USFL Week 4 roundup: Stallions rally on the road
Birmingham wide receiver Deon Cain returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second game in a row, and this time, the long-distance score lifted the Stallions to a 24-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers on Sunday.
Last week, Cain opened Birmingham’s game against New Orleans with an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. But the Breakers posted a 45-31 victory to emerge as the USFL’s only unbeaten team.
On Sunday in the Stallions’ first road game of the season, Cain took a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown with 6:37 to play to wipe out the Maulers’ 20-17 lead at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
In the USFL’s other Week 4 games:
· Houston running back Mark Thompson ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries in the Gamblers’ 41-16 victory over the Philadelphia Stars on Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit. Houston piled up 463 yards – 264 more than the Stars.
· The Memphis Showboats won for the first time by getting four turnovers from Michigan, including a fumble returned 34 yards for a touchdown by defensive end Jeff McCulloch with 3:37 to play, and beating the Panthers 29-10 on Saturday at Ford Field.
· Despite 172 rushing yards by New Jersey, the Breakers improved to 4-0 by defeating the Generals 20-17. Matt Coghlin’s 25-yard field goal with 7:06 to play made the difference at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
After Cain’s touchdown, Pittsburgh went three-and-out and never got the football again. Birmingham ran off the final 4:42 of the game on 10 snaps. Stallions quarterback Alex McGough completed a third-and-3 pass to tight end Jace Sternberger for 5 yards with 2:56 to play, then hit wide receiver Austin Watkins for a 9-yard gain on third-and-10 and picked up the first down on a fourth-down sneak with 1:41 remaining.
McGough ran 5 yards for a touchdown as time ran out in the first half as the Stallions took a 10-9 lead. The Birmingham QB capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Davion Davis on third-and-goal as the Stallions went up 17-12 with 9:40 to play.
Players from Alabama high schools and colleges in the USFL’s Week 4 games included:
Houston Gamblers 41, Philadelphia Stars 16
· Gamblers tight end Brandon Barnes (Russell County, Alabama State) did not record any stats.
· Gamblers defensive end Tim Bonner (Demopolis) made two tackles and shared a sack.
· Stars offensive tackle Antonio Garcia (Troy) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Gamblers safety Bydarrius Knighten (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Stars offensive tackle Colby Ragland (UAB) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Stars defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens, Alabama) made two tackles and knocked down a pass in his USFL debut.
· Gamblers kicker Nick Vogel (UAB) missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt and made 5-of-6 extra-point kicks.
Memphis Showboats 29, Michigan Panthers 10
· Showboats defensive end Big Kat Bryant (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Showboats wide receiver John Franklin III (Auburn) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Panthers offensive tackle Brodarious Hamm (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Panthers defensive tackle Garrett Marino (UAB) made one tackle.
· Showboats tight end Jay Jay Wilson (Auburn) did not record any stats.
New Orleans Breakers 20, New Jersey Generals 17
· Breakers tight end Justin Alexander-Johnson (Hoover) did not record any stats.
· Breakers wide receiver Dee Anderson (Alabama A&M) had four receptions for 43 yards.
· Generals offensive tackle Calvin Ashley (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Generals tight end Braedon Bowman (South Alabama) had a 26-yard reception.
· Generals linebacker Jalen Choice (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville State) did not record any stats.
· Breakers defensive tackle Connor Christian (Jacksonville State) made three tackles and shared a sack.
· Generals cornerback Blake Countess (Auburn) is on the injured list and not eligible to play.
· Generals running back Kingston Davis (Prattville, UAB/Miles) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Generals wide receiver Cam Echols-Luper (Auburn High) had two receptions for 71 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown catch, and returned two punts for 10 yards. Echols-Luper got loose down the right sideline for his long touchdown as New Jersey tied the game at 7-7 with 9:28 left in the first half.
· Generals cornerback Trae Elston (Oxford) made one tackle and returned three kickoffs for 64 yards.
· Breakers quarterback Aqeel Glass (Alabama A&M) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Breakers guard Kirk Kelley (Troy) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Breakers linebacker Zakoby McClain (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Breakers guard Steven Rowzee (Troy) did not record any stats.
· Breakers linebacker Shaheed Salmon (Samford) made one tackle and broke up a pass.
· Generals wide receiver Randy Satterfield (Jemison, West Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Generals tight end Wes Saxton (Hueytown, South Alabama) made one tackle on special teams.
· Generals defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Breakers tight end Jared Scott (Jacksonville State) made one tackle on special teams.
· Breakers wide receiver Eli Stove (Auburn) returned four kickoffs for 114 yards, including a 40-yarder.
· Generals cornerback Christian Tutt (Auburn) made one tackle and returned two kickoffs for 45 yards.
Birmingham Stallions 24, Pittsburgh Maulers 20
· Maulers center Xavier Dampeer (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Maulers linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn High, Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept the USFL Week 3 Defensive Player of the Week off the field.
· Maulers defensive back Sedevyn Gray (West Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Stallions wide receiver Myron Mitchell (Jasper, UAB) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Stallions running back Bo Scarbrough (Northridge, Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Stallions wide receiver Austin Watkins (UAB) had three receptions for 25 yards.
· Stallions wide receiver Marlon Williams (McGill-Toolen) in on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
In Week 5 games:
· The Maulers and Panthers meet at 11:30 a.m. CDT Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit. USA Network will televise the game.
· The Gamblers and Stallions square off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. FOX will televise the game.
· The Generals and Stars play at 11 a.m. Sunday at Ford Field. NBC will televise the game.
· The Showboats and Breakers face off at 2 p.m. Sunday at Protective Stadium. FOX will televise the game.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.