Brandon Aubrey made his first field goal of the day with 1:44 to play to give Birmingham a 10-9 victory over the New Orleans Breakers Saturday at Legion Field.
Aubrey, statistically the best kicker in the USFL, uncharacteristically missed his first two attempts, and his third was just inside the left upright to keep Birmingham (8-0) undefeated. The win also secured the USFL South Division title.
The Stallions’ Josh Shaw sealed the win with an interception on the Breakers (5-3) with six seconds remaining to end New Orleans’ chances.
Defense was king in this game, as each team turned the ball over three times. Birmingham lost two balls via fumble; the rest of the game's turnovers were interceptions. There were also five missed kicks.
Birmingham quarterback J’mar Smith completed 15 of 20 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Bo Scarbrough ran for 54 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for five yards. Marlon Williams, from Mobile, caught seven passes for 109 yards.
Tampa Bay Comes Out on Top of Defensive Battle, Defeats Houston 13-3
The Tampa Bay Bandits (4-4) snapped a two-game losing streak Sunday afternoon, defeating the Houston Gamblers (1-7) 13-3. With the win, the Bandits keep their postseason hopes alive as they are now just one game back from the New Orleans Breakers who are in second place in the division.
Defense reigned supreme in the matchup today, as both teams combined for just 458 total yards in the contest. Both defensive fronts were swarming the backfield, combining for 8.0 total sacks between both teams.
For Houston, defensive lineman Chris Odom led the team with 3.0 sacks, setting a new single-game high and tying for the most in a single game in the league this season. Odom now leads the league with 11.0 total sacks.
Offensively, Tampa Bay quarterback Jordan Ta’amu led his team to the win, completing 12-of-21 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 35 yards on four attempts. Houston quarterback Kenji Bahar got his first start of the season and threw for 159 yards on 19-of-34 attempts while picking up a team-high 49 yards on the ground.
Philadelphia Clinches Playoff Berth with 46-24 Win Over Michigan
The Philadelphia Stars claimed the second and final playoff spot from the East Division with a dominating 46-24 victory over the Michigan Panthers on Sunday afternoon at Legion Field.
The Stars (5-3) will join the New Jersey Generals (7-1) in Canton as representative of the East Division for the USFL Playoffs which begin on June 25 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Philadelphia quarterback Case Cookus accounted for five touchdowns in leading the Stars to victory. Cookus was 20-of-26 for 247 yards and four passing touchdowns while adding 118 yards and an additional score on a 79-yard rushing touchdown.
A 3-point game at halftime turned into 25 unanswered points for the Stars in the second half before a late Michigan touchdown brought the final score to 46-24. The loss for Michigan dropped the Panthers to 1-7 overall.
Philadelphia’s 46 points were the most in the USFL this season and they put up 417 yards of total offense in the win.
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