USFL: A Look at What Transpired in Week 3

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As we concluded Week 3 of the inaugural USFL season, the good teams started to separate from the bad teams. The Stallions remain undefeated, the Maulers remained winless, and then there is everybody else.

The Maulers accomplished two things this weekend: they are the first USFL team to lose three games and the first team to get shut out. The team had no answer for Paxton Lynch and the Panthers’ run game as they gave up three rushing touchdowns. A blocked field goal and a muffed punt were some of the sloppy mistakes by special teams play for the Maulers. The final score in this one was 22-0.

The Generals and Stars started off slow but the Generals running game eventually found its rhythm. Even though there were a lot of missed field goals on both sides (four to be exact), the game didn’t pick up until the second half of play. There were three straight scoring drives, two of them coming from the Generals. Quarterback Deandre Johnson and running back Darius Victor ran the show literally. Victor finished the game with two touchdowns and Johnson passed for 130 yards and a rushing touchdown in a come from behind win. The final score was 24-16 Generals.

The Tampa Bay Bandits and Houston Gamblers easily played the best games of the week. There were explosive plays left and right. The Bandits scored on the opening drive in just five plays. The Gamblers followed with a field goal and touchdown on their next two drives. This game had a little bit of everything from a forced fumble to two interceptions: one at the end of the half and one in the fourth, each team had one. It even had a blocked punt in the third quarter which you don’t see that often. In conclusion, this was a close game with the Bandits winning 27-26.

The Stallions and Breakers game was a defensive showcase for the home team. Birmingham’s defense has moved into the number one spot in the USFL after this performance. The first quarter was scoreless as their defense forced a goal-line stop followed by an interception right before the second quarter. Wide receiver, Marlon Williams, scored the game’s first touchdown with a 47-yard catch and run from J’Mar Smith. The Breakers followed that with a touchdown of their own but failed to convert the extra point. Fast forward to the third where the Breakers had a 17-play, 8:50 second touchdown drive which took up most of the quarter. In the fourth, it turned into who can make the least mistakes. Dondrea Tillman and Scooby Wright III for the Stallions had a combined stat line of 21 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a TFL, and an interception. This helped them win the game 22-13 and remain the only undefeated team.