USFL WEEK 8 PREVIEW & PICKS

BY ADAM GREENE

With a Friday night game, our USFL experience will be stretched across the entire weekend. While the playoffs are taking shape and the participants obvious, that doesn’t mean we have no reason to watch.

After all, there’s some money to be made. So let’s pick some games.

FRIDAY

PITTSBURGH MAULERS AT NEW JERSEY GENERALS (-9, O/U: 40.5)

Once again the Maulers fell short, this time at least they had a good excuse as they were facing the best team in the league, losing 26-16 in a spirited effort to the Birmingham Stallions. The Generals held off a late comeback attempt from the Tampa Bay Bandits to win 20-13 a week ago.

Vad Lee again got the start to no avail for Pittsburgh, completing only 42.9 percent of his passes for 58 yards. Madre London rushed 18 times for 99 yards and a touchdown.

With DeAndre Johnson still out, Luis Perez got the call again for New Jersey. He completed 76 percent of his passes for 174 yards and a TD, showing that regardless of every other team’s record, the Generals have the best QB room in the league. Darius Victor had 14 carries for 72 yards and a score. Alonzo Moore hauled in four passes for 69 yards.

The Maulers remain a mess and the Generals look like the only team that can stand in the Stallions’ way of the first official USFL title at season’s end. Generals 27, Maulers 16

SATURDAY

NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS AT BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (-3, O/U: 44)

The Breakers will go down in the record books as the first USFL team to claim victory in an overtime period, downing the spunky but ultimately doomed Michigan Panthers 31-27. The Stallions kept their record pristine, knocking off the hapless Pittsburgh Maulers 26-16.

Kyle Sloter and Zach Smith both took snaps for New Orleans. Sloter finished 15 of 24 for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Smith was 5 of 8 for 46 yards and a TD. Sal Canella caught four balls for 40 yards and a score. Anthony Jones had 11 carries for 34 yards and caught two passes for 33 yards and a touchdown.

In spite of putting up basement stats, J’Marr Smith got it done for Birmingham yet again, completing just 37.5 percent of his passes for 138 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Bo Scarbrough was the workhouse, carrying the ball 27 times for 100 yards. Bobby Holly rushed just once for a 52 yard score. Victor Bolden Jr. too got his hands on the ball once time, but delivered a 53 yard reception.

The dam has to “break” (if you’ll forgive the half-hearted pun) for Birmingham at some point. Smith has been terrible over the last few games at QB and while the running game has picked up the slack (and the wins), it’s got to cost them at some point. Breakers 20, Stallions 17

SUNDAY

MICHIGAN PANTHERS AT PHILADELPHIA STARS (-5.5, O/U: 47.5)

It was a story that pre Sean McVay Los Angeles (and St. Louis) Rams fans saw happen way too often. The Jeff Fisher led Panthers battled just hard enough to lose painfully, falling in the first overtime game in the modern USFL history, 31-27 to the New Orleans Breakers. After trailing by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Stars reeled off 22 unanswered in the final 15 minutes to surge past the Houston Gamblers 35-22.

Fisher had seen enough of Shea Patterson and sent him packing a week ago only to replace him with Josh Love, who the Pittsburgh Maulers cut on May 10. Even though Patterson got most of the starts for the Panthers, Paxton Lynch, a former first round NFL draft pick for the Denver Broncos, remains on the team. Anyway, Love was still garbage, completing 48.6 percent of his passes for 176 yards. On the bright side, he didn’t throw an interception. Reggie Corbin had 13 carries for 108 yards. Cameron Scarlett had six rushes for 43 tards and a touchdown. Stevie Scott III had 11 hauls for 25 yards and a TD.

Case Cookus nearly cooked the Stars, completing 67.7 percent of his passes for 163 yards and a TD. The problem was, he completed a couple of passes to the Gamblers in the process, throwing two picks. Matt Coburn II had 22 rushes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Darnell Holland had six carries for 43 yards and a score. Jordan Suell caught six passes for 69 yards and a TD.

A week after nearly pulling off an upset and getting everyone excited, it’s time for a Jeff Fisher led team to face plant right out of the gate. I have watched this story play out too many times. Stars 33, Panthers 13

HOUSTON GAMBLERS AT TAMPA BAY BANDITS (-5, O/U: 44)

The Gamblers were in complete control last week for three quarters, but that pesky fourth quarter turned out to be the problem. Houston surrendered 22 points and the lead in the final period, losing 35-24 to the Philadelphia Stars. The Bandits kept it close, but managed just a single touchdown late to fall 20-13 to the New Jersey Generals.

Kenji Bahar saw his first real action at QB for the Gamblers, completing 10 of 13 for 101 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Clayton Thorson got in as well, going 8 of 12 for 70 yards. Mark Thompson had 13 rushes for 47 yards and a score.

Jordan Ta’amu was very generous with the ball for Tampa last week, completing 45.9 percent of his passes to his own team for 237 yards and a touchdown while tossing three picks to the Generals in the process. Vinny Papale caught four passes for 68 yards.

While the Gamblers have won just one game, Houston is scrappy and consistently take leads in these games. They just can’t hold them. With very little running game to speak of and a QB dying to toss the other team the ball, Tampa Bay looks ripe for the picking here. Gamblers 24, Bandits 20

Last week

Straight up: 4-0

Against the spread: 1-3

Season

Straight up: 17-11

Against the spread: 13-15

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