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by Fran Stuchbury
May 3, 2023 - United States Football League (USFL)


Week three of the United States Football League season saw the New Orleans Breakers improve to 3-0 with a 45-31 victory over the defending champion Birmingham Stallions in the USFL's marquee matchup of undefeated teams.

Just as they had in week two, New Orleans leaned on its running attack. Running back Wes Hills ran 34 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Over the past two games Hills has rumbled for 301 yards and six scores.

The Breakers moved the ball all day and finished with 27 first downs, 14 of them rushing. They converted 11 of 13 third-down attempts along the way.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson didn't take a back seat, passing for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Missing for the Stallions were several key players on defense including linebacker Scooby Wright III.

With key pieces out on offense as well, Birmingham was unable to keep pace. After a four-touchdown performance by Alex McGough last week, he passed for 238 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. In last week's victory over the Showboats the Stallions rushed for 172 yards but could manage just 46 against New Orleans.

In other USFL action the Houston Gamblers gave Head Coach Curtis Johnson his first USFL win with a 30-26 nailbiter over the Memphis Showboats.

Usually the recipient of heart-breaking losses - over two seasons the Gamblers have dropped five games in which they were tied or leading in the final two minutes - Houston found a way to win after surrendering a lead with under two minutes left following a sensational scoring catch by Showboats receiver Ryan McDaniel.

Down 26-23, they drove 62 yards, capping the drive when Kenji Bahar found Justin Hall alone on the right side for the game-winning, 10-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left.

After being shut out on offense last week against Birmingham, the Showboats showed signs of life as Cole Kelley took over under center, passing for 307 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He nearly single-handedly turned the team around as they managed just 14 yards rushing. At 0-3 the Showboats are the only winless team remaining in the USFL.

That's because the Pittsburgh Maulers earned their first win by topping the Philadelphia Stars, 21-13, in a game played at Ford Field in Detroit. It was Pittsburgh's first victory since week five of the 2022 season.

After rotating quarterbacks James Morgan and Troy Williams the first two weeks, they stuck with Williams the entire game. He threw for just 96 yards with one touchdown, but he added 65 rushing yards. Bailey Gaither's eight-yard scoring reception was their first offensive touchdown of the season.

The Maulers had struggled with their kicking game as Nathan Hierlihy only connected on two of four field goals over the first pair of games. They signed Chris Blewitt and he finished a perfect five-of-five on his attempts from 46, 50, 24, 34, and 35 yards.

Sustaining drives and putting points on the board allowed Pittsburgh to lean on its defense which shone again with three sacks, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions. Maulers linebacker Reuben Foster stood out with 11 total tackles, one interception and two passes defensed.

The Stars offensive line continued to struggle. Quarterback Case Cookus faced constant pressure, suffering three sacks and tossing an interception as he was hit during a throw. After running for just 45 yards against Michigan the week before, Philadelphia regressed to a measly 18 yards on the ground.

"Right now our running game is not where it needs to be," acknowledged Stars head coach Bart Andrus. "We went through this last year; we need to figure out a way to move the football on the ground."

In their home debut, the Michigan Panthers stumbled to their first defeat, a 28-13 setback to the New Jersey Generals. Quarterbacks Josh Love and Carson Strong combined for 163 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

"We're disappointed in the loss,", Michigan Panthers Head Coach Mike Nolan said. "It didn't feel like the way we played the first two weeks of the USFL season."

New Jersey stuck with DeAndre Johnson at quarterback the entire game instead of rotating in Dakota Prukop as they had in weeks one and two. The decision paid dividends as the nimble Johnson completed 10 of 15 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, adding 98 yards rushing and another score.

"I did it all last season with Luis Perez and DeAndre Johnson," said Generals Head Coach Mike Riley about rotating quarterbacks. "I never did that before in my 40 years of coaching. It worked last season, but I did not feel that flow this season with our quarterbacks. We decided to just go with DeAndre and he did a great job with it."

New Jersey running back Darius Victor contributed 68 rushing yards and one touchdown and caught a 51-yard screen pass for a score as well.

Every touchdown in Week 3:

USFL's Top 10 Plays From Week 3:

Saturday's New Orleans Breakers - Birmingham Stallions game on USA drew 293,000 viewers. Saturday night's Houston Gamblers - Memphis Showboats matchup on FOX topped the weekend with 776,000 viewers. Sunday's Pittsburgh Maulers - Philadelphia Stars telecast on NBC had 761,000 viewers, while the Michigan Panthers - New Jersey Generals contest on FOX finished with 563,000 viewers.

This week features two games in Detroit on Saturday with the Houston Gamblers starting the weekend late with the Philadelphia Stars at 1 pm est. on FOX. The Memphis Showboats will try for their first win against Michigan Panthers at 7:30 pm est. on NBC with the Kentucky Derby serving as the lead-in before kickoff.

Sunday at Canton, Ohio, the New Orleans Breakers face the New Jersey Generals at 3 pm est. on NBC, and the Birmingham Stallions battle the Pittsburgh Maulers at 6:30 pm est. on FS1.

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