The Philadelphia Stars have overcome the injury to their starting quarterback early in the year with a strong finish and playoff win. Head coach Bart Andrus was hired for being a strong offensive mind. And Andrus delivered by putting his team in the USFL championship game with a backup quarterback. The Stars have won five of their last six games. The Birmingham Stallions proved to be the best team in the USFL to this point. The Stallions won their first eight games en route to the South Division title. Head coach Skip Holtz has engineered a fundamentally sound team that has shown no weaknesses in any area.
2022 USFL Championship Game Odds
Sunday, July 3, 2022, 7:30 p.m. ET
Birmingham Stallions (10-1) vs. Philadelphia Stars (7-4) - FOX
The Birmingham Stallions opened as a 4.5-point favorite over the Philadelphia Stars in the 2022 USFL Championship Game. Birmingham is a -213 moneyline favorite, with Philadelphia a +160 moneyline dog. The championship game opened with a total of 44.5.
The Philadelphia Stars are coming off a 19-14 win over the New Jersey Generals in the divisional playoffs. Philadelphia covered as a 4.5-point dog, with the game going under the total of 47.5.
The game was broken up spectacularly when Philadelphia’s Maurice Alexander scored on an 87-yard touchdown punt return late in the 4th quarter to put the Stars ahead 19-14.
New Jersey held a 33:10 time of possession advantage in the game compared to Philadelphia at 26:50. Three New Jersey turnovers helped the Stars.
Philadelphia quarterback Case Cookus was 10/20 for 133 yards, 6.6 yards per pass, one interception, and a 50.6 QB rating. Cookus was the Stars leading rusher with four attempts, 39 yards, with one touchdown. Darnell Holland added nine rushes for 38 yards. Diondre Overton was the leading receiver for the Stars with two catches, 65 yards, and 32.5 yards per catch.
New Jersey quarterback Luis Perez had a frustrating day under center. Perez was 19/25 for 191 yards and 7.6 yards per pass. Perez threw two interceptions with a 63.9 QB rating. Darius Victor was the top rusher for the Generals with 16 attempts, 64 yards, and one TD. Trey Williams added nine rushes for 40 yards. The leading receiver for the Generals was Darrius Shepherd, with five catches good for 91 yards.
Bryan Scott was lost early in the season to injury. But Cookus has proven to be a steady replacement. Cookus completed the season with a 130.6 QB rating. He completed 62.5% of his passes for 1334 yards and 6.4 yards per pass. Cookus threw 12 touchdown passes with just five interceptions.
Philadelphia’s top running back this year was Matt Colburn II. Colburn ran for 457 yards on 102 rushes for 4.5 yards per rush and eight touchdowns.
Bug Howard is the top Philadelphia receiver. The tight end had 30 receptions, 371 yards, 12.4 yards per catch, and four touchdowns. Jordan Suell added 36 catches for 370 yards, 10.3 yards per catch, and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Philadelphia ranked 6th for points allowed, 8th overall, 6th against the pass, 8th against the rush, 7th for forced fumbles, 7th for interceptions, and 6th for sacks. Offensively the Stars ranked 5th in the USFL for rushing and 2nd for passing.
The Birmingham Stallions are coming off a 31-17 win over the New Orleans Breakers in the divisional playoffs. Birmingham covered as a 3.5-point favorite, with the game going over the total of 43.5.
New Orleans outgained Birmingham 389-289. Much of that Breakers’ yardage was through the air in a comeback attempt. New Orleans had 327 yards passing compared to 182 for the Stallions. A big difference in the game was New Orleans committing two turnovers.
New Orleans quarterback Kyle Sloter was 22/40 for 327 yards, 8.2 yards per pass, with one TD, two interceptions, and a 69.5 QB rating. Anthony Jones led the Breakers in rushing with 12 rushes, 49 yards, and 4.1 yards per rush. New Orleans receiver Sal Cannella had a monster day. Cannella caught 12 passes for 154 yards and no TDs.
Birmingham quarterback J’Mar Smith was 17/27 for 190 yards, 7.0 yards per pass, with one TD and a 96.2 QB rating. Smith was the Stallions' top rusher with seven attempts, 48 yards, and a TD. Bo Scarbrough added 11 rushes for 39 yards and no TDs. Adrian Hardy was the Stallions leading receiver with five catches and 74 yards. Osirus Mitchell added four catches for 64 yards and a TD.
This season Birmingham finished 6th in the USFL for pass efficiency but 2nd for rushing offense. Defensively, the Stallions ranked 2nd for points allowed, 1st overall, 4th against the pass, 2nd against the rush, 1st for sacks, 5th for interceptions, and 5th for forced fumbles.
This season Smith finished with a 118.9 QB rating. He completed 55% of his passes for 1573 yards, 6.6 yards per pass, 10 TDs, six interceptions, and a 130.6 QB rating.
CJ Marable was the top Birmingham rusher with 102 rushes, 401 yards, 3.9 yards per rush, and five TDs. Bo Scarbrough added 84 rushes, 352 yards, 4.2 yards per with one TD.
Marlon Williams led the Stallions in receiving with 32 catches, 474 yards, 14.8 yards per reception, and four TDs. Victor Bolden Jr added 42 catches, 415 yards, 9.9 yards per catch, and one TD.
2022 USFL Championship Game Free Pick
Throughout the season, the Birmingham Stallions have played the most fundamentally sound football of any club. Birmingham brings a significant defensive advantage to this matchup. And as the saying goes, “defense wins championships.”
Best Bet: Birmingham Stallions
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