USFL Players of the Week: Mark Thompson, Deon Cain dazzle in Week 4
Another exciting week of USFL action is behind us, and Week 4 did not disappoint!
Several players put up big performances over the weekend, including New Orleans Breakers linebacker Vontae Diggs, who helped his team remain undefeated after handing the New Jersey Generals their second loss of the season.
Diggs wasn't the only player to make a huge impact for his team in Week 4.
Let's take a look at who took home Player of the Week honors on offense, defense and special teams.
Offensive Player of the Week: Mark Thompson, RB, Houston Gamblers
Houston cruised to a 41-16 win over the Philadelphia Stars at Ford Field on Saturday to kick off the USFL's Week 4 slate. The 6-foot-1 running back scored on Houston’s opening drive in spectacular fashion: bobbing, weaving and spinning out of tackles for a 33-yard scamper into the end zone. The Gamblers' next score came on a 10-yard run by Thompson, which capped off a seven-play, 69-yard drive.
Thompson finished the day with three rushing touchdowns and 134 yards on 13 carries — good for an average of 10.3 yards per carry. Houston (2-2) has won both games that Thompson has played in this season.
Mark Thompson rushes for 33-yard touchdown vs. Stars
Defensive Player of the Week: Vontae Diggs, LB, New Orleans Breakers
The Breakers escaped with a gritty 20-17 road victory over the New Jersey Generals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Week 4. New Orleans head coach John DeFilippo described the game as nothing less than a "14-round heavyweight fight."
The Breakers relied heavily on their defense, which was led by Diggs, who finished with a team-high 11 tackles and a sack in the win.
"We just did a good job of making our plays and doing our job," Diggs said. "We had 11 hats to the ball the majority of the time."
With the win, the Breakers remain atop the South Division at 4-0 and are the league's lone remaining undefeated team.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Deon Cain, KR, Birmingham Stallions
The Stallions had limited return opportunities in Week 4 because of the strong leg of Pittsburgh Maulers star kicker Chris Blewitt, who was last week's special teams player of the week. However, with his team trailing midway through the fourth quarter, the speedy Cain weaved his way to a 91-yard kick return for a score, which turned out to be the winning margin in a 24-20 victory over the Maulers on Sunday evening.
It marked the second consecutive game that Cain returned a kick to pay dirt. He scored a touchdown on an 82-yard kick return in last week's 45-31 loss to New Orleans.
"As a kick returner, you just want to get positive yards for your team," Cain said. "Field position is the biggest key in football. … My biggest thing is just getting good yardage for my team so guys can have good [field position] and take it down and score — and if it keeps leading to touchdowns, then we’ll just keep doing it."
Deon Cain shows off ELITE athleticism with wild kickoff return
