All but one of the USFL’s first weekend of games are in the books, and so far they’ve all been decided by six points or less. In Sunday’s second of three games, the New Orleans Breakers capitalized off first-half miscues by the Philadelphia Stars to build and early lead, then found their offensive flow in the second half to hold on in a 23-17 victory in Birmingham, Alabama — where all of the rebooted league’s regular-season games will be held.
Jordan Ellis had the go-ahead touchdown run from two yards out to start the fourth quarter that gave the Breakers the lead for good. The Stars faced a 9-0 deficit before rallying to tie the game at 17-17 in the third quarter. Darnell Holland rushed for a 42-yard score to tie the game in the third quarter, one which the Stars scored 10 points in the quarter.
Miscues doomed the Stars throughout the afternoon. Stars quarterback Bryan Scott threw an interception to Vontae Diggs that was returned 37 yards for a touchdown to put the Breakers up 7-0. New Orleans also blocked a Matt Mengel punt for a safety.
With the NFL readying for the 2022 draft in Las Vegas and football fans thirsty for a viable spring league, the USFL is hoping it can become a mainstay in the lives of those who crave the gridiron and don’t want an offseason from it. If that’s you, and it likely is, strap on your seatbelt — we’ve already seen a thriller in the Birmingham Stallions’ win in the season opener on Saturday night, and Sunday’s first game saw the Houston Gamblers narrowly held off a furious comeback by the Michigan Panthers, whose would-be TD on the final play was juggled incomplete in the end zone.
Next up is the nightcap between the Bandits and Maulers. Here’s a look at the scores so far:
SATURDAY
Birmingham Stallions 28, New Jersey Generals 24
SUNDAY
Houston Gamblers 17, Michigan Panthers 12 (final)
New Orleans Breakers 23, Philadelphia Stars 17 (final)
Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers, 9 p.m. ET, FS1, fuboTV.
Glue yourself to the live blog below for highlights and updates on all the action!
