USFL Week 2 highlights: Generals cruise in second half to beat Maulers

Week 2 of the 2023 USFL season winds down Sunday with a pair of big-time tilts.

To open the day, the New Jersey Generals took care of business against the Pittsburgh Maulers, winning 20-3 in Canton, Ohio to pick up their first win of the season.

The Generals’ defense stepped up in a big way on a pair of occasions in the first half, recording a goal-line stand on one possession and getting a big sack on another to keep the game 3-3 going into halftime.

As the rain poured in Canton, the offenses had trouble putting up points. But in the fourth quarter, the Generals were able to score a pair of touchdowns to pull away from the Maulers.

Later, on FS1, the Michigan Panthers will face the Philadelphia Stars (7 p.m. ET).

See the full regular-season week-by-week matchups here.

You can also check out FOX Bet’s current title odds for all eight teams.

Here are the top plays!

FINAL: New Jersey Generals 20, Pittsburgh Maulers 3

Friendly trash talk

De’Andre Johnson of the Generals and Boogie Roberts of the Maulers kept it clean in their pregame back-and-forth.

Opening hurdle

Braedon Bowman turned a relatively small catch into a big gain, in large part dude to his hurdle on the game’s opening play from scrimmage.

The 16-yard reception helped the Generals get a field goal on their opening possession to go up 3-0.

Flashing the technology

Advancements in technology have allowed the USFL to make judgment calls easier. One instance is using technology to determine if the ball crossed the first-down marker or not. The technology allowed a confirmation that Kingston Davis reached the marker for a first down on his fourth-and-1 carry.

Jarring it loose!

Kyhavia Tezino hit Davis to force a fumble after he made a reception on the play following the fourth-down conversion, giving the Maulers the ball at the Generals’ 39-yard line.

Goal line stop!

The Generals timed the fourth-down snap perfectly, shutting down the Maulers in front of the end zone on fourth-and-short to keep their 3-0 lead intact.

Sack and settle

Kenneth Randall came up with a big sack on first down for the Ramblers, which led to the Maulers settling for just three points to tie the game late in the first half.

Screen and score

Cam Echols-Luper took the screen pass and got the 10 yards needed to get into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown, extending the Generals’ lead to 13-3 in the third quarter.

Punch it in

Darius Victor ran right up the gut for a one-yard score to extend the Generals’ lead to 20-3 early in the fourth quarter.

Seal it up

Tyshun Render hit James Morgan as he was stepping up in the pocket, knocking the ball free and allowing Hercules Mata’afa to come up with the fumble recovery to help close things out for the Generals.

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