Joshua Mousel 
Once again, the USFL Saturday games set the tone for the Sunday slate. The Memphis Showboats have turned their season around, pitching a shutout against the surging Maulers. Looking to get back on track, Michigan hung around for a bit, but ultimately, Birmingham walked away with the win. More key games were slated for Sunday, and they shook things up a bit!
New Orleans Breakers vs. Philadelphia Stars
NOLA has been on a roll this season. Mid-season awards went to McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Wes Hills according to many outlets, including Ambush Sports. But a loss to Memphis may have knocked a few things off track. MBT threw for only 190 yards and 2 interceptions. He did toss a touchdown to Johnnie Dixon, but threw one to Stars’ defender, Amani Dennis, the only touchdown Philly would score on the day. Wes Hills had a bounce-back performance, rushing for 74 yards and adding 30 more receiving. But through two weeks, Hills has not seen the endzone.
Defensively, the Breakers have not been able to get to the QB, accounting for zero sacks on Sunday. New Orleans has to get back to winning, with the Gamblers right on their heels in the South. They take on Birmingham in a game that will look to shake up the South rankings even more.
Philadelphia has been floundering so far, but with wins in back-to-back weeks, they find themselves atop the North division! Case Cookus tossed 2 Ints and no TDs, but the running game contributed 124 yards. The rushing attack, or lack thereof, had been the crux of the Stars for the first half of the season. Corey Coleman has continued to show out in his “rookie” season, adding another 76 yards to his total. The Stars’ defense played extremely well, causing turnovers that secured points. Philadelphia has the Maulers up next. If they can grab another win, it will further their lead in the North.
New Jersey Generals vs. Houston Gamblers
The Generals, looking for a spark, started Kyle Lauletta against the red-hot Gamblers. Lauletta threw for 177 yards, 1 TD, and an Int. But the strength of the Generals has always been their rushing attack. Unfortunately for New Jersey fans, there wasn’t much of an “attack”. Jersey rushed for 69 total yards on the day. It will be interesting to see what happens in the QB room moving forward for the Generals. They have a meeting with Michigan next week and will need a win to stay competitive in the North.
Welcome back, Kenji Bahar. Bahar missed last week, but stand-in Terry Wilson was able to hold off the Stallions. Bahar threw for 130 yards and no TDs this week. Rising star Mark Thompson (last week’s Ambush Sports PotW) ran for 82 yards and a score, overtaking Wes Hills for most rushing TDs this season. Houstons’, Justin Hall, caught six passes for 59 yards in the contest. The Gamblers have a very real opportunity to take over First place in the South if they can beat the surging Showboats next Sunday!
