Just over three weeks into its inaugural season, the new USFL decided to shake things up a bit — for two quarters.
Mike Pereira, the spring league’s head of officiating, announced Thursday that starting in Week 4, the USFL will have a running clock after incomplete passes during the first and third quarters. The sudden change is meant to shorten the average length of each game, keeping the action under three hours.
“We’re pleased with the total number of plays being run in our game, but to maximize fan enjoyment, we’re also striving to keep games under three hours,” Pereira said. “So starting in Week 4, we’re moving to a running clock after an incomplete pass, but only in the first and third quarters. We believe this change will achieve the desired game length, while still providing the number of plays you’ve come to expect in a professional football game.”
The USFL is an eight-team startup that began play in April. Although they share the same name as the USFL that operated for three seasons in the 1980s, the two leagues are not officially associated.
The only team that gets to play games in front of home fans are the Birmingham Stallions, who are the only undefeated team with a 3-0 record.
Week 4 kicks off Friday night when the Michigan Panthers host the Philadelphia Stars.
