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History was made on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, when the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL became the first team to successfully score a three-point conversion in the 2022 edition of the league.
Under the league’s unique new rules, teams are given the option to go for three after a touchdown by lining up from the 10-yard line and having one play to get in the end zone. Leading 27–23 in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Maulers, the Stars chose to do exactly that.
After scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 8:51 left in the fourth quarter, the Stars attempted to extend their four-point lead to seven. Quarterback Bryan Scott took the shotgun snap and quickly slung the ball out to running back Paul Terry, who made the catch and scrambled into the end zone for a successful conversion.
Philadelphia took a 30–23 lead after the play and held on for the rest of the game to improve to 1–1 on the year. Pittsburgh fell to 0–2 with the loss.
USFL teams still have the option to line up for traditional extra point attempts or two-point tries. However, for unique scenarios like the one on Saturday, the three-point conversion is a welcome, and innovative, addition.
Editors’ note, April 23 at 3:59 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this story misstated that this was the first three-point conversion in professional football history. In fact, three-point conversions were also run in the 2020 edition of the XFL, with Los Angeles Wildcats quarterback Josh Johnson and wide receiver Adonis Jennings linking up for the first of that season against the Dallas Renegades.
