Top 10 plays from Week 3 of 2023 USFL season

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Week 3 of the 2023 USFL season produced a quartet of compelling games, as all four contests were one- or two-score games. Of course, with those tight games came a bevy of standout plays.

Here are the top 10 plays from Week 3.

10. Alex Collins, RB, Memphis Showboats

Late in the second quarter of the Showboats' bout with the Houston Gamblers, Memphis chose to go for it on fourth down at the goal line. After deliberately snapping the ball through quarterback Cole Kelley, who was under center, Collins took the snap and found tight end Jay Jay Wilson for the touchdown, evening up the score at 10 apiece before halftime.

9. Olive Sagapolu, DL, Pittsburgh Maulers

Sagapolu gave the Maulers optimum field position in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Stars when he strip-sacked quarterback Case Cookus and Boogie Roberts recovered the loose ball. Two plays after the turnover, Pittsburgh scored its first touchdown and ultimately went on to win the game.

8. Birmingham Stallion corners

A trio of cornerbacks contributed to an interception for the Stallions in the second quarter of the team's matchup against the New Orleans Breakers. Lorenzo Burns came down to rush Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and got a piece of his arm on the delivery, forcing an errant throw. Then Brian Allen got a piece of the floating pass and Donnie Lewis II corralled the interception.

7. Darius Victor, RB, New Jersey Generals

Victor got New Jersey on the board in the first quarter against the Michigan Panthers on a screen pass that he took 51 yards to the house down the left side of the field thanks to a series of downfield blocks.

6. Kerrith Whyte, RB, Memphis Showboats

Running out of time to draw even with Houston, Whyte got Memphis to within one score when he caught a first-down reception on third down and ran through the Gamblers defense for a touchdown. The touchdown made it a one-score game with 4:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.

5. Davion Davis, WR, Birmingham Stallions

Quite simply, Alex McGough threw it up, and Davis brought it down. Two plays after the 49-yard fourth-quarter pass, Birmingham pulled to within one score with a touchdown.

4. Darius Victor, RB, New Jersey Generals

New Jersey opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from Michigan's 35-yard line in the second quarter. Victor got the carry, picked up the first down, delivered a stiff-arm on Panthers safety Sean Mahone, and thundered into the end zone, giving the Generals a three-score lead.

3. Justin Hall, WR, Houston Gamblers

On second-and-10 in Memphis territory, Hall caught the screen pass and picked up the first down. After getting enough yards for the first down, he kept motoring through hits and later ran around the Memphis defense for a touchdown, regaining the lead for Houston.

2. Deon Cain, WR, Birmingham Stallions

The Stallions got off to as good of a start as one could hope for. After retrieving the kickoff at the Birmingham 18-yard line, Cain ran past a series of tackle attempts and ran 82 yards to the house, giving Birmingham the early lead.

1. Ryan McDaniel, WR, Memphis Showboats

Arguably the most entertaining game of the week produced the most absurd catch. Looking to at least tie the game, Kelley threw the ball near the pylon to McDaniel, who bobbled the reception twice before gathering it and getting both feet in bounds for the go-ahead touchdown.