Defense, special teams shine but Pittsburgh Maulers fall to Breakers in opener

Reuben Foster walked the sideline with a black and gold sledgehammer late in the first half of the Pittsburgh Maulers’ season-opening game Sunday night.

A first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, the linebacker forced a fumble near the goal line that fellow linebacker Kyahva Tezino recovered for a touchdown.

Foster celebrated with the symbolic Maulers hammer, which got plenty of use after big plays by the team’s defense.

They fell a few plays short, though, as the Pittsburgh-based team dropped a 22-15 decision to the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL opener at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.

The Breakers broke a 15-15 tie with 1 minute, 8 seconds left when McLeod Bethel-Thompson hit running back Anthony Jones for a 2-yard TD touchdown pass. Following the point-after, New Orleans led 22-15.

TOUCHDOWN BREAKERS! ????

McLeod Bethel-Thompson to Anthony Jones puts us up 22-15! ???? pic.twitter.com/fjMYCyleNy

— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) April 17, 2023

The Maulers then marched to the Breakers’ 32-yard line with Troy Williams under center but turned the ball over on downs with 10 seconds left.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought,” Maulers first-year coach Ray Horton said. “We came down to the very end. We just needed one more play.”

Tezino’s score came at the 8:27 mark of the second quarter. Jones took a handoff in the end zone and was met by Foster at the goal line. Foster punched the ball out, and Tezino fell on it in the end zone for the score, giving the Maulers a 9-6 lead.

“It was a great play,” Foster said. “Everybody played together, everybody communicated. It was just a hard-nosed, downhill, hard count, looking for everything we could look for. It was just an adrenaline play. God blessed me.”

The first TD of the @USFLMaulers season goes to the.....DEFENSE ???????? pic.twitter.com/x7ZGHlkLW6

— USFL (@USFL) April 16, 2023

The Maulers added a special teams score late in the fourth quarter to tie the score 15-15.

Isiah Hennie returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown. Maulers kicker Nathan Hierlihy missed the extra point to keep the score 15-15 with 4:49 left.

HENNIE TO THE HOUSE!!! ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/GzsGfIhDzn

— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) April 17, 2023

Hierlihy had opened the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter.

It was a game of missed opportunities for the Maulers offense.

They drove deep into Breakers territory early in the fourth quarter, but running back Garrett Groshek was stopped at the 1-yard line on fourth and goal, turning the ball over on downs.

The Maulers managed 156 total yards on nine drives. Quarterback James Morgan completed 6 of 15 passes for 58 yards. Williams hit on 4 of 12 passes for 23 yards.

Duane Gary rushed three times for 34 yards, Madre London ran six times for 20 yards and Groshek had eight carries for 18 yards.

Foster led the Maulers defense with 12 tackles.

“He exemplifies what we want to be on defense,” Horton said of Foster. “He’s everything that I can hope for. The men look toward him. So do I. He has all my respect. He’s a phenomenal player.”

Matt Coghlin provided most of the scoring for the Breakers with five field goals.

Bethel-Thompson completed 23 of 41 passes for 302 yards.

The Maulers will return to action at 1 p.m. next Sunday for the home opener against the New Jersey Generals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The game will be televised on NBC.

Final pic.twitter.com/yUrO2z8Rhy

— Pittsburgh Maulers (@USFLMaulers) April 17, 2023