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Uncategorized, Weekly Wrap Ups

1986 USFL Week 9 Wrap Up

Week 9 is in the books. Boston stayed undefeated. Pittsburgh got their first win of the year in a blowout of the Brass. Randall Cunningham and the Las Vegas Ace are starting to look like a contender.

The top of the divisions look pretty much the same after week 9’s results. Some teams have started to shuffle into the 3rd place playoff position in each division, including perennial powers Philadelphia, Tampa, and Oakland and newcomer Oklahoma.

We hope you continue to be entertained by the on field action at the USFL. We have 11 more weeks to go in the season and then we are on to the playoffs! See you next week!

1986 Week 9 USFL Stat Leaders

Games

Friday

Oakland Invaders 14, Arizona Wranglers 26

Saturday

Memphis Showboats 21, Birmingham Stallions 20

Oklahoma Outlaws 28, Denver Gold 55

Sunday

Washington Federals 28, Boston Breakers 41

New Jersey Generals 23, Philadelphia Stars 17

Tampa Bay Bandits 20, Jacksonville Bulls 30

New Orleans Brass 34, Pittsburgh Maulers 55 (Recap coming soon)

Chicago Blitz 38, San Antonio Gunslingers 28

Los Angeles Express 30, Las Vegas Ace 39

Monday

Houston Gamblers 38, Michigan Panthers 41

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Topper Clemmons, RB, Memphis Showboats. Clemmons helped the Showboats to a big win over Birmingham with 117 yards rushing and 1 touchdown and 38 yards receiving and 1 touchdown.

Defense: Devon Mitchell, S, Chicago Blitz. Mitchell ran rampant on the Gunslingers. He intercepted two passes, forced a fumble, and recorded 5 sacks in the game.

Special Teams: Nojo Bojovic, K, Michigan Panthers. Bojovic was perfect on the day, 2-2 on FG and 5-5 on PAT, for 11 points in the Panthers big 3 point home win against Houston.

Box Scores and Recaps, Uncategorized

Denver Gold 32, Chicago Blitz 52

USFL Playoffs Western Championship (1985)

Chicago Blitz Overwhelm Denver Gold in High-Scoring Western Championship Thriller
By Ryan “Data Dynamo” Anderson

The Chicago Blitz proved why they are the perennial powerhouse of the USFL, defeating the Denver Gold 52-35 in a wild Western Championship game at Soldier Field. Despite a strong start by Denver, Chicago’s offense, led by MVP quarterback Tim Spencer, exploded for 52 points, including a 28-point third quarter that turned the tide. The Blitz’s ability to capitalize on turnovers and dominate time of possession (37:08 to 22:52) ultimately sealed their victory and punched their ticket to the USFL Championship.

Denver came out firing, with quarterback Bob Gagliano connecting on two early touchdown passes to Marc Lewis (45 yards) and Leonard Harris (21 yards) to take a 14-0 lead. However, Chicago’s defense adjusted, forcing six turnovers, including a pivotal 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Mike Minniefield in the third quarter. Gagliano finished with impressive numbers (28-of-48, 492 yards, 5 TDs), but his four interceptions and two sacks proved costly. The Blitz’s defense, which generated 20 blitzes and three forced fumbles, consistently disrupted Denver’s rhythm, holding the Gold to just 19 rushing yards on eight attempts.

Offensively, Chicago was nearly unstoppable. Quarterback Greg Landry orchestrated a masterful performance, completing 29-of-42 passes for 394 yards and five touchdowns, spreading the ball to nine different receivers. Tim Spencer, the game’s MVP, was a dual threat, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown while adding nine receptions for 114 yards and another score. The Blitz’s efficiency in the red zone (4-for-7) and on third downs (9-of-13) underscored their dominance. Denver made a late push with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 65-yard bomb from Gagliano to Harris, but it was too little, too late. Chicago’s balanced attack and relentless defense were simply too much for the Gold to overcome.

Team Stats

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Box Scores and Recaps, Uncategorized

Chicago Blitz 34, Arizona Wranglers 27

USFL Playoffs Round 2 (1985)

Chicago Blitz Survive Arizona Wranglers’ Comeback Attempt, Advance to USFL Western Finals

Under the sweltering 99-degree heat of Sun Devil Stadium, the Chicago Blitz emerged victorious in a high-stakes playoff showdown, defeating the Arizona Wranglers 34-27. Chicago’s well-rounded performance was led by MVP Tim Spencer, who rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, consistently keeping Arizona’s defense on its heels. The Blitz struck early with two first-quarter touchdowns, including an 8-yard run by Spencer and a 3-yard plunge by Mack Boatner, giving them a commanding 14-0 lead. Arizona responded with a 12-yard touchdown connection between Vince Evans and Allen Clark, but Chicago maintained control with a Cedric Anderson 41-yard touchdown reception and a field goal to hold a 24-13 halftime advantage.

The second half saw the Blitz continue their efficient offensive execution. Alan Risher connected with tight end Jeff Dennison on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, extending the lead to 31-13. Arizona, however, refused to back down, as Reggie Brown’s hard-fought six-yard touchdown run brought the Wranglers back within striking distance at 31-20. Chicago’s defense, led by linebackers Jim Fanhorst and Ed Smith, held strong, stalling several Arizona drives. Kicker Coral added a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, providing enough cushion to withstand a dramatic 66-yard fumble return by Selwyn Drane that cut the deficit to seven.

While Vince Evans and Arizona’s offense showed flashes of brilliance, including Evans’ 194 passing yards and Brown’s two rushing touchdowns, the Wranglers couldn’t overcome Chicago’s dominance in key moments. Chicago outgained Arizona with 480 total yards to 256 and maintained a balanced attack through both the air and ground. With this victory, the Blitz advance to the league finals, one step closer to USFL glory.

Team Stats

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1984 Week 7 Wrap Up

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Four Saturday games this week brough little drama with the closest game being 9 points by Birmingham. Michigan, Tampa Bay, and Chicago all won their games by double digits. While Pittsburgh kept it close against Boston on Sunday afternoon, the other games were blow outs, too.

New Jersey won their first game of the season by defeating the Showboats. Then Philadelphia got rolling again against Arizona. In the two Monday games, Los Angeles squeaked by Denver and Houston rolled Washington, scoring a season high 52 points.

USFL Stat Leaders After Week 7 (1984)

Week 8 Scores

Saturday

Bimingham Stallions 37, Jacksonville Bulls 28

Michigan Panthers 34, Oklahoma Outlaws 24

Oakland Invaders 21, Tampa Bay Bandits 44

San Antonio Gunslingers 7, Chicago Blitz 24

Sunday

Memphis Showboats 6, New Jersey Generals 27

Philadelphia Stars 48, Arizona Wranglers 29

Pittsburgh Maulers 38, Boston Breakers 41

Monday

Los Angeles Express 31, Denver Gold 27

Washingon Federals 27, Houston Gamblers 52

Week 8 Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Kris Haines, WR, Arizona Wranglers. Haines caught 10 passes for 236 yards and 3 of the 4 touchdowns scored by the Wranglers this week.

Defense: Chuck Clanton, DB, Birmingham Stallions. Clanton intercepted two passes for over 150 yards and scored a touchdown for the Stallions this week. He also recorded 4 tackles in the game.

Special Teams: Eric Robinson, KR, Washington Federals. Robinson returned 7 kicks for 193 yards in the Federals loss to the Gamblers.

Uncategorized, Weekly Wrap Ups

1984 Week 3 Wrap Up

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Tampa Bay opened the week on Saturday by defeating Jacksonville and asserting themselves as one of the best teams in the league. Birmingham, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia won the early Sunday games. Oakland, Denver, and Oklahoma won the late games.

Philadelphia’s win kept them as the lone unbeaten team in the early season. Denver’s win ended a 20 game regular season win streak for Michigan. Then, on Monday, Washington defeated Arizona. The win puts the Federals at 2-1 and gives their fans something to cheer about after last year’s losing record.

USFL Stat Leaders After Week 3 (1984)

Week 3 Games

Saturday

Jacskonville Bulls 17, Tampa Bay Bandits 36

Sunday

Birmingham Stallions 10, Pittsburgh Maulers 7

Houston Gamblers 28, Chicago Blitz 42

Los Angeles Express 16, Oakland Invaders 28

Memphis Showboats 26, Boston Breakers 41

Michigan Panthers 28, Denver Gold 38

Philadelphia Stars 27, New Jersey Generals 24

San Antonio Gunslingers 15, Oklahoma Outlaws 36

Monday

Washington Federals 34, Arizona Wranglers 24

Standings After Week 3

Players of the Week

Offense: Tim Spencer, RB, Chicago Blitz. Spencer ran for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He added another 39 yards receiving in the game as the Blitz took care of business against the Gamblers.

Defense: Joe Restic, DB, Boston Breakers. Restic returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded 16 tackles in the Breakers victory over Memphis.

Special Teams: Harry Sydney, KR, Denver Gold. In addition to a rushing touchdown, Sydney returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in Denver’s win over Michigan.

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1984 Week 1 Wrap Up

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The USFL kicked off week 1 of the 1984 season with a full slate of games on Sunday. Five early games saw some exciting matchups with four of them resulting in only a one score game. Washington, Houston, Birmingham, Arizona, and Philadelphia all got their season off to the right start with victories in those games.

Then, in the 3 afternoon games, two expansion teams pulled off victories with Pittsburgh and San Antonio both handling their opponents easily. Los Angeles, with new quarterback Steve Young, showed some promise early, too. They defeated Denver. Then, in the evening game, we got a rivarly game, some revenge, and a playoff rematch all in the same game. Michigan defeated Chicago, much as they did both times in the regular season last year and got revenge for the playoffs loss. The win brings Michigan’s regular season win streak to 19.

USFL Stat Leaders After Week 1 (1984)

Week 1 Games (All Sunday)

Washington Federals 30, Jacksonville Bulls 24

Houston Gamblers 44, Tampa Bay Bandits 41

New Jersey Generals 24, Birmingham Stallions 36

Oakland Invaders 31, Arizona Wranglers 38

Philadelphia Stars 34, Memphis Showboats 27

Pittsburgh Maulers 23, Oklahoma Outlaws 10

Boston Breakers 28, San Antonio Gunslingers 40

Denver Gold 21, Los Angeles Express 31

Chicago Blitz 24, Michigan Panthers 30

1984 USFL Standings After Week 1

Players of the Week

Offense – Cliff Stoudt, QB, Birmingham Stallions. Stoudt and the Stallions put the league on notice in their week 1 victory over New Jersey. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead his team to a convincing win.

Defense – Chuck Clanton, DB, Birmingham Stallions.The Stallions showed up on both sides of the ball in the game. Clanton picked off 2 passes and forced a fumble in addition to getting six tackles in the Stallions win over the New Jersey Generals.

Special Teams: Joey Hackett, KR, New Jersey Generals. Hackett did what he could to keep his team in the game. He returned 6 kicks for 186 yards, including an 88 yard touchdown to give them a lead in the first half.

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Scores and Leaders after Week 4

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Arizona opened week four with a much needed win against Birmingham in a defensive struggle. Boston and Philadelphia both handled their opponents easily, winning by at least 20 points before the other two Sunday games offered much closer contests.

Even so, Michigan and Chicago continued to stake their claims as early season favorites for the championship by winning. Chicago, especially, looked impressive in knocking off previously unbeaten Los Angeles. Denver closed out the week by shocking Oakland and keeping slim hopes alive of salvaging their season. Yes, it’s early, but the differences between the haves and have nots are glaring right now in the young league.

USFL Stats Leaders After Week 4

Week 4 Scores

Saturday

Arizona 16, Birmingham 10

Sunday

Boston 40, New Jersey 20

Tampa Bay 7, Philadelphia 28

Michigan 27, Washington 23

Los Angeles 24, Chicago 33

Monday

Oakland 17, Denver 31

Scores, Uncategorized

Sunday, March 6, 1983

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Scores from Week 1

With one game left to play tomorrow, the USFL delivered on its promise of good and exciting football. The Michigan Panthers look to close out the week with no major upsets against the Birmingham Stallions tomorrow. Come back on Tuesday for week 1 analysis and a week 2 preview.

Links to Game Stats and Analysis

Boston Breakers 13, Tampa Bay Bandits 30

Chicago Blitz 23, Washington Federals 13

New Jersey Generals 19, Los Angeles Express 27

Oakland Invaders 34, Arizona Wranglers 14

Philadelphia Stars 20, Denver Gold 6