The Philadelphia Stars win 27-23 over the Memphis Showboats for the season opener. Next week the Stars will host the Michigan Panthers in Canton, Ohio while the Showboats travel to Birmingham to play the defending champion Stallions.
1st Quarter
On the opening drive, Stars Cornerback Channing Stribling picks up where he left off last season by coming away with an interception in the redzone. On the Stars opening drive, Stars Quarterback Case Cookus finds new Wide Receiver Corey Coleman for a 35-yard diving catch. Case Cookus finishes the drive by finding Wide Receiver Chris Rowland for the first touchdown of the season from 6 yards out. Following the Stars score, Showboats Quarterback Brady White finds Rashard Davis for a 43-yard touchdown.
2nd Quarter
On 4th down and short, in Memphis territory, Case Cookus pulls his inner Jalen Hurts by doing the signature Philly QB Sneak for a first down. On third and goal, Cookus find Running Back Matt Colburn II for a 5-yard touchdown. Showboats Kicker Alex Kessman misses a 48-yard field goal following the Stars score. The Stars offense finally stalls out with a sack, a delay of game penalty, and another sack which sets up a 3rd down and 25. The Showboats commit a horse collar tackle on the 3rd down which gives the Stars a 1st down. Running Back Dexter Williams runs in for a 12-yard touchdown for the Stars(the extra point is blocked). Alex Kessman adds a 28-yard field goal for the Showboats. Chris Rowland returns the kickoff 47 yards into Showboats territory with 29 seconds left in the half. Luis Aguilar’s 50-yard field goal is blocked before the half. The Philadelphia Stars lead 20-10 over the Memphis Showboats at halftime.
3rd Quarter
Brady White finds Ryan McDaniel for a 29-yard Memphis touchdown. Case Cookus throws a 14-yard touchdown to Wide Receiver Devin Gray while under a ton of pressure.
4th Quarter
Showboats Running Back Alex Collins runs in a 1-yard rushing touchdown to bring the game back to a one-score game(the extra point is unsuccessful). On 4th and 6 from the Stars 39-yard line, Brady White throws an incomplete pass to turn the ball over on downs which ultimately ends the game.
The offense looked great in the first half. The Offensive Line began to crumble like they did last year which led to a closer game than it should have been. The defense was solid enough to complement the offense’s success. Case Cookus, Matt Colburn II, Chris Rowland, and Channing Stribling all looked great in their return to the USFL. I can not wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
Jordan Burden