USFL Playoff Preview: Three Things To Know About The New Jersey Generals

By: Brendan Heffernan

The New Jersey Generals were the class of the USFL’s North Division during the 2022 regular season, riding a nine-game winning streak to first place and a spot in the USFL semifinals.
 

Related: 3 Things To Know About The Philadelphia Stars

New Jersey is led by former San Diego Chargers, Oregon State and Nebraska head coach Mike Riley. Riley won the USFL’s inaugural Coach of the Year Award after the Generals finished the regular season with the league’s best offense and second-best defense. New Jersey is also rolling into Canton with KaVonte Turpin, the big play wide receiver who won the 2022 USFL MVP award after leading the league in receiving yards.

Here’s what you need to know about the Garden State’s team heading into their clash with the Philadelphia Stars June 25 at 3 p.m. inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium:

Winning In The Trenches


The Generals built their offense this season around a strong running game. New Jersey led the league by a wide margin in rushing yards per game (160.6), rushing touchdowns (18) and rushing first downs (100.)

New Jersey was the only team in the league that saw three players rush for over 300 yards this season. Darius Victor rushed for 579 yards while Trey Williams ran for 577, good for second and third in the league, respectively. Quarterback De’Andre Johnson added 310 yards on the ground. Victor also led the USFL with 8 touchdowns on the ground and was named USFL Offensive Player of the Year. 
 
New Jersey defended the run just as physically as it established it this season, allowing a league best 73.6 rushing yards per game. The next best team against the run, the Birmingham Stallions, surrendered over 20 rushing yards-per-game more than New Jersey did.


Star Power

New Jersey is also rolling into Canton with KaVonte Turpin, the big play wide receiver who won the 2022 USFL MVP award after leading the league in receiving yards. The former TCU Horned Frogs standout finished the regular season with 44 catches for 540 yards and four touchdowns. One of the league’s premiere return men, Turpin also returned 12 punts for 184 yards and a touchdown.

 

Famous Names


New Jersey drafted several players who rose to national prominence during their college days. Defensive end Hercules Mata’afa was a consensus All-American and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year during his final season at Washington State. Mata’afa also appeared in 19 games for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2019 and 2020 NFL seasons. Some other Generals who’ve made NFL rosters include wide receiver Darius Shepard, tackle Terry Poole and linebacker D’Juan Hines.

The Generals went undefeated against the Stars during the regular season, beating them 24-16  in week three and 26-23  to close out the regular season. On Sunday they’ll look to extend their win streak to 10 games and punch their ticket to the USFL’s first championship game.
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