Vegas continues their hot streak, winning again and within a game of the division lead. Sensational quarterback Randall Cunningham will get some MVP votes this year. Tampa nearly knocked off undefeated Boston, but they had another miracle in their back pocket.

Philadelphia pulled off a bit of a shocker in Houston, New Orleans slowed Denver down just enough to outscore them. Michigan and New Jersey took care of business while Birmingham came out on top in perhaps the game of the week against Los Angeles.

Keep an eye right here as the results from Week 13 come through. Can Vegas take the lead? Will Boston ever lose? Win San Antonio ever win again? All these questions and more will be answered in two days.

Games and Results

Friday

Jacksonville Bulls 32, Oakland Invaders 38

Saturday

Tampa Bay Bandits 44, Boston Breakers 45

Philadelphia Stars 42, Houston Gamblers 40

Sunday

Michigan Panthers 44, Washington Federals 41

San Antonio Gunslingers 9, New Jersey Generals 31

Arizona Wranglers 11, Memphis Showboats 21

Pittsburgh Maulers 20, Oklahoma Outlaws 26

Denver Gold 36, New Orleans Brass 40

Los Angeles Express 21, Birmingham Stallions 28

Monday

Las Vegas Ace 31, Chicago Blitz 13

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Rusty Hilger, New Orleans Brass. Hilger almost single-handedly led the Brass to a win this week over Denver. He went 28-42 for 475 yards and 5 touchdowns in a game where no New Orleans rusher gained over 25 yards.

Defense: Ron Freeman, LB, Pittsburgh Maulers. Freeman’s monster game almost lifted the Maulers to another win. However, his 16 tackles, FF, sack, and 6 passes defended ultimately weren’t enough.

Special Teams: Zenon Andrushushyn and Novo Bojovic, K, Tampa Bay Bandits and Michigan Panthers. Both scored 14 points in their games. Andrushyshyn brought his team to within one of knocking off undefeated Boston and Bojovic led his team to a win over Washington.

Things are getting exciting nearly 2/3 of the way through the season. In the south, only one loss separates the two teams at the top, Jacksonville and Birmingham. With consecutive losses and wins respectively, the Gamblers are now tied with the Panthers for the Central lead. Perhaps most exciting of all, the Las Vegas Ace have played themselves into playoff seeding and they are only 2 games off of the lead in the Pacific.

The only race that isn’t much of one right now is in the east where the Breakers defeated the Generals to put them one more game back in the division. As the weeks go on, teams will continue to jockey for seeding in the playoffs and hope to get hot at the right time and punch their ticket to Michigan and a spot in the USFL Championship Game.

1986 Week 11 USFL Stat Leaders

Scores

Friday

Oakland Invaders 21, Las Vegas Ace 27

Saturday

Michigan Panthers 9, Birmingham Stallions 31

Los Angeles Express 38, Denver Gold 36

Sunday

New Jersey Generals 28, Boston Breakers 45

Washington Federals 28, Pittsburgh Maulers 49

Memphis Showboats 7, Jacksonville Bulls 19

Tampa Bay Bandits 48, New Orleans Brass 44

Chicago Blitz 28, Oklahoma Outlaws 31

Philadelphia Stars 20, Arizona Wrangler 13

Monday

Houston Gambler 42, San Antonio Gunslingers 17

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Rusty Hilger, QB, New Orleans Brass. Hilger did all he could to get his team a victory in the SuperDome. He threw for 496 yards on 28/38 passing for 6 touchdowns. Unfortuantely, it wasn’t enough and the Brass fell just short.

Defense: Reggie White, DL, Memphis Showboats. White had one heck of a game in a loss to Jacksonville, he recorded 10 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble in the game.

Special Teams: Duane Gunn, PR, Los Angeles Express. Gunn returned 2 punts for 65 yards, including a rare punt return for a touchdown to help the LA Express edge the Denver Gold.

Vegas won their second game in a row. One of last year’s expansion teams, they found gold in their young quarterback, Randall Cunningham. If he continues to play this way, he may contend for MVP honors already. Saturday brough a duo of low scoring defensive battles in New Jersey and Memphis, with the home teams coming out on top.

It was back to exciting offensive USFL action on Sunday and Monday. The Maulers won their second game in a row after finally breaking through. Boston continues undefeated on the season and Los Angeles pulled off a bit of an upset over the Panthers in Michigan. Can Vegas and Pittsburgh keep it up? Will Michigan rebound from their loss? What about Houston, always lurking? Can anyone beat Boston? Come back in week 11 to find out!

1986 USFL Week 10 Stat Leaders

Scores

Friday

Las Vegas Ace 45, Oklahoma Outlaws 33

Saturday

Denver Gold 7, New Jersey Generals 10

Philadelphia Stars 0, Memphis Showboats 6

Sunday

Boston Breakers 49, Birmingham Stallions 26

Washington Federals 37, New Orleans Brass 35

Pittsburgh Maulers 22, Chicago Blitz 21

Oakland Invaders 30, Houston Gamblers 35

Arizona Wranglers 41, San Antonio Gunslingers 23

Monday

Los Angeles Express 41, Michigan Panthers 37

Standings

Players of the Game

Offense: Randall Cunningham, QB, Las Vegas Ace. The young quarterback continues to thrill in Vegas. In this game, he was near perfect, 24/26 for 361 yards and a touchdown. He also added 71 yards on the ground in the win.

Defense: Frank Mattice, DL, New Jersey Generals. In one of two defensive battles this week, Mattice absolutely dominated the Denver Gold’s normally explosive offense. He recorded 9 tackles, a sack, a forced fubmle, and 3 passes defended and 3 hurries in the General’s win.

Special Teams: Mel Gray, KR, Oklahoma Outlaws. After giving up on a possibility of being a feature running back, Gray has floursed in the kick return role. In this game, he returned 6 kicks for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and Vegas won the game.

With week 8 in the books, some things are starting to take shape in the league. Boston is, by far, the best team in the league at this point and looks to continue winning in an effort to shore up that number one seed in the playoffs. Not to be outdone, Birmingham and Michigan both sit with only one loss on the season. Close behind them are New Jersey, Jacksonville, Houston, Los Angeles, and Denver with 2 losses.

All of those teams have shown strengths and reasons to be considered dangerous 8 weeks into the season. The next tier of the league is a bit of a step down from these elite teams. But, there are some decent names in there if they start to get hot. Philadelphia, Chicago, and Tampa Bay can all make noise and sneak back into the playoff picture.

1986 USFL Week 8 Stats Leaders

Week 8 Games

Friday

Boston Breakers 62, Las Vegas Ace 38

Saturday

Birmingham Stallions 26, Pittsburgh Maulers 9

Oakland Invaders 12, Philadelphia Stars 24

Sunday

Arizona Wranglers 13, New Jersey Generals 23

Chicago Blitz 28, Washington Federals 19

Memphis Showboats 26, Michigan Panthers 45

Tampa Bay Bandits 23, San Antonio Gunslingers 7

New Orleans Brass 34, Los Angeles Express 52

Monday

Houston Gamblers 10, Jacksonville Bulls 27

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Matt Dunigan, QB, Boston Breakers. Dunigan put on another show Friday evening in Vegas. He threw for 30/40 passing for 541 yards and 6 touchdowns. Boston just may join Michigan as an undefeated regular season team if someone doesn’t stop them soon.

Defense: David Greenwood, S, Michigan Panthers. Greenwood was a huge reason for Michigan’s big win over Memphis. He recorded 14 tackles and returned an interception 42 yards for a Michigan’s first touchdown.

Special Teams: Jerry Parrish, KR, New Orleans. While both Parrish and Bentley returned kicks for touchdowns this week, Parrish gets the edge. His return went 96 vs. Bentley’s 85. He also gained 240 yards in returns for an overall 34.3 average on the game.

Week 7 started with some close games. Oklahoma edged San Antonio on Friday. Then Birmingham and Oakland both won their games by 10 on Saturday. Sunday brought the usual mix of blowouts and close games.

By far, the most entertaining game of the year came on Sunday evening in Las Vegas. The Gold and the Ace combined for 118 points, over 1400 yards, 17 touchdowns, no field goals, and only 6 punts. The game came on the heels of last week’s wild loss for Vegas.

Then, on Monday, Michigan defeated Chicago behind another strong performance by their young quarterback, Jim Harbaugh. The Michigan native takes his role as savior of the team seriously and is sure to bring the Panthers to the USFL championship sooner or later.

1987 Week 7 Stat Leaders

Week 7 Games

Friday

Oklahoma Outlaws 34, San Antonio Gunslingers 31

Saturday

Tampa Bay Bandits 10, Birmingham Stallions 20

New Jersey Generals 31, Oakland Invaders 41

Sunday

Pittsburgh Maulers 28, Boston Breakers 59

Washington Federals 16, Philadelphia Stars 19

New Orleans Brass 27, Jacksonville Bulls 36

Memphis Showboats 23, Houston Gamblers 41

Los Angeles Express 27, Arizona Wranglers 17

Denver Gold 56, Las Vegas Ace 62

Monday

Chicago Blitz 21, Michigan Panthers 44

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Randall Cunningham, QB, Las Vegas Ace. Cunningham continued his “Superman” routine. This time, he threw for 390 yards and 3 touchdowns. He added another 121 on the ground for 3 touchdowns as well. The performance led Vegas to a win in a crazy game over the Denver Gold.

Defense: Vito McKeever, DB, Oakland Invaders. McKeever intercepted a pass and recorded a sack to help the Oakland Invaders defeat the dangerous New Jersey Generals to stay tied for first in the Pacific Division.

Special Teams: Mel Gray, KR, Oklahoma Outlaws. Reduced in his role as a running back due to the team trading for Fowler, Gray shined this week as a kick returner. He returned 5 kicks for an incredible 189 yards, including a 91 yard touchdown.

Friday night, Tampa and Vegas got a wild week 6 started with a shootout in Florida. That was one of 5 one score games this weekend, including a thrilling overtime win for the Gold at home in Denver and New Jersey beating fellow contender Los Angeles on Monday night.

The other games for the week went as expected with teams cruising to easy wins over clearly outmatched opponents. Week 7 promises to bring more exciting USFL action with several games between closely matched teams. Stay with us always for all your USFL action!

1986 Week 6 Stat Leaders

Transactions: Houston traded RB Jeremy Fowler to Oklahoma for a 1st and a 5th round pick in the 1987 draft.

Week 6 Games

Friday

Las Vegas Ace 41, Tampa Bay Bandits 45

Saturday

Chicago Blitz 21, Philadelphia Stars 17

Jacksonville Bulls 45, Oklahoma Outlaws 24

Sunday

Pittsburgh Maulers 10, Memphis Showboats 42

Michigan Panthers 33, New Orleans Brass 26

Washington Federals 24, Houston Gamblers 34

Birmingham Stallions 34, Denver Gold 37

Boston Breakers 45, Arizona Wranglers 24

San Antonio Gunslingers 25, Oakland Invaders 42

Monday

Los Angeles Express 28, New Jersey Generals 31

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Bill Happel, WR, New Orleans Brass. A tough week to pick a winner in this category. Many players had great weeks. But, Happel caught 13 passes for a staggering 232 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Brass keep pace with a red hot Michigan team.

Defense: Nate Creer, DB, Arizona Wranglers. In a tough game against a tough Boston team, Creer did all he could in the Arizona sun. He recorded 13 tackles, and one interception returned 34 yards for a touchdown.

Special Teams: Bruce Hill, KR, Oakland Invaders. In his teams Sunday afternoon win over the Gunslingers, Hill returned 2 kicks, one of them 88 yards for a touchdown after a San Antonio field goal to pull within 11.

Week 5 brought close games (4 decided by one score) and blowouts (4 decided by 2 touchdowns or more). Las Vegas kicked off the week with their first win of the year against Arizona Wranglers. Randall Cunningham continued to carry the Ace on his back. New Jersey and Washington both won games on Saturday to keep their playoff chances alive. Yes, we’re already talking playoffs.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the early games brough two close games decided by only 2 points each. New Orleans pulled to 2-2 in a shocker and the Birmingham Stallions stayed unbeaten and in first place in the South division. The other games featured some drama but all ultimately ended in lopsided scores .

Then, on Monday, Los Angeles outlasted Chicago on the strength of two Eric Dickerson touchdowns. All in all, the leagues is starting to take shape and we look forward to another 15 weeks of exciting football this year. Be sure to come with us for the ride.

1986 Week 5 Stat Leaders

1986 Week 5 Transactions – Oklahoma Outlaws signed two offensive linemen; Mark Cochran and Wilbur Strozier

Week 5 Games

Friday

Arizona Wranglers 17, Las Vegas Ace 41

Saturday

Pittsburgh Maulers 21, New Jersey Generals 38

Tampa Bay Bandits 24, Washington Federals 27

Sunday

Philadelphia Stars 35, Boston Breakers 62

Birmingham Stallions 33, Jacksonville Bulls 31

New Orleans Brass 30, Memphis Showboats 28

Michigan Panthers 51, San Antonio Gunslingers 37

Oklahoma Outlaws 14, Houston Gamblers 39

Denver Gold 55, Oakland Invaders 27

Monday

Chicago Blitz 21, Los Angeles Express 28

Week 5 Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Randall Cunningham, QB, Las Vegas Ace. Cunningham willed the Ace to their first victory of the season over the Arizona Wranglers. Cunningham completed 21 of 30 passes for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Defense: Charles Armstead, San Antonio Gunslingers. In spite of the final score, Armstead kept the Gunslingers in the game until Michigan pulled away late in the 4th quarter. He recorded a game high 7 tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 stuff, and 2 interceptions (1 for a touchdown).

Special Teams: George Taylor, KR, Washington Federals. Taylor got the Federals on the board with an 89 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. For the game, he recorded 5 returns for 177 yards and that touchdown that sparked Washington to a win over the Bandits.

Week 4 started with two upsets, Arizona knocking off Oakland and Philadelphia beating previously unbeaten New Jersey. Saturday night’s other game was another blowout loss for the Maulers. They’ve made some big moves in free agency to help shore up the defense. Keep an eye on them over the next couple of weeks.

Sunday offered easy wins for Jacksonville, Birmingham, and Chicago. The other games were all one score with Boston outlasting Washington to remain one of two unbeaten teams with Birmingham. Houston got back on the winning side with a shootout vs. rookie QB Jim Harbaugh and the Panthers. Finally, New Orleans pulled to 2-2 with a wild win over the Oklahoma Outlaws.

The final game of the week on Monday night featured a divisional battle between Vegas and the Express. Randall Cunningham put the Ace on his back and held the ball on the Express 13 with a chance to win with about a minute on the clock. But, LA held strong and forced a turnover on downs to move to 3-1 and tied with Denver for the division lead.

1986 Week 4 Stat Leaders

1986 Week 4 Transactions

Week 4 Games

Friday

Arizona Wranglers 31, Oakland Invaders 21

Saturday

Philadelphia Stars 37, New Jersey Generals 27

Denver Gold 38, Pittsburgh Maulers 14

Sunday

Boston Breakers 42, Washington Federals 39

Jacksonville Bulls 27, Tampa Bay Bandits 17

Michigan Panthers 48, Houston Gamblers 52

Birmingham Stallions 31, Memphis Showboats 7

San Antonio Gunslinger 14, Chicago Blitz 28

Oklahoma Outlaws 41, New Orleans Brass 43

Monday

Las Vegas Ace 24, Los Angeles Express 30

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Matt Dunigan, QB, Boston Breakers. Dunigan continued his impressive romp through the league on 16/19 passing with 266 yards and 4 TDs. He also ran 8 times for 28 yards and a touchdwon.

Defense: Howard Carson, LB, Los Angeles Express. Carson lifted the Express on his shoulders recording 11 tackles, a fored fumble and an interception return for a touchdown to help the Express top the Ace.

Special Teams: David Trout, K, Philadelphia Stars. Trout was perfect on the day with 3 field goals and 4 extra points to contribute 13 of Philadelphia’s 37 points against the previously unbeaten New Jersey Generals.

Week 3 USFL Recap: Offensive Explosions and Statement Wins Highlight Wild Weekend

The USFL’s third week delivered fireworks across the league, headlined by the Houston Gamblers’ 50-48 Monday night thriller over the Los Angeles Express in a game that set offensive records. Quarterback Jim Kelly efficiently managed Houston’s explosive run game (306 yards, 4 TDs), while LA’s Frank Seurer threw for a staggering 541 yards and 6 touchdowns in a losing effort. Other high-scoring affairs included Oakland’s 52-21 demolition of New Orleans behind John Williams’ 206 rushing yards, and New Jersey’s 39-13 rout of Chicago where Herschel Walker dominated with 188 rushing yards and 3 TDs. The weekend proved particularly brutal for winless teams, as Memphis (0-3), Chicago (0-3), and Las Vegas (0-3) all suffered double-digit losses while being outscored by a combined 92-40 margin.

Several contenders made strong statements, with Boston improving to 3-0 behind Matt Dunigan’s 4-touchdown performance against Memphis, and Birmingham remaining perfect (3-0) thanks to Joe Cribbs’ 210-yard rushing day in a 29-17 win over Washington. The Michigan Panthers announced their arrival as a Central Division force with a 44-17 thrashing of Denver, showcasing a balanced attack that racked up 456 total yards. Perhaps most impressive was Oakland’s complete dismantling of New Orleans, as the Invaders scored touchdowns on all six red zone trips while limiting the Brass to just 45 rushing yards. The week also featured surprising defensive stands, including Philadelphia’s 20-17 road win over Las Vegas where the Stars intercepted Cunningham twice despite being outgained 325-293.

As the season reaches its quarter pole, clear divisions are emerging between contenders and pretenders. Birmingham, Boston, New Jersey, and Oakland all sit at 3-0 with legitimate championship aspirations, while Houston (2-1) and Michigan (2-1) have shown explosive potential. At the other end of the spectrum, Memphis, Chicago, and Las Vegas remain winless with mounting concerns on both sides of the ball. Week 3’s offensive explosion – seven teams scored 30+ points – suggests the USFL’s pass-happy, high-scoring identity is taking hold, setting up intriguing matchups in Week 4 as the playoff picture begins to take shape. The Gamblers-Express shootout may have stolen headlines, but several teams made statements that could reverberate throughout the season.

1986 USFL Week 3 Stat Leaders

1986 USFL Week 3 Signings

Week 3 Games

Friday

Oklahoma Outlaws 30, Arizona Wranglers 26

Saturday

Washington Federals 17, Birmingham Stallions 29

New Jersey Generals 39, Chicago Blitz 13

Sunday

Memphis Showboats 10, Boston Breakers 35

Michigan Panthers 44, Denver Gold 17

Pittsburgh Maulers 16, San Antonio Gunslingers 38

Philadelphia Stars 20, Las Vegas Ace 17

New Orleans Brass 21, Oakland Invaders 52

Monday

Houston Gamblers 50, Los Angeles Express 48

Standings

Players of the Week

Offense: Herschel Walker, RB, New Jersey Generals. Herschel powered the Generals to another big win with 27 rushes for 188 yards and another 3 touchdowns. He also caught 3 passes for 66 yards.

Defense: Charles Armstead, CB, San Antonio Gunslingers. Armstead intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and recorded 8 tackles in the Gunslingers win over teh Maulers.

Special Teams: This week saw three kickoffs returned for touchdowns (Albert Bentley, Michigan, 4-169 with a long of 95), Bruce Hill (91 yards), and George Taylor (2-113 with along of 89).