I know Louisville is doing well, but has Le'Darius done well? Not trying to sidetrack the thread, just wondering.

Huh, I had forgotten that notorious serial killer, Ed Edwards, decided just to settle down and play football in this universe. His "killer instinct" stays true throughout the multiverse.

So week 12 has a lot of playoff implications?

1967 Week 12

Roster Moves
LOU: OL Kurt Booker - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
LOU: OL Scott Liebowitz - Free Agent -> Signed to Active Roster
PIT: LB Patrick Hamilton - Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PIT: LB Garrett DeGraaf - Reserve List -> Active Roster

Ottawa Royals - 15, Halifax Mariners - 23 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 9, 1967 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
2nd Q
0-6 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
0-13 HFX - PTD QB Jace Beleren -> WR Nick Nacker
3rd Q
7-13 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
7-16 HFX - FG K Albert Wickerweaver
4th Q
7-23 HFX - RTD RB Stavros Black
13-23 OTT - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> WR Marshall Leonard
15-23 OTT - 2PT RB Corbyn Knight

A disappointing end to the season for the Royals and QB Michael Benedict will likely take the brunt of the fall for this one. 
Benedict struggled with 3 interceptions and a fumble, with two of the interceptions coming in the first half which gave Halifax a 13-0 lead.
The Mariners’ defence finally showed their potential with 5 total turnovers on the day which helped to give the Mariners great field position throughout the game; the most notable one was DB Finnegan Pike’s first career pick.
Halifax did start a lot of back-ups in the game, most notably QB Jace Beleren, who got his first career start.
Beleren did just fine, and with the help of his defence, he was able to lift the Mariners to victory.
RB Stavros Black also got the start in what could be his final game; he rushed for 94 yards and had the game-clinching touchdown, which would be his only touchdown of the season.
Ottawa made a late comeback attempt, but they were not anywhere near winning this game putting an end to their season.

Montreal Rouge - 30, Providence Gold Stars - 33 - Mount Royal Stadium - September 9, 1967 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
7-3 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
7-10 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley
2nd Q
10-10 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
17-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
17-17 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
3rd Q
20-17 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
20-20 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
20-27 PRO - RTD RB Rashed Smith
20-30 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin
23-30 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
30-30 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> RB Hugo Hughes
30-33 PRO - FG K Elvis Franklin

The Rouge and Gold Stars had an epic duel to close out the season that came down the wire.
Montreal had a strong start with a touchdown, but O’Rourke was able to answer back with a pair of scores.
Gene Bishop and the Rouge countered with their own field goal and touchdown and looked to be heading into the break with the lead, however, WR Cedric Peterson broke away from his defender and scored a late touchdown to tie it up.
After a quiet 3rd quarter, the teams combined for 23 points in the 4th, with Providence taking an early lead before Montreal came back to tie it.
However, it was Elvis Franklin with the final say in kicking the game-winning field goal, sending the Gold Stars into the playoffs for the first time since 1963.
This result solidified the East playoffs with Long Island clinching the bye and Providence is now set to host Montreal next week.
Boston’s only path to the playoff is through the crossover now.

Long Island Raiders - 26, Boston Independents - 24 - Long Island Stadium - September 9, 1967 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-7 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Felix Fontaine
10-7 LI - RTD RB Greg Dix
2nd Q
13-7 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3rd Q
13-14 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
16-14 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
16-17 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
4th Q
23-17 LI - PTD QB Ivan Sanchez -> WR Troy York
23-24 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
26-24 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher

With Providence’s win over Montreal, the Raiders have already clinched the East Division becoming the first team to finish first in a division 3 years in a row on 2 different occasions. 
They also now have the most division titles by any single team in the NAAF with 7.
With the division locked up, Head Coach Kerry Holder decided to give several players a rest, and some younger lads a chance.
The main focus was at QB with Landon Ross starting the first half, and Ivan Sanchez starting the second half.
Both QBs threw an interception, but Sanchez was the only one to throw a TD and was slightly more efficient through the air while Ross ran the offence in a similar manner to starter Stanley Troyer with RB Greg Dix seeing most of the touches.
It would be a brutal loss for the Independents who will now miss the playoffs despite QB Nathaniel Braddock’s best efforts to win the game late.
To make matters worse, Boston will likely land a top-5 pick in the draft, however, their selection belongs to Louisville due to the Oliver Langstrom deal.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 17, Indiana Victors - 44 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - September 10, 1967 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
0-10 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
0-17 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
2nd Q
7-17 PIT - RTD RB Carter Roy
7-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
7-27 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Ed Edwards
3rd Q
14-27 PIT - PTD QB Louis Vaughn -> WR Taylor Austin
14-34 IND - PTD QB Tom Applewhite -> WR Silas Peyton
17-34 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
17-41 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
4th Q
17-44 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

Tom Applewhite was on a mission to make sure Indy had a chance to make the playoffs by tearing up the Blacksmiths’ defence. 
He threw 3 touchdowns in the win before playing it safe in the final quarter and cooling down with the 24-point lead.
The Blacksmiths had an ugly day with the Victors, but QB Louis Vaughn played alright with a touchdown and only 1 interception.
Indiana now just has to wait to see what happens between the Thunder and the Blue Wings in the season finale.

Toronto Steelheads - 10, London Tigers - 24 - Anderson Stadium - September 10, 1967 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Clear
1st Q
0-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Cole Fletcher
7-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
7-14 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
3rd Q
7-21 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Russell Wilcox
4th Q
10-21 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
10-24 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers wrapped up their season with a win to clinch their first home playoff game since 1963. 
Rookie WR Cole Fletcher got a lot of action with WR Max Sutton getting hurt early in this one, and he scored a touchdown with the extra reps.
QB Matt Fletcher had his first career start in place of QB Todd Baker for the Steelheads; his first drive was promising with a Max Tracy touchdown, however, had some mistakes with a pick and some rough incompletions, not too bad for a guy that hasn’t started a football game in a few years.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 23, Louisville Thunder - 28 - Milton Charles Stadium - September 10, 1967 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
2nd Q
3-7 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
10-7 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
3rd Q
10-14 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Carter Henderson
17-14 BUF - PTD QB Stanislav Ovechkin -> WR Jimmy Jacks
4th Q
20-14 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
20-21 LOU -  PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Lloyd Lane
23-21 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
23-28 LOU - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Casey Coleman

The Thunder were in a must-win game with the Victors’ win earlier in the day, and they of course had the toughest task of playing the best team in the league.
Luckily, the Blue Wings were not starting QB Charles Lemieux and would run a split game with QB Jack Owens and QB Stanislav Ovechkin.
However, the Blue Wings gave the Thunder a run for their money, especially with Stanislav Ovechkin having a solid half of football in what could be one of his last chances to see the field in his career. 
A pair of 4th quarter field goals gave Buffalo the lead, but QB Buck Murphy would find WR Casey Coleman for a touchdown to win the game late in the 4th and book the Thunder a ticket to the postseason.
It is quite the turnaround for the team that went 1-11 last season, and will be getting ready to visit London next week for the West Division Semi-Final.

Injury Report
LB Garrett Larson BOS - 1 Week
WR Max Sutton LDN - Day-to-Day
TE Tranquille Rousseau LDN - 1 Week
DB Ole Snurlson OTT - 5 Weeks
OL Evan Kilgore TOR - 6 Weeks

Players of the Week

OFF: QB Buck Murphy LOU - 4 Passing Touchdowns, 320 Passing Yards

DEF: DL Wayne Baxton HFX - 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 7 Tackles

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 10-2 -y
London 7-5 -x
Louisville 6-5-1 -x
Indiana 6-6
Pittsburgh 3-9
Toronto 2-10

EAST
Long Island 8-3-1 -y
Providence 7-5 -x
Montreal 7-5 -x
Halifax 5-7
Boston 5-7
Ottawa 5-7

Draft Order - Top 6
1 - Toronto
2 - Pittsburgh
3 - Ottawa
4 - Louisville (from Boston)
5 - Halifax
6 - Indiana
7 - 12 Determined via playoffs
PRO’s 1st belongs to TOR

Power Rankings
1 - Buffalo -
2 - Long Island -
3 - London +1
4 - Providence +2
5 - Montreal -2
6 - Louisville -1
7 - Indiana -
8 - Boston -
9 - Ottawa -
10 - Halifax - 
11 - Pittsburgh -
12 - Toronto - 

1967 Season Results


Playoff Preview

East Division Semi-Final - Providence Gold Stars VS. Montreal Rouge
Head-to-Head: W12: MTL 30-33 PRO
All-Time Playoff Head-to-Head: 5 Games - MTL Leads 3-2
If their week 12 matchup is a preview of what we are going to get in this playoff duel, we are in for a good game to kickoff the playoffs. Both teams have explosive offences, but with some solid defences as well. The Gold Stars seem to have a slim advantage coming into this one. They got the big win last week, which will be a vote of confidence, and that goes along with home-field advantage and probably the better team on paper. However, Montreal has been a team that many have counted out a lot this season and they are still here. Based on stats I like Providence, but I’m going to take the experience of the Jimmy Sargent-led Rouge in this one.
My Pick: Rouge  

West Division Semi-Final - London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder
Head-to-Head: W10: LOU 30-33 LDN
All-Time Playoff Head-to-Head: 3 Games - LDN Leads 2-1
Both teams make a return to the playoffs after being absent last year. The Tigers are probably the hottest team coming into the playoffs with 4 straight wins under their belt. Louisville, on the other hand, has been a little inconsistent down the stretch going 2-3-1 in the second half of the season. Louisville does have the electrifying WR duo of Lloyd Lane and Casey Coleman, along with the breakout QB of Buck Murphy, however, this is the first playoff start for Murphy and first playoff game as a head coach for Malachi Knowles. They are up against the tough company of the very experienced combo of QB Riley Kiernan and Tigers’ head coach Roy Aguirre. I like what Louisville is bringing to the table, but I think the experience of the Tigers is going to win out. 
My Pick: Tigers

Last edited by Wallflower (4/11/2022 5:45 pm)

Part of me wants London to win just so we can send those damn Tigers home ourselves