Flutie Less Than Fantastic in Pro Debut

It wasn’t Doug Flutie’s night.

The New Jersey Generals’ $7-million quarterback was harassed, rushed and dumped by a furious pass rush in his professional debut with the United States Football League Friday night.

He rated his own performance “a C-plus, for coming back strong.”

The Generals won the exhibition, 24-14, against the Orlando Renegades, but Flutie did not directly figure in the scoring. He completed only 7 of 18 passes for 174 yards and no touchdowns, and his first two passes were intercepted--both by the same man, Jeff Gabrielson.

The Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College did scramble well--he had to--gaining 51 yards on three quick sprints.

“It was a typical rookie debut,” Flutie said after the game. “I took my lumps. It was a shaky start.”

But he said he was happy about the way “I bounced back and the way it turned out.”

The Renegades’ quarterback, Jerry Golsteyn, outdid Flutie, hitting on 23 of 35 passes, two for touchdowns.

Flutie said he was “kind of surprised I was nervous” at the start of the game.

“On the first interception, I said, ‘that’s typical.’ I tried to shake it off. The second, I threw the ball late. I wasn’t so upset over that one.”

Two of the Generals’ touchdowns were scored by linebacker John Joyce, one a 78-yard run on a fumble recovery and the other when he covered a Golsteyn fumble in the end zone. Maurice Carthon ran one in from the 1-yard line and Roger Ruzek added a 28-yard field goal.

Golsteyn’s scoring passes were to wide receivers Joey Walters for 10 yards and Jerry Parrish for 20.