The Philadelphia Stars (1-3) hosted the Houston Gamblers (2-2) on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field to kick off week four of the USFL season. The Stars were on a two-game losing streak, and that trend continued on Saturday.
Philadelphia came into this game a two-and-a-half-point favorite against the Gamblers. However, anyone who betted on the Stars were in for a rough afternoon.
Philadelphia punted the ball five times in seven possessions in the first half. The defense did not make an effort to tackle anyone, including Houston running back Mark Thompson, who had eight carries for 62 yards (7.8 YPC) and two touchdowns in the first half.
Furthermore, Houston quarterback Kenji Bahar completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for two yards. Wide receivers Keke Chism and Anthony Ratliff-Williams combined with five catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
For Philadelphia’s offense, quarterback Case Cookus completed 7 of 14 passes (50%) for 49 yards, one interception, and was sacked three times. For the third straight week, the running game was a non-factor. Matt Colburn II and Dexter Williams combined with seven carries for 23 yards, and one touchdown.
Matt Colburn II scored the Stars’ only points in the first half. It came in the second quarter when he ran for a five-yard touchdown on a seven-play drive for 44 yards that tied the game 7-7 with 14:17 left. That was as close as Philadelphia got to Houston. The Stars trailed the Gamblers 27-7 at the half.
The second half was not much better. Houston scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. Houston quarterback Kenji Bahar injured his ankle to start the second half and was replaced by Terry Wilson. Bahar finished the game completing 15 of 21 passes 71.4% for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for two yards. New quarterback, same results. Mark Thompson continued to bulldoze his way through the Stars’ defense when he ran for a 15-yard touchdown that made it 34-7 with 9:22 left of the third quarter.
The second came when backup quarterback Terry Wilson scrambled away from the Stars’ defense as Stanford Samuels III punched the ball out and it bounced into the endzone but was recovered by Keke Chism for another touchdown. It was now 41-7 Houston with 4:27 left. Just before the third quarter ended, Philadelphia kicker Luis Aguilar made a 42-yard field goal as they trailed 41-10.
With the game out of reach, Philadelphia head coach Bart Andrus did not put in his backup players. In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia found the endzone for the second time when Case Cookus threw a short pass to Dexter Williams and he scored a 12-yard touchdown. It was 41-16 with 1:13 left in the game.
They attempted a three-point conversion but Cookus’s pass was intercepted. Cookus injured his right hand as backup Kevin Thomson came in for a 4th and 12 play. Thomson completed the pass to Jordan Suell but it was short and the Stars lost their third straight game to the Houston Gamblers by the final score of 41-16.
Frustration does not begin to describe this game. Philadelphia was not prepared and it showed on the field. The poor tackling, lack of execution, no protection for Cookus, defense giving up way too many yards, and an overall poor effort.
For the head coach, the lack of urgency is a cause for concern. When the game is not going your way, you have to make adjustments as they go. You see other coaches replace players, scrap the playbook, and do all they can to get back into the game. More importantly, you want to tell the fans that this team is not giving up, and for this to not happen sends a clear message that you don’t want to make a change, and teams who refuse to make changes are left at the bottom of the barrel. You are giving the diehard fans a reason to not watch the rest of the season.
The only positive about this game was newcomer Joel Dublanko, who signed with Philadelphia this week made seven tackles and a half sack.
Philadelphia quarterback Case Cookus finished the afternoon completing 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 189 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 16 yards. He was sacked six times and now has been sacked 19 times this year, leading the league.
Running backs Matt Colburn II and Dexter Williams combined with nine carries for 28 yards, one touchdown, two catches for 37 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Devin Gray led the team with eight catches for 61 yards. Philadelphia’s defense allowed 465 yards, with 67 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.
Houston’s backup quarterback Terry Wilson completed 2 of 3 passes (66.7%) for 21 yards, and nine carries for 49 yards. Houston running back Mark Thompson dominated with 13 carries for 134 yards, three touchdowns, and one catch for eight yards. Wide receiver Keke Chism led the receivers with two catches for 63 yards and one touchdown.
Houston’s defense allowed 199 yards, with 56 tackles, five tackles for loss, six sacks, one interception, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Next Sunday, the Stars host the New Jersey Generals at 12 pm on NBC, while the Houston Gamblers battle the Birmingham Stallion next Saturday at 4 pm on FOX. Tickets for both games are available on StubHub and Viagogo.
