New Jersey Generals snag first USFL win, but it wasn’t pretty

It wasn’t pretty, but the New Jersey Generals picked up their first win in the new USFL on Friday night.

The Generals (1-1) held off the Michigan Panthers 10-6 on Friday night at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. in a game that was devoid of effective offense. Michigan fell to 0-2.

All 16 points were scored in the first half and both teams each missed a field goal.

Panthers quarterback Shea Patterson just missed engineering a game-winning drive in the final minutes.

Facing a fourth-and-20 from their 10-yard line, Patterson and the Panthers were able to keep the drive going and moved the ball all the way to the Generals’ 16-yard line with five seconds left. But Patterson, the No. 1 overall pick in the USFL draft, couldn’t finish the drive off as his final pass fell incomplete.

The former Wolverine signal caller struggled for most of the game, going 14-for-29 for 124 yards, in which 74 yards came in the final drive.

The Generals — who suffered a tough 28-24 loss last week to the Birmingham Stallions in the opener for both teams — played two quarterbacks again. Luis Perez completed 13-of-19 passes for 97 yards and one interception. De’Andre Johnson, the second quarterback, was 5-of-6 for 48 yards passing and rushed for 27 yards, coming off his 98 yards rushing effort last week.

Michigan — trailing 3-0 in the second quarter after a Nick Rose 21-yard field goal — took the lead after Orion Stewart intercepted Perez, returning it 26 yards and setting the Panthers up on the Generals’ 20-yard line. Cameron Scarlett finished off the drive to give the Panthers a 6-3 lead, but they missed the extra point.

Later in the second quarter, the Generals scored the game-winning touchdown, capped off by a Darius Victor’s 1-yard touchdown run. Victor led the Generals’ ground attack, rushing for 40 yards on 11 carries.

The Generals, who rushed for 113 yards, will next face the Philadelphia Stars on May 1 at 8 p.m.