Maulers stumble in 2nd half, fall to Philadelphia
Share this post:
After a disastrous second half Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Maulers have slipped into last place in the USFL’s North Division, and with three games left in the regular season, their path to the playoffs has grown narrow.
The Philadelphia Stars connected on a pair of 56-yard passes and held the Maulers to 50 yards of offense and four first downs after halftime, earning a 37-31 victory.
The Stars top the division with a 4-3 record. The Maulers are fourth at 2-5. The New Jersey Generals and Michigan Panthers, who play each other Sunday, are 2-4. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs.
The game’s most pivotal play came late in the third quarter when Stars wide receiver Corey Coleman threw down a Maulers cornerback at the line of scrimmage, took off alone down the left sideline and caught a 56-yard scoring strike from quarterback Case Cookus with 2:11 left to give Philadelphia a 27-24 lead it did not relinquish.
On Philadelphia’s next possession, Cookus hit Devin Gray on a 56-yard strike, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Matt Colburn to give the Stars a needed cushion at 33-24.
The Maulers pulled within a score at 34-31 when Isiah Hennie returned a punt 69 yards to the Philadelphia 1-yard line and Garrett Grosheck punched it in on the next play with 2:01 to go.
By USFL rules, the Maulers attempted a fourth-and-12 play from their own 33 rather than trying an onside kick to keep possession, but quarterback Troy Williams was sacked by Adam Rodriguez and the comeback fizzled from there.
Cookus went 18 for 30 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Stars. Colburn ran 20 times for 82 yards and two scores, and Coleman and Gray each had four catches for 75 yards. The Stars outgained the Maulers, 347-202.
Williams was 18 for 28 for 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Maulers. Williams also led the team in rushing with 44 yards on 11 carries. Mason Stokke was the team’s top receiver with three catches for 34 yards.
The Maulers took a 24-20 lead into halftime thanks in large part to their special teams.
Josh Simmons made the biggest play of the half, returning a kickoff 88 yards for a score to give the Maulers a 14-10 advantage.
The Maulers also capitalized on a botched field goal attempt by the Stars, which gave them the ball at the Philadelphia 45 with 7:13 left in the first half. The Maulers put together an eight-play drive capped by a 17-yard TD pass from Williams to Hennie to make it 24-20 with 2:40 left in the half.
The Maulers also scored on a 3-yard end around by receiver Bailey Gaither on their first possession and got a 49-yard field goal from Chris Blewitt on the final play of the first half.