After an exciting opening week, the USFL’s second game weekend wasn’t devoid of big plays, close plays, and exciting moments. Saturday night delivered arguably the USFL’s best game yet as the Birmingham Stallions went 2-0 up after a 33-28 win over the Houston Gamblers, who were down 1-1.
For the second time in as many weeks, Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith led Birmingham to three straight drives in the second half that ended in touchdowns. Reigning USFL Offensive Player of the Week Smith went 19 of 29 for 214 yards on Saturday. His 34-yard touchdown pass to Osirus Mitchell in the third quarter gave the Stallions a 19-18 lead. His 64-yard strike against Marlon Williams extended Birmingham’s lead to 33-21 with just over 13 minutes to go.
Houston, taking an 18-13 half lead on Will Likely’s 63-yard pick-six, made it a one-possession game when Clayton Thorson left with Tyler Simmons for a 44-yard touchdown with 12:24 Association. The Gamblers’ comeback bid fell short, however, as Lorenzo Burns recorded his second pick from Thorson with 1:13 left.
The Philadelphia Stars emerged victorious in Saturday’s opener, beating the Pittsburgh Maulers 30-23.
Quarterback Bryan Scott was involved in all four touchdowns for the Stars, throwing for three and running for a fourth. At the other end, Josh Love threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions, the latter of which was a game-winning pick by Stars defenseman Channing Stribling.
On Friday night, the New Jersey Generals scored their first win of the season, beating the Michigan Panthers 10-6. All 16 points were scored in the first half and both teams missed field goals as they struggled to get things going offensively.
Follow this live blog all weekend as the 2022 USFL season continues and also check out the USFL standings and season schedule. We have all the news on our USFL page here.
Friday
New Jersey Generals 10, Michigan Panthers 6
Saturday
Philadelphia Stars 30, Pittsburgh Mauler’s 23
Birmingham Stallions 33, Houston Gamblers 38
Sunday
New Orleans Breakers at Tampa Bay Bandits, 3 p.m. ET | NBC, fuboTV
How to watch Breakers vs Bandits
Date: Saturday April 24 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Protection Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
TV: ABC | electricity: fuboTV
Consequences: CBS Sports App
Opportunities: Bandits -2.5