The New Orleans Breakers and the Philadelphia Stars gave football fans a little of everything in their USFL opener in Birmingham on Sunday.
Kyle Sloter used a different cadence with 1:49 left to draw Philadelphia offside on a third-and-2 and that first down sealed the 23-17 victory for the Breakers.
The first score of the game was the first pick-six in the 2022 incarnation of the league.
Former UConn LB Vontae Davis picked the pass off and took it back for six.
.@Diggsy13 breaking through for our first-ever TD!! 🌊
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/PN9WfohGR6
— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) April 17, 2022
👀👓 @Diggsy13 saw it coming the whole way
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/W6S4aPwYZ2
— USFL (@USFL) April 17, 2022
Then, New Orleans went up 9-0 on a blocked punt that was smothered and knocked out of the end zone.
🚨BLOCKED PUNT ALERT🚨
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/XAkmD5E9VR
— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) April 17, 2022
One cool aspect of the broadcast was how quickly a call could be overturned USFL rules analyst and FOX Sports’ Mike Pereira spoke to the USA Network announce booth as he was talking to referee Larry Smith and said an incompletion should be reversed. It was in a blink.
A catch worthy of those Js on his feet 🔥👟@crowland30 | @USFLStars
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/R7YQEmhM7j
— USFL (@USFL) April 17, 2022
The Stars got their first touchdown on a pass to former UNC player Bug Howard, who has been in five NFL camps.
OUR FIRST TOUCHDOWN GOES TO BUG HOWARD 🙌 💪🔥@BryanScottQb ➡️ @ThaBugMan
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/r6Q6eAN5dZ
— Philadelphia Stars (@USFLStars) April 17, 2022
After a Breakers TD in the second half, T.J. Logan somehow came up with this pass on a 2-point coversion. Magic!
Not sure how this ended up as a successful @USFLBreakers conversion 😅
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/NKSTqyOKzu
— USFL (@USFL) April 17, 2022
Darnell Holland brought Philly back into a 17-17 tie in the third quarter.
No one was catching @yocrazylegs on this one ⚡️
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/WGSLJvocLz
— USFL (@USFL) April 17, 2022
Jordan Ellis then gave New Orleans a 23-17 lead but the PAT was no good early in the fourth quarter.
Beep, beep here comes Jordan Ellis 👊🌊
We're back in the lead!
📺: @USA_Network | #USFLOpeningWeekend pic.twitter.com/dCS7bfFnPu
— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) April 17, 2022
