Philadelphia Stars fall to New Orleans Breakers 23-17 in USFL season opener

The Philadelphia Stars didn’t have the best start to their start of the USFL season, falling late to the New Orleans Breakers, 23-17.

New Orleans got on the board early, scoring a pick-six off a Bryan Scott interception with five minutes to go in the first. Over a quarter later, the Breakers extended their lead off another Stars turnover, this time a blocked punt by Chad Williams to make it 9-0.

The Stars gained their footing later in the half, with Scott commanding an 11-play drive, capped off by a 10-yard reception from Bug Howard for a touchdown. A Stars’ field goal gave Philadelphia the lead to start the second half before T.J. Logan rushed for a ten-yard TD to give the Breakers a 17-10 lead.

Darnell Holland had the biggest play of the game, breaking free for a 42-yard touchdown to tie the game up going into the fourth quarter. A quick touchdown from the Breakers in the fourth was all they needed, with the Stars unable to score for the remainder of the game.

Bryan Scott

Bryan Scott looked solid in his debut, throwing 25/36 for 202 yards, posting a 120.2 quarterback rating. Meanwhile, the Stars’ defense held Kyle Sloter to only 150 yards on 17 completions.

Stars’ passing attack

Chris Rowland led Philly with 74 yards on seven receptions, with nine different players catching a pass on the day. Matt Colburn had four receptions for 43 yards, and Diondre Overton had two catches for 34 yards. Rowland had the longest reception on the day, recording an unbelievable 22-yard catch.

Weakness

It’s clear the weak point of this team so far is the offensive line, allowing six sacks in the game while their defense had none. Scott did great under center but clearly needed far more time, and their running backs had no holes to rush through.

The Stars’ lack of a rushing attack killed them, recorded 100 yards less on the ground than New Orleans.

Up Next:

The Stars are back in action next Saturday, facing off against the Pittsburgh Maulers at Noon on FOX.

Mandatory Credit: CBS Sports