On Sunday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the Philadelphia Stars took on the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL Championship Game. There was a big crowd at the stadium, which was nice to see. Philadelphia won the toss and elected to receive the ball to begin the game.
The Stars went three-and-out on their first possession, punting the ball to Birmingham. The Stallions’ running back helped them reach the 24-yard line before Brandon Aubrey made a 42-yard field goal, putting the Stallions up 3-0.
On the Stars’ next possession, Case Cookus threw a couple of long passes to Chris Rowland and Devin Gray. Philadelphia made it to the Stallions’ 14-yard line, and kicker Luis Aguilar made a 42-yard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
The Stallions’ offense scored a touchdown on their next possession when running back Bo Scarbrough broke a couple of tackles and ran for 36 yards into the endzone. The Stallions led 10-3 after one quarter. Scarbrough led the Stallions’ rushers with 13 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown.
In the second quarter, Stars’ quarterback Case Cookus led the team down the field. On 2nd and 10, Cookus threw a nice pass to Jordan Suell for a 25-yard touchdown However Aguilar missed the extra point, and it was 10-9 with 8:07 left. Jordan Suell was second in receiving with five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
The Stallions came right back on their next drive. Quarterback J’Mar Smith threw a deep pass to Victor Bolden Jr. for 19 yards. Birmingham went deep again when Smith threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Williams, making it 17-9 with 7:13 left. Marlon Williams led the Stallions’ receivers with seven catches for 105 yards and one touchdown.
The Stars’ offense made little progress and eventually punted the ball back to Birmingham. Just before halftime, Stallions’ kicker Brandon Aubrey made a 28-yard field goal, extending the Stallions’ lead 20-9 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Stars started to make a comeback. With help from Jordan Suell, Dexter Williams, and Chris Rowland, Case Cookus reached the Stallions’ four-yard line. Then, Cookus scrambled out of the pocket before finding Jordan Suell for the second time in the endzone for a touchdown. The Stars went for a two-point conversion but failed, and it was 20-15 with 5:17 left. Stars’ running back Dexter Williams had eight carries for 29 yards.
The Stallions had the ball for the rest of the third and early fourth quarters. The Stallions made it to the Stars’ 20-yard line, but Brandon Aubrey missed a 38-yard field goal. After that, you could feel the momentum shifting in favor of the Stars. The Stallions took a hit on offense when quarterback J’Mar Smith was injured, and Alex McGough played the rest of the game. Smith went 10/18 for 131 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and one carry for two yards.
Then, the Stars’ offense took the ball down to Birmingham’s 12-yard line, and Cookus found Devin Gray for the touchdown. Philadelphia went for another two-point try and got it, leading the game 23-20 with 11:18 left. Devin Gray had five catches for 46 yards and one touchdown.
On the following Stallions play, Alex McGough’s pass was intercepted by Jordan Moore. However, the Stars suffered a significant setback when Case Cooks broke his fibula getting sacked. He was carted off the field, and K.J. Costello took over. It was a gut punch for Philadelphia. Cookus went 17/29 for 222 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and one carry for four yards. You could feel the momentum shifting back to the Stallions.
Stallions’ quarterback Alec McGough led the team down to the Stars’ eight-yard line, and McGough found Victor Bolden Jr. from the corner of the endzone to retake the lead 26-23 with 3:16 left in the game.
On the Stars’ next possession, K.J. Costello’s pass was intercepted by Scooby Wright and taken for a 46-yard touchdown, extending Birmingham’s lead 33-23. K.J. Costello was 5/9 for 65 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The Stars quickly responded when Costello led Philadelphia down to the 12-yard line and found Chris Rowland for the touchdown, and they trailed 33-30 with 1:47 left in the game. Chris Rowland had four catches for 55 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 29 yards. Philadelphia went for a 4th and 12 play and nearly got it, but Costello’s pass to Chris Rowland was incomplete.
After Philadelphia’s defense stopped Birmingham, the Stars got the ball back for the last time. The Stars’ defense allowed 381 yards, 57 tackles, one sack, one interception, and six pass breakups. Unfortunately, Costello scrambled, and rather than run with the ball to get out of bounds, he threw an interception picked off by Christian McFarland, ending the game, and the Philadelphia Stars lost to the Birmingham Stallions 33-30. The Stallions’ defense allowed 340 yards, 53 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and one touchdown.
The trophy presentation had a Super Bowl-like feel with music, confetti, and fireworks. Stallions’ wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr. was named MVP.
This was a gut-wrenching loss by the Stars, who did a good job in the second half until Case Cookus went down. It was a hard-fought game for Philadelphia. This game has similarities to the original USFL championship. In 1983, the Stars lost to the Michigan Panthers 22-20 and came back to win it all in 1984 over the Arizona Wranglers 23-3. Maybe, fate has something in store for the Stars next season.
