On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Stars (1-2) closed out Week 3 of the USFL season at Protective Stadium against the New Jersey Generals (2-1).
The Stars’ offense got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Stars quarterback Bryan Scott threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bug Howard. Howard fell to the ground and was lucky that no one on the Generals’ defense touched him, allowing him to get up to run for the touchdown. The Stars took a 7-0 lead.
On the other side, the Stars’ defense took a step back. The Generals offense was running all over them. At times, the Stars’ defense made some crucial stops and got lucky when Generals kicker Nick Rose missed two fields. The Stars led 7-0 after one quarter with possession of the ball.
The Stars reached the Generals 37-yard line and went for a field goal. However, kicker Matt Mengel missed a 55-yard field goal. New Jersey’s offense continued to cause problems for the Stars’ defense. However, the Stars’ defense did enough to force the Generals to punt the ball.
Late in the second quarter, Stars quarterback Bryan Scott got hit and was injured. Stars’ head coach Bart Andrus should’ve sat Scott. Instead, Scott stayed in the game, appearing to make the injury worse. He was trying to escape a sack, and during the run, he immediately grabbed his right knee and went down. While Scott was being checked out in the tent, Case Cookus stepped in, and he was cooking.
On his first pass attempt, Cookus threw to Jordan Suell for 47-yards to get the Stars into the red zone. Cookus nearly had a touchdown pass, but wide receiver Diondre Overton could not catch the ball. This was one of the significant issues for the Stars. Both Scott and Cookus hit their targets at times, but they could not catch the ball, forcing them to throw short passes.
After Bryan Scott came back into the game on third down. However, he overthrew Maurice Alexander, and the Stars had to settle for the field. Matt Mengel made a 22-yard field goal and the Stars took a 10-0 lead. Scott would go into the tent for a second time, and this time, he didn’t return to the game. Late in the second quarter, the Generals marched towards the Stars’ 36-yard line and settled for a 54-yard field goal that was good, and the Stars led 10-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Case Cookus came into the game and stayed. Bryan Scott’s night was done; he went 9/13 for 84-yards and one touchdown.
Cookus led the Stars down to the New Jersey’s 12-yard line, but Matt Mengel missed a 30-yard field goal. The Stars would have been better off going for another play because Mengel can’t kick a field goal beyond 30-yards. He is two-for-six this year in making field goals
This opened the door for New Jersey to get back into the game, and they did. Generals’ running back Darius Victor ran for a four-yard touchdown and tied the game at ten apiece with the extra point good.
The Stars answered back. Case Cookus led the drive with some nice passes, including a 22-yard pass to running back Paul Terry. Terry was able to create space to get the extra yards. Eventually, this led to a Cookus six-yard touchdown pass to Diondre Overton.
It was nice to see him rebound after dropping a touchdown pass earlier in the game. However, Matt Mengal missed the extra point, and the score was now 16-10 Stars. So, the Stars will have to go for either two or three-point conversions from here on out until they get a new kicker.
The Generals’ offense continued to torch the Stars’ defense in the fourth quarter. They scored two touchdowns to take a 24-16 lead. Then, the Stars’ offense stalled, and the Generals won the game 24-16.
It was a disappointing loss considering that Philadelphia played well last week against Pittsburgh. The Stars’ defense needs significant work ahead of next week’s game against Michigan.
Stars’ quarterback Case Cookus did not do too bad for his first time, going 13/20 for 146-yards, one touchdown, and two carries for one yard. Philadelphia running back Paul Terry led the team in rushing with six carries for 17-yards.
Tight end Bug Howard led in receiving with four catches for 78-yards and one touchdown. The Stars’ have to get Howard more involved in the game. He can be a threat if given the opportunity. The Stars’ defense gave up 458-yards, and the Generals’ offense was averaging 6.4-yards per play. The defense recorded three sacks and three pass breakups.
For the Generals, quarterback De’Andre Johnson had himself a game, going 6/8 for 130-yards, eleven carries for 94-yards, and one touchdown. Running back, Darius Victor had 13 carries for 51-yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver KaVontae Turpin had five catches for 78-yards. The Generals’ defense allowed 259-yards, one sack, and three pass breakups.
Next week, the Stars take on the Michigan Panthers at 10 pm on FS1, while the New Jersey Generals play the Pittsburgh Maulers on Saturday at 2:30 pm on Peacock. Tickets for both games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
