Derrick Dillon showed off his incredible speed with a little bit of help from his Memphis Showboats teammates during their 22-0 win over the Pittsburgh Maulers on Saturday.
Maulers kicker Chris Blewitt set himself up for a 59-yard field-goal attempt right before halftime. A make would’ve cut the deficit to 10 points going into the third quarter. Blewitt was wide to the right and short, which allowed Dillon to catch the errant kick and get a chance at a return.
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Head coach Todd Haley of the Memphis Showboats congratulates Derrick Dillon after Dillon returned a missed field goal for a touchdown during the 1st half of the game against the Pittsburgh Maulers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on May 20, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joe Murphy/USFL/Getty Images for USFL)
Dillon somehow stayed in bounds when he caught the ball. He broke away from three would-be tacklers and returned the missed kick 109 yards for a Showboats touchdown.
The USFL said Dillon’s return was an all-time professional football record as well as an all-time USFL record. The league said earlier this month that Clarence Verdin had the all-time record of 102 yards in the 1980s when he did it for the Houston Gamblers. Deon Cain of the Birmingham Stallions set a modern record on May 11.
Head coach Todd Haley of the Memphis Showboats congratulates Derrick Dillon after Dillon returned a missed field goal for a touchdown during the 1st half of the game against the Pittsburgh Maulers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on May 20, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joe Murphy/USFL/Getty Images for USFL)
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Dillon also had three catches for 61 yards in the game. Vinny Papale had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Memphis moved to 3-3 with the victory and are on a three-game winning streak since starting the year 0-3. The Maulers fell to 2-4 on the season.
Derrick Dillon of the Memphis Showboats returns a missed field goal for a touchdown during the 1st half of the game against the Pittsburgh Maulers at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on May 20, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joe Murphy/USFL/Getty Images for USFL)
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It’s the second week the USFL has been in record-making territory. Luis Aguilar made eight field goals for the Philadelphia Stars last week, tying a record set by Tennessee Titans’ Rob Bironas.
