New Orleans Breakers outlast Philadelphia Breakers in USFL opener

The New Orleans Breakers had a succesful debut in the new USFL

The New Orleans Breakers and the Philadelphia Stars gave football fans a little of everything in their USFL opener in Birmingham on Sunday.

Kyle Sloter used a different cadence with 1:49 left to draw Philadelphia offside on a third-and-2 and that first down sealed the 23-17 victory for the Breakers.

The first score of the game was the first pick-six in the 2022 incarnation of the league.

Former UConn LB Vontae Davis picked the pass off and took it back for six.

Then, New Orleans went up 9-0 on a blocked punt that was smothered and knocked out of the end zone.

One cool aspect of the broadcast was how quickly a call could be overturned USFL rules analyst and FOX Sports’ Mike Pereira spoke to the USA Network announce booth as he was talking to referee Larry Smith and said an incompletion should be reversed. It was in a blink.

The Stars got their first touchdown on a pass to former UNC player Bug Howard, who has been in five NFL camps.

After a Breakers TD in the second half, T.J. Logan somehow came up with this pass on a 2-point coversion. Magic!

Darnell Holland brought Philly back into a 17-17 tie in the third quarter.

Jordan Ellis then  gave New Orleans a 23-17 lead but the PAT was no good early in the fourth quarter.