On Saturday night, the New Jersey Generals fell to the Birmingham Stallions 27-10 in a game that felt even more lopsided than the score indicated. From the very first series the Stallions were in control. On the fourth play from scrimmage, tight end Brandon Bowman fumbled a pass from De’Andre Johnson and gave Birmingham great field position.
The next play, quarterback J’Mar Smith found wide out Austin Watkins for a 61-yard touchdown to take the lead 7-0. Although the Generals eventually tied it at 10, they allowed 17 unanswered points after. That included a touchdown pass to tight end Jace Sternberger from quarterback Alex McGough in the final seconds of the first half, and New Jersey never looked to be in sync on either side of the ball.
TOUCHDOWN! 🙌
Alex McGough connects with @_Jstern to give us a 17-10 lead shortly before the half! #GiddyUp pic.twitter.com/nwS2OdthpS
— Birmingham Stallions (@USFLStallions) April 16, 2023
Offensive Struggles
Just like last year, head coach Mike Riley decided to play two quarterbacks to start this year, but it didn’t look as cohesive as last season. De’Andre Johnson started the game and did not look comfortable. He was just 4/13 for 29 yards passing (2.2 YPA) and added 45 yards on the ground.
Backup Dakota Prukop played better but didn’t set the world on fire either. He was 13/17 for 148 yards passing (8.7 YPA) and ran for the Generals lone touchdown in the game. He also lost a fumble during a good-looking drive at the beginning of the third quarter. The Stallions pass rush was constant and harassed both quarterbacks, seemingly at will.
Although the Generals only allowed two sacks, clean pockets to throw from were rare and we saw several passes tipped at the line of scrimmage. Mike Riley needs to decide which quarterback gives him the best chance to run his offense and then stick with them until further notice.
Joe Jackson blows up the play and we recover the ball! 👏 pic.twitter.com/WbYNFDmxoO
— Birmingham Stallions (@USFLStallions) April 16, 2023
The run game looked a lot like last year though, as the Generals ran for 192 yards on 30 attempts for over 6 yards a carry. Darius Victor led the way with 84 yards on the ground on just 8 carries. It was surprising that despite his efficiency, Victor touched the ball so few times. It was clear that offensively, they wanted to spread touches around and running back Kingston Davis looked solid as well in his first real action. Still, the thing that made the Generals so great last year was their balance on offense.
Missing The MVP
It’s obvious they miss former USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin in their pass attack. They looked to get wide receiver Cam Echols-Luper involved often, both on the ground and through the air. But the other wide receivers struggled to separate against man-coverage, and they need someone to establish themselves as a true number one option if they hope to find more success through the air. It didn’t help that De’Morney Pierson-El had the cart come out for him late in the fourth quarter. We hope he is okay, and it isn’t as bad as it seemed initially.
DARIUS VICTOR ‼️ 💪 Powers through with a massive run! @yungvitov pic.twitter.com/GzUvwdPHxU
— New Jersey Generals (@USFLGenerals) April 16, 2023
Defensive Miscues
It seems obvious, but the Generals missed defensive coordinator and secondary coach Cris Dishman in their season opener. The pass rush looked better from last year, but they still only managed one sack on the night and did not keep their rush lanes. Alex McGough was able to scramble for a number of key first downs while behind the chains.
Being without their two starting cornerbacks from last year, De’Vante Bausby and DeJuan Neal showed. Their young secondary was helped by their experienced safety room, but still struggled in man or zone coverage across the board. They allowed a combined QBR of 103.9 to the Stallions two quarterbacks and were a clear weakness for the defense.
The Generals did hold Birmingham under the 100-yard mark on the ground and most of the damage was done by McGough’s legs. New Jersey can stuff the ground game well, but the pass defense is still alarming. The Stallions have a ton of offensive weapons, but the Generals must find a way to stop receivers from running free in the secondary. Poor tackling and missed assignments summed up New Jersey’s night on that side of the ball.
MCGOUGH SAID GIDDY UP 🐎
That's another TD 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GRGfUycdMH
— Birmingham Stallions (@USFLStallions) April 16, 2023
Final Thoughts & Looking Ahead
It may feel like it to some, but the New Jersey Generals are not in trouble. They played an extremely sloppy game from start to finish but minimizing penalties, turnovers, and being more efficient in the red zone are fixable issues. They ran into the best roster in the USFL in the Birmingham Stallions and were outclassed from the beginning of the game.
This should not be a trend and I do expect them to bounce back next week against the Pittsburgh Maulers in Canton.
The New Jersey Generals out-gained the Stallions 356-310 and won the time of possession battle by nearly five minutes. New Jersey scored one touchdown on their four red zone possessions and might have had another if not for a questionable call by the refs.
Their two fumbles led to 14 points for the Stallions and coach Riley said postgame, that they lost in the situational aspects of the game. If they’re able to clean up these mistakes, which I believe they will, this is still a very good team that can make a playoff push.
NO SIR 🚫 Goal line stand complete! 😤 pic.twitter.com/Fy5rc5Ttlu
— Birmingham Stallions (@USFLStallions) April 16, 2023
What are your thoughts on the New Jersey Generals this season in the USFL? Can they make a USFL Championship run? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
