USFL Players of the Week: Alex McGough, pair of defensive stars shine in Week 6

As Week 6 of the 2023 USFL season wraps up, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape entering the home stretch.

Alex McGough and the Birmingham Stallions put on a show Saturday, cruising past the Michigan Panthers, 27-13. Meanwhile, it was a special teams star who headlined the Memphis Showboats’ victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers. 

Here are the award winners for Week 6!

Offensive Player of the Week: Birmingham Stallions QB Alex McGough

McGough had himself an efficient day in the Stallions’ win over the Panthers. The quarterback completed 19-of-24 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns with a 117.5 passer rating.

Not only did McGough have a solid day passing, but he also had a strong day on the ground, too. He rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries, with one of those carries resulting in a touchdown. 

McGouh’s scrambling ability is actually what opened the day for the Stallions’ offense. He ran for a 28-yard gain on the Stallions’ first offensive play of the game, immediately getting his team in field goal territory to tie the game. He also helped the Stallions pick up a pair of first-down conversions on third downs in the next drive that helped Birmingham take a 6-3 lead. 

The Stallions finally found the end zone on their third drive of the game when McGough completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to ZaQuandre White to complete a 10-play drive and give Birmingham a 13-3 lead late in the first half. 

McGough took that momentum into the second half. He helped the Stallions march down the field on an 11-play, 68-yard drive as he was responsible for 37 of those yards. On another third down, McGough found White for a 4-yard touchdown pass that gave the Stallions a 20-10 lead early in the fourth. 

McGough capped off his day by running for a 10-yard touchdown in the final minutes to put the game out of reach.

Defensive Players of the Week: Pittsburgh Maulers LB Kyahva Tezino and Michigan Panthers LB Frank Ginda

It was a special week for a pair of defensive players. 

Tezino was a tackling machine in the Maulers’ 22-0 loss to the Showboats. The linebacker recorded 16 combined tackles, 11 of which were solo, and added two tackles for loss. A few of those tackles came on third-down plays, helping the Maulers’ defense get off the field.

Ginda had a similar day for the Panthers in their loss to the Stallions. He recorded 18 combined tackles, seven of which were solo. He also had a half-sack and a forced fumble. Just like Tezino, Ginda made a couple of tackles to get the Panthers’ defense off the field. His half-sack came on a third-down play on the opening drive in the second half, which gave the Panthers a chance to get back into the game. His forced fumble came in the fourth quarter, allowing the Panthers to kick a field goal to remain in the game. 

Special Teams Player of the Week: Memphis Showboats KR Derrick Dillon

Dillon had the play of the weekend on Saturday. When the Maulers attempted a 59-yard field goal at the end of the half, Dillon caught the ball in the back of the end zone and ran 109 yards for a score that put the Showboats up 19-0.

Dillon set the tone early in the game, taking the opening kickoff 49 yards and getting Memphis into field goal territory.

Dillon also had a fine day receiving, recording three receptions for 61 yards.