World Bowl '92 (or
World Bowl II) was the WLAF's second championship
game, played on June 6, 1992 at Olympic Stadium
in Montréal,
Quebec
, Canada
.
43,789 witnessed the matchup between the
Sacramento Surge and the
Orlando Thunder.
The Surge won the game, 21-17, behind QB
David Archer's MVP performance (22 of 33 for
286 Yards with 2 Touchdowns and 1 Interception). The game would be
the only
World Bowl involving two North
American-based
WLAF teams, as well as the
only World Bowl played on North American soil. It would also be the
last game either team would play, and the last WLAF game until 1995
as the league sought to restructure.
Background
The Surge and Thunder finished with identical 8-2 records, the best
win-loss record in the league. Orlando, the winners of the North
American East division, easily handled
Birmingham 45-7 in the playoff semifinal
round, while North American West champ Sacramento defeated
Barcelona, 17-15.
Game summary
The Thunder struck first with a 12-play, 98-yard drive that was
capped off when Thunder QB
Scott Mitchell threw a
10-yard TD pass to FB Mike Mathes for the only score in the first
quarter. In the second quarter, the Surge got into the game with
Louis Orengo's 32-yard field goal. The Thunder's second drive
wasn't as successful as their first, so they had to punt.
Fortunately for the Thunder, the Surge's All-World receiver Eddie
Brown fumbled the punt, allowing the Thunder to recover the ball at
Sacramento's 9-yard line. Two plays later, Mitchell threw an 8-yard
TD pass to Willis Davis in the back of the end zone to increase
their lead to 14-3. With the first half winding down and the Surge
in a desperate attempt to cut the lead, Sacramento QB David
Archer's pass was intercepted by Thunder DB Malcolm Frank at
midfield and returned to the Surge's 9-yard line. However, the
Surge defense held their ground and forced the Thunder to settle
for a 20-yard field goal by Tracey Bennett. Archer then piloted a
quick Sacramento drive that resulted in a 24-yard Blanchard field
goal that reduced the Thunder's lead to 17-6 at the halftime
break.
Both sides failed to score in the third quarter. In the fourth
quarter, Archer was finally able to get the Surge's offense going.
He led a 10-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard TD pass
to TE Paul Green in the back of the end zone. After that touchdown,
Archer completed a
two-point
conversion pass to
Mark Stock, allowing the
Surge to trail by three points (17-14 Thunder). Afterwards, both
sides had missed opportunities. A good-looking Thunder drive fell
apart as Mitchell fumbled the ball as he got hit in the backfield.
The Surge couldn't capitalize on the fumble recovery as their
possession ended with a missed field goal attempt. Afterwards,
Orland tried to put together a time-consuming drive that would
drain some time and increase their lead, but thanks to the Surge
pass rush, Mitchell was intercepted by Surge LB Mike Jones, who
returned the ball to Orlando's 34-yard line. Sacramento capitalized
on the opportunity as Archer completed a 31-yard pass to RB Mike
hill the start of a 4-play, 34-yard drive that ended with a
game-winning 2-yard TD pass from Archer to Eddie Brown (perfect
redemption for his fumbled 1st Half punt). Afterwards, the Surge
defense denied any chance of a Thunder comeback, assuring
Sacramento a World Bowl victory and the WLAF championship,
21-17.
Scoring summary
- Orlando - TD Mathes 10 yd pass from Mitchell
(Bennett kick) 11:27 elapsed 1st Qtr
- Sacramento - FG Blanchard 32 yd
5:16 elapsed 2nd Qtr
- Orlando - TD Davis 8 yd pass from Mitchell
(Bennett Kick) 8:12 elapsed 2nd Qtr
- Orlando - FG Bennett 20 yd 14:06
elapsed 2nd Qtr
- Sacramento - FG Blanchard 24 yd
14:59 elapsed 2nd Qtr
- Sacramento - TD Green 12 yd pass from Archer
(2-point: Stock pass from Archer) 3:33 elapsed 4th
Qtr
- Sacramento - TD Brown 2 yd pass from Archer
(Blanchard kick) 9:16 elapsed 4th Qtr
External links
Wikis
Map
Search