USFL Week 1: Tampa Bay Bandits-Pittsburgh Maulers top plays
Week 1 of the inaugural United States Football League season is trying its hand at a little Monday night football.
The final contest in the "weekend" triple-header featured the Tampa Bay Bandits dominating the Pittsburgh Maulers, winning 17-3.
Here are the top plays from Monday's game:
Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers
First of many
"Let's go!"
The Bandits' O-line worked hard to propel running back BJ Emmons into the end zone on their first drive of the game, and the squad's excitement was easily audible on the mics.
The quick-strike scoring drive put T.B. up 7-0 early.
The Bandits coaching staff loved Emmons' effort.
All gas, no brakes
The Bandits weren't content with a 7-0 lead, using their first touchdown as fuel on defense to continue to be the aggressor against the Maulers.
That defensive stop helped set the Bandits up for another three points to take a two possession lead.
Living in the backfield
Looking to preserve their shutout in the first half, the defense of the Bandits continued to make plays. Defensive end Reggie Howard found his way into the backfield to record the first sack of the game for his team.
Exclamation point
The Bandits capped off a dominant first half with a touchdown pass from Jordan Ta'amu to Jordan Lasley to take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Not letting up
When the second half began, it was more of the same from the Bandits defense, with Zac Dawe finding his way into the Maulers' backfield for a sack.
The defense also stepped up to get a key fourth down stop to keep the Maulers out of the end zone.
The big boot
The Bandits dominated on offense and defense for a majority of the game, so in the fourth quarter it was only right that their special teams unit got in on the action.
The Bandits would ultimately cruise to a 17-3 win in their first game of the season.
Tickets for all regular-season USFL games can be purchased directly at theUSFL.com. Adult general admission tickets are $10, and each ticketed adult can receive up to three free tickets for children under the age of 15.
