World Bowl II

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.

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.

coring summary

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Sacramento
R1=0
R2=6
R3=0
R4=15
RT=21
Home=Orlando
H1=7
H2=10
H3=0
H4=0
HT=17
* 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

* [http://www.nfl.com/europa/history/1992 World Bowl '92 article at NFL.com]
* [http://touchdownclaymores.com/worldbowl/winners/1992.php Game Recap & Scoring Summary]