburgh took an early 10-0 1st quarter lead thanks to a FG and an 11 yard TD run by Matthew Goebel. From there, the Maulers defense put the clamps on the league's #1 offense, keeping them out of the end zone all day. Philadelphia would cut the lead to 10-3 early in the 2nd, then they intercepted Brian White but couldn't get it in the end zone, settling for a FG to get within 10-6.

Philadelphia got the ball to start the second half, going three and out, taking 47 seconds off the clock. Pittsburgh's first drive of the 3rd was a 16 play, 69 yard FG drive that took 9:18 off the clock. Pittsburgh now led 13-6 and the Bell would have 4 more drives in the game that ended with an INT, turnover on downs, punt, and a fumble. Pittsburgh's last 4 drives weren't much better but they didn't have to be and they hold on for the 13-6 win to advance to the Conference Championship Game.

Matthew Goebel ran for 103 yards and a TD while the Pittsburgh defense held Joel Jasso to 8/20, 114 yards and an INT.

Conference Championships

Outlaws 20 @ Showboats 17
Maulers 31 @ Stallions 13

World Bowl XXXIII Point Spread

Outlaws vs Maulers (-2)

________________________________________________________________________________

World Bowl XXXIII is set for an undisclosed location and it's a rematch of World Bowl XXIX between the Oklahoma Outlaws and Pittsburgh Maulers.

Oklahoma 20 Memphis 17

Oklahoma got the ball first and took a 3-0 lead after a 9 play, 60 yard drive. Later in the 1st, Raymond Settles threw a 38 yard TD pass to Arthur Reina to give the Outlaws a 10-0 lead. Oklahoma's defense forced another punt and that duo of Settles and Reina struck again, this time for a 72 yard TD for a 17-0 lead at the beginning of the second qtr.

Memphis lost a fumble on their next drive but luckily for them their defense forced a 46 yard FG try, and Samuel Diaz was wide right, leaving the score 17-0. Memphis and Erik McNamee finally got on track after McNamee's 50 yard TD pass to William Beasley cut the lead to 17-7. The next Showboats drive started at their 5 yard line after an excellent punt by Oklahoma's Marcos Gibson with 5:42 left before the half. McNamee had Memphis driving and 14 plays later found Wayne Ross for a 9 yard TD, cutting the lead to 17-14 at halftime.

Memphis got the ball to start the 3rd but was forced to punt, pinning Oklahoma at the 9 yard line. That helped the Showboats start their next drive near midfield where they got the game tying 54 yard FG by John Everhart. Oklahoma would miss another FG later in the quarter and we went to the 4th tied at 17.

With about 10 minutes left in the game, Raymond Settles threw a 3rd TD pass, 34 yards to Arthur Reina but a holding penalty brought it back and the Outlaws ended up punting. The rest of the quarter saw drives end in punts until the final minute after Memphis pinned Oklahoma at their own 10. Raymond Settles completed 4/5 for 60 yards, and getting them in FG range on the last play of the game. Samuel Diaz trotted onto the field having already missed 2/3 FG attempts and the potential game winner was from 50 yards. With the Memphis crowd roaring in frenzy, Diaz calmly kicked the ball through the uprights to send Oklahoma to their 3rd World Bowl appearance.

For Memphis, Erik McNamee completed 22/37, 255 yards, 2 TDs and 2 sacks while Wayne Ross caught 10 for 108 yards and a TD. Oklahoma QB Raymond Settles completed 29/53, 392 yards, 2 TDs and 1 sack and his favorite target was Arthur Reina who caught 5 for 171 yards and both scores.

Pittsburgh 31 Birmingham 13

Pittsburgh got the ball first, going 75 yards in 8 plays, taking a 7-0 lead on Israel Wick's 6 yard TD run. The Maulers defense forced a three and out, then Brian White found Patrick Howard for a 62 yard scoring strike for an early 14-0 lead. The first quarter ended in the middle of an extended Birmingham drive that lasted 13 plays, with Al Borland putting the Stallions on the board with a 22 yard FG. Birmingham faced a 4th and goal from the 5 and a lot of fans were screaming to go for it, but I think they just wanted to be sure they got some points.

Later in the 2nd, Birmingham intercepted Brian White to take over on the Maulers 30 yard line. Four Russell Gall completions later Birmingham cut the lead to 14-10 after Brian May caught a 14 yard TD pass. Pittsburgh punted on their next possession before intercepting Russell Gall to start a drive in Stallions territory. Brian White quickly got them down to the Birmingham 5 but with time running out on the half, they had to settle for a short Gary Ridgeway FG for a 17-10 halftime lead.

Birmingham got the ball to start the 3rd quarter but didn't keep it long as Russell Gall was immediately intercepted. That led to a 5 yard Brian White TD pass to Jason Burton, extending the lead to 24-10. A few drives later, Gall was intercepted in his own territory again, giving Pittsburgh the ball at the Birmingham 23. It took 7 plays for Brian White to find James Roberge with a 9 yard TD pass to take a commanding 31-10 lead with 20 minutes to play.

Not much happened in the 4th other than a late, long FG drive by Birmingham to make the final score 31-13 as Pittsburgh reaches their 3rd World Bowl.

Birmingham QB Russell Gall completed 30/43, 187 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT while Pittsburgh's Brian White completed 24/38, 281 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. Patrick Howard caught 10 for 179 yards and a TD.