USFL Week 8: Bandits grind out victory over Gamblers

Week 8 of the USFL season came to a close Sunday with the Tampa Bay Bandits defeating the Houston Gamblers 13-3 in a game full of defensive stands.

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Here are the top plays from Sunday's game.

Tampa Bay Bandits 13, Houston Gamblers 3

Man down

The Bandits had to settle for a field goal after this brutal sack by Chris Odom took down QB Jordan Ta'Amu for a loss of nine yards. Odom is now the first player to reach 10 sacks on the season.

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Touchdown time

Tampa Bay wide receiver Derrick Dillon caught a seven-yard pass from Ta'Amu and ran it in for the first touchdown of the day, giving TB a 10-0 lead.

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Right before the half

Tampa Bay's Tyler Rausa extended the Bandits' lead to 13-0 right before halftime, after knocking in a 33-yard field goal.

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An immediate answer

Houston's Nick Vogel capitalized on an 8-play, 41-yard drive with a 44-yard field goal to get Houston on the board immediately after halftime.

Tampa's lead was cut to 10, still leading 13-3.

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Tide turning?

After Houston's touchdown, Vogel tried an onside kick and recovered it all in the same sequence, giving Houston the ball with great field position.

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Houston couldn't capitalize on the big play, though, and was forced to an immediate three-and-out.

Leaving the door open?

Tampa Bay took 6:12 off the clock and mounted a 12-play, 50-yard drive, all for a missed field goal.

At the end of the third quarter, Tampa Bay held a 13-3 lead.

Big turnover

Tampa Bay once again put together a lengthy drive, this time taking up 4:01 of the clock, but the march ended with a fumble.

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But again, Houston couldn't capitalize on another opportunity, going three-and-out.

More turnovers

Houston's Bydarrius Knighten came up with a big-time interception with 4:09 left in the game.

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And once again, Houston couldn't generate any points off the turnover, later turning the ball over on downs.

Final

Tampa Bay defeated Houston 13-3 in a defensive battle in which neither team seemed to be able to generate much offense. Houston fell to 1-7 on the season, while Tampa Bay improved to 4-4.