By R.L. Bynum
On a USFL weekend when Coach Larry Fedora’s New Orleans Breakers lost in a battle of unbeaten teams, Anthony Ratliff-Williams and Bug Howard got touchdown receptions in improbable ways.
In Houston’s 27–26 loss to the Tampa Bay Bandits, Ratliff-Williams scored on a 57-yard pass play that was one of the wackier sequences you’ll ever see.
He caught a pass from quarterback Clayton Thorson at the Tampa Bay 29, but got the ball knocked out of his hand at the 18. After the ball took a couple of speedy bounces forward, Ratliff-Williams picked it back up in stride at the Bandits 3, scored and did a celebratory dance.
Ratliff-Williams had two catches on four targets for 85 yards in the game for Houston (1–2) and is 13th in the league in receiving with eight catches on 13 targets for 124 yards and one touchdown.
On Sunday, tight end Bug Howard had four catches on six targets for 78 yards and a touchdown in his Philadelphia Stars’ 24–16 loss to the New Jersey Generals.
Howard gave the Stars an early lead when he caught a pass from quarterback Byron Scott for a 41-yard scoring play.
Howard made the catch and hit the turf at the Generals 21. The play would have been over but no defenders touched him, so he jumped up and ran the rest of the way untouched for the touchdown.
Howard is fifth in the league in receiving with 11 catches on 15 targets for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
On Saturday, in a battle of 2–0 teams, the Birmingham Stallions beat Fedora’s Breakers 22–13. Birmingham rallied from a 13–10 deficit with 12 fourth-quarter points.
T.J. Logan Jr., after running for 99 yards in the first two games, didn’t play in the game, presumably because of an injury.
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