Pittsburgh Maulers eliminated from playoff contention with loss to New Jersey

The first season of the second chapter of Pittsburgh Maulers football will not end with a playoff berth.

Darius Victor ran for 87 yards and three touchdowns, leading the New Jersey Generals to a 28-19 victory, eliminating the 1-7 Maulers from USFL playoff contention.

The Maulers turned to Slippery Rock grad Roland Rivers III under center, making him their fourth starting quarterback in eight games this season, and he had his moments, going 18 for 38 for 218 yards with one touchdown passing, another rushing and an interception.

With about six minutes left, Rivers hit Isiah Hennie for a 22-yard scoring strike and Hunter Thedford for a two-point conversation to cut New Jersey’s lead to 11.

In lieu of an onside kick, USFL rules allow a team that has just scored to try a fourth-and-12 play from their own 33 to keep possession. Rivers hit Jalen McCleskey with an 18-yard dart so the Maulers could keep the ball.

The drive stalled, though, and Ramiz Ahmed missed a 49-yard field goal with 3:01 left that would have made it a one-score game.

Earlier in the half, in one of the highlights of the Maulers season, Ahmed made a USFL-record 61-yard field goal to cut New Jersey’s lead to 29-10.

Rivers, the Harlon Hill Trophy winner as the top player in Division II football in 2019, also led the Maulers to a touchdown on their first drive of the game.

Rivers went 3 for 4 for 35 yards on the drive, including a 21-yard pass to McCleskey on the first play, and finished it off with a 5-yard TD run to tie the score 7-7.

New Jersey (7-1), however, was in control for the majority of the game, scoring on its first two drives of the second quarter to put the Maulers in a deep hole.

On the first scoring drive, the Generals ran six times for 59 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown by Victor. On the second, Luis Perez hit KaVontae Turpin on a 24-yard touchdown pass.

Austin Jones made a 50-yard field goal on the last play of the first half and the Generals had a 23-7 lead.

Perez was 18 for 24 for 220 yards and a score for the Generals. Turpin caught five balls for 83 yards.

The Maulers managed 77 rushing yards on 21 attempts, including 28 for Rivers and 25 on eight carries for Garrett Groshek. Hennie had six catches for 60 yards. DelVon Hardaway caught three passes for 64 yards.