Breakers strong at start, finish to beat Stars in USFL opener

The debut of the latest iteration of the New Orleans Breakers was successful one.

New Orleans led early and rallied back from a second half deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Stars, 23-17, before a sparse crowd at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

The defense was outstanding throughout for New Orleans, which included a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by Vontae Diggs of a pass by Bryan Scott in the first quarter.

The lead grew to 9-0 on a blocked punt by Chad Williams which went out of the end zone for a safety.

The Stars scored before halftime to cut the deficit to 9-7 and Philadelphia took a 10-9 lead with a field goal in the third quarter.

T.J. Logan Jr. scored on a touchdown run in third quarter and a two-point conversion put the Breakers up 17-10 late in the third quarter but the Stars rallied to tie it. Logan finished the game with 15 carries for 56 yards and the score and he caught four passes for 38 yards.

New Orleans got the game-winner on a Jordan Ellis 2-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.

On the game winning drive, Ellis had five rushed for 44 yards, including the touchdown run.

Ellis finished the game with 18 carries for 89 yards and the touchdown.

Quarterback Kyle Sloter shook off an interception to complete 17 of 27 passes for 150 yards and he rushed four times for 30 yards. Tight end Sal Cannella was the leading receiver with six catches for 58 yards.

Trying to avoid giving the Stars one last chance, Sloter was able to draw Philadelphia offside on a third-and-two play with 1:49 to play, giving New Orleans a first down and allowing the Breakers to run out the clock.

Davin Bellamy was a defensive star for New Orleans, all over the field, and he recorded three sacks. Diggs had 10 tackles and Jerod Fernandez led the team with 12 tackles.

The Breakers will play Tampa Bay next Sunday at 2 p.m. in Birmingham.