BUF: LB Dallas Dillard | Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
BUF: LB Basti Gräbner (Rookie) | Reserve List -> Active Roster
MIN: RB Hugo Hughes | Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
MIN: WR Sebastian Dassler | Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
MIN: RB Allen Navarro | Reserve List -> Active Roster
MIN: WR Montana Stole | Receive List -> Active Roster
PRO: QB Red King | Active Roster -> Injured Reserve
PRO: QB Daryl Plum (Rookie) | Reserve List -> Active Roster
(8) Buffalo Blue Wings @ (1) Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - Riverfront Stadium of Pittsburgh - October 9, 1971 - 2:00 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy - 18°C | 64°F - Attendance: 48,474
A crazy crowd in Pittsburgh gathered in the old Riverfront Stadium for the first playoff game in the city in over 2 decades. The excitement was almost overwhelming. Early on, the game was slow. Both teams struggled to move the ball. Buffalo’s offence was being shut down by a determined Blacksmiths’ defence, while the absence of WR Orlando Barrack and WR Edward Washington was starting to show for the Blacksmiths with several dropped passes from their replacements. The Blue Wings would eventually find a way to get some points on the board after WR Jimmy Jack escaped a tackle attempt from DB Aiden Sargent to pick up 16 yards and set up K Ryan Perch for a field goal. The opening quarter would end with the Blue Wings up 3-0.
BUF 3-0 PIT
2nd Quarter
Pittsburgh’s offence rebounded in the 2nd with RB Max Tracy starting to become a factor. The veteran RB would slowly chip away at the Blue Wings’ D-line, while QB Louis Vaughn would occasionally toss a pass to keep Buffalo honest. Eventually, Tracy would break through to the endzone midway through the 2nd to give Pittsburgh the lead and re-energize the home crowd. Buffalo’s offence would struggle with the noise from the Pittsburgh faithful and had a couple of miscommunications throughout the quarter. The worst of which saw WR Tracy Driscoll make the wrong cut allowing DB Zed McLaughlin to catch the ball uncontested for an interception. Pittsburgh would add a field goal to their lead before the half.
BUF 3-10 PIT
3rd Quarter
The Blue Wings would attempt to knock the Blacksmiths off their game in the 3rd. The defence, especially, getting a little more physical and rough around the edges. They came at the Blacksmiths with more aggression. Overall, they stayed within the rules and kept it clean if just physical. Pittsburgh’s offence would start to feel it with QB Louis Vaughn taking a couple of licks as the team only picked up a single first down in the first 8 minutes of the quarter. On the other side, Buffalo’s offence would manage to get down for another field goal to cut the lead down to just 4. On Pittsburgh’s next drive after the field goal, they would catch a break with QB Louis Vaughn firing a quick pass to WR Taylor Austin. Austin slipped past DB Dean Hawkins and picked up 23 on the play. On the next play, RB Max Tracy would pick up another 1st down. After another Tracy run for 2 yards, Vaughn would go back to the air. He didn’t get the ball off as quickly this time, so he had to move around in the pocket. Eventually, he saw WR Justin Anger open up and Vaughn would jump up to get the pass to him. However, as he was in the air, DL Ned Hedman would hammer him from the side. Vaughn went to the ground fast and landed on his throwing arm. The QB yelled out in pain and remained on the ground. Anger had caught the ball but they were well short of the first. Vaughn would end up leaving the game with a fracture in his throwing arm leading QB Leif Christiansen to complete the game. Despite the injury, Pittsburgh remained in front after heading into the 4th.
BUF 6-10 PIT
4th Quarter
In the final frame, the Blue Wings looked to take advantage of the Blacksmiths’ situation. They loaded up the box and aimed to shut down RB Max Tracy and force QB Leif Christiansen to throw the ball. The plan worked and an inaccurate throw from Christiansen would lead to a DB Charles Grimm interception in Pittsburgh territory. QB Charles Lemieux would lead the Blue Wings down the rest of the way before RB Robert Erwin would punch it in from 2 yards out to give them back the lead, 13-10. If they weren’t nervous already, the fans of Pittsburgh certainly were now as their team fell behind. The offence leaned heavily on RB Max Tracy through the next drive. Tracy did some damage, picking up 25 yards, but eventually, the Blue Wings would force a punt. After Buffalo gave the ball back, the Blacksmiths got rolling again. RB Max Tracy put the team on his back and helped them get into field goal range. K Nigel Stewart would come out to kick a 36-yarder, but his boot would be pulled wide left. WR Boris Bohka elected to take the ball out of the endzone and proceeded to return it back to the 37, almost getting into open field if not for a desperate hand to the foot from LB Kyle Essena. The Blue Wings would feed off of the momentum. QB Charles Lemieux would begin to march the offence down the field. He would find WR Jimmy Jack, then TE Paul Arturberry, and then WR Tracy Driscoll who made a contested catch over DB Zed McLaughlin. After RB Yancy Harrison broke away for 12 more yards, Lemieux would step back to throw. He waited patiently, evading a tackle attempt from DL Matthias Hartmann before firing a shot to the back of the endzone where WR Julius Drake would make the catch to extend Buffalo’s lead to 10. Pittsburgh did not give up. RB Max Tracy continued to pick up chunks of yards while Christiansen settled in and made a couple of strong throws. However, they were also chewing up the clock. They would eventually settle for a field goal to make it a one-score game again. However, they only had 58 seconds left. An onside kick would need to be attempted. Buffalo would easily get possession of the ball on the attempt. They would be able to run the clock, stunning the Blacksmiths and handing them their first loss since week 3.
(7) Vancouver Wolves @ (2) Montreal Rouge - Mount Royal Stadium - October 9, 1971 - 7:00 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy/Light Rain - 8°C | 46°F - Attendance: 46,491
Light showers fell over Mount Royal Stadium as the 2nd Quarter-Final began between the Rouge and Wolves. The ball would be a little slippery early on in the game, with the kickoff being fumbled by Vancouver returner, RB Nikki Yang. Montreal would recover and quickly close the distance on the endzone. Rookie RB Bo Frazier, would punch in the early touchdown to give Montreal a 0-7 lead. Following the score, the teams would trade 2 and outs before Vancouver would catch a break on a big play from RB Jeremiah Morrow. The veteran RB, weaved his way through the Rouge defence for a big 26-yard gain to get over midfield. QB Kevin Westwood would then connect with WR Keshawn Johnston to get down to the 12, where Morrow again found a hole and, this time, got into the endzone to tie the game.
VAN 7-7 MTL
2nd Quarter
As the first quarter had come to a close, the Rouge were driving down the field. The rain started to let up at this point, but it did not make the ball any less slippery. QB Gene Bishop would take a snap but lost his grip on the ball as he pulled back to throw. A pile formed and Vancouver came away with possession. However, Vancouver wouldn’t have much luck, as on second down, Westwood’s pass to TE Johnny Temple would connect, but the TE fumbled it soon after allowing Montreal to get the ball back. The Rouge would take care of the football on the ensuing drive and get into field goal range, where K Frank Hughes would connect to make it 7-10. As the conditions continued to dry up, Vancouver would get a little more aggressive through the air. QB Kevin Westwood would make a couple of strong throws to get the Wolves over midfield. He eventually hit WR Akira Sakamoto for a big gain to get down the 16 when Sakamoto found a hole in the Rouge’s zone coverage. Montreal tightened up in the secondary to adjust, but then the Wolves went back to the run game. RB Jeremiah Morrow would cut up the Rouge defence to get down to the 5. From here, Vancouver would bring an extra back on the field in RB Ed O’Connor to make a hole for Morrow. However, they pulled a play action which left WR Keshawn Johnston one-on-one. DB Lamar Brown made a solid play at the ball, but Johnston would win this battle securing the catch for a touchdown to give Vancouver the lead.
VAN 14-10 MTL
3rd Quarter
As the 3rd began, Montreal would join Vancouver in turning to the pass attack. QB Gene Bishop would dish out a couple of solid throws early on. While the early attempts failed to gain any points for Montreal, the Wolves were not having much luck themselves against the adjustments the Rouge had made defensively. Eventually, Montreal would be able to break through on a great catch from WR Taylor Karis. Now deep in Vancouver territory, rookie WR Antonio Villanueva would make his presence known as he would make a catch towards the sideline before allowing his would-be tackler to fly past him and out of bounds. He then started up the field spinning off another tackle to score a touchdown and regain the lead for his team. Vancouver’s offence would continue to sputter. Westwood would look to create a spark with a deeper throw, but it was slightly underthrown and S Mathieu Cazenave would get under it for an interception. Montreal would add 3 more points following the turnover.
VAN 14-20 MTL
4th Quarter
Montreal was in control of the game as the 4th quarter began, but the Wolves just needed a play to shift momentum. They would get it in the form of a sack by DL Qian Zhou. Zhou’s sack on Bishop would force Montreal to a 3rd and long, taking them out of field goal range. On the punt return, RB Nikki Yang made up for his earlier mistake and brought the ball all the way back to the line of scrimmage. From there, the Wolves would continue to move the ball. RB Jeremiah Morrow was continuing to pick up yardage, while quick passes from QB Kevin Westwood would keep the drive alive. Vancouver eventually ended up at the Montreal 10 before Westwood hit TE Johnny Temple at the goal line. Temple was able to fall back into the endzone for the touchdown. Vancouver now led 21-20. The excellent drive from the Wolves would not deter the Rouge who bounced back with a strong drive of their own. They would mix things up in the backfield, throwing RB Raymond Green in for some rushes alongside RB Bo Frazier. Through the air, QB Gene Bishop continued to connect with WR Taylor Karis and WR Antonio Villaneuva. Montreal would march down to the 13 before Bishop would hit Karis for a touchdown to regain the lead. The Rouge would attempt a 2-point conversion to make it a 7-point game, but a great defensive play from DB Apollo Duckworth would prevent the additional score. After the touchdowns from both teams, the game would slow with both defences finding ways to stall the other team. Vancouver would manage to score a single off of a great punt from K Sterling Brooks, but they were still down 22-26. Vancouver would have the ball with just over 2 to play deep in their own territory. After a good throw to WR Akira Sakamoto to pick up a first down, the Rouge would make a sneaky play. S Mathieu Cazenave would slip around the edge on a safety blitz. His speed was too much for the O-line to pick up and RB Jeremiah Morrow missed it. Westwood attempted to escape realizing the blitz, but then DL Alan Franjkovic got free from his blocker and hit Westwood from the front. The ball would slip out of Westwood's hand as he tried pulling it back in. Cazenave would jump on it to give Montreal the ball. The Rouge would kill some of the clock before hitting a field goal to extend the lead to 22-29. Vancouver was still within a score. Westwood did his best to get the Wolves down the field. They would reach the Montreal 37 before they were forced to take a shot at the endzone. Westwood took two shots down the field, both came up incomplete after one was a bit overthrown and the other was deflected away by S Etienne LaMond. Montreal would get the win and would be welcoming the Blue Wings to Mount Royal Stadium next week.
(5) Louisville Thunder @ (4) Providence Gold Stars - New Providence Stadium - October 10, 1971 - 2:00 PM ET - Weather: Rain - 18°C | 64°F - Attendance: 65,395
Rain poured down onto Providence as the Gold Stars hosted the Louisville Thunder for the 3rd Quarter-Final match. As expected, both teams heavily favoured running the ball. RB Tresean Jones did what he could for the Gold Stars, but ultimately was unable to gain ground against a solid front 7 from the Thunder, while RB Neil Bradley for Louisville was having his own struggles against the Gold Stars’ front. Providence would eventually catch a break with Bradley losing his grip on the ball resulting in a fumble, recovered by the Gold Stars. However, they would be unsuccessful in turning it into points as RB Tresean Jones would be stuffed for a loss before WR Owen Paisley would fail to get a grip on QB Landon Ross’ pass. The eventual field goal attempt from K Gilbert O’Neill would end up no good as the teams would remain scoreless through the first quarter.
LOU 0-0 PRO
2nd Quarter
The second quarter would continue much the same as neither team found much ground to stand on. The field became slippery with the mud. A couple more fumbles would occur, but still a lack of scoring. As the quarter was inching to a close, the Thunder started to gain some ground. A couple of passes would get the team close to midfield, WR Casey Coleman being one of the few to consistently bring in the ball in the first half. They would eventually be stopped around midfield. They would pin the Gold Stars deep and then force a 2 and out. Providence would punt the ball back and WR Ben Graham would return the ball all the way down to the 23, threatening to score. The Thunder continued to push the ball, and with the help of a penalty for pass interference, would get down to the 3, where RB Neil Bradley would score the lone points of the first half.
LOU 7-0 PRO
3rd Quarter
As the second half began, the rain was finally starting to let up but was continuing to fall throughout the early stages of the 3rd. An early mistake from the Gold Stars would give Louisville a chance to score when QB Landon Ross attempted to get the ball to WR Justin Palmer, the ball slipped in his hand and fluttered more than it should have. DB Aquilio Ruiz was in a better position than Palmer and would come up with the interception. They were once again in range to score, but the Gold Stars would hold them off with DL Bartolo Cruz getting to QB Buck Murphy on 2nd down. K Elvis Franklin attempted a field goal, but slipped a little in the mud and the kick deflected awkwardly wide. It didn’t bounce much after hitting the ground in the endzone and WR Mark Taylor was not prepared for it. He rushed to fall on top of it and succeeded in recovering, but was in the endzone so Louisville still got a point. The Gold Stars remained conservative on offence, continuing to lean on RB Tresean Jones and RB Bob Sanders. It started to work for a couple of drives as they gained some ground, but the Gold Stars could not get into Louisville territory. On a late drive in the quarter, the Gold Stars were once again pinned deep. Needing to get a first down on 2nd and 12, Ross dropped back to pass but was met with great pressure. The O-line did not hold up and DL Aaron Henderson got to Ross. As Ross was going down, his own knee would knock the ball loose. Several attempts were made at recovering the ball, but it continued to squirt loose and closer to the Providence endzone. Eventually, DL Lucas Kipling would grab the ball at the 4-yard line. From there, RB Neil Bradley would punch it in to give the Thunder a 15-0 lead.
LOU 15-0 PRO
4th Quarter
The rain had finally stopped in the 4th. All that remained in the air was the chorus of boos raining down from the frustrated Gold Star fans. Overall, Providence’s defence had played a great game, but the offence was suffering. Whether it was the rain clearing or just desperation, the Gold Stars finally started to move the ball more effectively through the air. Ross gathered himself and made some good throws, but it wasn’t enough. The short passes were not picking up enough to sustain drives at times. However, they would get some help from their defence. Louisville had also gotten a little more aggressive. Their passing game was working, with Buck Murphy moving the ball considerably better than the Gold Stars could. However, luck would run out with S Tom Parrish picking off Murphy to thwart a Thunder scoring chance. On the Thunder’s next drive, LB Kurt Warlock would make a big play, creating a fumble off of RB Neil Bradley, whose run up the middle was blown up by a big hit from Warlock. The Gold Stars would take advantage of the Warlock fumble. Ross would hit WR Justin Palmer for a big play before Ross hit rookie TE Kairos Knight for a touchdown to give the Gold Stars life. The fans had hope and were back in the game. Providence kept trying to get back down the field. They had one drive to get to the Louisville 31, but they turned it over on downs when Ross couldn’t get a pass off before DL Aaron Henderson got to him. The defence would force a 2 and out on the ensuing drive to get the ball back. The next drive was short-lived. After a failed run on first down, the Gold Stars would attempt a screen on the next play to RB Bob Sanders. The Gold Stars would punt hoping to keep Louisville from scoring. It worked, but the Gold Stars lost a lot of time. The team was forced to pull some riskier plays from the playbook and it would eventually end in an interception from S Tom McDougall. The Thunder were off to the Semi-Finals, while Providence would not get a chance to play at home for the title.
(6) Ottawa Royals @ (3) Minnesota Serpents - Midgard Stadium - October 10, 1971 - 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT - Weather: Partly Cloudy - 17°C | 62°F - Attendance: 50,204
The Serpents and Royals rematch of the 1969 East Division Semi-Final would start slow with both teams trying to find their offensive identity, while the defences were well in control. However, the opening score would come from a Royals mistake when QB Ulysses Lawyer, making his first career playoff start, threw an interception to DB Jayson Klyde. The mistake would turn into a field goal shortly after with DL Bernhard Hartmann deflecting a pass at the line that was likely to pick up the 1st down with WR Evan Clanton open on the other end. The field goal would be the lone score of the opening quarter.
OTT 0-3 MIN
2nd Quarter
RB Tyler Kuhn would start to find a groove in the 2nd, as the Royals’ D-line struggled to keep up. The field only opened up more when LB Wallace Jordan would leave the game with an injury suffered while tackling Kuhn. Minnesota paired up their rushing attack with some smart passes from the former Royal QB Martin Keller. Eventually, Kuhn would get into the endzone to give the Serpents a 0-10 lead. Much like the Serpents, the Royals would also turn to the run game to start to pick up the pace. RB Corbyn Knight would have himself some solid runs, taking advantage of an also weaker box in Minnesota’s defensive strategy. Knight’s rushing would open up the passing game a bit and WR Colby Bancana would slip free for a big gain to set up the Royals at the 8-yard line. Then, QB Ulysses Lawyer would toss a touchdown pass to TE Luiss de Brands. Following the Royals’ touchdown, the Serpents would have another strong drive to get deep into Royals’ territory. However, Keller would take a gamble at the endzone, looking for WR Ferdinand Matthews. The pass was going toward the back of the endzone, but DB Sergio Alvarez reached up and made an excellent grab to intercept the pass and stop the Serpents’ attack.
OTT 7-10 MIN
3rd Quarter
Despite the setback at the end of the 2nd quarter, the Serpents remained focused on offence and once again found themselves threatening to score. However, this time RB Tyler Kuhn would be shut out from the endzone by the Royals’ front. Minnesota would settle for a field goal to make it 7-13. Much like the Serpents, the Royals’ offence was continuing to pick up yards. Lawyer would make a couple of big throws while RB Corbyn Knight would clean up the drive, getting into the endzone to give Ottawa their first lead of the contest, 14-13. The Royals were then able to force a 2 and out on the next drive and looked to be taking the momentum back. However, the Serpents’ defence stood tall and didn’t allow the Royals to score. Eventually, Minnesota’s offence would make it into Royals territory again to regain the lead on a 3rd K Ray Bough field goal.
OTT 14-16 MIN
4th Quarter
Minnesota continued to build off of their late score in the 3rd. The offence remained poised and confident despite facing a solid Royals defence. QB Martin Keller was delivering the ball with confidence and RB Tyler Kuhn continued to have his way on the ground. Eventually, Kuhn would break away for a big 38-yard run, before scoring a touchdown from 9 yards out on the next play to give Minnesota a 9-point lead. The pressure was starting to mount on the Royals. QB Ulysses Lawyer was starting to feel it, getting rushing in the pocket before nearly throwing an interception if not for WR Marshall Leonard becoming a DB to break up the potential pick. Luckily for Ottawa, their defence was getting a handle on Kuhn and the Serpents’ offence, so they were staying within 9 points. Eventually, the Royals would break through with WR Charles Toothacre finding a way to get wide open. He would pick up a big 24-yard gain. They would still get stopped short of the endzone, but a field goal would at least cut the lead down to 6 and make it a 1-score game. The Royals’ defence continued to hold off the now-conservative Serpents’ offence and got themselves another chance to score. Lawyer remained composed as the Royals marched down the field. However, he would have a misstep. On a 2nd and 10, Lawyer would force a pass where it shouldn’t have been thrown. A small window had opened up for a pass to WR Marshall Leonard. However, just as quickly as the window opened, it closed up and DB Davey Woods caught up and undercut the throw for the interception. Woods would weave his way through the Royals’ offence-turned defence. He almost got away but RB Corbyn Knight was able to get enough of him to knock him down. The Serpents would then feed RB Tyler Kuhn and even bring in RB Allen Navarro to change it up. They would get close enough to put up another field goal and regain their 2-score lead. Ottawa showed desperation on offence for the remainder of the game but came up empty-handed. The Serpents would hold on for a strong win and their first playoff win in the NAAF.
Injury Report
LOU: DL Craig Cromwell - Day-to-Day
LOU: S Jay Shephard - Day-to-Day
MIN: DL Ferris Kane - Day-to-Day
MTL: DL Watson Watt - 1 Week
MTL: DL Gregory Jacquet - Day-to-Day
MTL: OL Elias Schenk - Day-to-Day
OTT: LB Wallace Jordan - 2 Weeks
OTT: OL Matt Helmut - Day-to-Day
PIT: QB Louis Vaughn - 10 Weeks
PIT: DL Teddy Piper - 2 Weeks
PRO: WR Russel Wilcox - Day-to-Day
VAN: DL Jared Kendall - Day-to-Day
VAN: S Nick Parker - 2 Weeks
VAN: OL Nick Bowen - Day-to-Day
Players of the Week
Semi-Final Preview
(8) BUF (7-7) @ (2) MTL (12-2) - OCT 16 - 7:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: W1 - BUF 37-41 MTL
Historic Regular Season Head-to-Head: BUF 13-13 MTL
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: BUF 1-1 MTL
The Blue Wings and Rouge met in Montreal in their first game of the season. In that matchup, the Rouge would win an offensive shootout. Back then, the Blue Wings were healthy at the start of the season, and the Rouge had a strong performance. There is reason to believe that Montreal should be able to handle Buffalo again. However, the Blue Wings are riding the high and confidence of overcoming immense odds in the last two weeks, so you cannot count them out. Expect another heated duel, but based on how Montreal has been able to handle competitive games all season, I expect them to come out of this game on top.
My Pick: Rouge
(5) LOU (9-5) @ (3) MIN (10-4) - OCT 17 - 7:00 PM ET
1971 Head-to-Head: Did Not Play
Historic Regular Season Head-to-Head: LOU 0-3 MIN
Historic Playoff Head-to-Head: Have Not Played
Minnesota finally got past the first round. Louisville returns to the final four just 2 years removed from an 0-12 season. So far in their regular season meetings, the Serpents have had the upper hand winning all 3 matchups. Going into their first playoff matchup, the Serpents are eager to build off of a strong and poised performance against the Royals, while the Thunder are looking to kickstart an offence that has not been the same over the last 5 or so weeks. Overall both teams are glad to have defences that are best against the opponents' strongest offensive weapon. Louisville’s D-line was all over the Gold Stars backfield last week and has the potential to stop RB Tyler Kuhn, while Minnesota’s heavy secondary package is great at stopping the passing attack that Louisville is known for. The game will likely be decided on which team can execute outside of their comfort zone. Based on that, I will place my bets on HC Soni Dionne and the Serpents to keep the train rolling.
My Pick: Serpents
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