The generals are driving the defense, leading the game for a place in the USFL playoffs

By RJ Young
FOX Sports Writer

BIRMINGHAM, Alasha - Behind the podium, Mike Riley sat between runs Darije Viktor and cornerback Dravon Askev-Henryand admired the blue envelope handed to him by a United States Football League official.

“Would you look at that?” Riley told Victor.

“It’s our calling,” Victor said.

“Our call for the playoffs,” Riley said.

I approached the table where the trio was sitting to examine it more carefully, and Riley held the letter up. It was signed by Pro Football Hall of Fame President Mike Levy.

New Jersey generals travel to Canton.

“It’s a really fun coaching team,” Riley said. “They compete. I think they are good teammates. We are really proud to be with them. And we are really proud to be the first team to make it to the first year of the USFL playoffs.”

Despite playing without quarterback De’Andre Johnson for the first time this season, the Generals became the first team to secure a place in the postseason in the inaugural USFL season. They managed it with their sixth consecutive victory, 20-13, on Saturday against Tampa Bay Bandit Todd Haley at Protective Stadium.

New Jersey quarterback Luis Perez played the entire game, making 19 of 25 dog attempts for 174 yards with a touchdown.

But the defense was the one that shone the most for the Generals, making three turnovers and harassing Bandits quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who finished just 17 of 37 attempts to pass for 234 yards, with one TD and three interceptions.

“[Ta’amu] was effective, “Haley said. “He made some really big throws for us in critical situations. We just need to start faster. “

The victory of the Generals enabled them to recover for three weeks before pushing into the playoffs, which begins with the semifinals on June 25. She also opened the door for the Birmingham Stalions to win the second of four places with a victory on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

The Stallions are the only team to beat the Generals this season.

In their first scoring, the Generals received at least 10 yards in five of eight games, including Victor’s 20-yard run right into the middle of Pepper Johnson’s defense.

Victor finished with 72 assault yards on 14 curries and a TD.

Earlier this season, FOX Sports side reporter Brock Howard asked to measure Victor’s thighs. Viktor said that he agreed because he wanted to know how big they are. It turned out to be about 30 inches.

“He [Huard] it was like, ‘If I had a meter, would you let me measure them?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ The rest is history. “Victor said.” Thick thighs save lives. “

He is right

On the fourth i-3 with only 1:32 left in the first quarter, and his team on the 48-yard line of New Jersey, Haley called the screen “Ah, hell” - where the defense ends the game by saying, “Ah, damn it.”

After setting himself right up to the right grip and signing up to qualify, offensive line player Corbin Kaufusi sprinted across the field on the flag with the flag of play and action and made a fantastic catch and run at 32 yards.

“Our secret weapon,” Haley joked.

Kaufusi, a former 6-foot-9 Brigama Young basketball player, looked like he had played the receiver for most of his career. Kicker bandit Tyler Rausa turned a field goal from 34 yards for Tampa’s first points of the game.

“It was great,” Kaufusi said on TV immediately after the goal. “We planned it for a few weeks, but it was finally sweet to do it.

But that may have been the only time that the Generals’ defense was caught out of position in the first half. Chris Dishman’s defense kept Tampa at a total of 72 yards - and only 21 on the ground.

Theft from Bandits

Askev-Henri twice selected Ta’amu in the second quarter. He was the first to come to the territory of Tampa, and Victor hit him in the end zone three games later to give the generals a double-digit advantage.

To make the Bandits’ chances worse, Ta’amu threw his third interception in the game - his last two consecutive passes - into the safety of General Shalom Luani.

Luani won four assists while playing in just five games. He was tied for the lead in the league in INTs with the corner defender of the Philadelphia Stars, Channing Stribling, and the corner defender of the Houston Gamblers, Will Lickley, and the first among the safes.

The return is short

Despite starting the game with just seven completed moves, along with those three interceptions in 21 assists, Ta’amu ended up adding John Franklin III for a Bandits touchdown that reduced the Generals’ lead to 20-13.

After Bandita’s defense endured, Ta’amu had the ball five minutes to go and had a chance to equalize or take the lead. But on the fourth and 14th from the Generals 46-yard line, Haley chose to strike, attaching New Jersey to her own 9-yard line with 4:53 left.

Gambling in his defense paid off, and Hailey returned to the field in the attack with 1:54 until the end and two time-outs in the march of 83 yards.

Vinny Papale’s video gave life to the Bandits when he caught 15 yards on the third and 11 to move the sticks. Going fast, Ta’amu then found a close Cheyenne O’Grady for 26 yards for another big win. The call to obstruct the passage in the next play moved the Bandits to 29 generals.

Tampa crossed into New Jersey 16 when De’Quan Hampton caught a dog at the crossing. With the game on the line and 35 seconds until the end of the fourth and 7, Askev-Henri rejected what could have been an addition to TD Papale to seal the victory.

“I got into awkward situations in practice,” said Askyu-Henry, “so when the time comes for the game, it’s pretty easy.”

Or so it looked in the most important game of the general’s season - yet.

RJ Young is an American football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and a podcast host. “1st ranked show with RJ Young. ” Follow him on Twitter at @ RJ_Ioungand subscribe to “RJ Young Show“on YouTube. He’s not on Stepmill.

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