BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – USFL North Division champion New Jersey won its ninth consecutive game after a 26-23 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon at Legion Field.
The Generals (9-1) were led by quarterback Luis Perez, who completed 14-of-18 attempts for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Trey Williams rushed for 114 yards – including a 61-yard touchdown run. Alonzo Moore hauled in seven passes for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Philadelphia (6-4) quarterback Chase Cookus threw for a game-high 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Bug Howard caught five passes for 100 yards. Jordan Moore led all players for nine tackles.
On the third play from scrimmage, Williams took a handoff 61-yards for a touchdown. Novikoff added the point after to put New Jersey ahead 7-0 at the 13:34 mark of the 1st quarter.
Philadelphia got on the board on the ensuing possession. Maurice Alexander set the Stars up with a 40-yard kickoff return to the Philadelphia 46-yard line. Six plays later, Luis Aguilar booted a 38-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 at 10:19.
New Jersey used a 13 play, 90-yard drive that lasted 8:12 to increase its lead to 11 points at 2:02 of the 1st . The Generals converted a pair of third downs including Alonzo Moore’s 12-yard catch on a 3rd and 5 that set up his 16-yard score on the next play. Novikoff’s kick was good.
Philadelphia closed out the scoring with 38 seconds remaining in the first half. Cookus found Jordan Suell for a 3-yard touchdown pass, capping an 11-play, 86-yard drive. Aguilar’s point after was good to cut the deficit to 14-10 heading into halftime.
Cookus found Chris Rowland for a 19-yard touchdown strike on the sixth play of the 3rd quarter, giving Philadelphia its first lead of the contest. The Stars went 75-yards on the drive, highlighted by Howard’s 33-yard catch and run. Aguilar converted the point after to make the score 17-14 with 11:34 left in the quarter.
New Jersey regained the lead after the leading touchdown scorer in the USFL Darius Victor scored his 10th of the season on a 2-yard run. Novikoff’s extra point was wide left. At 5:57 of the 3rd quarter, the Generals held a 20-17 lead.
The New Jersey defense held Philadelphia to a 3-and-out on its next possession. The Generals marched 87-yards down the field resulting in Perez finding Moore for a 25-yard touchdown catch making the score 26-17 at 12:12 of the 4th quarter. The point after was blocked.
Philadelphia cut the deficit to three points and an 11 play, 89-yard drive that resulted in a Matt Colburn, II 15-yard touchdown pass. The Stars went for the three-point conversion, but Cookus’ pass was intercepted by Paris Ford.
Philadelphia opted for the alternate kickoff, which is a fourth-and-12 play from its own 33-yard line. New Jersey committed an illegal use of the hands penalty, giving the Stars possession. Philadelphia drove into field goal territory, but on 2nd and 5 from the New Jersey 36-yard line, Cookus was picked off by Shamon Luani at the 7-yard line.
“This is another great indication of the competitive nature of the USFL,” said New Jersey head coach Mike Riley. “To win nine games in a row is really hard and I am extremely for them. I’m really proud that our players continue to want to win. I saw a lot of pride in the after today’s win.”
New Jersey will face Philadelphia next week in the North Division Championship game. The teams will meet on Saturday, June 25 with a 2 p.m. kickoff at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
GAME NOTES
- New Jersey’s Brock Miller set an USFL record with an 85-yard punt
- The Generals, who lead the USFL with 158.7 rush yards per game, finished with 178 rushing yards
- New Jersey converted 8-of-10 third down attempts
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