The Philadelphia Stars held off a late comeback from the San Antonio Gunslingers to secure a 28-26 victory at Veterans Stadium in Week 9. Philadelphia jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to quarterback Chuck Fusina’s touchdown passes to Dwayne Dixon and Willie Collier. The Stars extended their advantage to 21-0 early in the second quarter with another Fusina-to-Dixon connection before San Antonio’s Rick Neuheisel responded with a stunning 80-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Gordon, breathing life into the Gunslingers’ offense. San Antonio closed the gap to 14-21 on a short Neuheisel touchdown pass to Joey Hackett, but Fusina capped off a strong first half with a third touchdown pass to Dixon, putting Philadelphia ahead 28-14 at halftime.
In the second half, the Gunslingers’ defense tightened, holding the Stars scoreless while Neuheisel led several long drives to chip away at the deficit. Nick Mike-Mayer converted two field goals in the third and fourth quarters, cutting the lead to 20-28. San Antonio continued to press late into the game, as Neuheisel found Michael McDade for a 22-yard touchdown with under two minutes remaining. However, a failed two-point conversion kept the Gunslingers trailing by two points, and Philadelphia’s defense forced a crucial turnover on San Antonio’s final possession to secure the win.
Chuck Fusina finished with 279 passing yards and four touchdown passes, with Dwayne Dixon hauling in three scores and 149 yards to earn MVP honors. Despite Neuheisel’s 376 passing yards and three touchdowns, San Antonio was undone by four turnovers, including three interceptions. Philadelphia’s defensive stand in the fourth quarter preserved the victory, moving the Stars to 2-7, while the Gunslingers fell to 3-6 after their narrow defeat.
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