 |
|
Orlando: Jerry Golsteyn (12) |
| |
 |
|
Virginia: "Boo" Trent (22) |
| |
 |
Virginia: George Goedeker (45)
Orlando: Randy Walker (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Texas blasts
Charros |
|
|
|
|
|
| San Antonio
Light |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Texas Wranglers, one of the new members of the American
Football Association, jumped on San Antonio early and surprised
the Charros in their 1981 AFA opener, 27-7, Saturday night.
The Wranglers scored twice in the first quarter, held off three
Charros' threats and then scored twice more in the fourth
quarter to build a 27-0 lead.
San Antonio, the sole remaining charter member of the AFA, saved
face late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Mark Cahill hit
wide receiver Steve Pasterchick with an 11-yard TD pass, and
Rich Lander added the extra point.
In other AFA openers Saturday night, |
|
defending champion West Virginia downed Austin 41-13, Shreveport
whipped Chicago 23-20, Jacksonville nipped Carolina 19-13 and
Virginia got by Orlando 30-27.
Texas' Lee Small capped the decisive Texas drive - which
covered 85 yards - early in the fourth period with a 17-yard
touchdown run, and George Classey's PAT made it 20-0. It was a
possible 13-point swing as the Charros had marched to the Texas
seven-yard line late in the third period before giving up the
ball at the 15 on downs.
The Wranglers took a 6-0 lead on Cleo House's two-yard run
midway through the first quarter, then upped the count to 13-0
late in the period on Welby Ina's 23-yard touchdown |
|
pass to Kenneth Johnson and the first of three Classey extra
points.
After Small scored in the fourth, Texas' Steve Veck picked
off a Cahill pass and returned it 57 yards for another TD, and
it was 27-0.
The Charros had a chance to cut the 13-0 lead three times
but drives sputtered on penalties, blocked field goals or
fumbles.
Late in the third, San Antonio had a first-and-goal at the
Texas 7, and the Charros gained nothing on three straight plays.
On fourth down, Cahill fumbled, the Charros recovered at the 15,
but the Wranglers took possession for the decisive drive. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
7 |
| Texas |
|
13 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
27 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
TX |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
18 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
21 - 47 |
|
39 - 156 |
| Passing yards |
|
144 |
|
116 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
11 -
28 - 2 |
|
9 -
22 - 4 |
| Punts - avg |
|
5 - 46.0 |
|
3 - 30.6 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 2 |
|
3 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
6 - 55 |
|
8 - 85 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| TX |
|
House 2 run (kick failed) |
| TX |
|
Johnson 23 pass from Ina
(Classey kick) |
| TX |
|
Small 17 run (Classey kick) |
| TX |
|
Veck 53 interception return
Classey kick) |
| SA |
|
Pasterchick 11 pass from
Cahill (Lander kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Texas: Kevin Johnson (88) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Texan offense
can't get untracked in 27-15 loss to Chicago |
|
|
|
|
|
| George
Breazeale - Austin American-Statesman |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Improved defense was what Austin coach Randy Johnson sought
and got - but the Texan offense played Rip Van Winkle for too
long and the Chicago Fire made off with a 27-15 American
Football Association win Saturday night before a sparse Nelson
Field crowd.
Such performers as Elvis Shaw, Jesse Tello and Rodney Greene
made quarterback Steve Turk and the Fire offense work for every
yard, particularly in the first half. But the Texan offense
slumbered blissfully until late in the third quarter - too late
for quarterback Mike Washington and his big plays to pull out a
victory.
Chicago, now 1-1 in AFA play, found the early offensive harvest
slim - until the first Texan mistake, a fumbled punt recovered
by the Fire at the Austin 20. From there, Chicago scored in five
plays, with running back Steve Fuller slicing the final two
yards off tackle with 2:04 left in the first period.
A lost fumble and a pass interception blunted the Austin
offense early in the second period, symbolizing first half
frustration when the Texans crossed midfield only once. The |
|
pass theft sent Chicago to a 23-yard field goal by Vladimir
Labun with five minutes left in the first half.
After a fourth down offside penalty at the Austin 28 gave
Chicago new life in the closing minute of the half, Labun sent
through a 22-yard field goal as the quarter ended, for a 13-0
intermission advantage.
Early in the third, on fourth and inches from its 27,
Austin punted - and the Fire drove 55 yards for a touchdown. Sub
running back Derrall Sanders carried on five of the seven plays,
with Illinois ex Michael Holmes (6-1, 225) piling across from
the four. Labun converted for a 20-0 margin.
Austin's kickoff team, executing poorly all night, then
left the Texans at their own 12 - but the brilliant Washington
exploded, first for a 41-yard scramble gain to the Chicago 47,
then two plays later on a down-the-middle pass to back Kim
Watts, carrying to the Fire three. Washington rolled left on
second down for one yard and the score with 1:04 left in the
third.
On its next series, Austin set up at the Texan 27.
Washington's third down pass to Don |
|
Walker kept the drive alive, as did a face mask penalty two
plays later. Finally, on third and 19 from the Chicago 41,
Washington threw deep to Wayland Gay on a post pattern and the
Prairie View ex, fielding the ball at the Fire 10, went in for
the touchdown. Bryan Davenport picked up a fumbled conversion
snap and threw to Gay for two points, closing Austin to 20-15
with 11:26 left in the game.
Dave Smilo returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the
Chicago 47 and the Fire burned Austin's tiring defense for a
10-play scoring drive. Running back Billy Marek scored from
inches out on fourth down and a moment later Washington went to
the sideline with leg cramps. Backup quarterback Ward Kirk and
receiver Bruce Dickey mounted a 57-yard drive to the Chicago 43,
but the Fire then took over on downs to run out the clock.
Marek, a Wisconsin ex, led all rushers with 65 yards, while
Washington netted 62 for Austin, also throwing effectively to
Gay, Dickey, Don Walker, Leonard Brantley, Kim Watts and Larry
Carter. Austin dropped to 0-2 in AFA play. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
7 |
|
6 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
27 |
| Austin |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
AU |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
12 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
41 - 154 |
|
24 - 96 |
| Passing yards |
|
146 |
|
184 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
12 -
17 - 0 |
|
14 -
25 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 39.4 |
|
5 - 33.4 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
5 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
4 - 45 |
|
4 - 25 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Fuller 2 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Labun 23 field goal |
| CH |
|
Labun 22 field goal |
| CH |
|
Holmes 4 run (Labun kick) |
| AU |
|
Washington 1 run (Schott kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 41 pass from Washington
(Gay pass from Davenport) |
| CH |
|
Marek 1 run (Labun kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Austin: Don Walker (20)
Chicago: John Flott (60) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Opening play sets
tone for Chargers' loss |
|
|
|
|
|
| Sam Fulwood -
Charlotte Observer |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Something - on and off the field - seems wrong with the
Carolina Chargers.
The on-field woes seemed evident to the 3,100 fans at Memorial
Stadium who watched the Chargers lose 20-10 Saturday night to
the West Virginia Rockets in an American Football Association
game.
It was the first regular-season home loss for the Chargers
(0-2), who won the first 19 home games in their three-year
league history. The Rockets, who defeated the Chargers 42-18 in
the league's title game last year, improved to 2-0 against this
season.
The off-field problems weren't as evident. But, two Chargers,
watching the game from the grandstand instead of from the
sidelines, hinted all isn't well with the team.
The on-field troubles began early - on the game's first play.
The Chargers' Mike Cox booted the opening kickoff high and deep.
West Virginia's Dwaine Ball grabbed the ball at the 2, raced up
the middle behind his blocking, cut to his right at the 20 and
sped down the sideline in front of the Charger bench. He didn't
look back until he crossed the Charger endzone.
Touchdown, Rockets - only 19 seconds into the game.
Then, on West Virginia's next possession, quarterback Clyde
Walker found wide receiver Buddy White behind Charger defensive
back Willie Holly and connected for a 50-yard |
|
touchdown pass.
This time, 4:21 remained in the opening quarter.
Two first-quarter quickies and, for all practical purposes,
the night was done. The Chargers scored - in the first quarter
on Mike Cox's 35-yard field goal and in the second quarter on a
19-yard Skip Ramsey-to-Dexter Feaster pass - but there was no
magical comeback.
"It (Ball's 98-yard touchdown run) took something out of
us," said Charger coach Mike Faulkiner, "if there was something
in us to begin with."
Enter the off-field problems.
"Nobody wants to play football," said Faulkiner. 'All they
want to do is talk about playing."
Does that mean there's dissention among the Chargers?
"No, there's no dissention," Faulkiner said. "We had a team
meeting this week and talked about everything. I thought we
would be ready to play after the meeting, but we weren't. Every
time we did something positive, we'd do something negative to
nullify it."
Before the opening kickoff, two Chargers - defensive backs
Jeryl Todd and Tony Byrum - were out of uniform and in the
stands. Both started last week against Jacksonville. But
Saturday night, they shook hands and received congratulations
from fans who recognized |
|
them without gold numerals coloring their backs.
"These seats are hard," Byrum said of his stadium spot
above the 30-yard line. "I'm not used to it. I never knew they
were so hard." Byrum, who started in the Charger's
season-opening 19-13 loss at Jacksonville a week earlier, said
he learned Thursday he wouldn't get a uniform for the West
Virginia game.
"I'm feeling hurt," he said. "But what else can I do?"
Todd sat silently beside Byrum. He said he didn't want to
talk about his not playing.
Faulkiner said the two players didn't dress this week
because he could only field 39 players and needed reserves for
the defensive line. To do that, he had to hold out a defensive
back. Another defensive back didn't start because Faulkiner
wanted to get a look at reserve defensive back John Stoutamire
from Livingstone.
"It doesn't matter whether they understand it or not,"
Faulkiner said. "I explained it to them and I hope they
understood."
Byers hinted he understood. He said his presence at the
game indicated he wasn't angry at the coach or the team. "I
wanted to come see the fellows," he said. "I'm with them 100%.
But I did tell my fans in Monroe (his hometown) not to come,
because I wouldn't be playing." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| West Virginia |
|
17 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| Carolina |
|
3 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
10 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
WV |
|
CA |
| First downs |
|
14 |
|
14 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 73 |
|
? - 131 |
| Passing yards |
|
136 |
|
191 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
19 -
40 - 1 |
|
12 -
20 - 1 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
6 - 223 |
|
3 - 81 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 1 |
|
2 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
4 -25 |
|
6 - 83 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
|
Ball 98 kickoff return
(McDaniel kick) |
| CA |
|
Cox 35 field goal |
| WV |
|
White 50 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 37 field goal |
| CA |
|
Feaster 18 pass from Ramsey
(Cox kick) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 33 field goal |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Carolina: Wayne Foster (81)
West Virginia: Tim Johnson (26), Curtis Walls (28) |
| |
 |
West Virginia: Rayfield Wright (93)
Carolina: Chris Cobb (32) |
| |
 |
|
West Virginia: James Coleman (84), Larry McGee (48), Greg Fairchild (75) |
| |
 |
Carolina: Dexter Feaster (80)
West Virginia: Rich Fenton (44) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Orlando whips
Firebirds 36-17 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Jeff Miller -
Florida Times-Union |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
According to American Football Association rules, the
Jacksonville Firebirds will not receive any payment for last
night's game at the Tangerine Bowl against the Orlando
Americans.
Few of the Firebirds would admit they earned any.
What went right for Jacksonville in its 36-17 loss to Orlando?
"Absolutely nothing," said Jacksonville coach Corky Rogers.
The Firebirds barely resembled the team which defeated Orlando
26-7 two weeks ago at an exhibition at the Gator Bowl. The
Americans, coached by former Firebird head coach and general
manager Bob Williams, dominated Jacksonville from buzzer to
buzzer. Both teams left the game watched by 7,837 persons with
1-1 records.
"Sure it means a lot to me," Williams said of the victory over
his former team, "But I don't know how much it means to the
players."
Orlando quarterback Jerry Golsteyn threw two touchdown passes in
the first half to spark the Americans to a 16-3 lead at halftime
which was never threatened.
Don Gaddy added three field goals to the |
|
Americans' cause. Richard Holmes scored on a 1-yard run and
backup quarterback Mark Hutsell threw an 11-yard touchdown pass
to Darrell Jones.
Jacksonville's scoring was much more simplified. Alan
Leavitt's 40-yard field goal with 9:34 remaining in the second
quarter was the Firebirds' lone score until the final 6:06 of
the game. Wide receiver Charlie Brown, voted the Firebirds most
valuable player of the game, grabbed touchdown passes of 9 and
11 yards from Albert Chester in those closing minutes. Chester
hit Alex Prince for a two-point pass following the final TD,
which came with 1:56 to play.
"The final score will look like it might have been a
ballgame," Rogers said, "But they outplayed us in a lot of
phases. They were probably better-coached, too.
"I still think we've got a good football team. We just have
to go back to work."
Homes Johnson again led the Firebirds in rushing with 116
yards.
The big play always seemed to go the American way: Holmes'
44-yard run leading to |
|
Gaddy's first field goal, Randy Walker's 51-yard touchdown
reception with 36 seconds left in the half, Walker's 55-yard
jaunt setting up another Gaddy field goal and Don Gaffney's
fumble on the final play of the first quarter while he was
attempting to pass.
"I called it an incomplete pass," Rogers said. His only
other comment on the officiating was to note that Orlando's
first penalty came with eight seconds gone in the fourth
quarter. "I've never played against a perfect football team."
Orlando's first touchdown came after stopping
Jacksonville's initial possession of the game. The Americans
took eight plays to travel 57 yards, scoring on a Golsteyn to
Stanley Brown touchdown pass for 18 yards with 7:22 to play in
the first quarter.
Jacksonville threatened to tie the game early in the second
period when Chester replaced Don Gaffney at quarterback. Chester
drove the Firebirds from their own 28 to the Orlando 12. But the
Americans, led by a fierce pass rush, backed up Jacksonville to
the Orlando 23 where the Firebirds had to settle for Leavitt's
field goal. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Jacksonville |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
17 |
| Orlando |
|
7 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
10 |
|
- |
|
36 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
JA |
|
OR |
| First downs |
|
15 |
|
16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
23 - 175 |
|
32 - 155 |
| Passing yards |
|
160 |
|
244 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
18 -
39 - 2 |
|
15 -
25 - 0 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
4 - 24.2 |
|
5 - 30.8 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
1 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
5 - 35 |
|
5 - 58 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Brown 18 pass from Golsteyn
(Gaddy kick) |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 40 field goal |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 44 field goal |
| OR |
|
Walker 51 pass from Golsteyn
(kick failed) |
| OR |
|
Holmes 1 run (Gaddy kick) |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 34 field goal |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 40 field goal |
| OR |
|
Jones 11 pass from Hutsell
(Gaddy kick) |
| JA |
|
Brown 9 pass from Chester
(pass failed) |
| JA |
|
Brown 11 pass from Chester
(Prince pass from Chester) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| San Antonio does
away with Steamer, 37-15 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Shreveport
Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
San Antonio quarterback Mark Cahill shredded the Shreveport
secondary with pin-point passing for 184 yards and three
touchdowns as the Charros knocked the stunned Steamer from the
unbeaten ranks with a 37-15 drubbing here Saturday night.
Cahill, who connected on 12 of 20 attempts, was the igniter as
the Charros rolled up 450 yards total offense against the
usually tight Steamer defense.
Meanwhile, San Antonio's defense, which gave up 27 points last
week, held Shreveport's ground attack to zero yards on 42
carries.
The Steamer falls to 1-1 in the American Football Association
Western Division. Division-leading Texas (2-0) remained unbeaten
with a 23-20 victory over Virginia.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Charros (1-1) went to work
offensively.
Running back Bob Dunn, a 255-pounder who rushed for a game-high
154 yards on 18 tries, scored San Antonio's first touchdown on a
two-yard run with 12:12 left in the second quarter. Rich Lander
booted it out to 7-0.
Dunn, a Trinity College graduate with 4.6 speed in the 40, is a
converted linebacker.
A couple of minutes later with 10:07 left, Cahill, a
California-Berkeley standout, found newcomer Greg Jackson open
for a 35-yard |
|
scoring toss. The kick failed, leaving it 13-0 Charros.
Cahill struck later in the same period with 7:04 remaining,
this time on a 10-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Steve
Pasterchick, son of San Antonio coach George Pasterchick. Lander
kicked it out to 20-0 and that's the way it stood at halftime.
The Charros continued their assault in the second half with
Cahill spotting Tony Armstrong for a 12- yard touchdown with
7:24 left in the third quarter. Lander's PAT sent it up to 27-0.
Shreveport's Bill Ryan set up the Steamer's first score by
returning the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the San Antonio 34.
Running back Kevin McLee punched it across from the one with
4:39 to play in the third stanza to avoid the shutout. Jerry
Pope's kick cut the deficit to 27-7.
San Antonio put the game out of reach with a Lander 34-yard
field goal and an eight-yard pass from reserve quarterback Tim
Bailey, a Nicholls' State star, to Jackson. Lander's kick sent
it to 37-7.
The Steamer's final score was set up in the fourth quarter
as Don Henry pounced on an onside kick.
Quarterback Ken Smith then hit consecutive passes to Vernon
Wells for 18 yards and the final 38 to Rod Foppe for the score.
Smith then
|
|
hit Gator Cherry for two points, to make it 37-15 with 4:27 left
in the game.
San Antonio dominated all the way and Shreveport could
didn't penetrate past the Charros' 43-yard line in the first
half.
"Playing San Antonio at home is one of the toughest jobs in
football," said Steamer head coach Jim Williams. "San Antonio
has great physical talent and we just played poor defense."
After getting behind by two quick touchdowns, the Steamer
got away from its offensive game plan.
"When you're down by 14 points, like we were almost
immediately, you have to play catch-up ball and we got out of
our offensive pattern," Williams said.
"We've made four trips now to San Antonio and we've split.
That's not bad. We'll just have to regroup and play our brand of
football when we play Texas. And Texas is going to be a big game
for us because they're tough."
Foppe was a bright spot for Shreveport, catching six passes
for 107 yards and a touchdown while Wells snared three for 44
more.
Smith hit 2-of-8 passes for 27 yards and James Mosley was
8-of-16 for 87 yards although he suffered two interceptions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| San Antonio |
|
0 |
|
20 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
- |
|
37 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SH |
|
SA |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
24 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
42 - 0 |
|
41 - 242 |
| Passing yards |
|
166 |
|
208 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
13 -
35 - 2 |
|
14 -
26 - 0 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
4 - 38.3 |
|
2 - 38.5 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
5 - 1 |
|
2 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
6 - 45 |
|
7 - 52 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
|
Dunn 2 run (Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 35 pass from Cahill
(kick failed) |
| SA |
|
Pasterchick 10 pass from
Cahill (Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 17 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SH |
|
McLee 1 run (Pope kick) |
| SA |
|
Lander 34 field goal |
| SA |
|
Jackson8 pass from Bailey
(Lander kick) |
| SH |
|
Foppe 38 pass from Smith
(Cherry pass from Smith) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Hunters beaten in
Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
| Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Coach Eddie Joyce had reason to believe his Virginia
Hunters would eliminate at least some of last week's
opening-night mistakes against the Orlando Americans. But
Saturday night against the Texas Wranglers, things got worse
instead of better.
The Wranglers defeated the Hunters 23-20 in an American Football
Association game marred by eight turnovers, six by the Hunters.
"I don't know what happened," said Joyce, whose club overcame
mental and physical mistakes to beat Orlando 30-27 in its debut.
"It wasn't a good football game. We played a little sloppy and
made a lot of mistakes."
Twice in the fourth quarter, quarterback |
|
Mike Pusey had passes intercepted, including a desperation toss
to Anthony Smith with 25 seconds left. Running back Boo Trent
ended another Hunter threat in the fourth quarter with a fumble
at the Texas 36.
The Hunters never led, falling behind 16-6 by halftime. The
Wranglers led 9-0 when Virginia scored its only first-half
touchdown. Defensive back Gary Woodhouse intercepted a Welby Ina
pass and returned it 39 yards to the Texas 22. Four plays later,
Pusey closed the Hunters' deficit to 9-6 with a plunge from the
1-yard line.
Virginia came back quickly early in the third quarter,
Pusey throwing 11 yards to Smith to make it 16-13. However,
numerous penalties |
|
and repeated turnovers in the fourth quarter kept the Hunters
from gaining any more ground.
Texas made it 23-13 with 6:21 left in the game when Ina
threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Keven Johnson, a
26-yarder. Ina finished with 14 completions in 30 attempts for
155 yards and three touchdowns.
Virginia made a last-ditch effort, scoring with 1:19 left
on Pusey's 42-yard pass to Smith.
HUNTERS NOTES - Ricky Smith, a linebacker
from Western Carolina, has quit the squad ... Center Anthony
Pierce, who didn't dress against Orlando because of an ankle
injury, did not see action against Texas. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Virginia |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| Texas |
|
3 |
|
13 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
VA |
|
TX |
| First downs |
|
15 |
|
16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 101 |
|
? - 91 |
| Passing yards |
|
164 |
|
155 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
15 -
36 - 3 |
|
14 -
30 - 1 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
6 - 36.5 |
|
8 - 30.0 |
| Return yards |
|
166 |
|
55 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 3 |
|
1 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
7 - 85 |
|
11 - 110 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| TX |
|
Claffey 26 field goal |
| TX |
|
Tibbs 10 pass from Ina (kick
failed) |
| VA |
|
Pusey 1 run (run failed) |
| TX |
|
Johnson 19 pass from Ina
(Claffey kick) |
| VA |
|
Smith 11 pas from Pusey (Simms
kick) |
| TX |
|
Johnson 26 pass from Ina
(Claffey kick) |
| VA |
|
Smith 42 pass from Joyce
(Simms kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Players unknown |
|
|
|
|
 |
Austin Texans
at
San Antonio Charros
June 13, 1981
- Harlandale Memorial Stadium - |
 |
|
| |
| Charros defeat
Austin, 42-22 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Jerry Briggs -
San Antonio Light |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
San Antonio quarterback Mark Cahill fired three touchdown
passes Saturday night at soggy Harlandale Memorial Stadium as
the Charros plundered the Austin Texans and player-coach Randy
Johnson, 42-22, before an estimated 300 football junkies.
Heavy rains just before kickoff and a steady downpour through
much of the first half turned the American Football Association
contest into something akin to a mud wrestling match in second
half as the Charros intercepted old teammate Johnson three times
and built their largest lead, 42-14, with 6:28 to go.
San Antonio fans huddling under umbrellas most of the first half
seemed largely unimpressed when Johnson, the former NFL veteran
who played for the Charros the past two seasons, entered the
game in the third quarter for the Texans.
He engineered one touchdown drive to cut the lead to 28-14,
but threw three |
|
interceptions thereafter. The last one was picked off midway
through the fourth quarter by safety Keith Nelms, who advanced
it to the Austin 8, spun off one tackler and lateraled to Frank
Oakes, who took it in for the score.
Rich Lander's sixth extra point in six attempts made it
42-14.
Leonard Brantley's 22-yard touchdown run and his carry for
the two-point conversion determined the final score with 1:43
remaining. Austin's only other touchdown came on a
fourth-and-one situation in the first quarter when starting
quarter- back Mike Washington raced 80 yards on a bootleg play.
That bit of daring, plus Billy Schott's extra point, tied
the game at 7-7 before Cahill cranked up the San Antonio
offense.
Cahill, the first-year Charros' quarterback from
California-Berkeley, hit newcomer Greg Jackson with two scoring
strikes and Tony Armstrong, with another. He connected on 15 |
|
of 24 for 168 yards.
Jackson broke free of the Austin secondary late in the
first period to snare a 42-yard scoring reception and then
hauled in a nine-yard effort early in the second as the Charros
rolled, 21-7. The two TD receptions gave Jackson four in two
games. He caught six passes for 100 yards.
After Johnson manufactured a seven-play, 74-yard drive
culminated in Kim Watts' one-yard touchdown run to cut the lead
to 21-14, Cahill struck again. He found Armstrong with a
three-yard flip early in the fourth as San Antonio went up,
35-14.
San Antonio fullback Bon Dunn, who entered the game as the
AFA's leading rusher with 193 yards, hustled to his second
100-yard performance in a row with 104 yards in 14 carries. He
had bursts of 13, 11, 25 and 15 yards in the second half before
leaving the game early in the fourth quarter. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Austin |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
22 |
| San Antonio |
|
14 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
42 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
AU |
|
SA |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
24 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
28 - 157 |
|
36 - 162 |
| Passing yards |
|
184 |
|
168 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
12 -
29 - 4 |
|
15 -
27 - 1 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
2 - 27.5 |
|
4 - 35.5 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
1 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
4 - 40 |
|
10 - 69 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
|
Valdez 11 blocked punt return
(Lander kick) |
| AU |
|
Washington 80 run (Schott
kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 42 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 9 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Wehmeyer 1 run (Lander kick) |
| AU |
|
Watts 1 run (Schott kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 3 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Oakes 8 run (Lander kick) |
| AU |
|
Brantley 22 run (Brantley run) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
San Antonio: Bucky Lampe (37), Mike Thierry (40)
Austin: Mike Washington (10) |
| |
 |
Austin: Fred Swan (57)
San Antonio: Bon Dunn (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Chargers win 28-23
at Chicago |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bob Blanchard -
Charlotte Observer |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Carolina Chargers won their first game of the American
Football Association season by beating the Chicago Fire 28-23
Saturday night.
The victory snapped a two-game, season-opening losing streak and
was the first for coach Mike Faulkiner.
Prior to the game at Soldier Field, Faulkiner said the Chargers
might pass 70 times. Quarterback Ellsworth Turner couldn't quite
match that number, but he did go to the air 41 times, completing
25 for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
Turner opened the aerial show at 12:17 of the first quarter and
with the ball on the Charger 29. Capitalizing on steady pass
blocking. Turner completed four of his first seven attempts,
leading his team to the Fire 15. Turner then hit wide receiver
Wayne Foster with a look-in on the 8. Foster broke a tackle and
ran into the end zone for a 6-0 Charger lead. Mike Cox kicked
the extra point.
Following an exchange of possessions, the Fire took the
ball to the Charger 32 and began beating Carolina cornerbacks
Willie Holly and |
|
Steve McCoy with a barrage of Steve Turk passes. The Fire
quarterback moved his squad to the Charger 4. where he
capitalized on a Holly stumble to hit Scott Petzke for a
touchdown at 14:17 of the second quarter. The kick was good,
tying the score 7-7.
Turner was intercepted at the Fire 33 on the next series,
but after regaining the ball at the Fire 28. Turner started
picking on Fire cornerback David Smilo, highlighted by a 32-yard
Turner-to-Mac Cummings completion. Finally, Mike Morrison's
2-yard run and Cox's point-after-touchdown gave the Chargers a
14-7 halftime lead.
Playing with a starting lineup that included nine new
faces, the Chargers opened the second half by moving to the Fire
36, Chicago toughened there and a 46-yard field goal attempt by
Cox fell short.
The Fire took the ball at their 36, and moved inside the
Charger 10. But Carolina's defense, led by linemen Ralph
Collette and Glen Ellis, toughened. Chicago settled for a
27-yard field goal by Vladmir Labun, at 7:44. The quarter |
|
ended with the Chargers leading 14-10.
Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Turner hit Don Porter
on a 14-yard scoring pass. Cox kicked the extra point, giving
the Chargers a 21-10 lead.
But the Fire fought back. Chicago scored with 6:34 left in
the game on a 4-yard run by Derrel Sanders. The two-point
conversion pass attempt sailed out of the end zone.
Less than two minutes later, Carolina regained its
one-touchdown-plus cushion. After several Turner passes, a draw
play up the middle allowed Mike Morrison to scored from 28
yards. Cox added the extra point, with 4:54 left for a 28-16
Charger lead.
Chicago's last touchdown came with 2:29 left on a short
dive by Steve Fuller. The Fire kicked the extra point and
trailed 28-23.
The Fire attempted an onside kick. but Mike Graham
recovered for the Chargers, who ran out the clock.
The Fire's home opener drew a crowd of 6,453. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Carolina |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
28 |
| Chicago |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
3 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CA |
|
CH |
| First downs |
|
24 |
|
21 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 105 |
|
? - 123 |
| Passing yards |
|
273 |
|
221 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
25 -
41 - 1 |
|
18 -
37 - 1 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
2 - 41 |
|
5 - 32 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
1 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
11 - 71 |
|
9 - 55 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CA |
|
Foster 15 pass from Turner
(Cox kick) |
| CH |
|
Petzke 4 pass from Turk (Labun
kick) |
| CA |
|
Cummings 32 pass from Turner
(Cox kick) |
| CH |
|
Labun 27 field goal |
| CA |
|
Porter 14 pass from Turner
(Cox kick) |
| CH |
|
Sanders 4 run (pass failed) |
| CA |
|
Morrison 28 run (Cox kick) |
| CH |
|
Fuller 1 run (Labun kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chicago: David Smilo (32) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Football Hunters
win |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill
Eichenberger - Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Virginia Hunters won a football game the hard way
Saturday night, stopping the Jacksonville Firebirds 16-14 in
front of an enthusiastic crowd of close to 4,000 at Victory
Stadium.
The extreme heat and humidity made things a little sticky for
both teams. But the Hunters were troubled more by specialty team
breakdowns than either Mother Nature or the Firebirds.
Just as they did in beating the Orlando Americans in their
American Football Association debut, the Hunters won in spite of
themselves.
Two weeks ago, it was an overall lack of execution - on offense,
defense and the special teams - that prevented Eddie Joyce's
club from picking up an easy win.
Saturday night, the offense played well enough to win. The
defense was outstanding. Mistakes were held to a minimum.
But the special teams were a disaster area.
There were four errant center snaps. The first flew completely
over the head of quarterback-punter Mike Pusey, who had to
scramble to cover the ball in the end zone and prevent a
Jacksonville touchdown. A safety did result, however, staking
the Firebirds to an early lead.
There was Kenny Bogins' 85-yard return of a Jimmy Simms' kickoff
for a touchdown. Bogins wasn't touched.
And there was Judge Thomas' fumbled kickoff that was recovered
at the Hunters' 24 and led to the Firebirds' second touchdown.
"Maybe I could understand it if we didn't work on our specialty
teams," said Joyce, the Hunters' head coach. "But nobody in the
league works harder on them than we do."
The specialty team mistakes weren't fatal, however. An inspired
defensive effort and big |
|
plays on offense enabled the Hunters to improve their record to
2-1.
In the first half, the Hunters' defense was overpowering,
limiting Jacksonville to a pair of first downs. But the
Firebirds took advantage of the Hunters' special teams to score
14 points.
In the second half, Jacksonville was able to move the ball,
but in scoring territory, the Hunters' defense stiffened.
For the first time this season, the Hunters were able to
create turnovers. Free safety Calvin Gray intercepted a couple
of Don Gaffney passes toward the end of the first half. Strong
safety Bill Miller stopped a sustained Jacksonville drive in the
third period with a diving interception in the Hunters' end
zone.
And outside linebacker Mike Goedeker stopped another
Firebird drive by grabbing a deflected Gaffney pass.
The biggest defensive play of the game, however, was turned
in by defensive end Edward Jackson. Early in the fourth quarter,
the Firebirds had driven from their own 40 to the Hunters'
4-yard line.
Allan Leavitt came on to attempt a 24-yard field goal. If
successful, it would have given Jacksonville the lead. Jackson,
however, broke through the center of the Firebirds' offensive
line to block the kick, effectively squashing Jacksonville's
final serious scoring threat.
"We weren't that worried about Jacksonville's running
backs," said Joyce. "We just didn't want either of their
quarterbacks (Albert Chester or Don Gaffney) to get outside the
pocket and scramble on us.
"At halftime, coach (Red) Stickney made a couple of
defensive adjustments. He put more pressure on their
quarterbacks, sent a linebacker, played a little more 35
defense, and it helped.
"We hurried their quarterbacks and came up |
|
with a few turnovers."
On offense, Pusey turned in his second excellent outing in
as many appearances at Victory Stadium. His 34-yard scoring
strike to Gerald Harp erased Jacksonville's early 2-0 lead. His
53-yard completion to Ron Zollicoffer set up Jimmy Simms'
game-winning 24-yard field goal.
After completing only 4 of 18 in the first half last
Saturday against Dallas, Pusey had been benched in favor of
Eddie Joyce Jr. There had even been some doubt about whether he
would start the Jacksonville game.
With that background, Saturday's performance was most
gratifying for Pusey.
"I'm glad coach Joyce started me and stuck with me the
whole way," Pusey said. "I needed it; for my confidence it was
good for me."
The Hunters were never able to establish a consistent
ground game. But Pusey was so successful picking apart the
Firebirds' secondary, a ground game wasn't necessary.
"We were able to beat their secondary deep early in the
game and that helped us," said Pusey, who scrambled well when
forced from the pocket by the Jacksonville defense, led by
defensive end Arlie Jarrell.
"We had people open underneath the rest of the way. We also
used our backs a lot on patterns."
Pusey didn't do it alone, however.
Judge Thomas, who injured his ankle after fumbling a
kickoff in the first half, turned an innocent-looking screen
pass into a 42-yard gain, a pass-run that led to the Hunters'
second and final touchdown.
The loss was Jacksonville's second in a row. The Firebirds
lost to Orlando last week and are 1-2. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Jacksonville |
|
2 |
|
12 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
14 |
| Virginia |
|
7 |
|
9 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
16 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
JA |
|
VA |
| First downs |
|
11 |
|
14 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 76 |
|
? - 80 |
| Passing yards |
|
107 |
|
229 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
12 -
23 - 4 |
|
15 -
28 - 2 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
4 - 39 |
|
2 - 51 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
1 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
5 - 50 |
|
2 - 20 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Safety Pusey recovers high
snap in end zone |
| VA |
|
Harp 34 pass from Pusey (Simms
kick) |
| VA |
|
Pusey 1 run (pass failed) |
| JA |
|
Bogins 85 kickoff return (pass
failed) |
| JA |
|
Brown 3 pass from
Chester (pass failed) |
| VA |
|
Simms 24 field goal |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Steamer dumps
Wranglers |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rick Thomas -
Shreveport Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Shreveport Steamer quarterback Ken Smith's right arm was a
lethal weapon against the Texas Wranglers Saturday night. Smith
pulled the trigger 27 times, hitting his targets 11 straight, as
the Steamer outgunned the previously unbeaten Wranglers, 24-6
before an estimated 5,100 fans at State Fair Stadium.
Smith riddled Texas' secondary for 227 yards and two touchdowns,
including a 33-yard scoring toss to swift Rod Foppe in the first
quarter and a 19-yard TD strike to new tight end Rich Suchanuk
in the third period as the Steamer upped their record to 2-1,
the same as Texas.
The former Boston College star hit 10 straight passes to start
off the second half as the Steamer marched 89 yards in 15 plays
to go up 14-0. Smith was responsible for 84 of those yards
through the airways.
"That was a shock to me that I had hit 11 in a row," the 6-3,
200-pounder said. "The offensive line deserves a lot of credit
because they did a helluva job blocking and I've always felt
we've had the best set of receivers in the league. They just go
out there and do their thing and they make my job easier."
Smith quarterbacked the entire first half and he gave way to
James Mosley only after the Steamer had assembled a 17-0 cushion
in the third quarter.
"I'm glad somebody had faith in me," Smith said. "This is just
unbelievable. I feel like we're starting to come around now."
Smith, who had been sharing the signal calling post with
Mosley, connected on 17 of |
|
27 passes, although he suffered one interception and one fumble.
The Steamer rolled up 130 yards rushing, by far its best
output of the season, and that helped the passing game, too.
"Our ground game finally got untracked and we've got to
have a balanced attack for our offense to really go," Smith
said. "It's a great victory."
Shreveport led only 7-0 at intermission, but 17 second-half
points, including 10 in the final quarter, paved the way for the
convincing victory.
The Steamer's other score came on a 27-yard burst by 6-1,
210-pound Henry Bush, who busted loose, broke three tackles and
dove in the end zone to put the game on ice with only 1:47 left.
"I'm willing to run and I just wanted to show everybody,
including coach (Jim) Williams what I could do," said Bush, who
didn't play in the first two Steamer games. "I knew I had to get
the ball in the end zone and I had to perform when I got the
chance in the fourth quarter. I'm anxious to play and I want to
show people I can play."
Shreveport kicker Jerry Pope also booted a 37-yard field
goal as the Steamer enjoyed their best night offensively this
season.
Texas, which never seriously threatened to take the lead,
averted the shutout as quarterback Welby Ina hit wide receiver
Keven Johnson for a 29-yard scoring toss with 4:30 remaining in
the fourth quarter. That tally cut the Steamer's lead to 17-6
and Bush's |
|
explosive run put to bed any thoughts the Wranglers might have
for a comeback.
Texas had troubles before it even reached Shreveport as the
bus didn't arrive to bring them to the stadium and Wrangler
players ended up driving their own cars.
Steamer defensive back Don Henry set up Shreveport's
initial score, intercepting Ina's pass and returning it 27 yards
to the Steamer 49.
Six plays later, Shreveport lit up the scoreboard. After
Kevin McLee picked up five yards on first down, Smith connected
with Vernon Wells for a nine-yard reception and a first down at
the Texas 37.
McLee jammed the middle for nine yards, and after an
exchange of penalties, Smith hit Foppe over the middle for the
33-yard touchdown, although the receiver had to wait on Smith's
high pass.
Pope tacked on the extra point, sending Shreveport up 7-0
with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
That first scoring march covered 51 yards in six plays.
The Steamer had one other scoring opportunity in the first
half, taking the ball on their 25 and marching to the Texas 16.
A 19-yard screen pass to Alex Rankin and a 24-yard strike over
the middle, both from Smith, were the big plays in the drive.
But with two minutes left in the half, Smith was blindsided
by linebacker William Smith and he coughed up the ball to Texas
lineman John Younger on the Wrangler 22. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
6 |
| Shreveport |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
- |
|
24 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
TX |
|
SH |
| First downs |
|
11 |
|
21 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 67 |
|
? - 130 |
| Passing yards |
|
135 |
|
257 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
11 -
28 - 4 |
|
19 -
34 - 3 |
|
Punts - yards |
|
6 - 34 |
|
2 -49 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
3 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
10 - 79 |
|
12 - 110 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SH |
|
Foppe 33 pass from Smith (Pope
kick) |
| SH |
|
Suchanuk 19 pass from Smith
(Pope kick) |
| SH |
|
Pope 37 field goal |
| TX |
|
Johnson 29 pass from Ina (kick
failed) |
| SH |
|
Bush 27 run (Pope kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Shreveport: Ken Smith (12) |
| |
 |
Shreveport: Eddie Bishop (43)
Texas: Maurice Mitchell (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Americans lose to
Rockets |
|
|
|
|
|
| Orlando
Sentinel |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Orlando Americans helped keep the West Virginia
Rockets' amazing home winning streak alive, dropping a 31-13
decision on a soggy Saturday night.
The Rockets haven't lost at Laid- ley Field since 1966,
including their years in the Continental Football League prior
to joining the American Football Association. With the win, they
improved to 3-0. The Americans, who play Shreveport in the
Tangerine Bowl Saturday, fell to 1-2.
The Americans scored first, however, in a rain-marred first
half. Jerry Golsteyn hit tight |
|
end Ron Enclade with a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first
period. Don Gatty added the extra point.
Any momentum gained on the drive was destroyed when the
Rockets' Bart Batton returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards up
the middle for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-all.
The Rockets went up 10-7 with 2:11 to play in the first
period when Bruce McDaniel hit the longest field goal in the AFA
this season, a 52-yarder.
And, in the second quarter, the Rockets stretched the lead
to 16-7 when former Florida |
|
State quarterback Clyde Walker hit Buddy White with a touchdown
pass. The kick failed.
Rocket free-safety Terry Rusin further buried the Americans
when he returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown on the
last play of the half, leaving the score 22-7, West Virginia.
The rain stopped just prior to the start of the second
half, and Mike Horton certainly got his footing.
Mark Hutsell was at the controls for Orlando because
Golsteyn jammed his thumb on a helmet late in the second half. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Orlando |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
13 |
| West Virginia |
|
10 |
|
12 |
|
6 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
31 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
OR |
|
WV |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 53 |
|
? - 104 |
| Passing yards |
|
188 |
|
195 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
24 -
46 - 5 |
|
11 -
24 - 0 |
| Punts - avg |
|
4 - 35.5 |
|
4 - 43.3 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
2 - 1 |
|
6 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
11 - 69 |
|
7 - 90 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Enclade 7 pass from Golsteyn
(Gaddy kick) |
| WV |
|
Batten85 kickoff return
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 52 field goal |
| WV |
|
White 16 pass from Walker
(kick failed) |
| WV |
|
Rusin 61 pass interception
(kick failed) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 24 field goal |
| OR |
|
Payne 9 pass from Hutsell
(kick blocked) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 43 field goal |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 34 field goal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Austin Texans
at
Jacksonville Firebirds
June 20, 1981
- Gator Bowl - |
 |
|
| |
| Firebirds blast
winless Austin in 53-21 rout |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill Kastelz -
Florida Times-Union |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It was strictly no contest.
The Jacksonville Firebirds snapped a two-game losing streak last
night, burying the winless Austin Texans 53-21 before 4,016
announced fans in an American Football Association game in a
damp Gator Bowl.
The win boosted the Firebirds' record to 2-2. Austin is now 0-4.
Jacksonville, following road defeats at Orlando and Roanoke,
left no doubt from the opening kickoff who was going to be boss
on an evening laced with lighting, thunder and light rain. The
Firebirds raced away to a 17-0 lead and had a 31-7 halftime
bulge as quarterbacks Don Gaffney and Al Chester riddled the
Texans' defense - worst in the AFA, according to league
statistics.
"We made a lot of good football plays tonight," said Firebirds
coach Corky Rogers. "I think the team played up to its
potential. We always seem to play well here in Jacksonville.
Anybody who doesn't think this is interesting football - I don't
know what they want."
Rogers also singled out Gaffney and Chester for special notice.
"Don is an excellent quarterback," said the coach. "I believe in
him. So is Albert.
"Both the offense and defense played well tonight. They came
determined to play. We executed well. No, we didn't put in any
new plays this week. But we executed so much better that I
thought we had."
He also had praise for running back Homes |
|
Johnson, who ground out huge chunks of yardage practically every
time he was called on.
"If Homes isn't the best back in this league, he's awful
close," said Rogers.
Johnson gained 170 yards in 14 carries, getting one
touchdown. Chester threw three TD passes, while Gaffney threw
for one touchdown and ran for two others.
In all, Jacksonville rolled up 678 offensive yards - 432 in
the air.
Austin coach/quarterback Randy Johnson did not play at all
in the game. Mike Washington directed the Texans and contributed
most of their offense.
The Firebirds built a 31-7 halftime lead, scoring the first
time they got the ball. Gaffney threw a 47-yard touchdown pass
to wide receiver Charlie Brown only 34 seconds into the game.
Alan Leavitt kicked the point and made it 7-0.
On the Birds' next offensive series they got a 30-yard
field goal out of Leavitt making it 10-0 with 6:54 left in the
opening quarter.
Jacksonville then drove 75 yards in nine plays and less
than two minutes into the second quarter, scored again. Gaffney
sneaked the final yard. Leavitt's conversion boosted the score
to 17-0.
Austin retaliated with a march of its own to get on the
board. With Washington contributing a 32-yard sprint en route,
Austin went 80 yards in six plays and scored 3:21 before the
intermission on Washington's 23-yard keeper. |
|
Billy Scott kicked the point and it was 17-7.
The Birds made it 24-7 on a 51-yard journey, Gaffney going
the final five yards with 2:05 left in the half. Leavitt kicked
the point.
A one-yard TD pass from Chester to Kenny Bogins only 15
seconds before the end of the half, plus Leavitt's conversion,
gave the Firebirds a 31-7 advantage at the halfway point.
The Bird defense added two more points to the growing total
early in the second half. Ward Kirk was the new Austin
quarterback and on his first play was sacked in the end zone for
a safety by Jacksonville linebacker Andy O'Neill.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from Chester to Brown capped a
47-yard Bird march in five plays at 5:50 of the third quarter.
Leavitt's kick hiked the lead to 40-7 at the end of the third
quarter.
Three minutes into the final period, Austin scored again. A
50-yard pass from Washington to wide receiver Wayland Gay was
good for a touchdown as the Texans went 73 yards in seven plays,
using up only 2:36 in the process. A two-point conversion
attempt saw a Washington pass fail and with 12:07 remaining it
was 40-13.
The scoreboard winked its way to 47-13 as the Firebirds
scored on a 4-yard Johnson cutback with 9:14 to play in the
game. It was the first TD in a Firebird uniform for the former
Florida State star. Leavitt added the point. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Austin |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
21 |
| Jacksonville |
|
10 |
|
21 |
|
9 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
53 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
AU |
|
JA |
| First downs |
|
? |
|
? |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Passing yards |
|
? |
|
? |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
? - ?
- ? |
|
? - ?
- ? |
| Punts - avg |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Brown 47 pass from Gaffney
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 30 field goal |
| JA |
|
Gaffney 1 run (Leavitt kick) |
| AU |
|
Washington 21 run (Schott
kick) |
| JA |
|
Gaffney 5 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Bogins 1 pass from Chester
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Safety Kirk tackled in end
zone |
| JA |
|
Brown 13 pass from Chester
(Leavitt kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 50 pass from Washington
(pass failed) |
| JA |
|
Johnson 4 run (Leavitt kick) |
| AU |
|
Washington 10 run (Gay pass
from Washington) |
| JA |
|
Ervin 19 pass from Chester
(pass failed) |
|
|
 |
|
Jacksonville: Homes Johnson (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Chargers rip San
Antonio |
|
|
|
|
|
| Les Bowen -
Charlotte Observer |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
School was out. Fun was in. The Carolina Chargers were
themselves again.
The Chargers defeated the San Antonio Charros 51-39 in an
American Football Association game Saturday at Memorial Stadium,
and it was like old times.
The Chargers of 1979 and '80 were a loose, rollicking bunch,
serious about football but equally serious about having fun. The
Chargers of 1981 - the ones who had lost two of three before
Saturday - were an uptight, scared bunch, talented but
error-prone.
But then came the player meetings and turmoil of last week,
ending with player threats to disband if 8,000 fans didn't show
up for the San Antonio game. (Atten- dance was 3,071). After
that came the Thursday resignation of head coach Mike Faulkiner,
a self-de- scribed disciplinarian players said was responsible
for them being uptight.
There were a bunch of different ways the team could have reacted
to all that. Some folks speculated the San Antonio game might
not even be held, or that the players would leave at halftime if
attendance wasn't satisfactory. Instead, the Chargers reveled.
Partied. Had a heckuva time.
Quarterback Ellsworth Turner danced and pranced and threw
51 times, completing 31, for |
|
400 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. All that
happened before new head coach Gerald Hasty took Turner out with
8:07 left, Carolina leading 44-27.
A standing ovation accompanied Turner's departure, and he
poked his index fingers at the sky and high-fived everything in
sight. "We're more relaxed. man." Turner said. "We're gonna
throw the football. You got the No. 1 passer in the AFA, you got
to throw the football."
The Chargers threw the football from the first play, moving
67 yards in 11 plays on their first possession and scoring on a
1-yard run by Ed Johnson. Turner threw nine passes in 10 plays
before handing off to Johnson, and he completed six of the nine.
Kicker Mike Cox didn't dress for the game - he watched from
the stands and said disagreements among players over the
proposed disbanding led him to quit the team. So Turner lined up
to kick the extra point, only holder Skip Ramsey passed for two
points to Jeff Thompson instead.
Turner lofted a 35-yard floater to Don Porter in the end
zone for the Chargers' next score, and Turner lined up to kick
again. This time he passed to Ramsey for the two points, and the
Chargers led 16-0.
"I'm not so sure we shouldn't have been |
|
trying for two points all year," said Cox.
Charger errors led to a pair of San Antonio touchdowns that
made it 16-14 by the end of the first quarter, but Turner
floated a 52-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Foster, then fooled
everyone by actually kicking the point. The Chargers led 23-14.
Turner hit Foster in the end zone again just before the end of
the half. It was 31-14 at intermission and none of the players
left.
Afterward, Hasty accepted congratulations and said he
didn't know if his first game as head coach would be his only
game as head coach. Hasty is a former college assistant and high
school head coach. He has assisted with the Chargers all three
seasons of their existence. He also is an assistant at Harding
High.
"I don't know," Hasty said. "I'm coaching high school
football, and that's my top priority. But these kids looked
great tonight."
Hasty said he didn't change Faulkiner's offense - "You
can't put much in on Thursday," he said. But he used four wide
receivers at once.
"They didn't adjust to it, so we stayed with it." he said.
The players said they were just glad they could have fun
again. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
14 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
19 |
|
- |
|
39 |
| Carolina |
|
16 |
|
15 |
|
7 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
51 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
CA |
| First downs |
|
17 |
|
29 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 111 |
|
? - 49 |
| Passing yards |
|
275 |
|
109 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
21 -
53 - 3 |
|
33 -
60 - 2 |
| Punts - avg |
|
6 - 40 |
|
4 - 16 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
3 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
13 - 108 |
|
10 - 77 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CA |
|
Johnson 1 run (Ramsey pass to
Thompson) |
| CA |
|
Porter 35 pass from Turner
(Ramsey pass from Turner) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 9 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 11 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| CA |
|
Foster 51 pass from Turner
(Turner kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 16 pass from Cahill
(kick failed) |
| CA |
|
Darden 8 pass from Turner
(kick failed) |
| SA |
|
Pasterchick 28 pass from
Cahill (pass failed) |
| CA |
|
bolton 7 pass from Ramsey
(Todd kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 24 pass from Cahill
(pass failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Carolina: Tony Suber (86)
San Antonio: Mark Allen (??) |
|
|
|
|
 |
Chicago Fire
at
Virginia Hunters
June 20, 1981
- Victory Stadium - |
 |
|
| |
| Last-second field
goal by Fire beats Hunters |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill
Eichenberger - Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
One minute the Virginia Hunters were dramatic
come-from-behind winners Saturday night, the next the Chicago
Fire had pulled out a 27-25 victory in the final second on a
38-yard field goal by Vladimir Labun.
The sudden turn of events shocked the crowd of about 3,500 at
Victory Stadium, who had already started their victory
celebration after the Hunters had scored with 44 seconds
remaining and converted a two-point play to go ahead 25-24.
The outcome also surprised Hunters' head coach Eddie Joyce, who
couldn't believe his eyes when Fire quarterback Steve Turk was
able to pass his club into field-goal range in the game's final
35 seconds.
"After we scored to go ahead, I thought we could win it from
there," Joyce said, thinking back to Billy Washington's 1-yard
touchdown catch and Judge Thomas' 3-yard conversion run that
capped the Hunters' beautifully executed 12-play, 64-yard drive.
"We had everything going our way. We were all pumped up. The
crowd was on our side. We shouldn't have lost it from there. But
we did. We deserved to lose. We just couldn't stop them when we
had to."
Labun, a 27-year-old soccer-style kicker from the University of
Wisconsin, had booted a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter
and had a 51-yard attempt blocked in the fourth quarter prior to
his game-winning attempt.
His 38-yarder, however, cleared the line of scrimmage, had
plenty of distance and passed |
|
just inside the right crossbar.
"We lost to Shreveport in the last minute on a field goal,"
explained Chicago Fire coach Jim Morel, whose club improved its
record to 2-2. "So we know how the Hunters must be feeling."
Even in defeat, however, the Hunters' drive that preceded
Labun's field goal was a thing of beauty. Twice, quarterback
Mike Pusey converted third-and-long situations, finding Anthony
Smith with a 16-yard strike on one occasion and Washington on a
13-yard crossing pattern on the other.
The score came on a fourth-and-goal situation at the
Chicago 1.
Washington ran a quick out pattern and Pusey found him near
the sideline. Thomas ran in the two-point conversion from the
three. Joyce didn't hesitate to try it.
"We had thrown the ball off the same play a couple of downs
earlier," Joyce said of Thomas' successful conversion run - a
pitch right. "Besides, Judge seemed to think he could get it in
the end zone and the right side of the offensive line believed
in him, too."
After taking the lead, however, the Hunters weren't able to
protect it. Turk, the Chicago quarterback, found Dave Petzke
open on an out route for 11 yards, then hit Eric Rouse with 12
and 14-yard completions to advance the ball to the Hunters' 22
and set up Labun's last-second heroics.
Chicago, in fact, had been able to move the ball the entire
game.
In the first half, the Fire relied mostly on their |
|
ground game, specifically tailback Bill Marek, who rushed for 71
yards on 16 carries and scored the Fire's final touchdown before
the half, a five-yard run that gave them a 17-7 edge.
Chicago controlled the ball in the first half, running 37
plays to the Hunters' 26, and limited the Hunters' to only four
possessions.
"I thought we'd be able to throw the ball on Chicago all
night," said Joyce. "But it wasn't until the second half that we
had the kind of field position to do any throwing."
The Hunters were also plagued by penalties in the first
half. They were whistled for seven infractions for 55 yards
compared to Chicago's single 15-yard infraction.
A couple of calls negated long gainers by Thomas.
"The officials were afraid of making the visiting team
mad," said Joyce, who visited with official Dan Wooldridge on
the field before joining his team in the dressing room at
halftime. "It's an old story. But officiating isn't what beat
us."
In the third quarter, the Hunters dominated, scoring twice,
on a 6-yard run by Thomas at the end of a three-play, 65-yard
drive, and on a 27-yard Jimmy Simms field goal.
But Chicago rallied, scoring a go-ahead touchdown early in
the fourth quarter to set the stage for Labun.
The loss was Virginia's first at home and evened the
Hunters' record at 2-2. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
3 |
|
14 |
|
0 |
|
10 |
|
- |
|
27 |
| Virginia |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
25 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
VA |
| First downs |
|
17 |
|
13 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 179 |
|
? - 136 |
| Passing yards |
|
203 |
|
162 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
11 -
20 - 0 |
|
11 -
23 - 0 |
| Punts - avg |
|
4 - 39.7 |
|
5 - 37.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
1 - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
6 - 55 |
|
8 - 57 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Labun 32 field goal |
| VA |
|
Hedrick 3 run (Simms kick) |
| CH |
|
Rouse 69 pass from Varner
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 5 run (Labun kick) |
| VA |
|
Thomas 6 run (Simms kick) |
| VA |
|
Simms 27 field goal |
| CH |
|
Holmes 1 run (Labun kick) |
| VA |
|
Washington 1 pass from Pusey
(Thomas run) |
| CH |
|
Labun 38 field goal |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Chicago: Derwin Tucker (45)
Virginia: "Boo" Trent (22) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Americans
beautiful in 33-16 win |
|
|
|
|
|
| Victor Lee -
Orlando Sentinel |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It was straight out of a Vince Lombardi play book - keep it
simple, execute and capitalize on the other team's mistakes - as
the Orlando Americans dominated the Shreveport Steamer, 33-16,
Saturday night at Tinker Field.
The Americans are 2-2.
"I was particularly pleased with the specialty team play and the
offensive running game, until we got some backs hurt in the
second half," Coach Bob Williams said, referring to Richard
Holmes' possible broken hand and Randy Walker's hip pointer. "We
felt like they would be looking for the pass, so we could run on
them.
"The defense did a good job of coming up with big plays, too."
Orlando won the toss and opened from the 27-yard line. They set
up the outside game with four consecutive inside plays that
amassed 22 yards and two first downs. Two offside penalties on
Shreveport helped before Holmes went outside twice for 14 yards.
Holmes scored a 6-yard touchdown on a outside call that he cut
back up the middle.
The Steamer's last-ranked defense was in true form.
"It was critical that we established ourselves early," said
quarterback Jerry Golsteyn, who was 10-of-15 for 186 yards,
playing with an injured thumb. |
|
Shreveport took the ensuing short kickoff back to the 34. A
short drive stalled and they attempted a 50-yard field goal
which the Americans blocked and recovered at the Shreveport 25.
However, the Americans were penalized for kicking (illegal
advancement) the ball. Shreveport was given the ball back at
which time they punted. It was blocked, too, by Bruce Evans and
he recovered it at the Shreveport 44.
Shreveport jumped offsides immediately then Golsteyn hit
Darrell Jones for 17 yards and a first down at the 22. But
Shreveport's Ron Johnson stopped Randy Walker third down,
forcing a Don Gaddy 24-yard field goal. Shreveport took over
after the kickoff at the 25, got nowhere and punted.
Walker and Johnny Day then combined for 11 yards. Golsteyn
then hit Jones again across the middle after the ball had been
tipped twice. The drive stalled, and Gaddy's field goal attempt
was blocked.
Then Golsteyn hit Kenny Payne for a 29-yard TD pass to give
Orlando a 19-7 advantage.
Shreveport took the second half kickoff to 40-yard line. A
pass interference call against Orlando and a 13-yard pass from
Kenny Smith to McLee put the Steamer at the Orlando 34. Just as
it looked like the Steamer had something |
|
going, Orlando free safety Alphonso McMillan intercepted and
returned to the Americans' 30. Orlando couldn't move and punted
with Shreveport taking over at its own 36.
McLee got 13 on the left side, and the Steamer rolled its
way down to the Orlando 27 where they faced a crucial third and
14. Smith dropped back to pass, and Orlando brought a full blitz
with Anthony Clay dumping Smith for a 23-yard loss at the 50.
The teams exchanged punts the rest of the quarter and Gaddy
missed a 50-yard field goal toward the end of the quarter.
The Americans came out firing in the fourth quarter. After
a Shreveport punt, Golsteyn found Jones with a 49-yard touchdown
bomb. Gaddy converted.
Shreveport banged back, hitting several completions as they
moved to the Orlando 24. New quarterback James Mosely dumped a
pass to Alex Rankin who powered to the 1. Mosely then sneaked
for the score. John Kelly hit the extra point.
The Americans added insult to injury late in the game when
Jeff George intercepted, setting up a 14 yard scoring pass from
back-up quarterback Mark Hutsell to tight end Eric Hegrenes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
14 |
| Orlando |
|
7 |
|
12 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
33 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SH |
|
OR |
| First downs |
|
10 |
|
12 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 66 |
|
? - 147 |
| Passing yards |
|
194 |
|
197 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
15 -
30 - 5 |
|
12 -
22 - 2 |
| Punts - avg |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Holmes 6 run (Gaddy kick) |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 24 field goal |
| SH |
|
Ryan 23 pass from Smith (Kelly
kick) |
| OR |
|
Payne 29 pass from Golsteyn
(kick failed) |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 24 field goal |
| OR |
|
Jones 48 pass from Golsteyn
(Gaddy kick) |
| SH |
|
Mosley 1 run (Kelly kick) |
| OR |
|
Edwards 14 pass from Hutsell
(Gaddy kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Shreveport: Jerry Pope (??)
Orlando: Bruce Evans (52) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Wranglers stumble
to second loss |
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| Fort Worth
Star-Telegram |
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The West Virginia Rockets buried the Texas Wranglers, 30-9,
Saturday in an American Football Association game.
It was the second consecutive loss for the |
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Wranglers, who evened their record at 2-2.
The defending league champion Rockets upped their record to
4-0. They are the only team still unbeaten in the AFA. |
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The Wranglers conclude their three-game road trip next
Saturday at Chicago. They return home July 4 against Austin. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
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0 |
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9 |
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0 |
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0 |
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- |
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9 |
| West Virginia |
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7 |
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7 |
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9 |
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7 |
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- |
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30 |
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| Statistics |
| |
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TX |
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WV |
| First downs |
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15 |
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22 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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? - 46 |
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? - 108 |
| Passing yards |
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116 |
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299 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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11 -
32 - 3 |
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18 -
31 - 1 |
| Punts - avg |
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6 - 32.2 |
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3 - 27.0 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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3 - 2 |
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4 - 3 |
| Penalties - yards |
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17 - 161 |
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9 - 63 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
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Horton 1run (McDaniel kick) |
| TX |
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Claffey 49 field goal |
| TX |
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Alexander blocked punt return
(kick failed) |
| WV |
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Appel 12 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
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McDaniel 36 field goal |
| WV |
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Smith 24 pass from Walker
(kick blocked) |
| WV |
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Lazzaro 11 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
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Charros keep Austin winless
Texans lose again, 19-18 |
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| Kirk Bohls -
Austin American-Statesman |
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The Austin Texans came within one play of making history
Saturday night, but Billy Schott's unsuccessful 40-yard field
goal attempt in the final minute doomed them to repeat it.
When Schott's last-ditch try into the wind fell short and to the
right with 44 seconds to play, the San Antonio Charros were
assured of their ninth straight victory over the Austin
franchise with a 19-18 come-from-behind win before 1,500 fans.
The loss marked the fifth in a row for the winless Texans and
may be the hardest to swallow since Austin held an 18-10 lead at
the start of the fourth quarter after once trailing by 10-0.
"This has happened three times," said Texan coach Randy
Johnson, who was told by his doctor he could not play at
quarterback as he had planned because of a blood disorder. |
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"We've had people on the ropes, but we haven't been able to
reach down and do what it takes to win it. We shouldn't have
gotten to the point where we had to have a 40-yard field goal to
win."
Austin didn't appear as if it would need any scoring at all
after it had taken an 18-10 lead on a 1-yard rollout touchdown
pass from Mike Washington to Don Walker, whose 48-yard reception
had set up the score.
With Austin consuming nearly seven minutes on a second
half-opening drive culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass to
Wayland Gay, San Antonio - 3-2 in the American Football
Association Western Division - had to bide its time.
After managing only 11 yards of offense in the third
quarter and 25 yards rushing all night, the Charros scored on
two straight possessions |
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in the final period on Rich Lander's 20-yard field goal - his
second of the night - and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Charlie
Trotman from quarterback Mark Cahill, who completed 19 of 30 for
224 yards.
Washington's second pass interception of the game - he
completed but 11 of 33 - seemed to end Austin's chances for its
first victory ever over San Antonio, but a defensive stand
returned the ball to the Texans at the Charro 48 with 2:19 left.
A 16-yard pass completion to Gay took Austin to the 22 where the
outcome was left to Schott, who had earlier kicked a 31-yard
field goal.
"We're just snakebit," said the former University of Texas
kicker. "It wasn't meant to be, I guess. I thought it was going
through, but the wind carried it away." |
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| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
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3 |
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7 |
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0 |
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9 |
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- |
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19 |
| Austin |
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0 |
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3 |
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15 |
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0 |
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- |
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18 |
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| Statistics |
| |
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SA |
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AU |
| First downs |
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14 |
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17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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26 - 25 |
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38 - 80 |
| Passing yards |
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224 |
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173 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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19 -
30 - 0 |
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11 -
33 - 2 |
| Punts - avg |
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3 - 37.7 |
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4 - 25.5 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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2 - 1 |
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0 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
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9 - 68 |
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6 - 30 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
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Lander 42 field goal |
| SA |
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Armstrong 24 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| AU |
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Schott 31 field goal |
| AU |
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Gay 4 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
| AU |
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Walker 1 pass from Washington
(Davenport run) |
| SA |
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Lander 20 field goal |
| SA |
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Trotman 9 pass from Cahill
(pass failed) |
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Austin: Kim Watts (33) |
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| Marek paces Fire
victory before 5,530 |
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| Mike Kiley -
Chicago Tribune |
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After cashing their first paychecks, Chicago Fire players
were looking for larger dividends Saturday night at Soldier
Field.
But even though they defeated the Texas Wranglers 23-7 in their
second home game, the Fire slipped financially because there
were fewer paid customers than at the team's home opener June
13.
A vocal crowd of 5,530 attended the American Football
Association game, down from the 6,425 who witnessed the Chicago
debut. All players in the league receive one percent of home
gate receipts.
The Fire, tied for the Western Division lead with San Antonio at
3-2, was sparked by running back Billy Marek, who gained 147
yards in 27 carries and scored once. Quarterback Steve Turk
passed for 142 yards on 11 completions, including a 17-yard
touchdown pass to Dave Petzke, who had 7 catches for 88 yards.
AFA Commissioner Billy Kilmer attended the game and said that
there's no reason to expect Chicago to draw a larger number of
fans right now.
"You have to let the team get established here first," said
Kilmer, who saw one of his franchises - the Carolina Chargers -
fold Friday. |
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"Financially, this league is stable, and we could be expanding
by next season."
The Fire isn't saying how much its players earned from the
first home game. Co-captain Derwin Tucker said, however, that
the amount. was smaller than the players had hoped for.
"Winning will bring out the people," Tucker said. "A lot of
us froze in our first home game because we wanted to play well.
Tucker is committed to the Fire, stressing that the team
must "believe in the league's concept and not expect overnight
success. It may take till next year before we jell on the field,
but every game we learn more about each other.
"We shouldn't be labeled minor league. I don't think it's
fair. Look at the Sting. Everyone said they were minor league
when they started. Now, who's saying that?
"Other teams that have been in the league several years
tell us how impressed they are by how far we have come so soon.
No team is a powerhouse in this league, but I think eventually
we can become one."
Bear safety Gary Fencik and Dallas Cowboy scout John
Wooten, a friend of Wrangler coach Walter Johnson, have seen AFA
games. Both believe the league has merit, but they warn |
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that comparisons with the NFL are silly.
"I don't want to denigrate them," said Fencik, who saw the
Fire's home opener, "but, overall, it's not innovative football.
It's limited because there is limited talent.
"There's some good talent - such as Dave Petzke, a receiver
who had a tryout with the Bears - but you won't see spectacular
plays because the teams don't have spectacular players.
"I particularly noticed the line play wasn't that good.
They don't have the quickness of the NFL, and that hurts them.
But I don't see why they can't make the league go. It can be
entertaining."
Wouten agrees that AFA football can attract people who
"don't want to sit home Saturday nights and watch TV. But it's
wrong for anyone to say most of their players didn't make NFL
teams due to sheer numbers, as some make it sound.
"Maybe they have been through tryout camps, but so have
hundreds. If you graded college football starting with an A,
then I'd say the AFA is 'B' college football. The teams have
players who were first-string in college, average football
players. But average football players don't make the NFL." |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
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7 |
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0 |
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0 |
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0 |
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- |
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7 |
| Chicago |
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13 |
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0 |
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10 |
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0 |
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- |
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23 |
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| Statistics |
| |
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TX |
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CH |
| First downs |
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? |
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? |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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? - ? |
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? - ? |
| Passing yards |
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? |
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? |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
? - ?
- ? |
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? - ?
- ? |
| Punts - avg |
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? - ? |
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? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
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? - ? |
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? - ? |
| Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
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? - ? |
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| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
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Petzke 17 pass from Turk (run
failed) |
| TX |
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Johnson 35 pass from Ina
(Claffey kick) |
| CH |
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Marek5 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Fuller 3 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Labun 43 field goal |
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| Americans stumble
with fumble |
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| Tim Povtak -
Orlando Sentinel |
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Those Orlando Americans just couldn't seem to make up their
minds.
First a win seemed assured, then a tie looked inevitable until
winning again seemed a sure thing. But in the end, miraculously,
all they finished with was a loss.
Leading from start to almost-finish, the Americans fumbled away
a victory and Eastern Division leading West Virginia remained
unbeaten with a 21-20 triumph Saturday night at the Tangerine
Bowl.
As the largest home crowd of the season, an estimated 6,600
watched, West Virginia kicker Rod Gladfelter booted a 20-yard
field goal with 39 seconds left, taking away Orlando's upset
hopes.
It was Gladfelter who won the game, the same Gladfelter who had
almost lost it throughout. He was a late kicking replacement
this week after the Rockets regular booter quit the team.
Earlier in the game, he had two punts blocked, a field goal went
wide and an extra point was shanked badly. But this time he was
true and the American Football Association's defending champion
and only unbeaten team was a winner again.
Trailing 20-12 through much of the fourth period, West Virginia
scored with 2:24 left on Kevin Rollins' five-yard TD run,
capping a 10- play, 55-yard drive. The two-point conversion
attempt failed, though, as Americans' |
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defensive back A.C. Cowans broke up an alley-oop pass.
Orlando's offense, though, which had sputtered throughout
the night, sputtered again. Quarterback Jerry Golsteyn was
playing with a fractured right thumb and a patched up backfield.
Scoring opportunities were missed all evening. This time, the
biggest problem of the night occurred.
After a six-yard gain, Golsteyn tried to hand off to John
Day on the left side, but the ball never reached Day's belly. It
squirted loose, the Rockets' Earl Monroe grabbed it on the
17-yard line with 1:30 left.
A holding penalty pushed the Rockets back, but a nifty
18-yard pass from Clyde Walker to Joe Smith pushed the ball into
a 4th-and-7 situation. Gladfelter had no problems this time.
"Our defense did a good job, but they were just left on the
field too long," a disappointed Orlando coach Bob Williams said:
"Our defense played well enough to win, but our offense was
disappointing tonight. They missed too many opportunities."
West Virginia dominated statistically with 19 first downs
to Orlando's nine. But still the Americans led throughout the
game. Until it counted most.
The Americans intercepted six passes and the defense scored
two of the three touchdowns, the first only six minutes into the
game. Although it was the special team which |
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played poorly in Orlando's earlier loss to West Virginia, 31-13
in Charleston, they played well much of Saturday night.
Defensive back Jeff George, who blocked two punts and
intercepted a pass, blocked his first, providing Orlando with
its opening lead. While George blocked Gladfelter's first
attempt, Frank Grady snatched the loose ball in the air and
sailed 24 yards for the score.
George blocked another punt on West Virginia's next
possession, but the Americans couldn't move the ball.
Orlando made it 13-0 in the second quarter after Rick
Valerio intercepted a Walker pass. Golsteyn then took the
offense 87 yard, capping the drive him- self. He scrambled left,
then threw right, a 37-yard scoring strike to Stanley Brown.
After Don Gaddy's extra point attempt went wide, though,
the Rockets countered with a 12-yard scoring pass from Walker to
James Coleman. Gladfelter's kick went wide.
The Americans opened the second half just like the first,
humbling the division leaders and Walker, the league's top
yardage passer. Cowans intercepted the third Walker pass and
returned it 55 yards for the score, giving the home team a 20-6
lead.
But that's all Orlando could score.
Walker hit Rollins with a nine-yard pass, capping a 63-yard
drive in the third period, closing the gap to 20-12. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| West Virginia |
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0 |
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6 |
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6 |
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9 |
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- |
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21 |
| Orlando |
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7 |
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6 |
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7 |
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0 |
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- |
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20 |
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| Statistics |
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WV |
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OR |
| First downs |
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20 |
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8 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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46 - 153 |
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30 - 76 |
| Passing yards |
|
208 |
|
100 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
16 -
39 - 6 |
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9 -
22 - 2 |
| Punts - avg |
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4 - 32 |
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6 - 54 |
| Return yards |
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4 - 80 |
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5 - 72 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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1 - 1 |
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2 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
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4 - 35 |
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7 - 55 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
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Grady 24 blocked punt return
(Gaddy kick) |
| OR |
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Brown 37 pass from Golsteyn
(kick failed) |
| WV |
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Coleman 12 pass from Walker
(kick failed) |
| OR |
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Cowans 55 interception return
(Gaddy kick) |
| WV |
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Rollins 9 pass from Walker
(pass failed) |
| WV |
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Rollins 5 run (pass failed) |
| WV |
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Gladfelter 20 field goal |
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Orlando: Earl Inmon (??)
West Virginia: Joey Smith (18) |
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Orlando: Rick Valerio (??)
West Virginia: Mike Horton (22) |
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Orlando: Rick Valerio (??)
West Virginia: Mike Horton (22) |
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| Tempers flare as
Firebirds whip Virginia |
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| Bill Kastelz -
Florida Times-Union |
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The Jacksonville Firebirds last night got their anticipated
revenge for an earlier 16-14 defeat at Roanoke, but it didn't
come quite as easily as either the first half or final score
would indicate.
As tempers flared at the end of the game before a paid turnout
of 5,118 at the Gator Bowl, the Birds pulled out a 34-23
American Football Association victory over the Virginia Hunters.
What obviously triggered the postgame fisticuffs was the
Firebirds' taking time out with the ball on Virginia's 3-yard
line and only four seconds left on the clock and the game locked
up. The Hunters obviously felt this was rubbing it in - and it
was - and reacted as expected when Jacksonville running back
Earl Solomon burrowed in for the touchdown with no time left on
the clock.
Until then it was strictly an aerial show, pitting the Birds'
Don Gaffney, voted the most valuable player for the hometown
squad, and Mike Pusey the Hunters' triggerman.
"In the first half [which ended with the Birds leading 31-3],"
said Fire- birds coach Corky Rogers, "it seemed as if we could
do no wrong. In the second half we had a hard time doing
anything right."
Rogers also said he thought the free-for-all was helped in part
by a similar situation at Roanoke two weeks ago with Virginia
deep in the Birds' territory and little time left - and
disdaining trying for any more points. |
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Gaffney was 6-20 with four interceptions and picked up 98
yards. Pusey was 14-37 with two interceptions. In all, he had
143 aerial yards.
The Firebirds are now 3-2, Virginia 2-3. Next outing for
the Birds will be Saturday night against the undefeated West
Virginia Rockets at Charleston.
The Firebirds scored 21 first-half points before Virginia
got on the board with a 50-yard field goal as time expired at
the intermission.
Jacksonville took advantage of Pusey's 24-yard punt to
drive 47 yards in seven plays for its first touchdown. It came
on a 23-yard pass from Gaffney to wide receiver Charlie Brown.
Allan Leavitt's conversion at 9:11 made it 7-0.
Jacksonville scored again as Pusey continued to have
punting troubles. With the ball at Virginia's 25, Pusey's punt
was blocked by Charlie Hunt and recovered in the end zone for a
TD by Hunt with 5:18 to go in the first period. Leavitt added
the point and it was 14-0.
It became 21-0 late in the second quarter. A 35-yard punt
return by Alex Prince, plus a 35-yard burst by Homes Johnson to
the Virginia 21 paved the way. The score came on a 10-yard pass
from Gaffney to Prince. Leavitt kicked the point again.
Virginia got three points on Jimmy Simms' 50-yard field
goal as time ran out in the first half.
The Firebirds seemed to lose their poise temporarily as the
third quarter began. |
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Virginia scored twice in less than two minutes to turn a
potential rout into an interesting ball game. The Hunters got
their first TD on a 31-yard pass from Pusey to Anthony Smith.
They got their second one, when it was set up by Prince's fumble
on a kickoff return, and subsequent recovery by Virginia at the
Birds' 32.
Three plays later, Pusey passed 19 yards to D.J. Jones for
the touchdown. Simms' conversions after both TDs closed the gap
to 21-17.
Early in the final period, Jacksonville's Ray Nettles
blocked a 31-yard field goal try by Simms as the crowd roared.
This seemed to lift the Birds, who got a touchdown with
7:06 left in the game. Gaffney, unable to pass, kept and
zig-zagged 25 yards through the Hunter defense into the end
zone. Leavitt kicked the point and it was 28-17.
The Hunters weren't dead yet. After a Gaffney pass was
intercepted, Virginia drove 46 yards to score, Pusey passing 13
yards to Smith for the TD with 2:33 left. A two-point conversion
try failed when Pusey's pass was intercepted by Vernon James.
Jacksonville got its final six points when Solomon went in
from three yards out and no time on the clock. The free-for-all
ensued after the TD and as a result, the Birds never got to try
the extra point and the game ended, 34-23. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Virginia |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
14 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| Jacksonville |
|
14 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
13 |
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- |
|
34 |
| |
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| Statistics |
| |
|
VA |
|
JA |
| First downs |
|
17 |
|
14 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
30 - 100 |
|
36 - 224 |
| Passing yards |
|
143 |
|
98 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
14 -
37 - 2 |
|
6 -
20 - 4 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
9 - 29.4 |
|
4 - 29.9 |
| Return yards |
|
84 |
|
109 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
4 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
6 - 37 |
|
5 - 35 |
| |
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| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Brown 23 pass from Gaffney
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Hunt recovered blocked punt in
end zone (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Prince 10 pass from Gaffney
(Leavitt kick) |
| VA |
|
Simms 50 field goal |
| VA |
|
Smith 30 pass from Pusey
(Simms kick) |
| VA |
|
Jones 19 pass from Pusey
(Simms kick) |
| JA |
|
Gaffney 20 run (Leavitt kick) |
| VA |
|
Smith 13 pass from Pusey (pass
failed) |
| JA |
|
Solomon 3 run (end of game) |
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Virginia: Bill Miller (40), Jerome Carter (??)
Jacksonville: Charlie Brown (22) |
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Virginia: Randy Robinson |
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Orlando Americans
at
San Antonio Charros
July 3, 1981
- Harlandale Memorial Stadium - |
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| Charros slip past
Americans |
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| David Flores -
San Antonio Express-News |
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Mark Cahill fired a 31-yard scoring strike to running back
Clarence Alberts with 4:52 left to play to pave the way for San
Antonio's 24-17 triumph over Orlando before 4,000 fans Friday
night at Harlandale Stadium.
The Charros, playing in front of the largest crowd of the season
on Express-News count Night, took sole possession of first place
in the West Division of the American Football Association with a
4-1 mark. Chicago, which plays Shreveport Saturday night,
follows S.A. by a half-game.
Orlando, down 14-3 at the half before exploding for 14 points in
the final quarter, dropped to 2-3.
The Americans took the lead for the first time when Mike Tyson
returned a Frank Oakes punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 9:40
remaining in the game. Mark Hutsell threw to wide receiver Ron
Enclade for the two-point conversion and a 17-14 Orlando
advantage.
S.A., however, was far from dead. Cahill, who completed 17 of 39
passes for 221 yards
and two scores, directed the Charros on a nine- |
|
play 84-yard drive that ended when he lobbed a soft pass to
Alberts, who was streaking down the sideline alone.
"We noticed that nobody had been picking him up," Charros
coach George Pasterchick said. "We knew that all Mark had to do
was get the ball over the linebackers. He did a super job of
getting it to Clarence, and Clarence made a great play. We felt
like the play could work."
Rich Lander, who converted all three Charro extra points,
added some insurance for the home team by booting a 38-yard
field goal with 33 seconds remaining.
"I was concerned about the momentum changing," Pasterchick
said, alluding to Orlando's fourth-quarter salvo. "I wasn't too
worried, though. I felt we had a lot of time to come back. We
had nine minutes to try and get it back in the end zone."
Keith Neims, a standout in the Charro secondary, got the
home team untracked early as he returned a punt 80 yards for a
touchdown with 9:41 left in the opening period. Orlando
retaliated by scoring on its next |
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series. An American march stalled at the S.A. 3, but Pete
Piepinbring salvaged something as he converted on a 20-yard
field goal with 3:39 remaining in the first.
The Charros padded their lead on a 5-yard scoring toss from
Cahill to Greg "Pee Wee" Jackson with 13:08 left in the first
half. Richard Holmes, who led the Orlando rushing game with 34
yards on 11 carries, cut the Charros' lead to 14-9 when he
scored on a 5-yard run with 10:44 showing in the final period.
The Americans' two-point conversion failed.
David Wehmeyer was the main cog in the Charro rushing corps
as he picked up 45 yards on 13 attempts. S.A.'s running game was
limited to 67 yards on 31 tries, but Cahill's passing and the
receiving of Jackson, Steve Pasterchick and Tony Armstrong more
than compensated for that weakness.
Armstrong, a tight end, had six for 101 yards, while
catches Pasterchick, the head coach's son, tallied a couple of
12-yard receptions on the Charros' go-ahead drive. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Orlando |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
17 |
| San Antonio |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
10 |
|
- |
|
24 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
OR |
|
SA |
| First downs |
|
16 |
|
17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
30 - 50 |
|
33 - 69 |
| Passing yards |
|
199 |
|
308 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
18 -
37 - 1 |
|
18 -
39 - 3 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
7 - 37.4 |
|
5 - 31.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
0 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
9 - 112 |
|
7 - 67 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
|
Nelms 80 punt return (Lander
kick) |
| OR |
|
Piepinbring 20 field goal |
| SA |
|
Jackson 5 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| OR |
|
Holmes 5 run (pass failed) |
| OR |
|
Tyson 65 punt return (Enclade
pass from Hutsell) |
| SA |
|
Alberts 31 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Lander 28 field goal |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Orlando: Bruce Hart (35)
San Antonio: Bucky Lampe (37) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Austin Texans
at
Texas Wranglers
July 4, 1981
- Mesquite Memorial Stadium - |
 |
|
| |
Wranglers fall to
Austin, 20-7
No offense takes its toll |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rick Mann -
Mesquite Daily News |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
A coachless and confused Texas Wrangler football team took
the field Saturday night against the Austin Texans and walked
away the most embarrassed they have been all year.
The Texans, winless going into the contest, strapped a 20-7 loss
on the Wranglers extending the Texas losing streak to four games
and dropping them two games behind the Western Division-leading
Chicago Fire.
"There's no way that team is better than us," Wrangler
quarterback Welby Ina said after the loss. "I'm embarrassed."
The Wranglers had injured fullback Cleo House calling the
offensive signals while linebacker Jimbo Elrod and safety Willie
Hall were directing the defense. But the lack of an experienced
coach on the sidelines definitely hurt the team.
The two teams were battling along at a |
|
scoreless tie with only three minutes left in the half when
Lonnie Davis stopped a Wrangler drive by intercepting an Ina
pass and returning it 98 yards to the Texas two-yard line.
Quarterback Mike Washington scrambled in from there to put the
Texans ahead. The extra point attempt failed.
Another interception for Austin, this time by linebacker
Dave Hansen, led to the second Texan score as Washington again
went in from two yards out. This time they went for two and
Washington hit wide receiver Bruce Dickey in the endzone to give
the Texans a 14-0 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
After another Texas drive stalled, Austin went to work
again. This time they drove 75 yards in 17 plays and Ken
Sessions gobbled up the final yard as he powered in for the
final score for Austin. The extra point was again no |
|
good.
Texas finally did get on the scoreboard as they took the
kickoff, and with Karl Miesenbach at the controls marched 73
yards for the touchdown. A pass interference set the Wranglers
up at the one yard line and Jim Goodwin slid in from there for
the touchdown. Robert Stringer, who also did an excellent job
punting, hit the extra point.
The Wrangler offense, which was so powerful the first two
games, has boiled down to almost nothing the last four weeks.
They managed only 55 yards in the air against the Texans and 91
yards on the ground. Stringer, who punted seven times for a 36.6
average, was the Wrangler's best weapon having several punts go
out of bounds inside the ten yard line.
Texas will be at San Antonio this weekend to battle the
Charros. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Austin |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| Texas |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
AU |
|
TX |
| First downs |
|
18 |
|
13 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 117 |
|
? - 91 |
| Passing yards |
|
108 |
|
85 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
8 -
25 - 1 |
|
8 -
24 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 39 |
|
6 - 37 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
2 - 1 |
|
2 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
7 - 65 |
|
7 - 83 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| AU |
|
Washington 2 run (kick
blocked) |
| AU |
|
Washington 2 run (Dickey pass
from Washington) |
| AU |
|
Sessions 1 run (kick failed) |
| TX |
|
Goodwin 1 run (Stringer kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Texas: Jim Goodwin (44) |
| |
 |
| Players unknown |
| |
 |
| Texas: Fran Tibbs (32) |
| |
 |
| Austin: L. C. Cole (??) |
| |
 |
Austin: Earl Thomas (??)
Texas: Keven Johnson (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Fire tops
Shreveport with interceptions |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rich Lorenz -
Chicago Tribune |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Chicago Fire made Clint Longley's American Football
Association debut this year a disastrous one, intercepting him
three times on the way to a 24-15 victory Saturday night over
the Shreveport Steamer before an estimated crowd of 6,900 in
Soldier Field.
Three interceptions set up the Fire's touchdowns, the first
of which came on Billy Marek's 2-yard run with just 1:29 gone in
the second quarter. The score, which gave the Fire a 10-0 lead,
was set up by the first of two |
|
interceptions by defensive back Carl Butts. In the first half,
the Fire started five drives in Shreveport territory, but
managed only a 10-7 halftime lead.
Longley, who formerly played for the Dallas Cowboys and led
them to a famous Thanksgiving Day victory over the Washington
Redskins in 1974, made his first appearance of the season at the
start of the second half. He hit three out of his first four
passes, but couldn't lead Shreveport to a touchdown until |
|
the final 30 seconds of the game, when Kevin McLee scored on a
1-yard run. In between, Fire interceptions set up fourth quarter
touchdowns by quarterback Steve Turk and Mike Holmes.
"We didn't do anything special for Longley," said Fire
coach Jim Morel, whose team stayed tied with San Antonio for
first place in the Western Division at 4-2. "We just welcomed
him to the AFA." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| Chicago |
|
3 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
24 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SH |
|
CH |
| First downs |
|
? |
|
? |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 145 |
|
? - 58 |
| Passing yards |
|
120 |
|
221 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
9 -
20 - 5 |
|
14 -
26 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
? - 1 |
|
? - 1 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Labun 24 field goal |
| CH |
|
Marek 2 run (Labun kick) |
| SH |
|
Cherry 3 run (Wells kick) |
| CH |
|
Turk 1 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Holmes 16 run (Labun kick) |
| SH |
|
McLee 1 run (Cherry pass from
Longley) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Players unknown |
| |
 |
|
Players unknown |
| |
 |
|
Chicago: Steve Fuller (31) |
| |
 |
|
Chicago: Steve Fuller (31) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| West Virginia
stays unbeaten by topping Firebirds |
|
|
|
|
|
| Florida
Times-Union |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Jacksonville Firebirds jumped out to a 9-0 lead midway
through the first quarter against West Virginia last night, but
the Rockets did all the scoring after that as West Virginia won
30-9.
The Rockets are now 5-0 and lead the American Football
Association's Eastern Division. Jacksonville dropped to 2-3 as
an announced crowd of 6,000 watched.
On the first play of last night's game, West Virginia's Mike
Horton fumbled at the 30 and Jacksonville's Charlie Hunt
recovered.
The Firebirds moved the ball to the 7 before a penalty put it
back to the 17. From there, starting quarterback Albert Chester
threw to Charlie Brown, who was stopped at the 2. Horace Boswell
scored on the next play and Alan Leavitt's kick made it 7-0 just
3:49 into the game. |
|
On the next series, West Virginia punter Rod Gladfelter
watched a snap sail over his head and out of the end zone for a
safety as Jacksonville went ahead 9-0.
Jacksonville came back after the safety moving the ball to
the Rockets' 17, but the drive stalled and Leavitt missed a
43-yard field goal.
The Firebirds could do little else the rest of the game and
West Virginia's Clyde Walker, the former Florida State
quarterback, went to work.
Walker directed the Rockets 74 yards in 11 plays, with
Horton's four-yard touchdown run capping the drive. Dwaine Ball
ran nine times for 47 yards on the drive and finished the game
with 95 yards on 15 carries. Ball was voted the game's most
valuable player award.
The Rockets' went into the lead late in the half after
driving 46 yards to the Jacksonville 21. Gladfelter missed a
field goal, but the Firebirds |
|
were called for roughing the kicker, and two plays later, Walker
hit Kevin Rollins in the end zone. The kick failed, but the
Rockets led 13-9 with 1:01 left in the half.
A Gladfelter field goal in the third quarter made it 16-9.
Don Gaffney was inserted in the lineup late in the third quarter
for the sputtering Fire- birds. Gaffney didn't start because he
was ill most of the week and had fluid on the elbow of his
throwing arm.
Gaffney moved the Firebirds to the Rockets' 27, but they
couldn't penetrate any deeper into West Virginia territory.
The Rockets broke it open when Walker hit Bart Batten with
a 52-yard touchdown pass and Joey Smith with a 20-yard scoring
pass just before the game ended. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Jacksonville |
|
9 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
9 |
| West Virginia |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
3 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
30 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
JA |
|
WV |
| First downs |
|
12 |
|
16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
33 - 14 |
|
38 - 115 |
| Passing yards |
|
183 |
|
211 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
15 -
28 - 1 |
|
9 -
22 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 36.8 |
|
4 - 32.3 |
| Return yards |
|
131 |
|
81 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
2 - 1 |
|
4 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
8 -
52 |
|
10 -
64 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Boswell 2 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Safety center snap out of end
zone |
| WV |
|
Horton 4 run (Gladfelter kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 12 pass from Walker
(kick failed) |
| WV |
|
Gladfelter 27 field goal |
| WV |
|
Batten 52 pass from Walker
(Gladfelter kick) |
| WV |
|
Smith 20 pass from Walker
(Gladfelter kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Steamer defeats
Texans, 38-33
Austin drops to
1-6 as fumbles abound |
|
|
|
|
|
| George
Breazeale - Austin American-Statesman |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It wasn't that the Austin Texans couldn't find the handle,
but that they couldn't hang on to the sweaty protuberance
Saturday night at Nelson Field - so the Shreveport Steamer
stormed from behind twice to take a 38-33 American Football
Association Western Division victory.
No fewer than three potential Texan big plays turned into
bombouts - and Austin finally was powerless to stop Shreveport's
momentum in the late going as former Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Clint Longley passed for three touchdowns while sending former
Georgia running back Kevin McLee for two more rushing scores.
Now 1-6 on the season, Austin vaulted to a 13-0, first-quarter
lead on quarterback Mike Washington's two short scoring passes
to flanker Wayland Gay - and seemed on the lip of a possible
blowout victory with a drive to the Steamer 3 late in the first
quarter.
Finally, though, the Texans had to settle for a |
|
field-goal try - and when the snap went far over holder Bryan
Davenport, Shreveport recovered at the Steamer 43 and drove 57
yards for a touchdown. When linebacker Marly Smith intercepted
Washington's pass three plays after the kickoff, Shreveport then
moved 66 yards, with Longley throwing 5 yards to McLee for a
touchdown and a 13-13 tie.
Three plays after the second-half kickoff, Longley found
receiver Rod Foppe on a 51-yard bomb and Vernon Wells converted
for a 20-13 Shreveport lead.
Austin then snapped back, behind Ken Session's 46-yard
kickoff return to the Shreveport 39, from where the Texans
scored in eight plays, Session going the final yard up the
middle.
Behind 20-19 when a two-point conversion try failed, the
Texans nevertheless went ahead again when Washington capped a
60-yard drive by throwing 8 yards to Bruce Dickey, with Billy
Schott converting for a 26-20 lead. |
|
That was the crest for Austin, though. Safety Al Mays
intercepted a Longley pass shortly afterward, but fumbled it
back and Longley sent McKee a yard up the middle on the first
play of the fourth quarter. Shreveport linebacker Curley White
then intercepted Washington and McLee scored from the 4 to end a
42-yard push.
Midway in the fourth, Texan nose guard Elvis Shaw
intercepted Longley, started his runback and fumbled away the
ball to Shreveport's Gator Cherry. Three plays later, running
back Alex Rankin went 47 yards for a touchdown and a 38-26 lead.
Austin then drove 84 yards, with Washington completing 6
passes, including a fourth-down toss to Dickey for the score
with 1:56 left.
McLee led all rushers with 82 yards on 15 carries and
Rankin added 77 on just 3 trips. Session had 71 for Austin. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
7 |
|
18 |
|
- |
|
38 |
| Austin |
|
13 |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
33 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SH |
|
AU |
| First downs |
|
21 |
|
21 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
28 - 190 |
|
33 - 142 |
| Passing yards |
|
275 |
|
206 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
17 -
32 - 2 |
|
14 -
28 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
2 - 22.5 |
|
1 - 36.0 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 1 |
|
2 - 2 |
| Penalties - yards |
|
13 -
78 |
|
7 -
52 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| AU |
|
Gay 5 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 3 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
| SH |
|
Foppe 20 pass from Longley
(Wells kick) |
| SH |
|
McLee 5 pass from Longley
(kick failed) |
| SH |
|
Foppe 5 pass from Longley
(Wells kick) |
| AU |
|
Session 1 run (run failed) |
| AU |
|
Dickey 8 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
| SH |
|
McLee 1 run (run failed) |
| SH |
|
McLee 4 run (pass failed) |
| SH |
|
Rankin 47 run (pass failed) |
| AU |
|
Dickey 6 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
|
|
 |
Austin: Mike Washington (10)
Shreveport: Ardis McCann (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas Wranglers
at
San Antonio Charros
July 11, 1981
- Harlandale Memorial Stadium - |
|
|
| |
| Charros trounce
Texas, 41-20 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bobby Clay -
San Antonio Light |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The San Antonio Charros rode the rifle arm of Mark Cahill
and relied on some razzle dazzle dancing by the two leading
receivers in the American Football Association to a lopsided
41-20 victory over the Texas Wranglers Saturday night at
Harlandale Memorial Stadium.
The Charros moved one-half game ahead of Chicago, which hosts
Jacksonville Monday night, in the Western Division standings.
Next week San Antonio plays at Chicago.
Cahill improved his league leading passing statistics by firing
five touchdown strikes in the first half, giving him a whopping
22 for the season. Gregory Jackson, who leads the AFL in TD
receptions with nine, was on the end of two of the paydirt
passes while Tony Armstrong pulled in two and Joe Tucker snagged
another. Rich Lander booted field goals from 41 and 30 yards out
in addition to five successful PATs to account for the 5-1
Charros other scoring.
"We had a lot going for us," said coach George Pasterchick. "We
had been completely embarrassed by them up there (by the tune of
27-7) and our kids were keyed up for this one.
We got off to a good start with a big hit on the |
|
kickoff and we were definitely going for the touchdown on the
first play."
The Charros T.J. Crawford made Ron Hinton cough up the ball
on the opening kickoff and Mark Allen recovered on the San
Antonio 31. Cahill went immediately to the air, looking for
Jackson, but wasn't able to complete a pass until his third
attempt. He found Armstrong with a 12-yarder on that play and
followed with a 19-yard TD throw to Jackson in the left corner
of the end zone with only 2:26 gone in the game.
That was just the beginning of the aerial circus, which
resulted in 274 passing yards for the night, as the California
quarterback connected with Armstrong on 71 and 36 yard TD passes
at 6:55 and 3:10, respectively, in the first quarter. Jackson
added a bit of fancy dancing on the end of both receptions to
add a little excitement of his own.
The second quarter was no different. Pasterchick explaining
that "we didn't run much in the first half because our passing
game was going so good."
Lander broke up the string of three straight |
|
touchdown passes with his 41 yard field goal at the 14:48 mark
of the second quarter, but then it was Cahill and Jackson for 46
yards and six, followed by Cahill to Tucker for six yards and a
convincing 38-0 lead with 11:07 before the intermission.
The Wranglers picked up their points on a 16-yard touchdown
run by Lee Small in the third quarter and two goal line plunges
by Pat Nunan in the fourth.
Except for those three touchdown runs, neither team found
the ground game productive. Clarence Alberts rushed 17 times for
51 yards to finish as the game's leading rusher. The Charros
only picked up 83 on 37 attempts for the night, however. The
Wranglers, now 2-5, got 161 on 34 rushes.
The Charros defense came up with a number of big plays,
picking off Wrangler quarterback Welby Ina for two interceptions
and Trinity's Karl Meisenbach for another theft.
The defenders also came up with three of the Wranglers'
four fumbles. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| San Antonio |
|
21 |
|
17 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
41 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
TX |
|
SA |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
34 - 161 |
|
37 - 83 |
| Passing yards |
|
105 |
|
274 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
8 -
15 - 3 |
|
15 -
27 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 32 |
|
3 - 29 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
4 - 3 |
|
2 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
8 -
104 |
|
14 -
112 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
|
Jackson 19 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 71 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Armstrong 36 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Lander 41 field goal |
| SA |
|
Jackson 46 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Tucker 6 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| TX |
|
Small 16 run (Grant kick) |
| SA |
|
Lander 30 field goal |
| TX |
|
Nunan 4 run (pass failed) |
| TX |
|
Nunan 2 run (Grant kick) |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
San Antonio: Mark Allen (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
West Virginia
snaps 14-14 tie in second half,
rolls to 37-21 win before crowd of about 4,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill
Eichenberger - Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The West Virginia Rockets didn't play like defending
American Football Association champions Saturday night at
Victory Stadium.
Commissioner Billy Kilmer had to be embarrassed. Defending
league champions don't fumble the ball in their own end zone.
Defending league champions don't mishandle a punt in the shadow
of their own goal line.
The Rockets, however, committed all those sins but still emerged
with a 37-21 victory that kept them unbeaten after seven league
games.
"This wasn't the first time this season that we've made things
difficult for ourselves," explained Rockets head coach Lonnie
Warwick. "Against Orlando two weeks ago, we threw six
interceptions and had two punts blocked."
But when the chips are down, Warwick said, the Rockets always
seem to remember who they are. "It's the mark of a championship
team to win even when you don't play your best. A little
adversity seems to bring out the best in this team."
On defense, the Hunters played well enough to win. Except for a
couple of breakdowns in the secondary that led to Rocket
touchdown passes, the Hunters' defenders kept the explosive West
Virginia attack in check.
It was the inability of the Hunters to generate any offense,
along with five critical offensive turnovers, that allowed the
Rockets to escape with a victory to the dismay of a turnout of
about 4,000 on a hot, muggy night.
So anemic was the Hunters' attack that Bill Miller's punting
(seven kicks for a 41.2 yard average) was the team's most
effective offensive weapon. |
|
"They are a much better defensive football team than I
thought they were," Hunters head coach Eddie Joyce said after
watching his offense generate only one touchdown on its own - a
desperation 37-yard bomb from quarterback Mike Pusey to wide
receiver Anthony Smith with 52 seconds left.
The Rockets were particularly stingy against the run. The
Hunters rushed for negative yardage against a young West
Virginia front line that had matured a great deal since the
teams' preseason meeting in Mount Hope, W.Va.
Pusey had a particularly rough evening. He was sacked six
times for 62 yards in losses and rarely had time to throw
anything more time-consuming than a screen.
West Virginia quarterback Clyde Walker was also under a lot
of pressure from a blitzing Hunters' defense. He was sacked five
times for 38 yards in losses. But when Walker needed time to
complete a deep pattern, his offensive line seemed to be able to
oblige.
"We sputtered the whole game on offense," said Joyce. "We
could never get any continuity. We didn't keep the ball as much
as we should have. Our defense was on the field entirely too
long and it cost us."
Even more costly, however, were the turnovers. West
Virginia capitalized on them all, scoring its second touchdown
after a Judge Thomas fumble, their third touchdown after Pusey
mishandled a center exchange and their fourth touchdown after
cornerback Mike Siganos intercepted a halfback option pass
thrown by Thomas.
The Hunters first two touchdowns also were |
|
made possible by Rocket turnovers. Trailing 14-0 late in the
first half, the Hunters cut the Rockets lead in half when
defensive end Ken Tillman recovered a Walker fumble in the West
Virginia end zone.
Walker had the ball stripped from his grasp while dropping
back to pass by Hunters linebacker Greg Wright and Tillman had
alertly covered the loose ball in the end zone.
Then early in the third quarter, Bart Batten of West
Virginia mishandled a booming 53-yard punt by Bill Miller and
Hunters linebacker Nate Parker recovered the ensuing fumble on
the West Virginia 6.
One play later, Bruce Hedrick scored from the 4 to tie the
score at 14-all.
However, the Hunters' own mistakes prevented them from ever
moving into the lead.
Three of the Rockets' scores came through the air. Walker
found James Coleman with a perfect 59-yard strike in the first
quarter, hit Randy Butler with a well-thrown 21-yard square out
in the second quarter and found Batten with a 40-yard toss down
the right sideline in the third quarter.
On each occasion, according to Joyce, the Rockets made the
right call. "We blew the coverage all three times," Joyce
explained "Coach (Red) Stickney (the defensive coordinator) said
they hit us in just the right place each time. Either they're
smart as hell or else somebody up there was looking out for
'em." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| West Virginia |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
16 |
|
- |
|
37 |
| Virginia |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
21 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
WV |
|
VA |
| First downs |
|
11 |
|
10 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 62 |
|
? - (-4) |
| Passing yards |
|
234 |
|
204 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
12 -
20 - 1 |
|
19 -
38 - 3 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 28.6 |
|
7 - 41.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 2 |
|
5 - 2 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
6 -
60 |
|
6 -
60 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
|
Coleman 59 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Butler 21 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| VA |
|
Tillman recovered fumble in
end zone (Simms kick) |
| VA |
|
Hedrick 4 run (Simms kick) |
| WV |
|
Batten 40 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Horton 2 run (McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Safety Pusey tackled in end
zone |
| WV |
|
Johnson 42 interception return
(McDaniel kick) |
| VA |
|
Smith 37 pass from Pusey
(Simms kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Virginia: Mike Pusey (10)
West Virginia: Dan Raines (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago Fire
at
Jacksonville Firebirds
July 13, 1981
- Gator Bowl - |
|
|
| |
| Late Fire almost
burns the Firebirds |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bob Pulley -
Jacksonville Journal |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Firebirds won the game they had to win last night.
But just barely.
An aroused Chicago Fire team, which trailed 23-0 in the first
half, struck back at the Gator Bowl before 4,180 paid fans - and
came within an eyelash of springing the biggest comeback of the
American Football Association season.
Final score: Jacksonville 26, Chicago 23.
With their win, the Birds evened their season's record at 3-3
while handing Chicago only its second loss of the year against
four wins.
All week long Firebirds coach Corky Rogers had called this "our
pivotal game" - a game the Birds absolutely had to have in order
to have a chance to get into the playoffs.
And, when it was all over and both teams trooped to their
dressing rooms, Rogers reiterated the belief that this game
meant more than any other played this year by the Birds.
"I thought our defensive secondary played very well," said
Rogers. "And I was very impressed with [linebacker] Ken
Lambert."
On offense Rogers singled out his three running backs - Homes
Johnson, Norwood Ervin and Earl Solomon, who accounted for 174
of the Birds' 214 rushing yards.
"And I thought our offensive line blocked well," said Rogers.
Johnson earned rushing honors for the night with 91 yards in 18
carries. But Chicago's Michael Holmes was right behind him with
90 yards on 12 rushes. |
|
Jacksonville's Al Chester completed six of 17 passes for
121 yards, with Don Gaffney, who suffered a partial ligament
tear in his right thumb, completing two of eight for 30 yards.
Chicago's Steve Turk and Mark Carlson threw for 119 and 43
yards. respectively. each getting a touchdown through the air.
The Firebirds will be idle this weekend, their
originally-scheduled game with Carolina having been wiped out
when the Chargers folded recently.
The Firebirds raced off to a 23-0 lead before Chicago got
its bearings in the first half.
Allan Leavitt's 30-yard field goal at 9:53 of the first
quarter got the Birds on the board. Then defensive back Marty
Hammock picked off a Turk pass and returned il 39 yards to a
touchdown at 8:50 - still in the first quarter. But, an
attempted run by John Sauls. the holder, on the extra point try,
failed and it was 9-0.
Jacksonville then drove 40 yards to a touchdown in eight
plays after a 30-yard TD pass was ruled no good because the
receiver, Kenny Bogins, was ruled out of the end zone. The TD
was scored on Solomon's 6-yard burst up the middle at 2:56.
Leavitt added the extra point and it was 16-0.
Warren Gaffney's interception of a Carlson pass, and
subsequent return to the Chicago 16, set up the Firebirds' final
score of the first half. It materialized when Johnson first got
12 yards to the Fire 4, then barreled over on the next play for
the score. Leavitt's conversion made it 23-0. |
|
Once the second quarter began, the Fire started to play
like the 4-1 club it was coming into the Gator Bowl.
Chicago linebacker Doug Cozen recovered a Bird fumble on
the Jacksonville 42 to set things in motion. Carlson threw three
straight completions, the last one to wide receiver Dave Petzke
for 16 yards and a touchdown. Nicholas Ladun added the extra
point at 8:10 and the margin had been cut to 23-7.
A partially-blocked punt gave the Fire the ball after the
next series of downs on the Jacksonville 25 and Ladun's 42-yard
field goal with 6:09 remaining in the half made it 23-10
Firebirds at intermission.
Although the Firebirds held a commanding lead at the end of
the half, they suffered the loss of defensive lineman standout
Arlie "The Animal" Jarrell in the second period. Jarrell injured
his knee and could be lost to the Birds for the rest of the
season.
The third quarter was scoreless, but less than five minutes
into the final period, the Firebirds got three points on a
47-yard field goal by Leavitt and boosted their lead to 26-10.
From here to the finish it was all Fire on offense. Derrell
Sanders got a 2-yard touchdown for Chicago with 4:46 remaining.
But when Turk went for a two-point conversion pass to Steve
Fuller, it was broken up by Bird linebacker Ray Nettles, and it
was 26-16.
With 1:33 to play, Turk threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Brian Baldwin and Ladun converted as the Fire closed
to 26-23. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
0 |
|
10 |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| Jacksonville |
|
23 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
26 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
JA |
| First downs |
|
12 |
|
20 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
24 - 116 |
|
40 - 214 |
| Passing yards |
|
162 |
|
83 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
11 -
34 - 4 |
|
8 -
25 - 3 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
5 - 23.6 |
|
5 - 39.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
2 - 1 |
|
4 - 2 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
9 -
75 |
|
5 -
23 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 23 field goal |
| JA |
|
Hammock 39 interception return
(kick failed) |
| JA |
|
Solomon 6 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Johnson 4 run (Leavitt kick) |
| CH |
|
Petcke 16 pass from Carlson
(Ladun kick) |
| CH |
|
Ladun 43 field goal |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 47 field goal |
| CH |
|
Sanders 2 run (pass failed) |
| CH |
|
Baldwin 42 pass from Turk
(Ladun kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Chicago: Andy O'Neil (20)
Jacksonville: Charlie Dorsey (87) |
|
|
 |
|
Players unknown |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| West Virginia
rally drops Texans |
|
|
|
|
|
| George
Breazeale - Austin American-Statesman |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
So what else is new? For the fourth consecutive game, the
Austin Texans led on the scoreboard - and for the third time
over that span couldn't hold that advantage as West Virginia,
the American Football Association's only unbeaten team, scored
20 second half points for a 23-12 win Saturday night at Nelson
Field.
The Texans, now 1-7 on the season, staged two long first-half
drives for a touchdown and a field goal, saw their defense hang
up a safety - then saw both the offense and defense sink slowly
out of sight after intermission as West Virginia lifted its
season record to 8-0. Austin quarterback Mike Washington came
out throwing from the start and the Texans drove
66 yards to the Rocket 15 on their first series, |
|
from where Billy Schott toed a 33-yard field goal for a 3-0
lead.
After a West Virginia field goal try was blocked by
Austin's Elvis Shaw early in the second quarter, the Texans
drove 80 yards for a touchdown, with quarterback Mike
Washington's 10-yard keeper netting the tally. Later on, Shaw
tackled West Virginia quarterback Clyde Walker for a safety and
a 12-0 Austin lead.
Rocket backup QB Skip Ramsey then marched the visitors 90
yards and Bruce McDaniel sent through a 22-yard field goal on
the last play of the first half.
Early in the third, Washington hit Ken Session with a
38-yard completion to the Rocket three - but fumbled on the next
play and West |
|
Virginia drove 93 yards to a touchdown, with Walker throwing 14
yards to James Coleman.
Austin's offense went just over 15 minutes without a first
down and during the dry spell Walker guided the Rockets 97 yards
for the eventual winning score, reading a blitz and throwing 21
yards to Kevin Rollins for the touchdown.
Washington steered the Texans from their own 13 to the West
Virginia 17, but lost two yards on a fourth down rollout with
4:33 left. The losers turned over the ball on downs at their
eight with 1:10 to go and Walker threw to Randy Butler for the
insurance touchdown. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| West Virginia |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
7 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| Austin |
|
3 |
|
9 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
12 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
WV |
|
AU |
| First downs |
|
20 |
|
20 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
31 - 137 |
|
29 - 116 |
| Passing yards |
|
260 |
|
236 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
17 -
26 - 1 |
|
15 -
36 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 31 |
|
5 - 34 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
4 - 1 |
|
3 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
9 -
75 |
|
11 -
83 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| AU |
|
Schott 33 field goal |
| AU |
|
Washington 10 run (Schott
kick) |
| AU |
|
Safety Walker tackled in end
zone |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 22 field goal |
| WV |
|
Coleman 15 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 23 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Butler 8 pass from Walker
(kick failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
West Virginia: John Sturdivant (81), Jerome Tate (88), Curtis
Walls (28)
Austin: Larry Carter (81) |
| |
 |
|
West Virginia:
Mark Brown (53) |
| |
 |
West Virginia: Mark Brown (53), Earl Monroe (50)
Austin: Art Shambliss (76) |
| |
 |
Austin: Ken Sessions (??)
West Virginia: Jerome Tate (88) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago Fire
at
Texas Wranglers
July 18, 1981
- Mesquite Memorial Stadium - |
|
|
| |
| Wranglers put out
Fire |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rick Mann -
Mesquite Daily News |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
A Mesquite Night crowd of 4,112 was treated to the most
exciting football of the year on the part of the Texas Wranglers
as they picked up their third win of the season, 21-14 over the
Chicago Fire.
The game was a perfect example of what a couple of new faces and
some experience can do for a team. Quarterback Lou Pagley and
defensive tackle Mike Matocha put some zip in the Wrangler
attack and the additions were quite noticeable as the Wrangler
offense showed more movement than they have all year and the
defensive line was constantly in the Chicago backfield.
The Wranglers jumped out on their opponent 21-0 with time
running out in the contest but Chicago, with second team
quarterback Mark Carlson directing the team in place of an inept
Steve Turk, started a rally that saw them score two quick
touchdowns and move to the Texas four yard line before the clock
ran out.
There was little comparison in the statistics of the contest
since Chicago outgained the Wranglers 440-253. But the Fire also
had four interceptions and three fumbles, all killing crucial
drives.
Cornerback Steve Beck of Texas picked off two of the
interceptions and returned one 67 yards to set up the third
Wrangler touchdown. Beck helped the Wrangler secondary show some
intensity that has been lacking the past month and a half. They
were hit for 302 yards in the air but some of that came in the
fourth quarter when Carlson got the team moving. He threw for
203 yards in the last quarter and a half of the game. He also
put quite a scare in the comfortable Texas fans. |
|
After Pan Noonan put the Wranglers ahead 21-0 with his
three-yard burst over left tackle, the Fire started coming back.
Carlson promptly moved the team down the field and then hit a
wide-open Eric Rouse for a 37-yard scoring bomb. Nick Labun hit
the extra point.
The Fire tried an onside kick which did not go the full ten
yards so they were penalized five yards. They kicked long the
next time and Ethan Ogletree, showing a tremendous amount of
skill as a return man, brought the ball back to the Texas 48
yard line.
But the Wranglers were unable to move the ball and they had
to give it back to Chicago. The Fire, with Carlson hitting over
the middle to Rouse, Bill Marek and Dave Petzke moved the Fire
in scoring position again where Marek carried over from two
yards out.
They tried two unsuccessful onside kicks after that,
neither going the full ten yards but Texas never got possession
of the ball. Coach Tommy Hudspeth argued with the officials but
they turned a deaf ear to his pleas. The third time was charm
for the Fire as Labun lofted the kick over the front line of the
Texas return team. Mark Thorson drifted back to catch the ball
but before the ball hit, he was hit and Chicago grabbed the
ball. No flags were thrown.
The Fire started moving again with less than a minute to
play. After using their last time out, Carlson hit Marek at the
four yard line with 13 seconds left on the clock. He was hit by
Keith Ponder and Willie Hall and dropped at that point. They
managed to keep him down until the clock had run to three
seconds. Chicago got off one last play but the pass was
incomplete and the crowd let out a sigh of relief.
The Wrangler offense, although not |
|
dominating in the statistical sense, did move the ball well on
Chicago as Pagley and Welby Ina showed some signs of bringing
the team to life. Pagley's running and passing and Ina's
scrambling caused the Fire a lot of aggravation.
Pagley hit his wide receiver with a perfect strike to the
one yard line that set up the first touchdown. Pagley was
rolling out to his right and hit a streaking Johnson 61 yards
downfield. Only a saving tackle kept Johnson from making it to
the endzone.
Pagley then took the team in for their first score as he
powered in from one yard out. Gayle Grant's kick was wide right.
Ina moved the team down for their second score with Fran
Tibbs doing the honors with a strong eight yard run over right
tackle. Ina then hit Johnson in the endzone for the two point
conversion and they went into halftime with a 14-0 lead over a
surprised Chicago team.
The Fire came into the contest leading the Western Division
and having already beat the Wranglers once this year, 23-7. But
this wasn't the same Texas team they saw in Chicago.
There was a lot of ferocious hitting on the part of both
teams. Matocha gave the Wranglers some strength in their pass
rush they haven't had, before.
The most exciting part of the contest, however, came at
halftime as winners of the different prizes for Mesquite Night
were announced. After a halftime of cheering for the Wranglers
the fans finally were able to release the desire to boo
something.
Congressman Jim Mattox was introduced. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
14 |
| Texas |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
21 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
TX |
| First downs |
|
? |
|
? |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Passing yards |
|
? |
|
? |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
? - ?
- ? |
|
? - ?
- ? |
|
Punts - avg |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| TX |
|
Pagley 1 run (kick failed) |
| TX |
|
Tibbs 8 run (Johnson pass from
Ina) |
| TX |
|
Noonan 3 run (Grant kick) |
| CH |
|
Rouse 37 pass from Carlson
(Labon kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 2 run (Labon kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Austin: Lou Pagley (10) |
|
 |
| Texas: Maurice Mitchell (80) |
| |
 |
Chicago: Scott Mielke (29)
Texas: Maurice Mitchell (80) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Americans lose
15-9 in overtime |
|
|
|
|
|
| Herb Branham -
Tampa Tribune |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Virginia's Boo Trent dashed 81 yards with 8:05 to play in
overtime, giving the Hunters a 15-9 American Football
Association win over the Orlando Americans Saturday night at the
Tangerine Bowl.
The win upped Virginia's record to 3-4 on the year, while
first-year Orlando dropped to 2-5.
The contest was tied at 9-all after regulation play, and after
Orlando won the toss the Americans had first possession but
couldn't move and punted to the Hunters.
Orlando punter Brett Porche got a roller all the way down to the
Hunter 1-yard line, apparently putting the visitors in the hole.
But after Bob Hedrick ran twice for a total of nine yards,
Trent got an opening around right |
|
end and bolted through to end the evening for the Americans.
Orlando grabbed a 9-6 lead just before the half, as Don
Gaddy nailed a 33-yard field goal with just six seconds
remaining, capping a 13-play, 3:17 drive.
The Americans were on the board first going up 6-0 when
running back Gary Anderson scored on a 4-yard run with 11:57 to
play in the half. Anderson's run ended a 10-play, 49-yard march.
Gaddy missed the point-after try, leaving the game at 6-0.
Virginia tied the contest with 3:42 to play when Trent went
over from 3 yards to finish an 8-play, 63-yard drive. |
|
Virginia's PAT try by Jim Symmes also failed.
In a lackluster third period, neither squad managed a
score, although Virginia threatened late in the quarter.
The Hunters appeared ready to take the lead, but Orlando
linebacker Earl Inmon intercepted a Mike Pusey pass at the goal
line as the quarter ended to put a stop to Virginia's threat.
The fourth quarter followed the third's lead, as neither
team could score, although the Hunters again threatened late
when they moved to the Orlando 35 as regulation time drew to a
close. But Symmes missed a 52-yard field goal as time ran out
sending the contest into overtime. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Virginia |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| Orlando |
|
0 |
|
9 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
9 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
VA |
|
OR |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 173 |
|
? - 97 |
| Passing yards |
|
154 |
|
144 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
16 -
31 - 3 |
|
17 -
38 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 32 |
|
9 - 40 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
0 - 0 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
6 -
36 |
|
11 -
60 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Anderson 4 run (kick blocked) |
| VA |
|
Trent 3 run (kick failed) |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 39 field goal |
| VA |
|
Simms 18 field goal |
| VA |
|
Trent 91 run (end of game) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Virginia: Don Jones (42) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Steamer slips past
SA, 7-3 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ron Higgins -
Shreveport Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Shreveport Steamer Donnie Sutton has only been playing wide
receiver for two weeks and he's only caught one pass.
And it was a pass he didn't have a chance to catch that helped
the Steamer upset Western Division leader San Antonio 7-3, in an
American Football Association game at State Fair Stadium
Saturday night before an estimated crowd of 3,000.
With about 11 minutes left in the game, Sutton, while attempting
to haul in a Clint Longley pass, was interfered with by Charro
defensive back Mark Allen on the San Antonio 11, giving the
Steamer a 30-yard advance from the Charros 41.
"I saw the ball was going to be short, so I put myself into
position where I might get hit," said Sutton. "He (Allen) just
cut me down.
Three plays later, Steamer running back Gator Cherry burrowed
four yards through right guard with 9:55 left to play for what
turned out to be the winning points. Placekicker Jerry Pope
kicked the extra point.
The win helped Shreveport move into a second-place tie at 4-3
with Chicago. The Fire got beat 21-14 by Dallas. San Antonio is
a game ahead at 5-2.
"I thought our defense played a magnificent game," said Steamer
coach Jim Williams. "This was the type of defensive game we
played in Chicago and lost."
It was obvious from the very first play that the Steamer defense
wasn't about to let Charro fullback Bonn Dunn run through them
like he did in the first meeting between the two teams this year
in San Antonio. In that game, the 254-pound bowling ball gained
154 yards in 18 carries in the Charros' 37-15 win.
However, Dunn was met by Steamer Don |
|
Henry to start off things this time around and San Antonio
quickly found out if it wanted to move the football, it had to
use the passing arm of Mark Cahill.
Cahill, who ended the night 24 for 48 for 237 yards,
completed 12 straight throws at one point in the first half, but
watched as his team came up empty on points. The Charros'
deepest penetration was to the Shreveport 20 after Cahill
completed a 15-yard pass to Gregory Jackson.
However, two consecutive clipping penalties against the
Charros took care of that scoring opportunity and the threat
totally ended when the Steamer's Lonnie Greene recovered running
back Clarence Alberts' fumble at the Shreveport 40.
The Steamer put together only one drive, that coming on its
first possession of the game. The drive had apparently died
after a succession of penalties, but after Rich Suchanuk punted
42 yards into the Charros' end zone, San Antonio was tagged with
an offsides penalty which kept the drive alive.
Three plays later, the drive continued when Longley, who
suffered through a five-of-23 night for 48 yards, had one of his
three first-half completions on a six-yard flip to running back
Arry Moody. That put the ball at the Charros' 25, but three
plays only netted one yard.
That brought on Pope, who lofted a 45-yard field goal
attempt which was long enough, but wide to the right.
The remainder of the first half, the Shreveport offense
went nowhere with Longley only completing three of 15 passes for
27 yards while throwing two interceptions. Even the Steamer
running attack, which has taken a backseat to the passing in
games past, had 69 |
|
yards with 42 of them being credited to Cherry.
San Antonio's Cahill carved up the Steamer secondary in the
first two quarters with little problem, hitting on 15 of 23
passes for 136 yards. Neither team could score a point in the
first half which ended in a 0-0 tie.
If Steamer fans thought the first half was bad, they
couldn't believe the third quarter which saw Shreveport fail to
pick up a first down. In fact, until the final possession of the
quarter, the Steamer only had eight yards total offense.
San Antonio finally held things together long enough
offensively to take a 3-0 lead with 5:18 left in the quarter on
a 32-yard field goal by Rich Lander. The key play on the drive
was Cahill's scrambling 23-yard completion to tight end Tony
Armstrong which moved the ball from the Steamer 44 to the 21.
The Charros actually worked themselves down to the 11 where
Cahill overthrew a wide-open Alberts in the end zone. Three
plays later, Lander kicked through his field goal.
He later missed on a 38-yard field goal which was set up by
a shanked punt by the Steamer's reserve punter, Suchanuk.
Henry intercepted Cahill near the end of the quarter,
returning it to the Steamer 37, but a clipping penalty set the
ball back to the Shreveport 20.
The Steamer managed to put together an 80-yard, 13-play
scoring drive which was saved on fourth and eight at the Charros
41. There, Longley fired a long pass intended for Sutton who was
interfered with by Allen to set up Cherry's score.
San Antonio put together one last gasp, moving down to the
Steamer 25 where Cahill had four passes broken up. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
3 |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
7 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
SH |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
11 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
19 - 52 |
|
41 - 143 |
| Passing yards |
|
237 |
|
48 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
24 -
43 - 3 |
|
5 -
23 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
5 - 35.0 |
|
7 - 24.5 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
2 - 2 |
|
2 - 2 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
8 -
85 |
|
8 -
68 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SA |
|
Lander 32 field goal |
| SH |
|
Cherry 4 run (Pope kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Shreveport: Gator Cherry (35) |
| |
 |
|
Players unknown |
|
|
 |
|
Shreveport: Clint Longley (19) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Austin Texans
at
Shreveport Steamer
July 25, 1981
- State Fair Stadium - |
 |
|
| |
| Steamer puts it
together, 30-6 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ron Higgins -
Shreveport Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It all finally added up for the Shreveport Steamer. Putting
together a consistent offense and a drive-stopping defense the
Steamer scored a 30-6 American Football Association win at State
Fair Stadium Saturday night before an estimated 4,000 fans.
The win helped the Steamer remain in second place in the AFA
Western Division with a 5-3 record. Shreveport is one game back
of 6-2 San Antonio, who defeated Chicago 24-15 Saturday night.
"This has to be our best overall effort of the year," said
Steamer head coach Jim Williams. "We really moved the football
and our defense was aggressive."
The Steamer scored 24 first-half points before Austin got on the
scoreboard with 5:25 left in the third quarter with quarterback
Mike Washington throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Waylon
Gay.
Shreveport got its final score when reserve quarterback Ken
Smith lofted a 10-yard scoring pass to Rod Foppe with 6:37 left
in the game.
The Steamer had no problem offensively from the very beginning,
driving 45 yards in eight plays on its first possession for a
touchdown.
Steamer running back Henry Bush brought back Billy Schott's
opening kickoff back 42 yards to open what was to be a superb
overall first half for Shreveport.
While Kevin McLee did most of the running |
|
on the initial drive with 18 yards on five attempts, it was
Gator Cherry's 16-yard burst through the middle to the Austin 16
that put the heat on the Texans.
Three plays later on a third and six at the Austin 12,
Shreveport wide receiver Donnie Sutton drew a pass interference
penalty from Texan defensive back Earl Thomas at the Austin 1.
Longley almost fumbled the opportunity away by mishandling
the snap on the next play, but he recovered. McLee dove over
right guard from a yard out two plays later for the touchdown
and placekicker Jerry Pope's extra point gave the Steamer a 7-0
lead with 9:40 left in the first quarter.
It didn't take long for the Shreveport defense in the act.
Four plays into Austin's first offensive possession, Steamer
strong safety Keith Alexander cut in front of running back Kim
Watts who was cutting in for a pass from Austin quarterback Mike
Washington at the Texans' 35.
Alexander cleanly hauled in the pass and sped past
Washington, the final tackler, on a cut and dry scoring
interception return. Pope's kick made it 14-0, Shreveport, with
7:45 remaining in the opening quarter.
Austin looked impressive with its running game. featuring
Leonard Brantley and Ken Session. Session had seven carries for
71 yards, but every time Austin looked like it might move in for
a score, the Steamer defense shut the |
|
door.
With 13:13 left in the second quarter, Austin's Washington
overthrew Watts down the middle of the field and Steamer free
safety John Kelly intercepted, returning the ball 25 yards to
the Austin 28.
The Steamer got three points out of that turnover with Pope
nailing down a 35-yard field goal for a 17-0 Shreveport
advantage with 10:48 let before halftime.
Austin managed to move down to the Shreveport 32 using a
24-yard gain by Session, who was brought down by Alexander. A
play later, Washington apparently had Session open on a
touchdown pass at the Steamer five-yard line, but the burly
fullback was belted by Kelly as he was about to haul the ball
in. Shreveport cornerback Willie Mosley intercepted the ball
which popped up on impact to kill the drive.
It looked like the clock might run out in the first half
with Austin in possession on its own 15. But Shreveport wisely
called timeout with 13 seconds left before the half for a chance
to either get the ball back or put a heavy rush on Austin punter
Pat Donovan.
Donovan picked up a low snap on the first bounce and got
off a kick which was blocked by Alexander. The ball bounced into
the right corner of the end zone where Alexander covered it for
the touchdown. Pope's extra point kick was perfect and
Shreveport led 24-0 with just four seconds left before the half
break. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Austin |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
6 |
| Shreveport |
|
14 |
|
10 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
30 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
AU |
|
SH |
| First downs |
|
11 |
|
14 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
31 - 61 |
|
35 - 126 |
| Passing yards |
|
201 |
|
111 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
17 -
31 - 5 |
|
10 -
21 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 21.5 |
|
5 - 31.8 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
3 - 0 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
7 -
61 |
|
8 -
42 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| SH |
|
McLee 1 run (Pope kick) |
| SH |
|
Alexander 35 interception
return (Pope kick) |
| SH |
|
Pope 35 field goal |
| SH |
|
Alexander recovered blocked
pun tin end zone (Pope kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 8 pass from Washington
(run failed) |
| SH |
|
Foppe 10 pass from Smith (kick
failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Austin: Mike Washington (10)
Shreveport: Ardis McCann (59) |
|
|
 |
|
Shreveport: Gator Cherry (31), Rich Suchanuk (83) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Marek rushes for
284 yards as Fire romps in the rain |
|
|
|
|
|
| Mike Kiley -
Chicago Tribune |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Billy Marek and the blazing Fire rained and reigned over
the San Antonio Charros in Soldier Field Saturday night.
Playing in a steady downpour, and with Marek setting an American
Football Association rushing record with 284 yards, the Fire
achieved the most critical victory in its brief history, 24-15.
The Chicagoans climbed into a tie with the Charros for the
Western Division lead at 5-3, pleasing the hardy remnants of a
crowd estimated at 8,500 by Fire owner Bill Feda.
With three games remaining until the playoffs - two of them
Monday night home games for the Fire - coach Jim Morel's team is
in a good position to become one of the two Western qualifiers
for the postseason competition.
Morel entered the game thinking he would pass, pass, and pass
some more because injuries had forced him to restructure his
offensive line. Two of the replacements had been working on
defense until now.
But quarterback Mark Carlson, making his first start in place of
Steve Turk, completed only |
|
one of five passes.
That 33-yard reception by Dave Petzke was important,
however, moving the Fire to the 8. Marek soon hurdled over from
the 1, his second of three scores. He also had touchdown runs of
65 and 10 yards.
By halftime, when Chicago led 14-2, Marek had 99 yards in
13 carries. He finished with 30 carries.
The hard rain kept the Fire's cheerleading Belles from
dancing onto the artificial turf at intermission. And seconds
after the Martin Luther King High School band tooted a few
notes, they broke ranks and ran for cover when the rainstorm
turned into a monsoon.
But the teams took to the conditions like ducks to water in
the final half. San Antonio, the league's best passing unit,
used only five plays to score on a 27-yard pass from Mark Cahill
to Greg Jackson, narrowing the Fire edge to 14-8.
A little more than a minute later, Marek ran 65 yards with
all the feints and excitement that Walter Payton has displayed
on this field. He made a flashy cut to the left near the end of
the trip and outran the only defender in his way. |
|
A tired Marek fumbled twice late in the fourth quarter,
giving the Charros a chance to rally. But defensive back Derwin
Tucker wrapped up the victory by stealing a Cahill pass in the
end zone with 1:51 remaining for his second interception of the
game.
Cahill completed 23 of 49 passes but threw four
interceptions. The first two came after San Antonio had driven
into scoring territory, and the next led to the Fire's second
touchdown.
"I had to take short steps when I was cutting, or else I
might have slipped more," said Marek, whose top rushing total at
Wisconsin was 304 yards in his junior season.
"But, really, the rain helped keep us fresh. We've been
tiring in humid weather. Tonight, the coolness of the rain kept
us going."
Morel credited his offensive line - center Brett Carsello,
guards Gary Gamen and Mark Stevenson, tackles Clinton Davenport
and Steve McKenzie, and tight end Brian Baldwin - with "a
surprising performance."
Marek, who was second in the league in rushing, raised his
season yardage total to 793. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| Chicago |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
24 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
CH |
| First downs |
|
23 |
|
13 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
23 - 48 |
|
40 - 358 |
| Passing yards |
|
347 |
|
33 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
23 -
37 - 4 |
|
1 - 5
- 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
8 - 39.8 |
|
3 - 41.3 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 0 |
|
7 - 4 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
8 -
45 |
|
5 -
42 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Marek 10 run (Labun kick) |
| SA |
|
Safety Carlson tackled in end
zone |
| CH |
|
Marek 1 run (Labun kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 27 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 65 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Labun 35 field goal |
| SA |
|
Jackson 21 pass from Cahill
(kick failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chicago: Billy Marek (??) |
|
|
 |
San Antonio: Phil Hahn (77)
Chicago: Billy Marek (26) |
|
|
 |
San Antonio: Mark Cahill (12)
Chicago: Dave Novosel (41) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Hunters embarrass
Wranglers |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill
Eichenberger - Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Forty-seven-year-old Tommy Hudspeth, head coach of the
Dallas Wranglers, has coached high school football in Texas for
most of his adult life. In all that time, he can never remember
being embarrassed by the performance of one of his teams.
Saturday night's Virginia Hunters' game at Victory Stadium was
Hudspeth's third as a professional coach. And the 23-9 beating
his team absorbed in front of about 2,500 fans left him
red-faced for the second time in three weeks.
"I'm not sure why I did it," Hudspeth said, referring to his
decision to accept the Wranglers' coaching position after Walter
Johnson, the former Cleveland Browns' defensive tackle, was
fired three weeks ago along with his coaching staff. "But right
now, I'd have to say the decision ranks up there with the two or
three worst I've ever made."
In his American Football Association debut two weeks ago, the
Wranglers were trounced 41-20 at San Antonio. They rebounded
last week with a 21-14 victory over the Chicago Fire at home.
But against the Hunters, the Wranglers self-destructed. They
made high school mistakes. It was embarrassing.
Quarterback Lou Pagley mishandled the center snap on four
different occasions. Pressured by the Hunters' defensive line,
second-string quarterback Welby Ina threw the ball up for grabs
and had two passes picked off.
"When I took this job," said Hudspeth, who still has his
position at Mesquite High School in suburban Dallas to return to
this fall, "I thought |
|
I was inheriting a bunch of professionals. But instead, I'm
finding that these guys make the same foolish mistakes high
school kids do.
The Wranglers' only touchdown - a 36-yard pass from Ina to
wide receiver Maurice Mitchell - came about only because Hunters
defensive back Gary Woodhouse slipped and fell, leaving Mitchell
wide open in the end zone.
For the rest of the game, the Hunters' defense dominated -
specifically the Virginia front four. Defensive ends Sleepy
Johnson and Kenneth Tillman and tackles Ed Jackson and Bruce
Palmer kept Dallas quarterbacks Pagley and Ina on the run.
"Our pass rush, the ability of our front four to put
pressure on the Dallas quarterbacks, was what won this football
game for us," Hunters coach Eddie Joyce said.
The front four, with a couple of assists from blitzing
linebackers, were credited with eight quarterback sacks.
Even when the Dallas quarterbacks were able to elude the
rush, they often were hurried and off-balance. Four of their
tosses were picked off by an alert Hunters' secondary. Free
safety Calvin Gray, Woodhouse and inside linebacker Greg Wright
made the interceptions. Gray made two.
The Hunters needed a strong effort from their defense.
Although the offense, under the direction of quarterback Mike
Pusey, put enough points on the scoreboard to win in the first
half, the Hunters never were able to consistently move the ball
on a Wrangler defense that shut them out in a scoreless second
half. |
|
"Field position had a lot to do with it," Joyce said of the
Hunters' offensive problems in the second half. "We could never
get out from under the shadow of our own goal line. The one time
we did, we were free to do a lot more and picked up a couple of
first downs."
The rest of the time, however, the Hunters, with
second-string quarterback Eddie Joyce Jr. at the helm, were
seemingly stuck in reverse.
In his first lengthy appearance since the Texas game in
Dallas seven weeks ago, Joyce was victimized by a savage
Wrangler rush. He was sacked four times for 44 yards in losses.
The Hunters picked up only two first downs under his direction
and those came on the club's final possession.
Pusey, on the other hand, threw a couple of touchdown
passes in the first half. He found Ron Zollicoffer on a crossing
pattern on the Hunters' first possession and Zollicoffer turned
the reception into a 65-yard scoring play, outracing the
Wrangler secondary down the sideline.
Pusey also hit tight end Mark Clifford with a touchdown
pass on a third-and-goal situation at the Wrangler 4-yard line.
The Hunters' other touchdown was set up by a 42-yard punt
return by Bobby Hedrick. On first down from the Texas 16, Boo
Trent burst off left guard and high-stepped his way into the end
zone. Jimmy Simms missed the extra point, but atoned for it by
making a 17-yard field goal on the last play of the half to
account for the final margin of victory. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
|
3 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
9 |
| Virginia |
|
7 |
|
16 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
TX |
|
VA |
| First downs |
|
11 |
|
11 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 109 |
|
? - 120 |
| Passing yards |
|
93 |
|
86 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
10 -
27 - 4 |
|
9 -
17 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
3 - 38.6 |
|
10 - 24.0 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
5 - 2 |
|
0 - 0 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
4 -
35 |
|
4 -
40 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| VA |
|
Zollicoffer 65 pass from Pusey
(Simms kick) |
| TX |
|
Stringer 35 field goal |
| VA |
|
Trent 16 run (kick failed) |
| VA |
|
Clifford 4 pass from Pusey
(Simms kick) |
| TX |
|
Mitchell 36 pass from Ina
(kick failed) |
| VA |
|
Simms 17 field goal |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Virginia: Bill Miller (40)
Texas: Kevin Johnson (88) |
|
|
|
|
NO LOGO
AVAILABLE |
Chicago Lions
(Northern States League)
at
West
Virginia Rockets
- EXHIBITION -
July 25, 1981
- Laidley Field - |
 |
|
| |
| Gladfelter has
problem with 3 of his bonuses |
|
|
|
|
|
| Don Hagler -
Charleston Daily Mail |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
What would Rev. Jerry Falwell say!
The West Virginia Rockets' Rod Gladfelter, a graduate of Liberty
Baptist College, the school founded by the television minister
and head of Moral Majority, intercepted three passes in the 61-0
of the Chicago Lions at Laidley Field Saturday.
For his work, he won bonuses offered by two coal companies and
an area store - $15 and a bottle of wine for each interception.
The $45 will be divided with Gladfelter's teammates, but the
three bottles of wine are a problem.
"It's up for grabs," said Gladfelter with a laugh. "I don't
drink. I guess Rev. Falwell would say to donate it to charity."
The charity started early against the outclassed Lions from the
semi-pro Northern States League. The Rockets rested standout
linebackers Dan Rains and John Sturdivant, let quarterback Clyde
Walker play only long enough to throw four passes, and used such
defense veterans as Mike Siganos, Curtis Walls and Earl Monroe
so little that they didn't make a tackle.
And from 2:52 of the third quarter, the clock ran without
stopping.
Still, the Rockets set a club record (and that includes the
Rockets of 1964,68) with seven touchdowns by rushing as they ran
up a 419-0 rushing yardage advantage.
West Virginia had the ball for 12 series of downs and
scored nine times. They punted after three downs on the opening
series, drove 66 yards to the five only to be stopped on the |
|
fifth series and the final gun ended the 12th series at
Chicago's 10.
On the nine scoring drives, the Rockets needed only an
average of 4.3 plays to score. They marched an average of 47
yards (six pass interceptions resulted in good field position,
the Rockets taking possession in Chicago territory 10 times).
That's an average of about 11 yards per play.
So what good could come from such a lopsided game?
"It's not ever a waste of time to play as long as we stay
crisp and play as we're supposed to play." said Gladfelter. "The
problem with playing a team like this is that if you have a
strong opponent next (and the Rockets do, going to Jacksonville
Saturday), it is sometimes hard to get up for the game.
"We're going to have to have good practices this week."
Rockets coach Lonnie Warwick agreed.
"That's why I called them back Tuesday," said Warwick, who
has given the Rockets Monday and Tuesday off several times this
season. "We have to forget about this game and concentrate on
Jacksonville.
"But this game helped us. We rested some players who had
injuries. Three hours of playing is good conditioning. We got to
look at some new people (ex-Green Bay Packer Jerry Dandridge,
former Carolina Chargers Steve McCoy, Jeff Lightcap and Skip
Ramsey plus former Ohio State back John Williams).
"And this proves to the fans that we are a |
|
professional football team. The team we played tonight was a
semi-pro team. We have some of the best players this side of the
National Football League."
The Lions may have thought they were going against an NFL
opponent. Larry MeGee ripped off 161 yards in eight carries,
including TD dashes of 50 and 80 yards, Kevin Rollins added 101
yards and Mike Horton, playing only in the first half, got 78
yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.
ROCKETING ALONG - "It could have been 100-0," said
assistant coach Jim Hall... Rockets praised the Lions for not
giving up. "They were class guys," said center Chez Evans. "When
they fell behind, there was no dirty play. They kept trying."
The Rockets, getting $25 for a touchdown, $15 for
quarterback sacks and interceptions, and $10 field goals and
extra points from the coal companies, totaled $557.50. It will
go into a pool to be divided by all the players... The crowd was
announced as 10,200. The Rockets reduced prices by $2 for the
exhibition and gave passes to youngsters...
The Rockets (7-0 in the AFA and 9-0 overall) have three
remaining games, and all against playoff contenders - at
Jacksonville (4-3 and second in the east) Saturday, and home
with San Antonio (5-3 and co-leader in the west) Aug. 8 and
Virginia (a half-game behind Jacksonville) Aug. 15. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
0 |
| West Virginia |
|
21 |
|
13 |
|
20 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
61 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
WV |
| First downs |
|
5 |
|
22 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 0 |
|
? - 419 |
| Passing yards |
|
79 |
|
83 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
8 -
18 - 6 |
|
4 - 9
- 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 32.3 |
|
1 - 49.0 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 0 |
|
0 - 0 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
2 - 8 |
|
6 -
60 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
|
Horton 8 run (McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Horton3 run
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
McGee 50 run
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Batten 24 pass from Rowe (kick
failed) |
| WV |
|
Horton 19 run
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
White 9 pass from Ramsey
(Fairchild kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 33 run (kick failed) |
| WV |
|
McGee 80 run
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Rowe 1 run
(McDaniel kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Firebirds nip
Orlando 20-14 on late TD pass |
|
|
|
|
|
| Robin Temple -
Florida Times-Union |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It wasn't just idle chit-chat that Jacksonville Firebirds
defensive backs Tony Perry and Marty Hammock were sharing at
mid-field in the Gator Bowl last night.
It was a strategy session that led directly to an interception
and ultimately to a 20-14 American Football Association victory
over the Orlando Americans before a crowd of 5,118.
With their team tied at 14 and just seven minutes left in the
game, the two defenders were discussing Orlando's offensive
patterns and decided it was about time for the Americans to try
another post route. The Hammock-Perry prediction was very
accurate, leaving Hammock with an interception of an Ellsworth
Turner pass and giving the Firebirds the ball on the Orlando
43-yard line with 6:55 left.
Six plays later, Jacksonville quarterback Albert Chester hit
game MVP Charlie Brown with a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the
Birds a split of their two-game season series with their
intra-state rivals.
The win also widened the gap between Jacksonville and Orlando in
the Eastern Division standings of the AFA. With just three games
remaining, the second-place Firebirds moved to 4-3 while the
third-place Americans dropped to 2-6.
"Tony [Perry] and I had been talking all through the second
half, and decided it was time for them to run another post
pattern at us," said Hammock, a product of Memphis State. "I
just filtered up the middle and was right there. [Turner] threw
the ball right at me.
"Just a little communication out there between the
secondary was all it took," said Hammock, who picked off the
pass on the |
|
Firebird 37 and returned it 20 yards.
Aside from the productive teamwork of Hammock and Perry,
Fire- birds coach Corky Rogers said the overall teamwork was the
best he had seen all season.
"I thought they played a good game," Rogers said, "but I
thought this was the best we had played as a team all year.
"I was very proud of the defense - the way they stayed
together to shut them down late in the game. And of course, you
have to give credit to Charlie Brown, Chester and [Charlie]
Dorsey on offense."
Dorsey, who suffered a concussion in the first half,
managed to catch four passes for 87 yards, while Brown also
pulled down four passes, amassing 125 yards and his seventh and
eighth touchdowns of the season.
Despite having better field position throughout the first
half, the Firebirds watched the Orlando team jump out to an
early lead in the second quarter. Turner, starting his first
game for the Americans, orchestrated a 52-yard drive which
culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Turner to 6-foot-5
tight end Dan Brown.
Orlando kicker Dan Gaddy sent his point-after attempt off
to the left, leaving the Americans with a 6-0 advantage with
10:50 remaining in the half.
A miscue by the Firebirds, however, set up the Orlando
score.
Jacksonville had marched all the way to the Orlando 10-yard
line, when, on third-and-seven, Chester began retreating to
pass. He kept retreating.
Chester was finally hauled down by Tony Subers and Wally
Smojver all the way back at |
|
the Orlando 48-yard line. But the action didn't stop there.
Chester coughed up the ball, which rolled laterally for
several yards before being covered by the Americans' Lawrence
Faulkner. Orlando scored on the eighth play.
After trading punts, the Firebirds took possession of the
ball with 8:16 remaining in the half on the Orlando 37. Eleven
plays and a roughing the passer call later, Jacksonville scored.
On third and 12 from the Orlando 15, Chester tried to hit
Holmes Johnson in the end zone, but the Firebirds quarterback
was leveled by the American defense. The roughing call gave
Jacksonville another shot with a first and six from the 9.
Chester then hit Earl Solomon, who was traveling down the
right sideline and was pushed out of bounds inside the one.
Fullback Norwood Ervin was called on to go over the top for
the final yard and the touchdown.
Allan Leavitt's kick gave the Birds a 7-6 lead with 3:24
left.
The score could have been 10-6, however, if the Firebirds
would have remembered they had one time out left.
With 12 seconds remaining in the half, Chester had his team
back on the Orlando 24-yard line, but after being sacked, he
gathered his troops back up to the line and tried to throw the
ball out of bounds to stop the clock instead of calling time
out. The clock expired and the half ended with Jacksonville
leading 7-6. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Orlando |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
14 |
| Jacksonville |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
OR |
|
JA |
| First downs |
|
9 |
|
17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
15 - 58 |
|
40 - 166 |
| Passing yards |
|
112 |
|
203 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
13 -
29 - 1 |
|
9 -
23 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
8 - 37 |
|
3 - 35 |
| Return yards |
|
83 |
|
104 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
2 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
9 -
51 |
|
7 -
35 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Brown 14 pass from Turner
(kick failed) |
| JA |
|
Ervin 1 run (Leavitt kick) |
| OR |
|
Holmes 17 run (Enclade pass
from Turner) |
| JA |
|
Brown 69 pass from Chester
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Brown 21 pass from Chester
(kick failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Orlando: Earl Carr (31)
Jacksonville: Marty Hammock (31) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Chester passes
Firebirds past Rockets 20-7 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Robin Temple -
Florida Times-Union |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Sweet, sweet revenge.
After losing a bruising 30-9 decision in West Virginia on
Independence Day, Jacksonville's Firebirds finally got the
revenge they have been talking about for weeks by beating the
Rockets 20-7 last night before 5,308 fans in the Gator Bowl.
Jacksonville moves to 5-3 in the Eastern Division of the
American Football Association, while league-leading West
Virginia, after suffering its first loss of the season, stands
at 7-1.
By winning, the Firebirds moved closer to the playoffs, gaining
a full game lead over third-place Virginia (4-4), which was
idle. The top two teams in each division will qualify for the
playoffs.
"We enjoyed it; we wanted this one bad," said Firebirds coach
Corky Rogers. "This is the way it ought to be."
For the most part, the quarterbacks' game statistics told the
story of the whole game. The Firebirds' Albert Chester picked
apart the Rockets' defense for 231 yards on 16 completions in 25
attempts. Meanwhile, the tandem of Rocket quarterbacks Clyde
Walker and Skip Ramsey were running away from Arlie Jarrell,
Wilbert Fields and their defensive linemates most of the night,
and five times had their passes intercepted.
"We wanted to just come out and capitalize on whatever they
would give us," said Chester. "We felt after playing them at
West Virginia |
|
that we would be able to pass so coach Rogers told us to just go
out and pass.
"And the revenge definitely had us up for this game."
The Firebirds completely dominated first-half play, scoring
on their first two possessions while holding the Rockets to just
three first downs. Jacksonville was tagged for a clipping call
on the return of the opening kickoff but regrouped to march 87
yards in nine plays for the game's first score.
Chester and wide receiver Charlie Brown teamed up on two
crucial third-down plays for completions of 17 and 21 yards. The
latter gave the 'Birds the ball on the Rockets' 27, and Homes
Johnson burst up the middle for 21 yards on the next play.
Following a three-yard pass from Chester to tight end Alex
Prince, Norwood Ervin bowled the final three yards for the
touchdown and Alan Leavitt's kick gave the 'Birds a 7-0 lead
just 4:36 into the game.
After an offsides penalty nullified an Arthur Mallory
interception, the 'Birds held on to force a West Virginia punt,
regaining possession on their own 32.
Chester went back to the air.
The former Florida A&M quarterback completed nine of 10
passes for 118 yards in the first quarter alone, including a
19-yard strike to Drew Sauls and a 12-yard pass to Mike Lee on
successive plays, which left the Firebirds poised on the
Rockets' 2-yard line. |
|
Earl Solomon carried it in for the score and Leavitt added
another kick to make the score 14-0 with 2:44 remaining in the
first quarter.
A holding penalty and a wet field stymied the Firebirds for
most of the second quarter while the defense held West Virginia
scoreless until intermission.
The final half saw the West Virginia defense stiffen near
the 20-yard line, forcing the Firebirds to settle for two
Leavitt field goals of 27 and 40 yards. West Virginia's only
score of the game came with 4:32 remaining on a 1-yard play by
Larry McGee.
FIREBIRDS NOTES - Both teams suffered several
injuries in the game. Among those injured who should be able to
return by next week were Norwood Ervin and Johnson. 'Birds
defensive lineman Andy Ervin suffered an ankle injury which was
thought to be a fracture. He will be examined by team physician
Dr. Paul Shirley tomorrow... Don Gaffney, who had missed last
week's game with a broken bone in his left hand, had the cast
removed yesterday in time to see limited duty in the fourth
quarter... Voted the game's most valuable players were
Jacksonville's Brown (offense) and Darryl Tyson (defense), who
picked off two passes by Walker, and Chester (game MVP)... The
'Birds play next Saturday in Chicago before returning home for
the regular-season finale against the Shreveport Steamer Aug.
15. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| West Virginia |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
- |
|
7 |
| Jacksonville |
|
14 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
WV |
|
JA |
| First downs |
|
18 |
|
17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
17 - 43 |
|
27 - 120 |
| Passing yards |
|
245 |
|
256 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
19 -
44 - 5 |
|
17 -
28 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
5 - 43.5 |
|
7 - 37.5 |
| Return yards |
|
143 |
|
60 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
0 - 0 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
3 -
30 |
|
7 -
70 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Ervin 3 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Solomon 1 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 27 field goal |
| JA |
|
Leavitt 40 field goal |
| WV |
|
McGee 1 run (McDaniel kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Jacksonville: Albert Chester (2)
West Virginia: Mark Grobowski (62) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Mistakes doom
Americans, 26-23 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bob Fowler -
Orlando Sentinel |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Considering the way the Orlando Americans lost Saturday
night, well, you had to see it to believe it. Not many people
did.
The Americans dropped a 26-23 decision to San Antonio before
perhaps 2,500 spectators in the Tangerine Bowl. But the game
wasn't as close as the final score indicated. Orlando probably
should have won by two touchdowns.
But the Americans' had a touchdown called back due to an offside
penalty, lost two fumbles at the San Antonio 1-yard line and
watched the Charros score on an apparent "sure" Orlando
interception.
Add up the dropped passes, fumbles, crucial defensive mistakes
and you can understand why the Americans have broken hearts, a
five-game losing streak and a 2-7 record.
"There have been a bunch of errors and busted assignments all
season because we've had so many personnel changes," Orlando
coach Bob Williams said. "We got the effort again from our
players, but the mistakes, mental and physical, killed us."
Considering that San Antonio entered the game with a 5-2 record
while the Americans were struggling, the first half may have
been their best 30 minutes of football during their initial
season in Orlando.
Yet, when they walked off the field at halftime they were on the
short end of a 20-15 score.
Such is life with the Americans.
Eric Early set up Orlando's first score by picking off a Mark
Cahill pass at the San Antonio 48 on the Charros' third play.
On Orlando's third play, Stan Brown made a spectacular
diving catch of a Ellsworth Turner |
|
pass for an 18-yard gain to the 25. A pass interference penalty
four plays later put the ball at the Charros' 5 and three plays
after that Richard Holmes crashed over right tackle from 3
yards.
Don Gaddy kicked his first extra point and with 6:28 gone
in the game the Americans had a 7-0 lead. It didn't last long.
San Antonio marched 68 yards in 10 plays, Cahill sneaking
over from the 1 to cap the drive. Rich Lander converted and with
3:15 left in the first quarter, it was 7-7.
The tie didn't last long for Orlando, either.
On the Americans' second play of their ensuing series,
Scott Montana stepped in front of Bo Darden to intercept a
Turner pass, returning it 29 yards to the Orlando 16.
And on the first play of the second quarter, Wayne Cottman
turned right end from 3 yards out as the Charros took a 14-7
lead.
Now Orlando, instead of folding, rallied to take a 15-14
lead. Even the officials couldn't prevent the Americans from
making a comeback.
San Antonio had the ball at its 25, ran a play and then
Cahill was sacked. He also intentionally grounded the ball, the
Charros receiving a 5-yard penalty and the loss of down.
Next, Cahill completed a pass and that should have been the
Charros' fourth down. But, they got another play and Wally
Smojver tackled the quarterback in the San Antonio end zone for
a 2-point safety.
The Americans took the following free kick and marched to
the Charros 24, Gaddy kicking a 41-yard field goal to make it
14-12 Charros with 6:32 gone in the quarter. |
|
Orlando's defense forced a punt and the Americans had a
drive bog down at the Charros' 12, Gaddy kicking a 30-yard field
goal to give them a 15-14 lead with 1:10 left in the half.
That lead didn't last long, either.
With 16 seconds left until the intermission, the Charros
had the ball at the Orlando 16 and Cahill threw a desperation
pass toward Cottman on the 5. Mike Tyson leaped to make the
interception and the ball amazingly went through his hands as he
collided with Mark Brown and Cottman made the catch for the 6
points.
On Orlando's first series of the third quarter, a TD pass
from Turner to Ron Enclade was called back due to an, offside
penalty.
"That was the one that really hurt us," Williams said.
Yes, because the Charros scored on their next possession,
Cahill capping an 88-yard drive by sneaking over from the 1.
Twice in the fourth quarter the Americans were at the
Charros' 1, but both times Turner fumbled the snap from center
and San Antonio recovered.
That made the quarterback's 7-yard TD pass to Bo Darden
with 17 seconds left in the game rather meaningless.
"We had a former guard (Melvin Flournoy) playing center and
he and Turner have had only a week to practice their snaps,"
Williams sighed.
And those plays exemplified what has been plaguing the
Americans this season. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
7 |
|
13 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
26 |
| Orlando |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
0 |
|
8 |
|
- |
|
23 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
OR |
| First downs |
|
14 |
|
23 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
31 - 74 |
|
28 - 84 |
| Passing yards |
|
218 |
|
248 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
16 -
30 - 1 |
|
23 -
45 - 1 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
3 - 40.0 |
|
4 - 36.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
2 - 2 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
9 -
51 |
|
7 -
45 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Holmes 3 run (Gaddy kick) |
| SA |
|
Cahill 1 run (Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Cottman 3 run (Lander kick) |
| OR |
|
Safety Cahill tackled in end
zone |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 41 field goal |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 30 field goal |
| SA |
|
Cottman 23 pass from Cahill
(pass failed) |
| SA |
|
Cahill 1 run (kick failed) |
| OR |
|
Darden 7 pass from Turner
(Turner run) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Orlando: Ron Enclade (80) |
|
|
 |
San Antonio: Mark Cahill (12)
Orlando: Anthony Clay (??) |
|
|
 |
|
San Antonio: James Roberts (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Wranglers stop
Steamer |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rick Mann -
Mesquite Daily News |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Texas Wranglers have used three kickers this year in
hopes of finding one that can show the consistency they need.
George Claffey started out kicking field goals and to his credit
he did bang home a 50 - yarder against West Virginia.
Robert Stringer came next and after a fine job of punting he was
replaced by Gayle Grant. Then Stringer came back. And after
Saturday night's performance against the Shreveport Steamer,
he's likely to stick for the rest of the season.
For the second week in a row the Wranglers had third-quarter
opportunities to knock out the Steamer but the inability to push
the ball into the endzone cost them. But this week, unlike
against Virginia, they got some much needed help from Stringer.
Stringer had kicks of 30, 35 and 40 yards to give the Wranglers
a 9-0 cushion in that third period. It proved to be more than
they needed as they wrapped up their fourth win of the season,
dumping the division leading Steamer by a 15-3 count.
Once again a strong defense was evident for the Steamer as they
kept a potent offense from scoring except for a 20 yard field
goal in the third quarter by Jerry Pope. Defensive leaders
included Mike Matocho, the big defensive tackle who constantly
put a hard rush on |
|
Steamer quarterback Clint Longley.
Then there was the defensive secondary. One that killed
Longley in the final minutes of the contest. The secondary had
three interceptions, one each by Steve Jackson, Mark Thorson and
Steve Beck. All three proved to be drive-ending steals.
But probably the top defensive back on the night was
cornerback Keith Ponder. On two occasions the Steamer was
driving and close to the endzone. Longley arched two passes
toward Ponder, who because of the coverage had his back turned.
Both times he managed to interfere with the pass play enough to
have the ball fall incomplete. Both times, if the pass goes
complete, Shreveport would have scored touchdowns.
Longley was not very impressive in the contest even though
he completed 20 passes in 34 attempts for 195 yards. Most of his
completions came on flare passes and screens. Whenever he tried
to throw long the ball was either picked off or went harmlessly
over the receivers head.
The Wrangler offense wasn't any better even though they did
display a new spark at running- back. Joel Brisco, former Fort
Worth Dunbar product, suited out for the first time Saturday
night and showed off some exciting running ability. |
|
He carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards and caught one
screen pass for a 68 yard gain. He is a former sprint champion
in the area and finished second in the state meet in the 100
yard dash his senior year at Dunbar. He gives the Wranglers the
first real break-away back they have had this year.
Lou Pagley completed four of ten passes for 119 yards but
the big quarterback spent a lot of his time on his back as he
was sacked time after time. When he was given time to find his
receivers, he ended up hitting them and the Wrangler offense
could move.
The win was the second in three weeks against Western
Division competition and both wins, one against Chicago, comes
against the leaders of the division. Going into the game
Chicago, Shreveport and San Antonio were tied for the lead with
5-3 records.
The Wranglers were back in fourth with a 3-6 mark. Now they
stand only a game and a half behind Shreveport and with wins in
their last two games just might make the playoffs.
They travel to Orlando this week and Orlando has had a hard
time this year as they are holding up the Eastern Division with
a 2-6 mark. The Wranglers play Austin in their last game in
Austin. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Shreveport |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
3 |
| Texas |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
9 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SH |
|
TX |
| First downs |
|
18 |
|
12 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 117 |
|
? - 149 |
| Passing yards |
|
172 |
|
84 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
20 -
37 - 3 |
|
4 -
10 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
2 - 30 |
|
4 - 38 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
1 - 1 |
|
6 - 3 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
8 -
82 |
|
7 -
85 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| TX |
|
Stringer 30 field goal |
| TX |
|
Stringer 35 field goal |
| TX |
|
Stringer 40 field goal |
| SH |
|
Pope 20 field goal |
| TX |
|
Pagley 1 run (pass failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Austin: Pat Noonan (??) |
|
|
 |
|
Texas: Lou Pagley (10) |
|
|
 |
|
Austin: Lou Pagley (10) |
|
|
 |
|
Texas: Robert Stringer (??) |
|
|
 |
|
Texas: Ethan Ogletree (??) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Fire sets league
scoring mark in 55-20 rout |
|
|
|
|
|
| Mike Kiley -
Chicago Tribune |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Fire version of Monday Night Football was held without
Howard, Fran, and Frank in the broadcasting booth. But Chicago
performed anyway with an intensity worthy of a few one-dollar
Cosell words.
Amassing the most points in the American Football Association,
the Fire trounced Austin 55-20 in Soldier Field.
That moved Chicago back into a first place tie with San Antonio,
which won last Saturday. Two games remain in the season, and it
may come down to a Western Division title clash Aug. 15 when the
Fire finishes at San Antonio.
The top two teams in each division go to the playoffs. The
champions will be a home to the runners-up. The league
championship will be decided Aug. 31; the location to be
determined by which of the two teams had larger season
attendance totals. |
|
Bill Feda, one of the Fire owners, estimated that 8,000
witnessed Monday's fireworks on a soft summer night. The figure
was less than the season-high 8,500 announced at last week's
game.
There were many heroes, but Chicago quarterback Mark
Carlson deserves particularly to be singled out. Carlson, a star
with Deerfield High School and the University of Minnesota, had
been on the bench until the previous game against San Antonio.
He didn't get much chance to throw that night in a driving
rain, making just one reception in five attempts. Billy Marek
stole the thunder that night with a league-record 284 rushing
yards.
But Monday, Carlson completed 12 of 17 passes for 161
yards, including two first-quarter touchdown throws that got the
Fire |
|
rolling.
By halftime, after Les Varner had returned a punt 51 yards
to score and Nick Labun had kicked field goals of 44 and 39
yards, Chicago led 27-7.
Carlson had thrown 11 receptions by halftime. Steve Turk,
the former starting quarterback, replaced him in the second half
and played all of the last period.
Marek rushed for 74 yards, carrying 12 times. He scored
twice - on a. 7-yard pass and a 9-yard run.
Austin lived up to its record; the Texans are 1-9. The Fire
got its first league decision against them on June 6.
Chicago will be host to Jacksonville next Monday. The
Firebirds are battling for an Eastern Division playoff spot. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Austin |
|
0 |
|
7 |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
20 |
| Chicago |
|
21 |
|
6 |
|
28 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
55 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
AU |
|
CH |
| First downs |
|
? |
|
? |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Passing yards |
|
? |
|
? |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
? - ?
- ? |
|
? - ?
- ? |
|
Punts - avg |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
? - ? |
|
?- ? |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
? - ? |
|
? - ? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Marek 7 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Baldwin 37 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Varner 51 punt return (Labun
kick) |
| AU |
|
Sessions38 run (Schott kick) |
| CH |
|
Labun 44 field goal |
| CH |
|
Labun 39 field goal |
| CH |
|
Marek 9 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Carlson 3 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Sanders 2 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Thompson 44 interception
return (Labun kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 8 pass from Washington
(Schott kick) |
| AU |
|
Gay 31 pass from Washington
(kick failed) |
|
|
 |
Chicago: Rich Nash (43), Scott Mielke (25, Brett
Carsello (70)
Austin: Don Walker (20) |
|
|
 |
Chicago: Jerry Bey (27)
Austin: Earl Thomas (??) |
|
|
 |
|
Chicago: Les Varner (15) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Orlando stops
Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
| Mesquite Daily
News |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Despite a lopsided score that would indicate a severe rout,
Texas Wrangler head coach Tommy Hudspeth feels that his team put
together one of their better efforts of the season in a 32-3
loss to the Orlando Americans Saturday night in Orlando.
"I thought we played pretty good," Hudspeth said. "With the
exception of a few turnovers it was a pretty good game for us."
Jim Goodwin put together probably the best day rushing for the
Wranglers this season as he came close to the 100-yard mark for
the night. He, along with tight end Joe Moseley and wide
receiver Maurice Mitchell, was the offensive |
|
standout for the contest.
"We moved the ball consistently all night," Hudspeth said.
"There were a lot of unusual calls and turnovers in the game. We
had four opportunities to score and couldn't get the ball in. We
also had four fumbles; one was legitimate and the others were
bad calls on the official's part.
"We were down on a couple of plays and let the ball go when
the officials ruled it a fumble. One time Lou Pagley was caught
by the defense trying to pass. You are supposed to get a quick
whistle on that kind of play whenever the quarterback is in the
grasp of the defense. |
|
"But they never blew the whistle so they tossed him around
and popped the ball out. They picked it up and ran it down to
their end of the field. So instead of us having the ball in
scoring position, they got it in scoring position."
Hudspeth said that without some of the calls the game would
have been more interesting.
"This was the best the offense has looked all season. I
think that you are looking at a 28-24 or 24-21 game with some
decent calls."
The Wranglers will end their season this weekend as they
travel to Austin to take on the Texans. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Texas |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
3 |
| Orlando |
|
7 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
32 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
TX |
|
OR |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
8 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
14 - 73 |
|
29 - 85 |
| Passing yards |
|
109 |
|
254 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
9 -
26 - 0 |
|
16 -
30 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 38 |
|
2 - 36 |
| Return yards |
|
85 |
|
32 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
5 - 3 |
|
1 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
4 -
25 |
|
7 -
60 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| OR |
|
Holmes 1 run (Gaddy kick) |
| OR |
|
Day 4 pass from Turner (kick
failed) |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 44 field goal |
| TX |
|
Stringer 24 field goal |
| OR |
|
Gaddy 35 field goal |
| OR |
|
Jones 14 pass from Golsteyn
(Gaddy kick) |
| OR |
|
Darden 17 pass from Turner
(kick failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Charros ravaged,
41-9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| San Antonio
Light |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Former Shreveport Steamer quarterback Clyde Walker
engineered the West Virginia Rockets' offense to 447 yards and a
41-9 rout of the San Antonio Charros Saturday night in an
American Football Association game before an estimated 10,000
fans at Laidley Field.
In the battle of division leaders, the Rockets quickly proved
they held the upper hand when they marched to two first-quarter
touchdowns and a 13-0 lead.
Rich Lander kicked a 28-yard field goal to bring San
Antonio back as close as it would come the rest of the evening,
13-3, in the |
|
second quarter. The Rockets then proceeded to score twice more
before the first half gun and went into the dressing room up
27-3.
The Charros took the opening kickoff 70 yards, culminated
in a Mark Cahill 1-yard touchdown plunge early in the third
quarter, to make it 27-9, and then recovered a fumble on the
ensuing kickoff deep in Rockets' territory. The drive stalled,
however, and the game was over for all intents and purposes.
Walker, who joined the Rockets when the Steamer disbanded
recently, threw touchdown passes of 38 yards to Buddy White and
seven |
|
to all-purpose back Kevin Rollins in the second quarter to break
the game open.
Rollins, the game's leading rusher with 105 yards on 19
carries, also scored on a five-yard run to end the scoring in
the fourth period. His teammates in the offensive backfield Mike
Horton and Duaine Ball accounted for 136 yards and a pair of
touchdowns, while defensive back Tim Johnson returned a Glen
Inverso pass 43 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth
period. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
9 |
| West Virginia |
|
13 |
|
14 |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
41 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
SA |
|
WV |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
21 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 59 |
|
? - 255 |
| Passing yards |
|
138 |
|
192 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
13
-34 - 3 |
|
13 -
23 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 37 |
|
3 - 36 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
0 - 0 |
|
2 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
6 -
46 |
|
14 -
152 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
|
Horton 21 run (Gradfelter
kick) |
| WV |
|
Ball 1 run (kick failed) |
| SA |
|
Lander 28 field goal |
| WV |
|
White 38 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 7 pass from Walker
(Gradfelter kick) |
| SA |
|
Cahill 1 run (kick failed) |
| WV |
|
Johnson 43 interception return
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 5 run (McDaniel kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Fire edges
Jacksonville on Marek's 2 late scores |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bill Jauss -
Chicago Tribune |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Bill Marek, who rushed for 154 yards, scored both
fourth-quarter touchdowns. And Mark Carlson, completing passes
when he had to, directed both drives.
But both of them knew who really was responsible for the Chicago
Fire nipping Jacksonville 13-12 Monday night and coming even
closer to serving as host for Chicago's first pro football
playoff game since 1963.
"Our defense kept us in the game," said Marek. "And that goal
line stand psyched up the offense."
"The defense played their butts off," said Carlson. "And, after
they held on at the goal line, our big guys up front - the
offense - got a big lift. Our big men up front - our blockers -
just felt, 'now, we've got to do it!'"
It was the classic team victory, and it put the Fire on the
verge of returning to Soldier Field for a first-round American
Football Association playoff game on Aug. 24. |
|
Their probable opponent would be the same Firebirds who
took a 12-0 lead Monday night and seemed certain to spring into
a 19-0 lead.
By winning, the fire remained in first place in the AFA
Western Division. They will finish first if they lose by no more
than eight points when they close their regular season at San
Antonio Saturday night.
That's because the Fire beat San Antonio by nine in their
previous game, and the point spread in the two games decides the
divisional winner in case of a tie in the standings.
Carlson threw an interception and Marek fumbled away the
ball to stake the visitors to their 12-0 lead. Jacksonville
seemed sure to take a three-TD lead when Warren Gaffner returned
Carlson's interception 16 yards to the Fire 18, and the visitors
moved to a first down on the Fire 3-yard line late in the third
period.
"I was shakin' when they got down to the 3 and then to the
1," said Scott Mielke, the |
|
cornerback from Western, Illinois. "But the guys kept saying,
'buckle down... we've got to stop 'em here!' And the guys up
front stopped those three runs."
Mielke referred to linemen Charles Krutsinger and Bill
Huskisson, linebackers John Norton, Doug Cozen, and Dave
Novosel, and the others who stopped the three rushing plays.
Then it was Mielke's turn.
Albert Chester, who had passed 40 yards for the game's
first score, tried to hit speedy Charlie Brown on fourth down
from the 1. "I had him, kept on him," said Mielke. "I was able
to knock it down."
Properly inspired, the offense began clicking behind a
patchwork line. "Steve McKenzie was out with a bad knee," said
Carlson. "We had guys in there who have been with us only a
week. But after the defense made that stand, we quit making
mistakes and moved the ball." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Jacksonville |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
6 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
12 |
| Chicago |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
13 |
|
- |
|
13 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
JA |
|
CH |
| First downs |
|
13 |
|
20 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
32 - 115 |
|
44 - 234 |
| Passing yards |
|
124 |
|
79 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
9 -
26 - 0 |
|
10 -
19 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
2 - 29.7 |
|
3 - 36.2 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 2 |
|
4 - 3 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
7 -
45 |
|
5 -
35 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
|
Bogin 40 pass from Chester
(kick failed) |
| JA |
|
Ervin 1 run (pass failed) |
| CH |
|
Marek 3 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 1 run (pass failed) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago Fire
at
San Antonio Charros
August 15, 1981
- Harlandale Memorial Stadium - |
|
|
| |
| Chicago blasts
Charros to take Western title |
|
|
|
|
|
| San Antonio
Light |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Chicago Fire, behind the masterful quarterbacking of
Mark Carlson, whipped the San Antonio Charros 38-14 yesterday to
win the West Division championship of the American Football
Association.
The Charros now are forced into a rematch with the West Virginia
Rockets Sunday night at 8 in Charleston. Chicago hosts the
Jacksonville Firebirds Monday evening at Soldier Field in the
other first round playoff, with the winners meeting Aug. 29 for
the AFA championship.
Carlson engineered three long scoring drives as the Fire put it
to the Charros on their home turf, passing for three touchdowns
while hitting 13 of 18 tosses for 214 yards. He hit 10 straight
during the first two touchdown drives which ate up 96 and 90
yards respectively.
The fire jumped to a 14-0 lead early in the second period and
the Charros were forced into a game of catch up. They knotted
the score at 14-all with 2:47 remaining in the half, but an
untimely Charros penalty set up a 24-yard Nick |
|
Labun field goal with a second remaining in the half to give the
Fie a 17-14 lead at intermission.
Mark Cahill plunged across from the one for the first
Charros touchdown which was set up by his 41- yard pass to Tony
Armstrong on the Fire 5. Bon Dunn carried for 2, then a pass
interference call set up a first and goal on the one, with
Cahill scoring on the next play. Armstrong's reception was his
fourth of the game and his 78 yards at that point erased the AFA
season yardage receiving mark he shared with Carolina's Reggie
"Super Nat" Smith, now with the Atlanta Falcons. Armstrong
finished with 8 catches for 142 yards to boost his season record
total to 1016 yards.
The second Charros' score followed a short Rick Nash punt
to the Fire 47. They drove the distance in six plays with a
Cahill passing four yards to Greg Jackson for the tying
touchdown. Highlight of the drive was a 16-yard toss to
Armstrong. Rich Lander's kick evened the score.
The Fire took the second half kickoff and |
|
marched 70 yards for a touchdown with a Carlson to Eric Rouse
38-yard touchdown play capping the drive.
Chicago tacked on insurance touchdowns in the final period
on a 4-yard run by Marek and a 26-yarder by Jerry Bey.
The Charros finish their regular season with a 6-5 record
while Chicago is 8-3. It was also a frustrating night for
Charros' wide recevier Greg Jackson who needed only two
touchdowns to tie Reggie Smith's AFA record of 13 touchdowns
passing. On the next to last play of the game, he broke loose on
a 35-yarder from Cahill, but was pulled down on the four and
finished the season with 12 touchdowns receiving.
Marek led all rushers with 17 carries for 89 yards. Tops
for the Charros was newcomer Kenny Sessions with nine carries
for 44 yards. Jackson finished the night with 4 catches for 58
yards. The Fire's leading receiver was Dave Petzke with five
catches for 75 yards. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
7 |
|
14 |
|
- |
|
38 |
| San Antonio |
|
0 |
|
14 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
- |
|
14 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
CH |
|
SA |
| First downs |
|
21 |
|
17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
42 - 181 |
|
21 - 66 |
| Passing yards |
|
214 |
|
251 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
14 -
19 - 1 |
|
18 -
35 - 2 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
4 - 31.5 |
|
4 - 36.8 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
3 - 1 |
|
4 - 1 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
13 -
122 |
|
10 -
102 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| CH |
|
Baldwin 22 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 21 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| SA |
|
Cahill 1 run (Lander kick) |
| SA |
|
Jackson 4 pass from Cahill
(Lander kick) |
| CH |
|
Labun 24 field goal |
| CH |
|
Rouse 38 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Marek 4 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
|
Bey 26 run (Labun kick) |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
Chicago: Dave Novosel (41)
San Antonio: Tony Armstrong (88) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Hunters lose; it
gets ugly |
|
|
|
|
|
| Blair Kerkhoff
- Roanoke Times |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
It was a pathetic sight. Not West Virginia's 30-8 victory
over Virginia Saturday night that eliminated the Hunters from
the American Football Association playoffs. That was merely
embarrassing.
The brawls, three bench-clearing fistfights and helmet beatings
in the fourth quarter, turned this dull AFA mismatch into an
ugly mob scene.
After the final incident, an isolated square-off near the
Rockets' end zone, the officials had seen enough. The game ended
20 seconds prematurely nearly four hours after the opening
kickoff. At least six players were ejected, but no one seemed to
agree on a total.
Unfortunately for the Hunters, the fights were more evenly
matched than the game. Virginia held its own early against the
AFA champs but could muster no offense until the final minute.
And it was the game's first ejection that took the Hunters
out of their game plan. |
|
Virginia's leading receiver, Anthony Smith, got the first thumb
for scuffling with Rockets linebacker Dan Rains late in the
opening quarter. Rains was also ejected.
"It greatly limited our offense," said Hunters coach Eddie
Joyce.
Virginia's touchdown did come on a 14-yard aerial from
quarterback Mike Pusey to end Ron Zollicoffer just before the
game was called, but that was one of only 16 passes in 35
attempts he completed. He threw four interceptions.
When the Hunters abandoned their passing game, they went to
their rushing game "too many times," according to Joyce.
William "Boo Boo" Trent ground out 145 yards and the
Hunters actually outgained their opponent in total yards,
336-294. However, eight Hunter turnovers tipped the scales
heavily in favor of West Virginia.
Between Pusey's first-down strikes to Smith, the Hunters
were penalized so many times, it appeared they were stuck in
reverse. |
|
Meanwhile, the Hunters' secondary played brilliantly at
times, but was caught napping on two scoring strikes by
quarterback Clyde Walker that gave West Virginia a 14-2 lead at
halftime.
For nearly a quarter, Virginia was winning this game.
Actually, the Hunters embarrassed the powerful Rocket offense.
Hunter punter Bill Miller put West Virginia back on its
3-yard-line with a 40-yard boot. Two plays later, linebacker
Mike Goedecker got to Walker in the end zone before the Rocket
offensive line came out of its stance.
Virginia got a break later in the quarter when West
Virginia kicker Bruce McDaniel, a Virginia Tech graduate, pushed
a 32-yard field-goal attempt wide.
But Hunter running back D.J. Jones fumbled the ball right
back and the Rockets didn't let this opportunity slip away.
After an incomplete pass, Walker found Craig Lazzaro for a
21-yard touchdown pass. The Rockets never trailed again. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Score by Quarters |
| Virginia |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
8 |
| West Virginia |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
6 |
|
- |
|
30 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Statistics |
| |
|
VA |
|
WV |
| First downs |
|
19 |
|
15 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
|
? - 134 |
|
? - 93 |
| Passing yards |
|
202 |
|
201 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
|
17 -
37 - 5 |
|
12 -
26 - 0 |
|
Punts - avg |
|
6 - 32.8 |
|
6 - 36.0 |
| Fumbles - lost |
|
8 - 3 |
|
2 - 2 |
|
Penalties - yards |
|
14 -
128 |
|
10 -
100 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scoring Summary |
| VA |
|
Safety Walker tackled in end
zone |
| WV |
|
Lazzaro 22 pass from Walker
(Gladfelter kick) |
| WV |
|
Rollins 9 pass from Walker
(Gladfelter kick) |
| WV |
|
Butler 29 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
|
McDaniel 52 field goal |
| WV |
|
Walls 18 interception return
(kick failed) |
| VA |
|
Zollicoffer 14 pass from Pusey
(kick failed) |
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NO LOGO
AVAILABLE |
Marietta Thunderbolts
(Georgia
Professional Football Association)
at
Jacksonville Firebirds
- EXHIBITION -
August 15, 1981
- Gator Bowl - |
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| AFA playoff-bound
Firebirds breeze through tune-up 68-0 |
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| Gordon Robbie -
Florida Times-Union |
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Everyone seemed satisfied, although some hedged a bit, as
the Jacksonville Firebirds, in a tune-up for the American
Football Association playoffs, defeated the Atlanta- Marietta,
Ga. Thunderbolts 68-0 last night at the Gator Bowl.
Firebirds coach Corky Rogers was unhesitatingly pleased his
troops played so well against an admittedly outmanned opponent;
Thunderbolts head coach Andy Callahan was shell-shocked but
satisfied that his team became exposed to AFA competition; and
the 3,485 fans were mostly out of their skulls with delight.
Perhaps the most pleased were two defensive regulars who scored
touchdowns. Firebirds linebacker Ray Nettles, a former
all-Canadian Football League player, scored the first touchdown
of his entire career, recovering a Marietta fumble in the end
zone in the first half. And defensive lineman Mark Juen, playing
on offense late in the game, scored the final touchdown of the
night with 11 seconds remaining in the game.
The Thunderbolts, who play in the Georgia Professional Football
Association, were a fill-in
opponent for the Firebirds in their last game of the regular
season, replacing the defunct |
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Shreveport Steamer. Rogers had hoped the game would be a good
tune-up for post-season action.
"I don't know if it was," Rogers said. "The Thunderbolts
played hard and made us work but I don't know if this was a true
test."
Thunderbolts offensive coach Mel Schoychid, looking for
complimentary words, asked Rogers, "Why did you have to pass so
much in the second half?"
The 'Birds led at the half 33-0.
"We tried to call plays which would sort of hold the boys
back. But this is an eager bunch of men and they want to win.
They were calling their own plays," Rogers said in a polite,
apologetic manner.
Rogers finally called a play that worked when Juen scored
from 3 yards out at the game's end. "We sent Juen in to run
behind Reggie Battles. It worked."
But eight other plays that Rogers said he didn't call found
Jacksonville scoring after each one.
Quarterback Albert Chester played the first and fourth
periods and threw three touchdown passes, two to Charlie Dorsey
and one to Mel Foster. Quarterback Don Gaffney, who carried
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the ball or passed in all but two of the 'Birds' plays in both
the second and third quarters, passed for one touchdown to
Dorsey. Jacksonville had 344 yards in the air to 92 for the
Thunderbolts, all thrown by quarterback Anthony Griffin.
The Firebirds ran up 219 yards rushing to only 29 for
Marietta. George Solomon matched Dorsey's three TDs, getting
them on runs of 3, 2 and 5 yards.
It didn't take the Firebirds long to score, going across in
the opening minutes while still toying with the unfamiliar foe
like a cat getting ready for the kill.
Chester passed five yards to Dorsey at 11:50 in the first
quarter to end a 45-yard drive on the Birds' first pos- session.
The flood tide of 'Bird TDs kept flowing after that while the
Thunderbolts didn't get a sniff at the goal line.
Nettles' recovery of the fumble in the end zone in the
first half seemed to take the final spark out of the
Thunderbolts. Nettles gained his newfound glory with his
parents, observing their 39th wedding anniversary, sitting in
the stands. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Marietta |
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0 |
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0 |
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0 |
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0 |
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- |
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0 |
| Jacksonville |
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14 |
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19 |
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21 |
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14 |
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- |
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68 |
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| Statistics |
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MA |
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JA |
| First downs |
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3 |
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16 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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20 - 29 |
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37 - 219 |
| Passing yards |
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92 |
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344 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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6 -
14 - 2 |
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15 -
20 - 0 |
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Punts - avg |
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7 - 41 |
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1 - 45 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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5 - 2 |
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3 - 1 |
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Penalties - yards |
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5 -
45 |
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9 -
95 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
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Dorsey 5 pass from Chester
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Solomon 3 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Dorsey 22 pass from Chester
(kick failed) |
| JA |
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Nettles recovered fumble in
end zone (pass failed) |
| JA |
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Ervin 1 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Dorsey 7 pass from Gaffney
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Solomon 2 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Solomon 5 run (Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Foster 24 pass from Chester
(Leavitt kick) |
| JA |
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Juen 3 run (Leavitt kick) |
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Playoffs |
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West Virginia is final foe
Ex-Illini lead Fire into championship game |
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| Bill Jauss -
Chicago Tribune |
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For Eric Rouse, the play was sheer retribution. For Mike
Holmes, it was the chance to show off "my pretty good arm"
against a defense that was absolutely sure I would run."
And for the Chicago Fire, Sunday's Holmes-to-Rouse 48-yard
halfback option TD pass before an estimated 5,000 fans in
Soldier Field was the spark that ignited a 24-17 playoff victory
over Jacksonville. And it earned the Fire a berth in the
American Football Association title game.
The Fire will play West Virginia (a 41-12 winner over San
Antonio in the other semifinal Sunday) in Charleston, W. Va.,
next Sunday night for the AFA championship. But until Holmes and
Rouse hooked up on their all-Illini play Sunday, it looked as
though Jacksonville was headed for the final.
The Firebirds led 7-0 when Fire quarterback Mark Carlson
shoveled the ball to Holmes, a 210-pound running back from
Illinois.
"Oh, it was beautiful." said Rouse after the victory. "Gary
Moeller wouldn't let us do that at Illinois. A halfback pass was
too fancy for him." |
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Rouse, who feels his receiving talents were wasted in
Champaign, is delighted with Fire coach Jim Morel's offensive
philosophy. "It was the same play that Les Varner threw to me on
an end-around pass earlier this year," Rouse said.
"Yeah, but they knew Varner was a quarterback," said
Holmes. "They didn't know I could pass. They thought it was a
sweep. Eric got past their free safety, I hung it up a little,
but I knew he'd get it.
Rouse scored another touchdown on an 11-yarder from Carlson
and Carlson hit Dave Petzke on a 6-yard curl near the flag to
help the Fire build a lead of 21-7 early in the third quarter
and it was still 21-14 with 10 seconds left in the third period.
Once again, however, the Fire had to rely on John Norton,
Bill Huskisson and fellow defenders to hold on to the lead.
Scrambling quarterbacks Don Gaffney and Albert Chester led
Jacksonville to 10 late points, and Chester sneaked for a first
down on the Fire 13-yard line with the score 24-17 and |
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two minutes to play.
Jacksonville coach Corky Rogers, who previously gambled
(and lost) on a pass from punt formation and a fourth-and-one
run on his own 10 yard line, was going to gamble for a two-point
conversion and victory. But the Fire defense wouldn't permit him
that chance.
Middle guard Huskisson then sacked Chester for a 12-yard
loss back on the 25. On fourth and 10 from the 10, Chester
passed to Earl Solomon, but John Belskis put a hammer lock on
Solomon on the 4, one yard short of a first down, and the Fire
took over.
"We've been doing that all year - making the big play.
That's why we're a 'heart' team," said Huskisson. "Norton is a
great leader. When they had us down deep there, he told us.
'We've done it before: we'll do it again.' Everybody believed
him. We got the fire going. We just knew we could stop them."
Huskisson had his counterpart in Jacksonville's 275-pound
Arlie Jarrell. He was the sacker four of the five times that
Carlson was the sackee. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Jacksonville |
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0 |
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7 |
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7 |
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3 |
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17 |
| Chicago |
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0 |
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14 |
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10 |
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0 |
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- |
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24 |
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| Statistics |
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JA |
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CH |
| First downs |
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21 |
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20 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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31 - 105 |
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34 - 139 |
| Passing yards |
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162 |
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147 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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14 -
38 - 1 |
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13 -
25 - 1 |
| Punts - avg |
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5 - 32 |
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7 - 34 |
| Return yards |
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191 |
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96 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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3 - 1 |
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0 - 0 |
| Penalties - yards |
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9 - 70 |
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8 - 95 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| JA |
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Solomon 2 run (Leavitt kick) |
| CH |
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Rouse 45 pass from Holmes
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Petzke 6 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Rouse 11 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| JA |
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Solomon 3 run (Leavitt kick) |
| CH |
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Labun 27 field goal |
| JA |
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Leavitt 31 field goal |
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Jacksonville: ??? Faulk (61)
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Chicago: Mark Sawicki (23), John Belksis (21)
Jacksonville: Eugene Monts (??) |
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Players unknown |
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Chicago: Eric Rouse (82) |
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| West Virginia
roars by Charros, 41-12 |
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| San Antonio
Light |
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The West Virginia Rockets exploded in the faces of the San
Antonio Charros yesterday, romping virtually unmolested to a
41-12 victory in an American Football Association semifinal
playoff game at Laidley Field.
The 10-1 Rockets, the defending AFA champions, will try to
repeat here next Sunday when they host Chicago in the American
Bowl - the AFA's title contest. Chicago defeated Jacksonville
24-17 yesterday in the other playoff. |
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West Virginia, which has scored more than 40 points against
San Antonio in each of the three meetings between the clubs over
the past two seasons, romped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter
and padded the advantage to 34-6 by halftime.
Mike Horton scored three touchdowns for the Rockets,
tallying on runs of 1, 36 and 4 yards. Bart Batten scored twice,
on a 44-yard pass-and-run play and on a 95-yard kickoff return.
Earl Monroe's 25-yard pass interception |
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return accounted for the other West Virginia touchdown. Bruce
McDaniel kicked five extra points.
San Antonio scored field goals of 32 and 37 yards by Rich
Lander and an eight-yard pass from Mark Cahill to Tony
Armstrong.
The Charros, who finished the season at 6-6, could muster
only 17 yards on the ground and Cahill was forced to pass as a
result. He had limited success, connecting on 25 for 54 while
having six intercepted. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| San Antonio |
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0 |
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6 |
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0 |
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6 |
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12 |
| West Virginia |
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21 |
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13 |
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7 |
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0 |
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- |
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41 |
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| Statistics |
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SA |
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WV |
| First downs |
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18 |
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23 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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? - 17 |
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? - 219 |
| Passing yards |
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275 |
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187 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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24 -
55 - 6 |
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13 -
21 - 2 |
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Punts - avg |
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5 - 32 |
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5 - 33 |
| Fumbles - lost |
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2 - 1 |
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4 - 3 |
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Penalties - yards |
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9 -
62 |
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15 -
119 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
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Horton 1 run (McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
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Batten 44 pass from Walker
(McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
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Horton 36 run (McDaniel kick) |
| SA |
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Lander 42 field goal |
| WV |
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Batten 95 kickoff return (kick
failed) |
| SA |
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Lander 37 field goal |
| WV |
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Horton 4 run (McDaniel kick) |
| WV |
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Monroe 25 interception return
(McDaniel kick) |
| SA |
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Armstrong 8 pass from Cahill
(kick failed) |
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American Bowl III |
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Chicago Fire
at
West Virginia Rockets
August 30, 1981
- Laidley Field - |
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| West Virginia
beats Fire for title |
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| Bill Jauss
-Chicago Tribune |
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Punter Rich Nash said it for everyone. His voice broke the
silence in the locker room of the Fire team that had come so
close but missed bringing Chicago a long-awaited pro
championship.
"I don't know about you," said Nash, "but I know there are no
losers in here. We're all winners."
They were everywhere but on the scoreboard, which said that West
Virginia had beaten the Fire 29-21 to retain the American
Football Association title.
The Fire had rallied from a 16-0 deficit, and after Mike Horton
plunged to his third touchdown to give the Rockets a 29- 21 lead
with 1:26 to play, the Fire defenders stood on the sideline
cheering for Mark Carlson's offensive unit to score a touchdown,
make a two-point conversion, and send the game into overtime.
"We've done that all year," said linebacker Dave Novosel, a
Yale graduate and a math |
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teacher at Mt. Carmel High School. "This team won't quit. We
came back and beat Virginia in the last minute. I think we all
thought we were going to do it again."
Eric Rouse, who caught Carlson's 8-yard touchdown pass with
42 seconds left in the first half, said he knew the defenders
were pulling for that final score and it helped him.
"We do it for pride," said Rouse. "The $50 a game doesn't
mean anything. We don't give up. We came further than any
Chicago team has come in a long time. I almost had that one ball
at the end. If I could just have reached a little more..."
The Rockets jumped ahead 13-0 in the first quarter on an
eight-minute opening drive and on Randy Butler's 67-yard punt
return. Bruce McDaniels' 49-yard field goal made it 16-0. The
Fire totaled zero yards for the first 10 minutes of the second
quarter, but some halftime adjustments injected some life into
the offense.
"People had been in my face on their blitz," |
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said Carlson, "and I made mistakes. But I decided, 'This is my
last half of football, so stick in there.' And I started passing
underneath their coverage to the backs and the tight end."
These short passes and Bill Marek's running produced the
touchdown that trimmed West Virginia's lead to 16-14. Then Mike
Holmes' 37-yard sweep put the Fire ahead 21-16.
The game was decided on Horton's second touchdown with
11:38 left and on Holmes' turnover fumble on first-and-10 from
the Rockets' 40 later in the final period.
"We were thinking of running the ball and getting position
for the field goal," said Morel. "We weren't going to take
chances passing. Then Holmes made that fumble. It was a mistake,
that's all."
Holmes was playing for Marek, who was forced from the game
with a rib injury after gaining 47 yards on 15 carries. |
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| Score by Quarters |
| Chicago |
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0 |
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7 |
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14 |
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0 |
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21 |
| West Virginia |
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13 |
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3 |
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0 |
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13 |
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- |
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29 |
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| Statistics |
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CH |
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WV |
| First downs |
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17 |
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17 |
| Rushing (att - yards) |
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35 - 105 |
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51 - 200 |
| Passing yards |
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136 |
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27 |
| Passing (comp -
att - int) |
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16 -
32 - ? |
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2 - 8
- ? |
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Punts - avg |
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4 - 40.8 |
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3 - 41.3 |
| Penalties - yards |
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4 - 36 |
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4 - 40 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| WV |
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Horton 1 run (kick failed) |
| WV |
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Butler 67 punt return
(McDaniels kick) |
| WV |
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McDaniels 49 field goal |
| CH |
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Rouse 8 pass from Carlson
(Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Marek 2 run (Labun kick) |
| CH |
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Holmes 37 run (Labun kick) |
| WV |
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Horton 4 run (conversion
failed) |
| WV |
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Horton 1 run (McDaniels kick) |
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West Virginia: Dwaine Ball (32), Carl Clements (73)
Chicago: Karl Butts (32) |
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Advertising |
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Chicago Fire |
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Jacksonville Firebirds |
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Orlando Americans |
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Texas Wranglers |
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Virginia Hunters |
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