On Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium, the Philadelphia Stars (3-3) took on the heavily favorite Tampa Bay Bandits (3-3). The Stars are currently sitting in second place in the North Division behind the New Jersey Generals.
Philadelphia Stars quarterback Case Cookus had a good game going 11/20 for 73-yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdown passes went to tight end Bug Howard. The first one happened in the first quarter inside the Bandits’ red zone. From the pocket, Cookus connect with Howard for a six-yard touchdown, putting the Stars up 7-0.
They would connect again in the third quarter on 3rd and four on the Bandits’ four-yard line. Cookus threw a short middle pass to Howard for the touchdown that put Philadelphia up 21-14. Bug Howard led the Stars in receiving with four catches for 36-yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Stars running back Matt Colburn II was a running machine. He had 18 carries for 140-yards, three touchdowns, and two catches for 12-yards. His first touchdown happened late in the second quarter on a three-yard run that put the Stars ahead 14-7.
Then, his second touchdown came late in the third quarter on a 33-yard run up the middle that extended the Stars’ lead 28-14. The offensive line did a great job opening a hole for him, and Colburn took care of the rest. Colburn’s final touchdown happened in the fourth quarter. The offensive line opened a hole for him, and Colburn made a juke move to avoid a Bandits player and ran for a 44-yard touchdown that made it 35-21 with 6:27 left in the game.
The offensive line suffered a significant loss as Jahair Jones had to be carted off the field with a leg injury. The injury happened in the fourth quarter when a bunch of players landed on his right leg.
Late in the game, the Stars’ offense played conservative with the ball. Instead of attempting to get the first down, they ran the ball to run out the clock. The Bandits were using their timeouts and had one left on fourth down. The Stars should’ve tried to get the first down that would’ve ended the game right there and not put the game on the defense. The Bandits nearly tied the game. The Stars’ offense total time of possession was 25 minutes and 40-seconds.
Bandits’ quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw a 62-yard pass to Rashard Davis before being tackled by Adam Rodriguez. The Bandits reached the Stars’ five-yard line. Nevertheless, the defense came through, making three stops, and helping the Stars beat the Bandits 35-28.
The Stars’ defense did ok but continues to struggle to make stops. At times, the defense did make some crucial plays, like intercepting Jordan Ta’amu on the first Bandits’ possession by Amani Dennis. The defense gave up 411-yards and four touchdowns. They made 80 tackles, three sacks, one interception, and seven pass breakups.
Tampa Bay Bandits quarterback Jordan Ta’amu was 27/40 for 333-yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and nine carries for 61-yards. Bandits’ running back BJ Emmons had ten carries for 21-yards, while the Cheyenne O’Grady had three catches for 45-yards and two touchdowns. The Bandits’ defense gave up 263-yards and five touchdowns. They made 61 tackles, one sack, and one pass breakup.
Next week, the Philadelphia Stars take on the Houston Gamblers on Sunday at 6 pm on Peacock. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Bandits battle the New Jersey Generals on Saturday at noon on USA Network. Tickets for both games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
