In what began as a strong game for the Philadelphia Stars, the team ended up losing a must-win game. The Stars fell short against the Michigan Panthers, 23-20. This means that the Stars will not be making the 2023 USFL playoffs. Philadelphia lost the final two games of the season, causing them to end with a 4-5 record. They were expected to win this game and instead go home. Despite a decent season, the 2023 Stars are officially finished. Here is a look at the Philadelphia Stars studs and duds in week ten.
Philadelphia Stars Studs
Former Atlanta Falcons WR Decin Gray – Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo
Devin Gray
Wide receiver Devin Gray played a strong week ten game. It is a shame that the Stars could not get the win with how well he played. Gray ended the game with nine receptions for 62 yards, according to the USFL. He averaged 6.9 yards per reception, which is solid for a team that struggled in the second half. This does not seem like crazy stats or anything, but Gray’s ability to get open for the pass was a big help for quarterback Case Cookus. Cookus was under pressure constantly, and Gray was the man he could hit.
Gray was actually targeted 14 times throughout the game. A common trend in the USFL has been that players have been targetted not too many times, but Gray was a guy Cookus knew he could pass to. If Gray returns to Philadelphia next season, he could be a clutch player for the Stars in 2024.
Terry Wright
Wide receiver Terry Wright also played well for the Stars. Wright was not targeted as many times as Gray was but only missed two targets. By the end of the game, Wright had six completions for 57 yards, according to the USFL. He also had one touchdown reception, a reason the Stars controlled the majority of the game. Wright’s longest completion was for 23 yards.
The Stars attempted the throw the ball numerous times throughout the game, with 45 total pass attempts. The team may have not gotten the win, but they pushed for it as much as they could. Not being able to get the run game going definitely limited this offense.
Philadelphia Stars Duds
Former Greenbay Packers WR Dexter Williams (22) – Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Dexter Williams
The run game for the Philadelphia Stars was not working out against the Michigan Panthers. The defense was all over the Stars’ offense. The leading rusher for them was Cookus with 48 yards. Running back Dexter Williams truly struggled against the Panthers. Williams had ten rushing attempts for 13 yards, according to the USFL. He averaged 1.3 yards per rush, his longest run being for 15 yards.
The Stars ended up only rushing for 83 yards throughout the entire game. This was not only on Williams, but it was a big reason that they lost the game. They will unfortunately not get a chance to redeem themselves this year.
Cody Brown
Safety Cody Brown played fine against the Michigan Panthers, but there was more he could have done. Brown did cause a penalty for taunting, which is not why they lost, but it was an easily avoidable mistake. The players know that it can draw a flag, and he should not have done that. Aside from the flag, Brown had six combined tackles, three of which were solo, according to the USFL. He also had one tackle for loss. It was not a bad game for Brown; there were just avoidable mistakes.
The Philadelphia Stars will now end their season 5-5. For a while, it did look as though they were the best team in the North division, but anything can happen in football. The second half of the game was sloppy for the Stars, and they did not get the job done. The Philadelphia Stars had a strong offense for much of this season, and the hope will be that they can continue that in 2024.
