WATCH: Younghoe Koo makes history by scoring the first ever points in new Professional football league. 65-yard field goal in Combine.

 

 

 

Two players with North Jersey roots played a big role in the first night of the American Alliance of Football.

Former Ridgewood kicker Younghoe Koo scored the first points in the history of the AAF Saturday night, booting a38-yard field goal in the first quarter of the Orlando Apollos’ 40-6 win over the Atlanta Legends.

Franklin Lakes native Matt Simms is Atlanta’s starting quarterback, but had a difficult evening. Simms went 15 of 28 for 126 yards and two interceptions.

“We can’t get too down on ourselves,” Simms told the league’s website. “We just need to recover, enjoy the day off, and reflect on how the game went. We will learn from our mistakes and get ready for next week.”

The former Don Bosco and Jets quarterback was sacked five times, including four times in the second quarter and threw a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

“[Simms] made some good throws,” Legends coach Kevin Koyle said. “He had some, like most quarterbacks have, that they would like back. It is all a part of the process.”

Simms wasn’t the only former Jets quarterback to struggle in the AAF. Christian Hackenberg, selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, completed 10 of 23 passes for 87 yards and an interception for the Memphis Express in a 26-0 loss to the Birmingham Iron.

Hackenberg, the former Penn State quarterback, was sacked twice and started the game 3 of 11, including the interception.

Koo, the former Chargers kicker, finished 2 for 2 on field goals at Spectrum Stadium.

Simms and the Legends next face the San Diego Fleet at 8 p.m. Sunday (NFL Network);  Apollos play at the San Antonio Commanders 4 p.m. Sunday (CBS Sports Network) and Hackenberg and the Express host the Arizona Hotshots at 8 p.m. Saturday (NFL Network). Book your football tickets at footballticketpad.com now.

Email: vasquez@northjersey.com 

Watch Koo hit a 63-yard and 65-yard field goal in the combine,