BY RALPH VENTRE
The fourth week of the United States Football League season began with a bizarre, and seemingly arbitrary, rules adjustment, but there was one constant that went unchanged – players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision continued to produce across the USFL.
With three weeks of regular season games in the books, the spring league decided to adjust its in-game timing rules prior to the Week 4 schedule.
According to a video announcement from Mike Pereira, the USFL Head of Officiating, the clock now runs on incomplete passes during the first and third quarters.
Shifting focus away from the oddly-timed timing adjustment, it’s time to spotlight five FCS alumni who were difference-makers for their USFL teams this past week.
RT Calvin Ashley, New Jersey Generals (Florida A&M)
The 24-year old bookend is back playing football, manning the right tackle spot for the 3-1 Generals. Ashley, who made seven appearances for Florida A&M in 2019 after beginning his college career at Auburn, signed with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2021, but he left the team during training camp reportedly to focus on his mental health. Now a starter in the USFL, Ashley appeared to win repeatedly in the trenches during New Jersey’s Week 4 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers.
Generals’ RB Darius Victor gave Ashley the honor of spiking the football following his third-quarter touchdown rush. The 6-foot-6 Ashley and guard Robert Myers, a fellow HBCU FCS product (Tennessee State), comprise a formidable right side up front for New Jersey. The Generals are averaging 4.6 yards per rush play, which is the second-highest mark in the USFL this season.
QB Case Cookus, Philadelphia Stars (Northern Arizona)
Cookus is officially QB1 for the Stars following Bryan Scott’s injury and Northern Arizona’s all-time leading passer notched a victory in his Week 4 start. Manning the controls during a 26-25 triumph over the Michigan Panthers, Cookus went 22-of-30 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns while adding 35 yards on the ground.
Cookus, who won the 2015 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman player in the FCS, completed 8 of his first 10 pass attempts with a 39-yard scoring strike that allowed the Stars to take a 10-0 lead seven seconds into the second quarter. His 6.3 yards per pass do not jump off the stats page, but, in comparison, Cookus’ mark is drastically better than the 3.9 yards per attempt that former Big Ten signal-caller Shea Patterson averaged for the Panthers.
DE Adam Rodriguez, Philadelphia Stars (Weber State)
Quarterback Case Cookus wasn’t the only former Big Sky Conference All-American who helped the Philadelphia Stars pull out a one-point victory in Week 4. Rodriguez, who played 52 games for Weber State as part of the winningest class in program history, made a season-high five tackles against the Michigan Panthers this week.
The 6-foot-2 edge defender has logged at least three stops in each of the Stars’ four games this season. Rodriguez, who has recorded a sack in three consecutive outings, derailed Michigan’s 2:00 drill by dropping Shea Patterson for a 15-yard loss late in the first half.
S Jo Jo Tillery, Birmingham Stallions (Wofford)
The former All-Southern Conference safety has been a defensive centerpiece for the undefeated Stallions. Tillery recorded five tackles in a Week 4 win as Birmingham limited Tampa Bay to 158 yards of offense. The versatile 6-foot-2 defender, who spent the 2019 NFL Preseason as a member of the Tennessee Titans, has made at least five stops in each of the Stallions’ four victories thus far.
Tillery, who made 27 starts at safety during 51 career appearances for Wofford, has 27 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass break-up to his credit through the first four weeks of the USFL season.
RB Darius Victor, New Jersey Generals (Towson)
The 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year has emerged as a key weapon for the New Jersey Generals. Victor, who rushed for over 3,000 yards during his Towson career, makes his second appearance in the weekly Talking Pigskin USFL FCS Fab Five. In the Generals’ 21-13 victory over Pittsburgh, Victor gained 78 yards from scrimmage on 13 total touches.
The former Towson Tiger, who spent the last few weeks of the 2017 NFL season on the Arizona Cardinals’ Practice Squad, carried 10 times for 57 yards and one touchdown in New Jersey’s Week 4 win. His three-yard TD burst gave the Generals a 21-10 lead with 10:40 remaining in the third quarter.
TALKING PIGSKIN 