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! 👏
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