The United States Football League First Round playoff
game at the Houston Astrodome on July 1, 1984 featured the high-powered Houston
Gamblers against the defense-rich Arizona Wranglers.
Under Head Coach Jack Pardee and offensive coordinator
Darrel “Mouse” Davis, the first-year Gamblers operated with a high-scoring
run-and-shoot offense that generated the most touchdowns (79) and points (618)
of any USFL club. Rookie QB Jim Kelly had phenomenal success, most notably
passing for 5219 yards and 44 touchdowns while garnering MVP honors from the
league. Wide receivers Richard Johnson and Ricky Sanders ranked first and
second among the league’s receivers, with 115 and 101 catches, respectively. Houston
could move the ball on the ground, too, as RB Todd Fowler gained 1003 yards
with a hefty 5.9-yards per carry average and RB Sam Harrell added another 697
yards. If there was a chink in the attack, it was the 82 sacks the Gamblers
gave up. The defense was not nearly as glamorous, but was tough against the
run. Overall, Houston had been the most successful of the USFL’s six new teams
for 1984, finishing atop the Central Division with a 13-5 record.
The Wranglers were a veteran-filled club coached by 66-year-old
George Allen. Allen’s teams, most notably the Rams and Redskins in the NFL,
were characterized by strong defense and ball-control offense, and Arizona was
no different. QB Greg Landry was in his 16th pro season at age 37
and still an effective field general who completed 63 percent of his passes for
3534 yards and 26 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. The tandem of RB Tim
Spencer (1212 yards) and FB Kevin Long (1010 yards) was a productive one and WR
Trumaine Johnson led the receivers with 90 catches for 1268 yards and 13 TDs.
The defense was the best at giving up the fewest yards (250.9) and points
(11.3) per game while generating the most sacks (73). DE John Lee was the
individual leader in sacks (20).
There was a crowd of 32,713 on hand at the Astrodome.
They saw the Gamblers put together a scoring drive of 74 yards in the first
quarter. Jim Kelly completed four of his five passes for 44 yards and ran the
ball three times for another 29 yards that included a 14-yard touchdown.
The Arizona defense began to assert itself in the second
quarter, however, as two key sacks by the Wranglers forced the Gamblers to
settle for field goal attempts, one of which was successful by Toni Fritsch
from 38 yards and the other a miss from 46 yards following back-to-back sacks
by John Lee and DE Karl Lorch. Just before the half, Frank Corral booted a
32-yard field goal for the Wranglers and the score was 10-3 at the
intermission.
For all of Houston’s ability to move the ball, the home
team had difficulty getting into the end zone. Still, Arizona wasn’t scoring
either and, after Fritsch kicked a 22-yard field goal midway through the third
quarter and then added another three points from 25 yards out early in the
final period, the Gamblers held a 16-3 lead with fewer than 14 minutes to play.
Two squibbed punts helped Arizona to come back. First, a
15-yard kick by Dale Walters gave the Wranglers good field position. They made
the most of it as Greg Landry completed a pass to TE Paul Ricker for 28 yards
and then Tim Spencer ran 20 yards for a touchdown that, with the successful
extra point, put them six points behind with 6:11 still to play.
Once again Houston was forced to punt, and this time
Walters booted the ball only 13 yards. Landry completed passes to RB Doug
Dennison that gained 22 yards and WR Lenny Willis for another 13 before tossing
to Dennison again for an 11-yard touchdown. Corral added the critical extra
point to provide Arizona with a one-point margin with 1:49 left on the clock.
The defense made it stand up and the Wranglers came away with a 17-16 win to
advance to the next round.
Houston significantly outgained the Wranglers (415 yards
to 196), had more first downs (23 to 13), and dominated time of possession
(37:15 to 22:45). However, Arizona’s defense held when necessary and sacked Jim
Kelly six times while intercepting two of his passes – plus, the two shanked
punts in the fourth quarter were disastrous for the Gamblers.
Greg Landry completed 11 of 22 passes for 130 yards with
a touchdown and an interception. Doug Dennison caught three passes for 27 yards
and the game-winning TD while RB Allan Clark topped the club with 43 yards on
his two receptions. Tim Spencer rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries that included
a TD and Kevin Long was held to 19 yards on 6 attempts.
For the Gamblers, Jim Kelly was successful on 23 of 34
throws for 301 yards with no TDs and the two interceptions – he was held
without a touchdown pass for the first time all season. WR Scott McGhee pulled
in 7 passes for 112 yards and Todd Fowler carried the ball 19 times for 84
yards. Kelly added another 59 yards and a TD on 8 rushes.
“The key to winning the game was poise and playing
together,” said George Allen, who broke a personal four-game postseason losing
streak as a pro head coach with Arizona’s win. “Don’t take chances. Every play
could be the game in the last six minutes.”
The Wranglers went on to mount another fourth quarter
comeback and defeat the Los Angeles Express the next week to win the Western
Conference Championship. Advancing to the USFL title game, they lost to the
Philadelphia Stars, which marked the end of Allen’s pro coaching career. The
team was merged with the Oklahoma Outlaws to become the Arizona Outlaws in 1985
and finished at 8-10 in the USFL’s final year. Houston reached the postseason
at 10-8 but again fell in the first round.
