On Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium, the Philadelphia Stars (1-1) picked up their first win of the season over the Pittsburgh Maulers (0-2) in a competitive game, 30-23.
Philadelphia Stars quarterback Bryan Scott played a better game than last week, going 26/36 for 272 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, six carries for 16 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Scott did a good job using his feet to maneuver away from the pocket.
Scott’s first touchdown pass came in the first quarter, throwing a three-yard touchdown to a one-handed catch by Diondre Overton that put the Stars up 7-3. Overton finished the game with three catches for 42 yards and one touchdown.
Then, with 12:08 left in the second quarter from the Maulers’ one-yard line, Scott went for a quarterback sneak and scored a touchdown, extending the Stars’ lead 14-3.
However, one of Scott’s weaknesses is that he needs to improve his awareness. The Maulers capitalized several times, including knocking the ball out of Scott’s hand by Jaylon McClain-Sapp, who returned it for a 79-yard touchdown that put Pittsburgh in the lead 16-14. The Stars’ offense also needs to do a better job protecting Scott. They gave up four sacks.
Scott recovered late in the second quarter when he connected with wide receiver Maurice Alexander for a 20-yard touchdown, giving Philadelphia a 21-16 lead.
After Pittsburgh took a 23-21 lead, Scott and Alexander would connect again in the fourth quarter for a ten-yard touchdown. In the USFL, teams can go for a one, two, or three-point conversion.
The Stars elected to go for a three-point play, and Scott threw a ten-yard pass to Paul Terry, getting the three points and the Stars led 30-23.
Maurice Alexander led the Stars’ receivers with eight catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Stars wide receiver Jordan Suell was second in receiving with six catches for 72 yards. Suell and Scott both played for the Generals (TSL) for the past two years. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Stars running back Paul Terry led in rushing with eight carries for 33 yards.
Late in the game, the Stars’ defense put the game away when Channing Stribling intercepted Josh Love’s pass that sealed the win for the Stars. It was Stribling’s second interception of the season.
The Stars’ defense finished the game with 80 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. Defensive end Adam Rodriguez, Carroll Phillips, and Freedom Akinmoladun sacked Josh Love, while Ahmad Dixon intercepted Love’s pass in the second quarter.
While wide receiver Maurice Alexander led the receivers, he also led on special teams with two kick returns for 86 yards, including a 78-yard kick return, and one punt return for 13 yards. Stars running back Darnell Holland had two kick returns for 81 yards.
For the Maulers, quarterback Josh Love went 21/39 for 236 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His two touchdown passes went to Bailey Gaither (37-yards) and Hunter Thedford (5-yards).
Maulers running back Garrett Groshek led the team in rushing with seven carries for 77 yards. Wide receiver Bailey Gaither led the receivers with seven catches for 117 yards and one touchdown. The defense finished the afternoon with four sacks, one interception, three pass breakups, and one touchdown.
Next Sunday, the Philadelphia Stars play the New Jersey Generals at 8 pm on Peacock. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Maulers play the Michigan Panthers on Sunday at 2:30 pm on USA Network. Tickets for those games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
