Tag Archives: 1986 Playoffs

Box Scores and Recaps, Stats

1986 USFL Championship Game

Leave a comment

Dateline: Sunday, July 6, 1986. Denver and Boston delivered an entertaining Championship game at the Silverdome in Michigan Sunday evening. Bston finished off an undefeated season with the victory. It looked to be a back and forth affair until Scott Thomas broke away on a kick return and scored. Matt Dunigan added two more touchdowns to super star receiver Mike Sherrard to put Boston up 38-14 at the half.

They never looked back. Denver tried to keep pace with the Boston offense. They did in every category but the score. The loss caps off another close but no cigar heartbreak of a season for the Gold. However, they promise to be back again next year to compete for their first championship.

Offensive Player of the Game: Mike Sherrard, WR, Boston Breakers. Sherrard helped Dunigan settle into the new league with a massive regular season. He continued his tear in the post season, capping it off with 6 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Game: Bruce Miller, CB, Boston Breakers. Miller registered 7 tackles. He also forced a fumble and picked off the ball late in the game to stifle any chance of a Denver comeback.

Special Teams Player of the Game: Scott Thomas, KR, Boston Breakers. Thomas returned 5 kicks for 201 yards with the 89 yard touchdown to kick off the run that put the game comfortably in Boston’s hands.

With the game, we complete another successful season of USFL football. With the warm relationship with the established NFL, the league promises to flourish for decades to come. Already, owners hope to buy into the success of the league. Keep an eye on our four expansion clubs next year and how the league adjusts going forward. See you in 1987!

Team Stats

Image 1 of 4

Box Scores and Recaps, Playoff Preview, Stats, Weekly Wrap Ups

1986 USFL Divisional Round Wrap Up

Games

Saturday

1986 USFL Divisional Round: Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions

1986 USFL Divisional Playoffs: Michigan Panthers at Denver Gold

Sunday

1986 USFL Divisional Round: New Jersey Generals at Boston Breakers

1986 USFL Divisional Round: Los Angeles Express at Houston Gamblers

Recap

The conference semifinal round got off to a slow start with two blowouts. Philadelphia fell to Birmingham and Denver took care of Michigan and their young quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Neither game featured any drama with the home teams rushing out to leads and holding on with a stingy defense to finish off the visitors.

The Sunday games featured closer games. New Jersey ran into the buzz saw that are the Boston Breakers this year. The Generals just didn’t have enough offense or defense to compete. They added some late touchdowns to make the score more respectable. However, Boston remains on a mission this year. Houston required some last minute Kelly magic to defeat the surprising Express and host the Gold next week for a spot in this year’s championship game.

1986 Conference Finals Weekend Preview

Birmingham Stallions at Boston Breakers: An immovable object meets the unstoppable force when Boston’s offense squares up against Birmingham’s defense. This promises to be one of the toughest tests for the high flying Breakers. However, they look poised to march into the USFL Championship with their flawless record intact. Our Take: It may be a close game, but the Breakers firepower will bring them home.

Denver Gold at Houston Gamblers: The Gold figured out how to, not only match, but in some ways surpass the prolific Houston offense. Their own version of the run and shoot with Bob Gagliano and Bill Johnson have them again on the verge of a USFL Championship. With rumors of Jim Kelly possibly leaving for the NFL in a couple of years, this represents one of the last times for him to lift another title. Our take: Close game, but never bet against Kelly in a tight spot.

Playoff Preview

1986 USFL Divisional Round Preview

Saturday

Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions

Philadelphia Stars: The Stars finished the season 10-8 and grabbed one of the wild card spots in the Atlantic. They never truly found their footing on offense, ranking in the middle or bottom in nearly every category. However, their defense kept them in games most of the year and were a primary reason that the Stars made the playoffs.

Birmingham Stallions: Birmingham put together another outstanding season, finishing at 14-4 and winning the South by a game over Jacksonville to take the number two spot in the conference. Their defense was even more impressive than Philadelphia. In addition, their offense ranked number 3 in total yards and 2 in rushing.

Quick Pick: The Stallions are just too much for the Stars. Plus they’re playing at home. Take Birmingham

Michigan Panthers at Denver Gold

Michigan Panthers: Michigan bounced back to 11-7 after two disappointing seasons. Their young and exciting quarterback Jim Harbaugh led the team to the tune of a fourth ranked scoring offense. Their defense had some bumps, ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in many categories.

Denver Gold: Denver finally found their footing under Mouse Davis and exploded on offense. They came in number two in scoring offense, number 1 in total yards, number 4 in rushing, and number two in passing. Never known for their defense, they held teams under 30 points per game to allow the explosive offense to steal some wins.

Quick Pick: Denver is just too powerful for Michigan and their young quarterback. The Panthers will be back, but take Denver this time.

Sunday

New Jersey Generals at Boston Breakers

New Jersey Generals: No surprise, but Jersey sported the number one rushing offense in the league. With Walker and Carthon, they averaged almost 200 yards rushing a game. But where they really shone was on defense, ranking in the top 5 in many categories.

Boston Breakers: By now, everyone knows the story of how the Breakers fan collective made a huge splash in the offseason by luring CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan to the team. It paid off in huge dividends with an 18-0 regular season and only one game where they sweated the outcome. Their defense can be some of an achilles heel, but the offense is just too powerful.

Quick Pick: Walker may have a big game, as he often does. But, Dunigan and the Breakers are on a mission. There’s no way they bow out this early.

Los Angeles Express at Houston Gamblers

Los Angeles Express: After last year’s disaster, they decided to go in a different direction and give their young quarterback Steve Young some time to develop. It paid off as they bounced back and made it to the playoffs, defeating the Ace in the wild card round.

Houston Gamblers: The Gamblers know nothing other than success in their time in the league. They’ve made the playoffs every year, winning the division and taking the number one seed each time. They won the Championship in their inaugural season and lost last year to Denver in the second round.

Quick Pick: Houston just wins at home. We don’t expect any less out of them this wekeend.

Be sure to return for full coverage of the games as they happen!

Weekly Wrap Ups

1986 USFL Playoffs Wild Card Round

Leave a comment

Games

Saturday

1986 USFL Wild Card Game, New Jersey Generals at Jacksonville Bulls

1986 USFL Wild Card Game, Oklahoma Outlaws at Michigan Panthers

Sunday

1986 USFL Wild Card Game, Philadelphia Stars at Tampa Bay Bandits

1986 USFL Wild Card Game, Las Vegas Ace at Los Angeles Express

The first round of the 1986 USFL playoffs was, indeed, wild! No major surprises, but there were a couple of road victories in Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. Herschel Walker carried the team on his back with over 200 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Chuck Fusina saw a youthful resurgence and the Philly defense intercepted the Bandits 5 times to secure that win.

Michigan took unti overtime to defeat the surprising Oklahoma Outlaws in their playoff matchup. Meanwhile, even though Randall Cunningham showed all of the brilliance that he showed during the regular season, it just wasn’t enough to overcome their defensive shortcomings. Los Angeles won in a shootout out west.

Come back in a couple of days for the second round preview.

Players of the Week

Offense: Herschel Walker, RB, New Jersey Generals. No surprises here. Walker ran for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rumors are swirling that an NFL team is gearing up for a big trade for Walker. Enjoy him in the USFL while you can.

Defense: Jay Norvell, S, Philadelphia Stars. Norvell intercepted two of the five passes in the game, returning one 19 yards for a pick six that put the Stars up by 16 points late in the second half.

Special Teams: Marcus Bonner, KR, Las Vegas Ace. In addition to Cunningham’s brilliant performance, Bonner put on a show. He returned 9 kick offs for 265 yards with a 97 yard touchdown.