New Orleans Breakers' 2022 USFL schedule: Three things to know
The New Orleans Breakers' full schedule for the 2022 USFL season was released Monday.
The Breakers, coached by Larry Fedora, open their season against the Philadelphia Stars as part of an April 17 tripleheader.
Tickets for all USFL regular-season games drop at 7 p.m. ET Monday and 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.
Here's a look at New Orleans' 10 regular-season games, which will be played in Birmingham, Alabama, for the inaugural season:
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Stars, April 17, 4 p.m. ET, USA
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Bandits, April 24, 3 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock
Week 3 (April 30-May 1): vs. Birmingham Stallions
Week 4 (May 6-8): vs. Houston Gamblers
Week 5 (May 13-15): at New Jersey Generals
Week 6 (May 21-22): vs. Pittsburgh Maulers
Week 7 (May 28-29): at Michigan Panthers
Week 8 (June 3-5): at Birmingham Stallions
Week 9 (June 11-12): vs. Tampa Bay Bandits
Week 10 (June 18-19): at Houston Gamblers
Here are three things to know about New Orleans' schedule:
1. In the Breakers’ matchup against the Stars, New Orleans coach Larry Fedora will try to slow down a familiar face. Philadelphia tight end Bug Howard was a versatile target for Fedora’s 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels, leading the team with eight receiving touchdowns.
2. The Breakers-Maulers clash in Week 6 will feature the first defensive end selected in the USFL Draft, former Georgia star Davin Bellamy of New Orleans, against the first offensive tackle chosen, Chidi Okeke of the Maulers (formerly of Tennessee State). That marquee matchup in the trenches will be a showdown to watch.
3. The Breakers' matchup with the Birmingham Stallions will be a rematch between head coaches Fedora and the Stallions' Skip Holtz. Fedora and Holtz faced each other twice as college coaches. On Nov. 15, 2008, Fedora's Southern Miss squad defeated Holtz's East Carolina team 21-3, and on Nov. 28, 2009, East Carolina defeated South Miss 25-20.
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The USFL's Daryl Johnston joins RJ Young to discuss the significance of former collegiate head coaches, such as the New Orleans Breakers’ Larry Fedora, taking roles in the USFL, where they will coach professional athletes for the first time.
RJ Young's game to watch: Breakers vs. Gamblers
Gamblers coach Kevin Sumlin and Breakers coach Larry Fedora will face each other as head coaches for the first time since the 2011 Conference USA title game.
In 2011, Sumlin’s No. 6-ranked Houston team was undefeated (12-0) and looking to secure a spot in a BCS game when Fedora’s No. 24-ranked Southern Miss squad (10-2) upset the Cougars 49-28 for the championship at Robertson Stadium in Houston.
Surely, Sumlin hasn’t forgotten that loss.