Saturday June 13
Tampa Bay outlasts furious Jacksonville Comeback
by: By Linda Castillo, Southern Correspondent
For three quarters, Tampa Bay looked invincible. Then, something clicked. Up 23-0 going into the 4th quarter, coach Steve Spurrier could be seen laughing it up with his players on the sideline. Even after Ed Luther threw a touchdown less than three minutes into the quarter, Spurrier continued his celebration. John Reaves matched the touchdown and the 23 point lead held. The cameras caught Spurrier mouthing to the Jacksonville sideline something that can’t be repeated in this column.
The insult sparked something in Luther and Jacksonville. He led them on a 6 play, 77 yard drive in only 2 minutes to close the lead to 30-14. Jacksonville recovered an onside kick. 6 plays, 57 yards, 43 seconds. 30-21. Jacksonville recovered another onside kick. Luther threw the final touchdown pass as time expired and the game ended 30-28. Now, Lindy Infante will spend the entire offseason wondering how things might be different if he went for two. Clearly, lady luck was on their side. If Philadelphia wins the other game, Tampa Bay goes to Birmingham. Otherwise they travel to New Jersey and Boston visits the Stallions.
Denver Strikes Gold as They Dominate Harbaugh, Panthers
by: By Ryan “Scoop” Harrison, West Coast Insider
Michigan’s young quarterback, Jim Harbaugh, led the Panthers to a 28-14 lead in the first half. Denver flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 24-0 and catapulting themselves into the second round of the playoffs. Runners up to Boston last year, Denver saw a drop off in their offensive production this year during the regular season. With the ascension of Randall Cunningham and the Ace, the Gold found themselves playing catch up in the Pacific division.
But, they showed exactly why they are a force to be reckoned with every year, especially come playoff time. They overcame mistakes in the first half and capitalized on 3 costly Harbaugh interceptions to pitch the second half shutout. Bill Johnson, unanimous MVP gained a combined 287 yards on the ground and through the air and added 3 touchdowns. Denver faces Houston next round with a chance to break the Gamblers hearts yet again.
Sunday June 14
Boston Neutralizes Stars, Advances in Brutal Takedown of Philadelphia
by: By Mark Thompson, Eastern Bureau
Boston started their title defense with an efficient beatdown of the Philadelphia Stars on Sunday afternoon. The Breakers built a 34-0 lead before allowing 2 harmless touchdowns to Philadelphia in the 4th quarter. Quarterback Matt Dunigan, the game’s MVP showed why they changed the rules to try to stop him. He threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
But the real story is the running game for both teams. While Buford Jordan quietly ground down Philadelphia with 106 hard earned yards, Boston kept Philadelphia back Kelvin Bryant to only 28 yards on 16 carries. Sometimes called a one trick pony, Boston showed that if they repeat this year, their defense will be just as much of a force to contend with as their high flying offense.
Los Angeles Defense Dominates Oakland to Set Matchup against Ace
by: by: By Ryan “Scoop” Harrison, West Coast Insider
It might seem weird to call a game where the teams scored a combined 65 points a defensive battle, but that’s what you get in the USFL. LA set the tone early on the first play by returning Fred Besana’s pass for a pick six. They added another to seal the game with about three and a half minutes remaining in the game. The two touchdowns were two of four made by the defense with Gary Hein nabbing two and taking the game’s MVP award.
In a game where Steve Young was sacked 5 times and threw for less than 200 yards and Eric Dickerson averaged only 1.8 yards per rush and 33 yards, the defense needed to step up. If you told me just the score and gave me an over/under of 3.5 combined touchdowns for Young and Dickerson, I’d have confidently taken the over. Granted, they came close, but they needed the defense for the other two this time around. Vegas waits for the Express next round in what promises to be a fun matchup.