USFL championship set as Stars get clutch punt return TD, Stallions trample Breakers

Philadelphia Stars coach Bart Andrus and Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz joined Fox Nation host Abby Hornacek from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

The United States Football League’s first championship is officially set.

The Philadelphia Stars will play the Birmingham Stallions for the title next weekend. 

Philadelphia got past the North Division champion New Jersey Generals, and the Stallions beat the New Orleans Breakers in their respective playoff games.

Maurice Alexander (13) of the Philadelphia Stars returns a punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the New Jersey Generals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium June 25, 2022, in Canton, Ohio. (Jason Miller/USFL/Getty Images)

The Stars’ special teams came through in the clutch with about two minutes to go while they were a point down in the fourth quarter. 

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The Generals punted the ball away, and it was fielded by Maurice Alexander, who ran 88 yards for a touchdown that proved to be the difference in the game.

Stars cornerback Amani Dennis then picked off New Jersey quarterback Luis Perez on the Generals’ final drive to seal the win and a spot in the championship.

"You go into these games anticipating they’re gonna play a little different than they have all year because it’s a playoff game and there’s a lot of ‘or else’ factored into that game," Stars coach Bart Andrus said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend" when asked about being down in the fourth quarter. 

"We went in saying something might happen, and the thing you want to do is respond when it happens. Don’t react to it. Respond. And they did."

Ahmad Dixon of the Philadelphia Stars reacts after breaking up a pass in the second quarter