New Jersey Generals Defeat Michigan Panthers to Clinch North Division Flag

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN

WEEK NINE

New Jersey Generals  25

Michigan Panthers      23

FINAL

Week One    Week Two    Week Three    Week Four    Week Five    Week Six    Week Seven    Week Eight

Luis Perez Leads Generals on Another Game-Winning Drive

Week nine resulted in another come-from-behind victory for New Jersey.

The Generals needed a team effort to overcome a gamely Panthers team.  They got points from special teams and forced three turnovers on defense.  However, the right foot of kicker Austin Jones proved defective.  In the first quarter, he missed an opening attempt from 36-yards out.  But with three minutes left in the quarter, he nailed a 36-yarder for a 3-0 Generals lead.  With a chance to extend New Jersey's lead just before the half, Jones missed again from 38-yards.  The Generals then scored a go-ahead touchdown with 2:33 left in the game, but Jones missed the extra point leaving the Panthers down by only two with ample time left on the clock.

It's hard to say what exactly Coach Riley was thinking in the first quarter by switching back and forth between Perez and De'Andre Johnson.  But he ultimately settled with Perez.  

Michigan led 20-19 after three quarters, then added a field goal with six and a half minutes left to play.  The Generals then went on a six-play 54-yard drive.  Darius Victor and Trey Williams rushed for 23 yards.  On second and five, Luis Perez connected with Darrius Shepherd on a 17-yard touchdown to seize a 25-23 lead.

On the Panthers' final possession, Generals safety Paris Ford intercepted Eric Barriere to preserve the victory.  It was the General's third interception of the game.

Perez finished 10/16 for 92 yards and a touchdown.  De'Andre Johnson was 5/8 for 60 yards with an interception.

KaVontae Turpin gave the Generals a 10-0 lead when he returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown.

The Generals topped 100 yards rushing again, this time gaining 108 yards.  Trey Williams led with eleven carries for 62 yards, and Cam Echols-Luper ran 24 yards for a touchdown.

Darrius Shepherd caught six passes for 99 yards and a score.

With their eighth straight victory, the Generals clinched the North Division title.

• USFL

New Jersey Generals Defeat Houston Gamblers With Last Second Touchdown

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN 

WEEK SIX

Houston Gamblers       24

New Jersey Generals   25

FINAL

Week One    Week Two    Week Three    Week Four    Week Five

The New Jersey Generals win a wild back and forth affair replete with a last-second comeback.  

Houston scored within one and a half minutes after the opening kickoff.  Cornerback DeJuan Neal got tripped up, leaving Gambler wide receiver Teo Redding wide open for an easy six.  Four minutes into the contest, the Generals answered.  De'Andre Johnson connected with KaVontae Turpin for a 19-yard score and a tie game.

Coach Riley changed things up in the second quarter.  With Luis Perez back under center, the Generals took the lead on a 32-yard touchdown grab by KaVontae Turpin, his second of the game.  However, the Gamblers tied the game just before the half.

The Generals then fumbled on their next possession, and Houston took full advantage.  Gamblers' wide receiver Mark Thompson caught his second touchdown within a minute to give Houston a 19-14 lead into the half.

New Jersey had a field goal attempt blocked in the third quarter.  Afterwhich, the Generals running game began to seize control.   They closed out the third quarter with a ten-play 47-yard drive, in which they converted a fourth down and culminated in a Trey Williams touchdown.

Houston followed with a missed field goal attempt.  In the fourth, the Gamblers recovered a Luis Perez fumble and returned it 41 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 25-20 Houston lead.

With 5:50 left in the game, Luis Perez marched the Generals from their own twenty downfield to the Houston one-yard line.  With 0:02 showing on the clock, Perez executed a quarterback sneak for the one-point victory.

Make that five wins in a row for New Jersey.  

De'Andre Johnson was 4/4 for 52 yards and a touchdown.  Luis Perez finished an efficient 18/24 for 159 yards with one touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown.  KaVontae Turpin finished with five catches for 105 yards and two touchdown receptions.

Trey Williams led the USFL's top ground game with 16 attempts for 76 yards and a touchdown.  Darius Victor rushed 16 times for 57 yards, and KaVontae Turpin had a long run of 25 yards.

• USFL

New Jersey Generals Fend Off Pittsburgh Maulers

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN

WEEK FOUR

New Jersey Generals  21

Pittsburgh Maulers     13

FINAL

Week One    Week Two    Week Three

After Dropping Season Opener, the First-Place New Jersey Generals March to Their Third Straight Victory  

De'Andre Johnson started behind center.  Johnson connected with Alonso Moore on a 62-yard touchdown reception with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.  It was De'Andre's first TD pass this season.  

Pittsburgh opened the second quarter with a field goal.  New Jersey then extended their lead before the half.  Wide receiver KaVontae Turpin scored on a reverse from the seven-yard line.  But with less than a minute left in the second quarter, the Maulers found the end-zone to make it a 14-10 game.

Darius Victor rushed for his fourth touchdown this season in the third quarter, giving the Generals a 21-10 lead.  New Jersey kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard in the first quarter and again in the third.  Afterwhich, the Generals' defense limited the Maulers to just a field goal in the fourth quarter en route to a 21-13 victory.

Johnson and Luis Perez joined together on 20/24 for 200 yards, no turnovers, and a touchdown.  The ground game rushed 32 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns.  Alonso Moore caught three passes for 104 yards.  

The offense averages a league-leading 358 yards per game and is second in rushing behind the Michigan Panthers.

After New Jersey's week one defeat in which they yielded 28 points against the Birmingham Stallions, the Generals have now held their last three opponents under twenty points.

New Jersey Generals Ground and Pound Way to Second Straight Victory

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

New Jersey Generals   24

Philadelphia Stars        16

FINAL

Offensive Line Choreographs Smashmouth Ground Attack

The third time is a charm ...

Kicker Nick Rose missed an early 52-yard field goal attempt, then a 43-yard attempt at the 4:15 mark of the first quarter.  In between failed attempts, Philadelphia scored on a 41-yard touchdown pass, Bryan Scott to Bug Howard.  The Stars extended their lead by three in the second quarter.  But with 0:29 left in the half, Nick Rose finally nailed a 54-yard attempt.  

The Generals still trailed 16-10 after three quarters.  However, Philadelphia would score no more.  New Jersey clamped down on defense, and with an assortment of quarterback options, screen passes, and a little smashmouth, the offense rushed to daylight in the second half towards a 24-16 victory.

From the pocket, Luis Perez and De'Andre Johnson joined together for 14/23 for 205 yards and no turnovers.

Make no mistake: this game was won on the ground behind an effective offensive line.  De'Andre Johnson scrambled eleven times for 94 yards and a touchdown.  Trey Williams rushed 19 times for 110 yards, and Darius Victor ran 13 times for 51 yards and two touchdowns.  Williams and Victor also made seven receptions for 75 yards.

N.J. Generals Hold Off Michigan Panthers for First USFL Victory

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN

"New Jersey Generals"

Earn First Victory Since 1985 Season

WEEK TWO

Michigan Panthers       6

New Jersey Generals 10

FINAL

Generals Defense Secures the Win

Panther quarterback Shea Patterson and the Michigan offense did everything within their power to lose, and it worked.  Had the Panthers converted an extra point and a field goal, perhaps this game goes into overtime ... or not.  

The Generals missed a field goal attempt as well and should have come away with several interceptions ... but they didn't.  

Said another way, this was not an impressive game by any measure by either team.

But the Generals defensive front created just enough pressure at just the right times and flushed Patterson out of the pocket one last time to end the game and preserve a 10-6 victory, New Jersey's first of the season.  Defensive linemen Kolin Hill had one sack, and Tyshun Render and Deyon Sizer joined together for another.   

Offensively, Luis Perez was 13/19 for just 97 yards with an interception.  The Generals' first play from scrimmage was the same play they attempted to open week one and again failed miserably.  However, I give credit for the aggressiveness.  Regardless, Luis Perez continually threw into heavy traffic and overthrew an easy would-be touchdown to his tight end, after which the Generals settled for three.

Darius Victor put forth an effective effort featuring intense north/south action, rushing eleven times for 40 yards and the game's only touchdown.  The Generals rushed for 113 yards overall.

In week two, Coach Riley's dual quarterback attack was less of an item.  De'Andre Johnson was 5/6 for 48 yards from the pocket and rushed ten times for 27 yards.

Otherwise, Jersey was somewhat lucky to commit two turnovers and still win.

• Week One: vs. Stallions
• USFL

N.J. Generals Yield the High Ground in USFL Opener

From the desk: FIVE STAR PIGSKIN

WEEK ONE

GENERALS    24

STALLIONS   28

FINAL

New Jersey Generals Fail to Protect Two Fourth Quarter Leads

Thirty-seven years after a former American president spearheaded their initial demise, the United States Football League is back on the gridiron to provide springtime pigskin.  

But let's be clear.  This is not the league I remember from the 80s and will nowhere near mimic its ancestor.  In fact, they're not even related.

The original USFL went head-to-head against the NFL by conducting annual amateur drafts and offering competitive salaries.  For the first time since the American Football League (and the laughable World Football League), players during that time were provided with a legitimate career option.  Not since 1985 have players been afforded that luxury.  

In the absence of deep-pocketed owners, friendly stadium deals, and a college draft, fans of this latest USFL endeavor should expect another minor circuit similar to the World League of American Football, AAF, and XFL.

Be that as it may, let's go, New Jersey Generals.  It's nice to see you back.

So, right away, I'm inclined to ask what's up with this proposed dual QB system head coach Mike Riley speaks of?  Ben Holmes was initially slated to be the starting quarterback, but two weeks before the season opener, he was released due to a foot injury.  The Generals then signed Luis Perez, who local fans might remember from the New York Guardians.  He is to tandem with De'Andre Johnson.

Luis Perez was 13/18 for 143 yards, with two touchdown passes and no interceptions.  Meanwhile, De'Andre Johnson was just 3/8 for 59 yards.  However, he led the team with 98 yards rushing on twelve attempts with a touchdown.

Receiver Randy Satterfield took a big hit early in the first quarter but persisted for 100 yards on five receptions with a touchdown.  Tight end Braedon Bowman also caught a touchdown.

The Birmingham Stallions (welcome back) surged late for a comeback victory.  New Jersey took a 14-7 lead into the half, but the Stallions tied the game in the third quarter.  New Jersey took a 21-14 lead with just over six minutes left.  Birmingham again answered back.  The Generals then were made to settle for a field goal at the four-minute mark, but Jersey's defense failed to hold, and another Stallions touchdown gave Birmingham a 28-24 lead and the final margin of victory.

Goodbye GIANTS STADIUM, good riddance Meadowlands.

Tah-Dah!!
Consider this my first post into anything other than Baseball and Brooklyn.  And away we go...!

Good-bye Giants Stadium, and greater Meadowlands Sports Complex.  I appreciated you.  But somehow this doesn't have the gravitas like the closing of SHEA STADIUM, or The House Where Sparky Spit,  The House That George Razed, the Cathedral, YANKEE STADIUM has.

I had some good times there.  Don't get me wrong.  There's just not that much of an emotional attachment like Shea, The Stadium (better?), or even what Madison Square Garden means to me.  It is what it is.

In my 43 years on this planet, as a FOOTBALL GIANTS fan,  I've been to 3 games; one in 1985, 1989 and lastly, the 1993 playoff game versus the Vikings.  That was a great time, and the best moment I was present for.  The best moment of all time at Giants Stadium was voted on.  That moment is the 1986/7 NFC Championship, Wind Blown, Paper Snowing victory over the Redskins.  Voted the second greatest moment was opening day the next season when the Giants celebrated their 3rd Super Bowl victory with their fans.

However, I have awesome memories of going to many NASL COSMOS games in the late 70's.  Pele's last game was THE biggest event I attended at the Meadowlands.  1978 was as fun a year rooting for the Cosmos as any other, with any of my teams.  You didn't know it then.  But I know today, those COSMOS days were special!  The crowds were incredible.

My other source of Meadowland merriment came when the U.S.F.L. kicked-off.  I took an instant liking to the league and the NEW JERSEY GENERALS.  That league should have stayed in the spring.  They would probably still be around today.  Those were good times too!

I went to a couple of concerts at the old Brendan Byrne Arena (I don't keep up with these dumb name changes anymore).  I saw Judas Priest, OzzY, Sabbath and I don't even remember who anymore back in the 80's.  But there were others.

And that's it....the extent of my associations with Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands.  Good-bye 'Ol-Chum.  It's been...alright.

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