New Jersey Generals quarterback De’Andre Johnson seized his moment last Sunday night.
With his team down 10-3 at halftime to the Philadelphia Stars, Generals head coach Mike Riley made the call to put Johnson under center for the second half.
Johnson and his running backs, Trey Williams and Darius Victor, proceeded to impose their will on the Stars with one run play after another. The Generals climbed back into contention and eventually, their rushing attack wore down the Stars.
It was Johnson’s four-yard touchdown run that sealed a 24-16 Generals win, moving them to 2-1 and first place in the USFL’s North Division.
The Generals racked up a stellar 265 rushing yards in the victory. Johnson chipped in 92 of those rushing yards, along with throwing for 130 more.
Through the opening weeks of the USFL season, Johnson – the dual threat – and Luis Perez – the traditional passer – have been used interchangeably to lead the Generals offense.
With the Generals’ emphasis on the run game and Johnson’s own role to play in that, he hasn’t had as many opportunities to show his passing skills (14/22 for 237 yards through three weeks).
But as he navigates working in a two-QB system while contributing primarily, for now, as a rusher, Johnson is simply focused on getting the job done.
“Regardless of whether you’re running the ball, throwing the ball – at the end of the day, being a quarterback is understanding the offense and moving the offense efficiently without turning the ball over,” Johnson told NBC Sports this week.
“That’s what I take pride in. Whatever plays Coach calls, I’ll try and execute it to the maximum of my ability. … If you’ve prepared the proper way – don’t get me wrong, going into each week, I know I’m gonna to, at some time, get some passing plays and stuff like that just based off how the game is going.
“But I still prepare the same way. I still go over every play that we have. Whether it’s running the ball, passing the…