Victor, Generals bully Maulers on way to seventh straight win
By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports activities NFL Author
Birmingham, Ala. — Darius Victor owns the field.
That’s what the bowling ball of a working again calls the top zone.
“I name myself a box-boy CEO,” joked Victor. “Nothing else issues however the field. That’s my job.”
Using behind the highly effective legs of the bruising Victor, the New Jersey Generals bullied the Pittsburgh Maulers for the staff’s seventh straight victory of the yr — a convincing, 29-18 win on the legendary Legion Area on Friday.
Generals cruise previous Maulers in Week 8
Darius Victor rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns within the New Jersey Generals’ 29-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers in Week 8.
Victor totaled 87 speeding yards and a season-high three speeding touchdowns, upping his league-leading complete to 9 speeding TDs on the season. It’s the third contest this season that Victor rushed for not less than two touchdowns in a single sport.
Trey Williams added 66 speeding yards on 12 carries.
New Jersey receiver KaVontae Turpin continued to point out his explosive playmaking capability, catching a shallow cross over the center and sprinting 24 yards for his fourth landing of the season.
Austin Jones added a 50-yard discipline aim.
With the win, the Generals improved to 7-1 as the highest staff within the North division, whereas Pittsburgh dropped to 1-7 and was eradicated from playoff rivalry.
It was the Generals’ second win over Pittsburgh this season, having overwhelmed the Maulers 21-13 in Week 4.
Darius Victor goes off for 3 touchdowns
Darius Victor rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns within the New Jersey Generals’ 29-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers.
The Generals took management of the sport early, marching 46 yards on 5 performs, capped by a Victor 2-yard run up the center of Pittsburgh’s protection.
New Jersey’s opening landing was arrange by an enormous return by Cam Echols-Luper and helped by a 15-yard pointless roughness penalty on the Maulers for tackling him out of bounds.
The Maulers answered with a landing of their very own, a 5-yard run by new beginning quarterback Roland Rivers, who completed 3-for-4 for 35 yards on his staff’s opening drive.
Nevertheless, the Generals responded with one other scoring drive, capped this time by a 7-yard landing run by Victor, and by no means trailed from there.
Battle of Harlon Hill trophy winners
For the primary time in an expert sport, two quarterbacks who received the Harlon Hill trophy — given to one of the best participant in Division II soccer — matched up on the sphere.
New Jersey quarterback Luis Perez received the award in 2017 whereas a senior at Texas A&M Commerce, whereas Rivers took the honors in 2019 throughout his ultimate season at Slippery Rock.
Rivers began his first sport of the season rather than Vad Lee, who helped the Maulers earn their solely victory of the season in Week 5.
Perez performed effectively for a 3rd straight week, ending 18-for-24 for a season-high 220 yards and a rating.
Rivers had his moments, however was not as environment friendly, finishing 18 of 38 passes for 218 yards, with a landing move and an interception.
“You watch professional soccer normally, and these gamers come from all over the place,” New Jersey head coach Mike Riley stated in regards to the two signal-callers. “So, that’s in no way stunning to me. The opposite factor is, with guys which have received video games, there’s form of a standard denominator there, particularly at that place. These guys have made performs to win championships or to be considered at that prime of a stage.”
Riley returns to Legion Area
Riley obtained an opportunity to teach on the identical discipline he performed at for iconic head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant when he competed for the College of Alabama as a defensive again from 1971 to 1974.
Riley got here in as a left-handed quarterback however moved to the defensive aspect of the ball.
“I used to be kidding with the blokes that I noticed my locker in there, which isn’t true,” joked Riley. “I really like soccer historical past, and once we performed right here, it was particular. That they had that signal on the market, ‘The Soccer Capital of the South.’ And it actually was. That is the place all the large video games had been.
“We performed Auburn right here. We performed Tennessee right here. We performed LSU right here. And simply the journey up from Tuscaloosa was an enormous deal. I really like soccer historical past, and I’m proud to have a staff that I’m with to get to play right here. I believe that’s fairly neat, and I’m glad we got here in right here and received.”
Ramiz Ahmed nails 61-yarder
One of many few vivid spots for Pittsburgh this season has been placekicker Ramiz Ahmed.
The Nevada product made a USFL-record 61-yard discipline aim that simply made it over the uprights with 4:01 left within the third quarter, slicing New Jersey’s edge to 23-10.
Maulers’ Ramiz Ahmed drills 61-yard FG
Pittsburgh Maulers kicker Ramiz Ahmed set a USFL report with a 61-yard discipline aim towards New Jersey in Week 8.
Ahmed made a 58-yarder final week and is 3-for-6 from past 50 yards this season. Ahmed has been one of the best scoring choice for a Pittsburgh offense averaging a league-low 13 factors a sport coming into Friday’s contest.
“He’s very dedicated to what he does,” Pittsburgh head coach Kirby Wilson stated. “He’s a real skilled, the best way he works. There wasn’t a member of this soccer staff that wasn’t extraordinarily happy and pleased for him.”
Maulers convert first Fourth-and-12 alternate kickoff
Trailing by 11 factors with simply over six minutes left, the Maulers selected to make use of the USFL’s various kickoff for the primary time this season.
Underneath the brand new rule, groups can go for it on fourth-and-12 from their very own 33-yard line as a substitute of executing an onside kick. In the event that they make the play, they get to maintain the ball. If they don’t convert, the opposing staff will get the ball on the 33-yard line.
The Maulers managed to transform the play, with Rivers discovering Jalen McCleskey on an in route for a 17-yard reception.
“We had been on the lookout for a particular protection primarily based upon our personnel,” Wilson stated. “And once we all noticed it, as a employees we stated that we had been going to have a possibility to make this, it simply depends upon if the safety is correct, he reads it proper and the receiver makes a play. And all three of these elements occurred.”
Nevertheless, Ahmed missed a 49-yard discipline aim try eight performs later, and the Maulers didn’t make the most of the play.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, overlaying the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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USFL – Maulers vs. Generals – 6/4/2022
