BY RALPH VENTRE
It was a breakout week in the USFL for three receivers who competed collegiately in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
Rashard Davis (James Madison), Joe Walker (Delaware) and Darrius Shepherd (North Dakota State) all accounted for notable performances that landed them on Talking Pigskin‘s Week 9 USFL FCS Fabulous Five.
Although it wasn’t enough to crack the Fab Five, the reigning Stats Perform Walter Payton Award winner saw action with the Michigan Panthers this past week. Former Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere came off the bench and threw for 118 yards and one touchdown in a 25-23 setback to the New Jersey Generals.
Meanwhile, former Monmouth signal-caller Kenji Bahar makes his first Fab Five appearance after his Gamblers handed the Birmingham Stallions their first loss of the season.
Philadelphia Stars’ edge rusher Adam Rodriguez (Weber State), who logged his eighth sack of the season last time out, has warranted weekly consideration, but Houston Gamblers’ linebacker Donald Payne (Stetson) is the lone defensive player to land on the Week 9 Honor Roll.
QB Kenji Bahar, Houston Gamblers (Monmouth)
Monmouth’s all-time leading passer quarterbacked the Houston Gamblers to a win over the previously-undefeated Birmingham Stallions in Week 9. Making his second USFL start, Bahar, who won the 2019 Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Year award, accounted for 200 yards of total offense (164 pass, 36 rush).
Bahar averaged 6.8 yards per pass attempt while accounting for a 66.7 completion percentage. He threw a dime Isaiah Zuber for the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
WR Rashard Davis, Tampa Bay Bandits (James Madison)
The 2016 Stats Perform FCS All-American had himself a day against the New Orleans Breakers.
Davis, who served Practice Squad stints with three different NFL teams, was responsible for 112 receiving yards and Tampa Bay’s lone touchdown in a 17-6 setback. He made a reception on all six of his targets, averaging 18.7 yards per catch.
LB Donald Payne, Houston Gamblers (Stetson)
Payne is playing his way back into the NFL. Leading the USFL in tackles from wire-to-wire, the former Stetson Hatter has certainly produced enough film to warrant an invite to NFL Training Camp this summer.
Keying a defensive effort that kept the previously-unbeaten Birmingham Stallions out of the end zone on all three trips into the red zone, Payne totaled a game-high 12 tackles to go along with 1.0 tackle-for-loss and one pass break-up. The former Undrafted Free Agent, who made 30 NFL regular season appearances over parts of three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, has accounted for 108 stops over nine games.
WR Darrius Shepherd, New Jersey Generals (North Dakota State)
Shepherd became accustomed to big moments while playing for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State and that experience served him well during his latest USFL appearance. The former NCAA FCS Championship Game Most Outstanding Player shined down the stretch for the New Jersey Generals in Week 9, allowing the team to capture an eighth straight victory.
Shepherd, who earned 2018 All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors at two positions, accounted for a team-high 99 receiving yards and the game-winning score in a 25-23 triumph over the Michigan Panthers. Going over the defender, he snatched a 17-yard touchdown pass from Luis Perez with 2:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Missouri native kicked off the go-ahead drive with a nine-yard gain on first down.
WR Joe Walker, Michigan Panthers (Delaware)
Walker led all USFL receivers in Week 9, totaling 129 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. The former Delaware starting quarterback, who transitioned to receiver for his final collegiate season (2018), caught scoring strikes from two different signal-callers.
Walker pulled in a two-yard touchdown pass from Josh Love, converting a 4th-and-goal in the second quarter. The 2018 All-Colonial Athletic Association performer gave the Panthers a 20-19 lead in the final minute of the third quarter when he grabbed a 22-yard delivery from Eric Barriere.
TALKING PIGSKIN 
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