1984 Semifinals - Sunday, July 8, 1984
Attendance: 26,616
TV: ABC
[Note: If you want to skip all the pregame analysis you can forward to the 12:30 minute mark where kickoff begins]
Linebacker George Cooper's fumble recovery put the Birmingham Stallions in a hole early as the Stars captured a 20-10 United States Football League playoff victory. That earned them a return trip to the USFL championship game, which they lost in 1983, 24-22 to Michigan. Philadelphia took on the Arizona Wranglers in Tampa, Fla , for the 1984 title which they eventually won.
Stars head coach Jim Mora praised his team's defense, which had given up an average of just 12 points a game, as the key to the victory over the Stallions. Birmingham quarterback Cliff Stoudt, playing with a bruised shoulder, was sacked six times, a Stars' record and intercepted three times.
The Stars also took advantage of two Birmingham fumbles as they roared to a 20- 0 halftime lead on two Kelvin Bryant touchdowns and two David Trout field goals. The Stallions did not score until the fourth quarter, and crossed midfield only once before halftime.
The first touchdown came after Cooper recovered Ron Frederick's fumbled punt return at the Stallions' 42-yard line, setting up Bryant's 2 yard run and a 7-0 lead with 6:22 left in the first quarter.
Bryant almost scored another touchdown after Antonio Gibson recovered a fumble by the Stallions' Joe Cribbs at the Stars' 40. Bryant ran 54 yards dropped the ball and picked it up, then lost it again and Birmingham's Mike Perko recovered it for a touchback in the end zone.
The Stallions took over on their own 20 and drove 23 yards, but Mike Lush intercepted Stoudt to set up a 21 yard field goal by Trout that gave the Stars a 10-0 lead with 5 44 left in the half.
Gibson hauled down another Stoudt pass and returned the ball to the Stallions' 27, and Bryant raced 26 yards on the next play, then leaped over from the 1 to score with 4 09 left in the half.
A 28-yard Trout field goal 15 seconds before intermission made it 20-0.
The Stallions, 15-5, scored on a 39-yard field goal by Danny Miller with 11:03 left in the game and a 7 yard pass from Stoudt to Jim Smith with 6 45 left.
Stoudt said the first half was the story of the game.
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