McGough named MVP

USFL MVP Alex McGough wants a team trophy more than an individual honor.

Sometimes, identifying a Most Valuable Player for a particular sports season can be difficult.

The 2023 United States Football League campaign is not one of those times.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Spoutable @ScottAdamson and Twitter @adamsonsl

Birmingham Stallions quarterback Alex McGough was named the USFL’s MVP today during championship game media day in Canton, Ohio. The news comes on the eve of Birmingham’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Maulers, a contest McGough and the Stallions hope will end with them hoisting the trophy for the second consecutive year.

Daryl Johnston, USFL president of football operations, let McGough know at the close of Birmingham’s press conference.

“I appreciate those who voted for me but at the end of the day, without those guys right there (his Birmingham teammates) I couldn’t do anything without them,” McGough said. “It means a lot to me what you guys have done for me  … defense, offense, special teams. And this individual trophy? It means a lot, but I didn’t come here for this. I came here to hold (the USFL championship trophy) with them.

“Give me everything you got to give and I’ll give you all I’ve got. So, let’s get it.”

Through 11 games McGough has thrown for 2,414 yards and 24 touchdowns with only five interceptions, while rushing for 487 yards (second best on the team) and seven additional TDs.

“It’s been crazy,” McGough said following Wednesday’s practice. “From starting as a freshman in college to getting drafted, to getting cut, to getting cut again, and getting cut again, and being here and then getting hurt and not playing and then getting into the (2022) championship game and getting here and then filling this role that I have to fill … everybody else around me has been really supporting and helping me have the season that I’ve had.

“It’s just an awesome experience and I’m just trying to finish it out this week.”

Stallions boss Skip Holtz – the USFL Coach of the Year – was obviously proud of his signal caller’s accomplishments.

“His talent, I think, is phenomenal,” Holtz said. “I think what everybody is starting to see now is where he is mentally … he knows all the answers to the test. He knows how to plug the things in, and now you’re seeing his talent take over.”

KaVontae Turpin won the inaugural USFL MVP award in 2022, and his standout performances as a special teams player and receiver for the New Jersey Generals led to a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He was named to the NFL Pro Bowl Team.

Stallions seek second USFL crown

The defending United States Football League champions are one victory away from remaining the only champion in the modern circuit’s history.

The Birmingham Stallions (9-2) clash with the Pittsburgh Maulers (5-6) on Saturday in the USFL Championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Spoutable @ScottAdamson and Twitter @adamsonsl

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on NBC.

Skip Holtz is now 20-3 as boss of the Stallions, guiding the club to a 33-30 victory over Philadelphia in the 2022 title game. This time another team repping a different Pennsylvania city stands in the way.

In their regular season meeting in Canton, Birmingham escaped with a 24-20 victory over Ray Horton’s squad.

“Their leading ball carrier is their quarterback (Troy Williams), which poses some problems for you,” Holtz said. “It’s a little bit like a single wing that uses a lot of motion, and they do some really good things offensively. They’re a tough team to stop and they’ve been playing really well defensively. They’re number one or number two in almost every statistical category on defense.”

Next-level outings from Birmingham quarterback Alex McGough have helped his team put together a six-game winning streak. The latest conquest was a Saturday beatdown of New Orleans, 47-22, to win the South Division championship.

McGough, expected to be officially named league MVP later today, has put together incredible numbers this season. Through 11 games, the signal caller has compiled 2,414 yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions.

On the ground, McGough is the team’s second-leading rusher with 487 yards and seven touchdowns.

“He’s been really focused … really dialed in,” Holtz said. “I like the way he’s playing and the way he sees the field. He’s got a great understanding of this offense right now, even to the point where he and I are able to have the conversations about they’re doing this, why don’t we do this or this?

“It’s a pleasure when you’ve got a guy like that out there on the field.”

When asked if his play has inspired confidence in his teammates, McGough stresses that it’s a group effort.

“They instill confidence in me, too,” he said. “I think I get confidence from them, they get confidence from me, we all get confidence from coach and it’s just kind of like we feed off each other and it’s just that type of energy that we build on.

“It’s something we’ve got to keep building and keep working on.”

Jace Sternberger has snagged eight TD catches and amassed 579 yards for the Stallions, while Davion Davis has 44 receptions for 650 yards and six touchdowns.

Deon Cain now has 670 return yards and two touchdowns to go with 256 receiving yards and two more TDs.

When Birmingham runs, C.J. Marable is the go-to guy with 596 yards and four scores, and he is also the squad’s third-leading receiver with 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Brian Allen and Nate Holley have each recorded two interceptions (both of Allen’s came against New Orleans last Sunday), while Christian McFarland has 50 tackles (38 solo) and Dondrea Tillman and Willie Henry boast four sacks apiece.

Although the Maulers have a losing record, they enter the championship game having won three in a row – and all three were must-win matchups.

“As you go further along the games become more meaningful and more important, and the players understand there’s a different vibe and a different attentiveness,” Horton said. “Ultimately you’re still playing tackle football, but the games mean more.”

Williams has become steadier behind center, and finished the regular season with 1,414 passing yards, six touchdowns and three INTs.

In a 31-27 victory over Michigan last Saturday, Thompson went 23-40-0 for 203 yards and a touchdown.

Leading the bruise crew for Pittsburgh is linebacker Kyahva Tezino, who was in on 73 tackles during the regular season and had 53 solo takedowns. Reuben Foster, Bryce Torneden, Arnold Tarpley and Mark Gilbert each had 29 individual tackles.

Gilbert also has four picks and Tarpley adds three interceptions to the stat sheet. Those two, along with Kyahva, are members of the 2023 All-USFL Team.

“From top to bottom, Coach Horton has instilled in us to get better every day,” Tarpley said. “That’s our focus. I don’t think we’ve worried about wins and losses up until this point. If we just keep getting better and play like a team – and I think we’ve done a great job of that – we’ll have success.”

Holtz – the 2023 USFL Coach of the Year – says it’s an honor to be in this position again.

“How great is it to be playing the last game of the year and it’s a meaningful game,” he said. “There are a lot of teams in a lot of these leagues that are going through seven, eight, nine games that don’t mean anything. They already know who’s in and who’s out. But we’re in a meaningful game.”

PLAYER STATUS (via Stallions Twitter)

Game status: WR Myron Mitchell: Out (L Hand), S Christian McFarland: Probable (L Thumb), S JoJo Tillery: Probable (L Knee), RB Ricky Person: Probable (L Hip, R Ankle), TE La’Michael Pettway: Probable (R Hamstring), LB Scooby Wright: Probable (L Calf), RB CJ Marable: Probable (L Knee), DB TJ Carter: Probable (R Groin, R Heel), OL Matt Kaskey: Probable (R Groin), CB Matt Hankins: Probable (R Back), CB Bryan Mills: Probable (R Wrist), CB Brian Allen: Probable (L Shoulder), DL Keyshon Camp: Probable (L Shoulder), OL Darius Harper: Questionable (Illness).

PLAYER STATUS (via Maulers Twitter)

Transferred Player to Active Roster: RB Duane Gary.

Transferred Player to Inactive Roster: CB Sedevyn Gray.

Game status: LB Reuben Foster: Full Go (Head), DE Nasir Player: Full Go (Right Knee).

Stallions blister Breakers

Notes, quotes and numbers from Birmingham’s 47-22 victory over New Orleans in the USFL South Division championship game at Protective Stadium on Sunday …

HOW THEY SCORED

Brian Allen halted New Orleans (7-4) on the opening drive with an interception that gave Birmingham (9-2) first down at the Breakers’ 31.

The journey stalled at the 23, and Brandon Aubrey came in to try a 41-yard field goal.

The kick split the uprights, putting the Stallions in front, 3-0, at 9:14 of the first.

New Orleans responded with an impressive march, highlighted by McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s 32-yard pass to Dee Anderson and capped off when Bethel-Thompson hit Jonathan Adams on a four-yard TD connection at 5:08.

Matt Coghlin made it 7-3 with the extra point, putting the final touch on an eight play, 75-yard scoring trip.

Back came Birmingham.

Alex McGough got things started by hitting Jace Sternberger with a 32-yard pass to put the ball at the enemy 30, and C.J. Marable started moving the markers on the ground. At 1:49 of the first, McGough found Sternberger on a 17-yard touchdown strike, closing out a five play, 67-yard drive.

The PAT was off the mark, but it was 9-7.

Aubrey did, however, give the Stallions more points at 9:10 of the second quarter with his second 41-yard field goal of the day. That put the hosts on top, 12-7.

Birmingham did more than get a field goal on its next turn with the ball, venturing 61 yards on four plays and hitting paydirt when McGough found Davion Davis on a 36-yard TD pass 5:22 before halftime.

The kick was good and New Orleans was in trouble, trailing 19-7.

With time running down in the second quarter, the Stallions all but put the game away.

Starting at their own 12, they went 88 yards in 13 plays, topped by a McGough to Davis five-yard touchdown toss at the :11 mark.

The extra point was successful and Birmingham – having scored on all five of its drives – was in control, 26-7.

If there was any doubt left, it was erased in the opening drive of the third quarter.

Marable scored on a 17-yard scamper at 11:55 to close out a six play, 63-yard junket, and Aubrey’s point after inflated the cushion to 33-7.

Allen’s second pick of the night put the Stallions in good shape again with a first and 10 at the Breakers’ 40.

Five plays later McGough carried it in from the five at 6:15 of the third frame, and Aubrey’s point after made it a 40-7 laugher.

New Orleans managed its second TD of the night at 14:12 of the fourth quarter when Cyrus Habibi-Likio broke loose on a 27-yard scoring run. The try for a 3-point conversion failed, and the score stood at 40-13.

The drive covered 74 yards on four plays.

Birmingham got it back plus one when McGough and Josh Johnson combined on a 33-yard TD combo with 10:29 to play and Aubrey’s extra point made the score 47-13 – a new points record for the defending USFL champions.

That trek to the end zone took six plays and covered 78 yards.

The Breakers tacked on another consolation score at the 5:10 mark when Bethel-Thompson threw a six-yard TD pass to Sage Surratt to top off an 11 play, 75-yard march.

The try for three (a pass to Adams from the 10) worked, cutting the deficit to 47-22.

New Orleans then tried the fourth-and-12 onside scrimmage play from its 33 and converted it, and were on the march again.

The drive, however, died at the Stallions’ four.

BIRMINGHAM COACH SKIP HOLTZ SAID …

“I think we’ve got great character and great leadership in that locker room, and those guys have done an unbelievable job of putting their arms around some new players that have come in and made huge impacts for us. And that’s what makes this team so much fun. And that’s why I truly believe that we’re on a quest. We’re on a journey and certainly we’ve got some things that we still have yet to accomplish. But the relationships that we have built through this journey through the USFL will be relationships that will last us all for a lifetime. And our relationship with Birmingham is part of that.”

NEW ORLEANS COACH JOHN DEFILIPPO SAID …

“I learned a lot this year, and I just told our team I’m really looking forward to having an exit Zoom meeting with all of them to see where we can get better. I want their feedback … what can we do better with installation? How can we make this a more player friendly environment? I’m looking forward to self-scouting myself with things and taking time away for a week or so. Then I really want to start honing in on what we can do better as a coaching staff so this doesn’t happen again next year.”

STANDOUT STATS

McGough was 21-31-0 passing for 310 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 84 yards and a TD.

Davis had two touchdowns and 75 yards on five catches while Deon Cain caught eight balls for 74 yards and Sternberger and Johnson were each on the receiving end of McGough TD tosses.

Ricky Person rushed for 87 yards on 10 carries and Marable had 72 yards on 11 totes.

The Stallions set a club record for points and racked up 553 yards of total offense.

Allen had two interceptions to pace the defense.

“We like to play a lot of man, so I went back and watched my first two games looking at what we did and the certain formations and certain routes and certain guys in certain positions.

“Watching film, you know how to prepare the right way.”

Jerod Fernandez had 12 tackles for New Orleans (eight solo) and Jarey Elder added 11 (seven individual).

Bethel Thompson was 26-50-2 for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

GREAT CROWD

The USFL doesn’t release attendance figures and I’m horrible at guessing, but Birmingham football fans showed up in big numbers on Sunday. The home side was mostly full and across the way there were quite a few fans in the lower bowl as well – sitting in an area that’s usually all but empty.

“They were unbelievable,” Holtz said. “We came out and they were on both sides. I don’t know what those total numbers were tonight … I know maybe the threat of thunderstorms probably even kept some people away, but the fans were unbelievable. I mean, they’re loud, they’re into it. I love the ‘Giddy Up.’”

ALL-STAR QBS

McGough was named the league’s top quarterback earlier this week when the league announced its All-USFL Team. But here’s a fun fact: the Stallions also have the defending all-league signal caller on its roster.

Kyle Sloter, who led the circuit in passing yards and was two-time Offensive Player of the Week in 2022 while with the Breakers, made the All-USFL team a year ago. Currently, he is third on Birmingham’s depth chart behind McGough and Jalen Morton and has yet to be activated.

Sloter jumped to the XFL this season but was released by the eventual league champion Arlington Renegades in March. He signed with the Stallions after J’Mar Smith suffered a season-ending injury in the opener on April 15.

NEXT UP

Birmingham will meet the Pittsburgh Maulers (5-6) in the USFL Championship Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton next Saturday. Coverage on NBC begins at 7 p.m. CDT.