USFL Playoff teams battle for chance at title at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium

By Brendan Heffernan
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium played host to the inaugural USFL Playoffs this past weekend.  

The Philadelphia Stars beat the New Jersey Generals 19-14 in the North Division Playoff and the Birmingham Stallions captured the South Division title with a 31-17 victory over the New Orleans Breakers to close out the evening. The Stars and the Stallions will compete for the USFL Championship at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 3, at the same location. 

Players and coaches from the four qualifying teams took a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Friday. The historic setting made the postseason games extra special, players and coaches from each team said. 

“It was a surreal moment for me,” Stars linebacker Jordan Moore said. “A couple of years ago I had the chance to get coached and mentored by the greatest linebacker of all time, Mike Singletary, and it changed my life. Steve Atwater as well, he put his hands on me while I was in Denver.  

“Seeing guys like that makes it surreal. It’s amazing to be in the presence of it and know that it’s real and attainable.” 

Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson also traveled to Canton to address the USFL players and coaches alongside Daryl Johnston — the USFL’s vice president of football operations and Johnson’s longtime fullback with the Dallas Cowboys. 

“At this time of year, I know Jimmy is down in the (Florida) Keys, fishing and relaxing before the NFL season starts. So it was a big ask to get him up from the Keys, but he was like ‘no, absolutely, I’d love to come up,’ ” Johnston said. “His messaging could not have been any better. It was all the stuff we’ve been talking to the guys about all year long.”
 
Stars make a statement 

The underdog Stars punched their ticket to Fourth of July weekend with lots of fireworks. 

Stars cornerback Mazzi Wilkens’ 83-yard interception return set up the only touchdown of the first half, an 8-yard draw play by quarterback Case Cookus. The Stars kept their 10-0 first-half lead intact when a swarm of Philadelphia defenders tackled Generals running back Darius Victor for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-short inside the Stars’ 10-yard line.
 
New Jersey fumbled while returning the second-half opening kickoff, but Mike Bell intercepted Cookus a few plays later to keep the deficit at 10. The Generals followed the takeaway with an 86-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 1-yard plunge by Victor on fourth-and-goal.

A two-play sequence early in the fourth quarter gave the Generals their first big momentum swing of the game. On third-and-10, Cookus couldn’t connect with Maurice Alexander on a deep pass that went over the heads of three New Jersey defenders. On the next play, USFL MVP KaVantae Turpin returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown, giving the Generals their first lead of the game at 14-10.

Cookus said the Stars weren’t rattled by the sequence. 

“It’s important to stay calm,” he said. “I don’t think there are any plays where we get down on ourselves. We stay up and we focus on the play at hand.”

A 29-yard field goal by Luis Aguliar on the Stars’ next possession cut New Jersey’s lead to one point. When the Generals’ next drive stalled out, Alexander was ready to make up for his missed connection with Cookus earlier in the quarter.

“Before the punt came, I had in my mind that I wasn’t going to fair catch it,” Alexander said. “I didn’t know if it was going to be the last play of my career or the last play of our season. I had the confidence to make a play for my teammates.”

Alexander bobbled the punt, but once he secured the ball there was no looking back. Alexander returned the punt 88 yards right down his team’s sideline for the game’s deciding touchdown.

Amani Dennis’ interception a minute later sealed the game for good. 

Stallions’ special night

In the first half of the South Division game, the Stallions scored a touchdown in every phase of the game.

After the Breakers took an early 7-0 lead, quarterback J’Mar Smith got Birmingham on the board when he connected with Osirus Mitchell on a 23-yard strike in the first quarter. Six plays later, All-USFL linebacker DeMarquis Gates intercepted Breakers quarterback Kyle Sloter while diving to the ground. Gates popped back up to his feet with a backwards somersault and returned the interception 71 yards for a touchdown.

New Orleans tied the score 14-14 when running back Jordan Ellis took a screen pass 35 yards to the house in the second quarter.

The tie didn’t last long as All-USFL wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, the first kickoff returned for a touchdown in USFL history. Birmingham held onto its lead for the rest of the game. The Stallions’ second-half offensive game plan revolved around ball control and giving their defenders an opportunity to catch their breath. Birmingham’s first possession of the second half went 14 plays for 55 yards and a field goal, taking 7:31 off the clock in the process. The Stallions last possession went 15 plays for 85 yards and a 2-yard touchdown run by Smith, eating up another 7:45. 

“Our defense needed it,” Smith said. “(Birmingham) Coach (Skip) Holtz came to us and said ‘we need a running game right now. If we want to win the game, the quarterback run needs to be a big part of it.’ ” 

Smith led Birmingham's ball carriers with seven rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown. The Stallions ran for three times as many yards in the second half (23 attempts for 85 yards and a touchdown) as they did in the first half. The Stallions even dusted off the old school 32 personnel T-formation on a few key downs.

“They say the T-bone isn’t sexy, but it works,” said Holtz. The Stallions beat the Stars 30-17 in Week 5 on their way to the best record in the USFL. Since then, Philadelphia has won five out of six games. Both teams will look to keep their hot streaks going in the USFL Championship.

Brendan Heffernan is a student at Loyola University New Orleans. He is an intern this summer at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


 
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