How We Got Here
East Conference Championship: 1986 USFL East Conference Championship
West Conference Championshp: 1986 USFL West Conference Championship
Denver Gold
Denver went 12-6 in the regular season, losing a tie breaker to Houston. Nevertheless, they secured the second seed and a first round bye. They went all in on Mouse Davis’ run and shoot offense, scoring almost 40 points a game. Quarterback Bob Gagliano stepped up and threw for over 6000 yards, 54 touchdowns against only 18 interceptions. Running back Bill Johnson added almost 2200 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground and over 700 yards and 6 touchdowns receiving. They bosted three 1000 yard receivers on offense.
Their bend but don’t break defense averaged 28.8 points a game. Led by linebacker John Nevens (118 tackles, 5 sacks, and 5 interceptions) and CB Curtis Stacy (103 tackles and 3 interceptions) and S Chris White (8 interceptions), they insured that the potent offense saw the field enough to outscore opponents.
They will need all of this offensive and defensive talent if they want to take down an undefeated Boston team that only looked somewhat mortal in two games during their unbeaten run.
Boston Breakers
In an anecdote all too familiar and sure to go down in USFL history as one of the great steals for the league, Boston’s fan ownership wooed CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan to the team in the offseason. The dual threat responded by throwing for just under 5000 yards and a league leading 60 touchdowns. He added almost 600 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns on the ground. This opened the field for RB Buford Jordan, who ran for over 1600 yards and 13 touchdowns. They, too, saw three recievers gain over 1000 yards, including leader Mike Sherrard with 1938 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Their own defense gave up 27.7 points per game on the year. Linebacker Marcus Marek (111 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 int) led a defefnse joined by three defensive backs who registered 90 tackles or more. That included the two Scotts; CB Byers with 10 interceptions and Thomas with 6.
In a league defined by high flying offenses, both teams bring a balanced gameplan that means that either has a chance to come away with the victory.
Our Take
Denver comes in with a strong resume and on a tear in the playoffs that’s almost unmatched. Defeating both Michigan and Houston by double digits is impressive. However, they will need all of that firepower and more to beat a historic Boston Breakers team. Matt Dunigan and the Breakers are on a mission this year and they will win next week to cap off an undefeated season and win their first USFL Championship.