The Philadelphia Stars lost in a close game against the Birmingham Stallions. The Stars lost 27-24, falling to a 4-4 record in the USFL. The Stallions moved up to a 6-2 record, extending their lead in the South. Philadelphia is still in the lead in the North division, but the loss keeps it much closer. This was an exciting game, it just did not work out for the Stars in the end. Here is a look at the studs and duds for the Philadelphia Stars in week eight of the season.
Philadelphia Stars Studs
2022 Philadelphia Stars vs. Birmingham Stallions – Emilee Chinn/USFL/Getty Images
Joey Alfieri
Linebacker Joey Alfieri had a strong game for the Philadelphia Stars despite how well the Stallions’ offense played. Throughout the game, Alfieri had ten total tackles, seven of which were solo, according to the USFL. He did have one tackle for loss, but no sacks. The Stallions quarterback ran out of the pocket quite often. Alfieri excelled at following the ball and not falling for tricks. He was able to stop the quarterback from running the ball far, helping keep the Stars in the game. If he can keep this up, the Stars’ defense can do well moving forward.
Case Cookus
Quarterback Case Cookus did very well throughout the game against the Birmingham Stallions. Credit needs to be given for how often he was under pressure and still made a play. Cookus was getting beat up in that pocket and limited himself to just one interception. The interception did not come until late in the game when it was a pass in the last few seconds to try and save the game.
It may not have worked out for Cookus, but he played well. Throughout the game, Cookus had 20 completions out of 32 attempts for 265 yards, according to the USFL. He also had three passing touchdowns, keeping the game close and even having the lead for a good amount of time. The quarterback rushed the ball five times for 19 yards as well. Although Cookus did not get the win, he played hard the entire time.
Philadelphia Stars Duds
Former Packers RB Dexter Williams (22) – Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Cody Brown
Safety, Cody Brown did not have a bad game, but he did not stand out. Brown had eight total tackles, seven of which were solo, according to the USFL. Those stats are not bad at all, but Brown was guilty of penalties. One of the top reasons that the Stars ended up losing the game was the penalties, and Brown in no way was the only player guilty of them. Brown will need to take what happened in week eight and fix those mistakes moving forward, and the Philadelphia Stars will continue to push for playoffs.
Dexter Williams
The Stars were never able to get their run game going against the Stallions. Birmingham did well with preventing anything, and they deserve that credit. That does still mean that running back Dexter Williams did not have a great game. Throughout the matchup, Williams had 15 rushing attempts for just 52 yards, according to the USFL. With that many attempts, he should have had more yards. Instead, Williams only rushed an average of 3.5 yards per attempt—the reason he is listed as a dub is based on just the run game.
Williams actually did well as a receiver. He had four receptions for 23 yards, one of which went for a touchdown. He did very well as a receiver; it just would have helped the Stars if he could have had a better run game. Hopefully, next week Williams can get more momentum going.
There are just two more weeks of the regular season left in the USFL. The Philadelphia Stars will next face the New Jersey Generals, followed by the Michigan Panthers. The Stars still have the advantage, but the race for playoffs did get closer. The Stars will also need to be sure not to give up too many penalties.
