Go Tigers! London All The Way!

wow, that west division sure is, huh

I am so happy to see Montreal get back to winning, especially with a big win. Buffalo winning is also great, and it shows why they are the defending champs.
 

1965 Week 5

BREAKING NEWS - GOLD STARS FIRE HEAD COACH AND OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
After a shocking 0-4 start, the Gold Stars have decided to make some changes and have fired Head Coach Harry Meadows and Offensive Coordinator Jack Dorsey. Meadows had been the head coach since 1959, after moving over from the defensive coordinator role with the Royals. He had always seemed a bit shaky in the role but was able to maintain some success which did include a trip to the McCallister Cup in 1963. However, at this point, they had enough and decided to make a change. Going along with him is OC Jack Dorsey who had only been hired for the role this offseason, however, the abysmal offence has the team easily willing to move on from Dorsey. 

To replace the two members of the staff, the team has hired former Boston defensive coordinator Carroll Moss as the interim head coach. Moss had been with the Independents for 5 seasons and won a title, and seems like a good fit for at least this season. For OC the team decided to go to an old reliable and hired Dean Parrish as the offensive coordinator. Parrish was once the Gold Stars’ OC from 1956-1958, before being promoted to HC after Roy Aguirre had been let go. He also spent 4 years with the Athletics as their head coach between 1959-1962. Hopefully, the two can turn things around for the Gold Stars who were certainly hoping to be a lot closer to the playoffs this season.

Indiana Victors - 26, Montreal Rouge - 21 - Victory Stadium - July 22, 1965 - 7 PM ET - TNF - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> TE Eli Grant
2nd Q
7-7 IND - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Ed Edwards
7-14 MTL - RTD RB Scott Mallard-White
3rd Q
14-14 IND - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Ed Edwards
17-14 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
4th Q
17-21 MTL - RTD QB Gene Bishop
20-21 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
26-21 IND - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Silas Peyton

The Victors came through with another big win while the Rouge continue to struggle on the road. 
QB Lyle Painter had another solid game with 3 passing touchdowns in the win, outdoing the league leader in Bishop who only had one thrown on the day.
Bishop still had a strong game including taking in his own touchdown to help Montreal take a lead in the 4th.

Ottawa Royals - 33, Louisville Thunder - 27 - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - July 23, 1965 - 7 PM ET - FNF - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 OTT - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Marshall Leonard
14-0 OTT - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Mackenzie Jones
2nd Q
14-7 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
14-14 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
17-14 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
20-14 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
20-21 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
23-21 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
4th Q
26-21 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
33-21 OTT - RTD RB Corbyn Knight
33-27 LOU - PTD QB Leonidas Dumont -> WR Sammy Moss

The Royals came away with their second straight win over the Thunder.
QB Lee Rogers had a great 1st quarter before the offence fell into a rhythm with field goals throughout the rest of the game.
Louisville did manage to pull themselves back into the game in the second half but it was not enough to catch the Royals in the end. 
DB Jerome Caldwell continued to show improvement in his second season reeling in his 3rd interception of the season.

London Tigers - 20, Long Island Raiders - 18 - Western Fair Stadium - July 24, 1965 - 3 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
7-3 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
2nd Q
7-10 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields
10-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
3rd Q
17-10 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
17-11 LI - Single K Henderson Schumacher
4th Q
17-18 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
20-18 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth

The Tigers got back to winning on a last-second field goal to improve to 3-2. 
The Raiders’ defence was tough throughout, but QB Riley Kiernan would not be denied in the 2-minute drill.
The Raiders did get a late score on only the second passing touchdown of the season for QB Stanley Troyer. 
DB Jackson Miles did have a chance to shine coming down with an unreal interception on a pass intended for Raiders’ WR Larry Mossholder.

Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 24, Boston Independents - 30 - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - July 24, 1965 - 7 PM ET - SNF - Weather: Cloudy/Light Showers
1st Q
7-0 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
7-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
7-6 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
2nd Q
7-13 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois
14-13 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
14-16 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
21-16 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Wilson Queensgate
21-23 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
4th Q
24-23 PIT - FG K Al Highlander
24-30 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Alexei Dubois

Pittsburgh recovered from their beatdown against Montreal last week to put up a competitive threat against the Independents, however, QB Nathaniel Braddock was not letting the Independents completely slip and would find the endzone in the 4th to get the win.
RB Stavros Black continues to be the center-piece of the Blacksmiths’ offence with a pair of touchdowns on the day.
DL Timmy Kerr did get the best of Stavros Black once with a forced fumble on the day.
WR Alexei Dubois finally showing up a little more with his best game as an Independent which included the game-winner.

Providence Gold Stars - 8, Toronto Steelheads - 24 - New Providence Stadium - July 25, 1965 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Mostly Cloudy
1st Q
0-7 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
2nd Q
0-14 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
3rd Q
0-17 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
0-24 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
4th Q
6-24 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
8-24 PRO - 2PT QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Owen Paisley

The coaching change in Providence certainly got off to a slow start, however, it isn’t surprising considering the mid-week change. 
The 4th quarter did show some promise, but it certainly may take an extra week to get comfortable.
Toronto on the other hand continued to look good with their strong coaching staff combined with a great performance from RB Max Tracy leading to the team’s 4th win of the season.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 26, Halifax Mariners - 13 - Milton Charles Stadium - July 25, 1965 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
10-0 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
10-3 HFX - FG K Elvis Franklin
2nd Q
13-3 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
13-6 HFX - FG K Elvis Franklin
3rd Q
16-6 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
23-6 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
4th Q
23-13 HFX - PTD QB Michael Benedict -> WR Jav Kerrigan
26-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

The Blue Wings looked to solidify their spot at the top of the NAAF with a big win over the Mariners.
It was a defensive battle overall with both teams being able to stall out the other and force many field goals instead of touchdowns.
Buffalo overall controlled the game and sealed it with a QB Charles Lemieux touchdown to WR Zachariah Pembroke.

Injury Report
DL Tim Hunt IND - 1 Week
DL Blaine Caswell LI - 2 Weeks
LB Deon Wiggins LI - 9 Weeks
OL Barry Florence LDN - Day-to-Day
S Paul Christopher PRO - Day-to-Day

Players of the Week

OFF: WR Ed Edwards IND - 2 Receiving Touchdowns, 113 Receiving Yards

DEF: DB Jackson Miles LDN - 1 Interception, 6 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended. 

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 4-1
Toronto 4-1
Indiana 3-2
London 3-2
Pittsburgh 2-3
Louisville 2-3

EAST
Halifax 3-2
Boston 3-2
Montreal 2-3
Long Island 2-3
Ottawa 2-3
Providence 0-5

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

Week 6 Games - RIVALRY WEEK
HFX (3-2) @ LI (2-3) - JUL 30 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
PIT (2-3) @ TOR (4-1) - JUL 31 - 12 PM ET
IND (3-2) @ LOU (2-3) - JUL 31 - 3:30 PM ET 
PRO (0-5) @ BOS (3-2) - JUL 31 - 7 PM ET - Saturday Night Football
OTT (2-3) @ MTL (2-3) - AUG 1 - 1 PM ET
LDN (3-2) @ BUF (4-1) - AUG 1 - 4 PM ET

1965 Week 6

Long Island Raiders - 20, Halifax Mariners - 5 - Long Island Stadium - July 30, 1965 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
3-2 HFX - Safety DL Wayne Baxton
2nd Q
10-2 LI - PTD QB Stanley Troyer -> WR Casey Coleman
3rd Q
13-2 LI - FG K Henderson Schumacher
13-5 HFX - FG K Elvis Franklin
4th Q
20-5 LI - RTD RB Dareion Fields

The Raiders’ defence came up big with a stellar performance against the Mariners keeping the team at only 5 points (3 offensively) all game.
LB William Washington II had a strong day with 11 tackles and a forced fumble, and DB Rutherford Winters and DB Alexander Bradley both came down with an interception.
Halifax’s offence could not move the ball and continuously ran into mistakes and great pressure from the Raider defence which did lead to 4 sacks on the day.

Toronto Steelheads - 32, Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - 23 - Anderson Stadium - July 31, 1965 - 12 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy
10-0 TOR - FG K Bob Randall
10-3 FG K Al Highlander
2nd Q
17-3 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Samuel Petri
17-9 PIT - RTD RB Stavros Black
3rd Q
24-9 TOR - PTD QB Todd Baker -> WR Edmund Landry
24-16 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Ben Roland
4th Q
25-16 TOR - Single K Bob Randall
25-23 PIT - PTD QB Buck Murphy -> WR Jack Duncan
32-23 TOR - RTD RB Max Tracy

The Steelheads got revenge on the Blacksmiths in the rematch from their week 3 matchup; the win gives the Steelheads their 3rd straight win.
QB Todd Baker and RB Max Tracy continued to roll on and show that the duo seems to be taking the Steelheads to the next level leaving the team at 5-1 through 6 games.
Pittsburgh certainly didn’t have a bad game as a pair of passing touchdowns from QB Buck Murphy kept it close until Tracy sealed the game late in the 4th.

Louisville Thunder - 13, Indiana Victors - 20 - Thunder Stadium - July 31, 1965 - 3:30 PM ET - Weather: Partly Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
3-3 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter
2nd Q
10-3 LOU - RTD RB Rodney Clark
3rd Q
10-10 IND - RTD RB Raymond Green
10-17 IND - PTD QB Lyle Painter -> WR Ed Edwards
13-17 LOU - FG K Frank Hughes
4th Q
13-20 IND - FG K Ross Poindexter

The struggles continued for the Thunder while the Victors continued to find their footing. 
Louisville looked in control in the first half, especially with their defence coming up with a pair of turnovers from DB Oliver Langstrom and S Johnny Berger.
In the second half, it ended up being Indiana who started to come back with a pair of touchdowns in the 3rd to take a lead.
Louisville’s offence sputtered in the second half with the Victors’ defence stepping up to take control of the game.

Boston Independents - 30, Providence Gold Stars - 13 - Richardson Stadium - July 31, 1965 - 7 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
3-0 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
10-0 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
2nd Q
10-3 PRO - FG K Maurice Lafayette
13-3 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg
3rd Q
20-3 BOS - PTD QB Nathaniel Braddock -> WR Evan Clanton
20-6 PRO - FG K Maurice Lafayette
4th Q
20-13 PRO - PTD QB Connor O’Rourke -> WR Cedric Peterson
27-13 BOS - RTD RB Kendall Morgan
30-13 BOS - FG K Johnnie Berg

It seems like the Gold Stars still have a lot of things to figure out as they fell once again to drop to 0-6.
Boston certainly knew how to handle the Gold Stars in this win with what looked to be a dominant win for the team.
RB Kendall Morgan got a chance to shine more in this one with a pair of touchdowns and 86 yards on the ground.
DB Neville Falkner almost had a pick taken back to the endzone but was stopped by WR Alexei Dubois before he got there.

Montreal Rouge - 24, Ottawa Royals - 26 - Mount Royal Stadium - August 1, 1965 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
0-3 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
0-10 OTT - KRTD WR Colby Bancana
2nd Q
7-10 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
7-13 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
3rd Q
14-13 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Taylor Karis
14-16 OTT - FG K Ira Foster
14-23 OTT - PTD QB Lee Rogers -> WR Colby Bancana
4th Q
21-23 MTL - PTD QB Gene Bishop -> WR Yahui Sun
24-23 MTL - FG K Arthur Kettinger
24-26 OTT - FG K Ira Foster

The Rouge-Royals rivalry saw another classic with the Royals pulling off the surprising upset on a last-second field goal from Ira Foster.
The Royals did jump out to a couple of leads off of a great game from 2nd-year WR Colby Bancana who took home a punt return for a score and then stepped up for the injured WR Mackenzie Jones and scored again.
The Rouge were able to rebound and take 2-point leads twice, but they could not stay ahead in the end.

Buffalo Blue Wings - 33, London Tigers - 30 - Milton Charles Stadium - August 1, 1965 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy
1st Q
7-0 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Zachariah Pembroke
7-7 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
14-7 BUF - PTD QB Charles Lemieux -> WR Julius Drake
14-10 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
2nd Q
21-10 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
21-13 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
24-13 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch
3rd Q
24-16 LDN - FG K Nimrod Handsworth
24-22 LDN - RTD RB Austin Andrews
4th Q
30-22 BUF - RTD RB Jimmy Golden
30-28 LDN - PTD QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Dwayne Alexander
30-30 LDN - 2PT QB Riley Kiernan -> WR Max Sutton
33-30 BUF - FG K Ryan Perch

The Blue Wings and Tigers made a great encore for the Royals-Rouge matchup with another game that came down to a field goal at the end. 
An eventful game early on quieted down, but slowly London managed to inch back into the game.
Buffalo had the chance to ice the game, but K Ryan Perch missed the point-after which allowed the Tigers to tie the game up.
Perch was able to redeem himself by the end of the game with the game-winning kick to give Buffalo their 5th win of the season.

Injury Report
RB Rodney Clark LOU - 2 Weeks
WR Mackenzie Jones OTT - Season

Players of the Week

OFF: RB Max Tracy TOR - 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 119 Rushing Yards

DEF: LB William Washington II LI - 11 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble

Standings
WEST
Buffalo 5-1
Toronto 5-1
Indiana 4-2
London 3-3
Pittsburgh 2-4
Louisville 2-4

EAST
Boston 4-2
Long Island 3-3
Halifax 3-3
Ottawa 3-3
Montreal 2-4
Providence 0-6

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

Week 7 Games
PIT (2-4) @ LI (3-3) - AUG 5 - 7 PM ET - Thursday Night Football
TOR (5-1) @ LOU (2-4) - AUG 6 - 7 PM ET - Friday Night Football
IND (4-2) @ PRO (0-6) - AUG 7 - 3 PM ET
MTL (2-4) @ HFX (3-3) - AUG 7 - 7 PM ET -Saturday Night Football
BOS (4-2) @ OTT (3-3) - AUG 8 - 1 PM ET
BUF (5-1) @ LDN (3-3) - AUG 8 - 4 PM ET