Month: April 2022

BIRMINGHAM – You might believe that offense sells tickets, but defense wins games.

Or, perhaps you think the best defense is a good offense.

Both sports cliches will be put to the test when the Houston Gamblers face the Birmingham Stallions at 6 p.m. Saturday at Protective Stadium.

Houston’s bend-but-rarely-break defense led them to victory in Week One of the 2022 United States Football League season, while Birmingham’s offense thwarted defeat on Opening Night. The clash of unbeatens might not quite reach the level of the irresistible force paradox, but something has to give when these two 1-0 teams go head-to-head.

“Their defense is incredibly active,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said of Kevin Sumlin’s squad. “They scored, they created three turnovers in the second quarter, scored a 90-yard scoop and score on defense … very active at the secondary level and they’re an aggressive defensive football team.

“If you’re not ready to play under pressure, they’re gonna cause some problems for you. I’m so glad we have a game film on them and have a little bit of an idea of what they do to make sure that we can prepare for the pressure we’re going to receive.”

In Houston’s 17-12 victory over Michigan last Sunday, the Gamblers grabbed a 17-0 halftime lead and held on in the second half despite generating very little in the way of offense. The winners gained just 174 yards on the day, with quarterback Clayton Thorson throwing for 74 yards and an TD and Mark Thompson getting 71 of his team’s 100 rushing yards.

The defense allowed 363 yards of total offense but were aided by three turnovers. The biggest was Reggie Northrup’s 90-yard fumble return that accounted for the Gamblers’ first touchdown.

“They’ve got a great team – the linebackers are great for sure – and they’ve got a good front seven,” Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith said. “The two edge rushers get after guys and they have very active viper-type guys. Agile. They’ll hit you in the mouth. Their linebackers are the heart and soul of the team. They’re around the box, making a lot of plays.

“I think number 15 (inside linebacker Donald Payne) is leading the team in tackles right now. The secondary, they’re pretty good … they have a couple of different variations.”

In a 28-24 victory over the Generals in the USFL’s inaugural game, the Stallions didn’t lead until scoring with 23 seconds left. However, that was sufficient to make history as the new league’s first victors.

“It’s amazing what winning does for a football team,” Holtz said. “It just changes everybody’s outlook, everybody’s attitude. It’s upbeat. It’s positive. I really like the way this team is working right now. Every game was a one score game pretty much the first weekend, and you know when you look at every game, one play can change the outcome.

“We’ve just got to stay focused, stay humble, and keep working toward where we’re going as the team.”

Smith, who came in for the injured Alex McGough, threw for 156 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 13 yards and scoring the decisive TD.

Six different receivers were targeted, with Osirus Mitchell catching five balls for 96 yards and a score and Cary Angeline adding another six-point catch.

Defensively, DeMarquis Gates and Tyree Robinson had 10 tackles each and seven of Gates’ takedowns were solo.

“I think the question mark for our football team right now is can we handle winning, can we stay as hungry as we were before we started this thing, and make sure that we just take this thing one week at a time without putting the cart before the horse,” Holtz explained. “Let’s make sure we do the same things this week we did last week, which is to prepare ourselves physically, the way we hydrate, the way we fuel ourselves for this week’s game, but also the way we prepare mentally.

“The way that we come out here, the film that we watch, the focus and whether we pay attention to details and the little things, that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

And while the Stallions have certainly done their homework on the Gamblers, Holtz says the biggest focus at practice this week was self-improvement.

“Just correction,” Holtz said. “There were so many mistakes that we made that didn’t have anything to do with what they did. Whether it was a missed assignment, we ran the wrong route, we went the wrong way, blocked the wrong guy … we’ve got to keep worrying about us right now. And we’re playing good football teams. Everybody has talent.”

ROSTER CHANGES

McGough, cornerback Josh Shaw, and offensive tackle Matthew Snow were transferred to the inactive roster this morning while wideout Peyton Ramzy, cornerback Lorenzo Burns, and offensive tackle O’Shea Dugas have been activated. Wide receiver Manasseh Bailery was released

The biggest news of the day is the signing of Montell Cozart as a second QB. Cozart, who played collegiately at Kansas and Boise State, signed with the CFL Calgary Stampeders in 2018 and played in 21 games as a backup to Nick Arbuckle.

NASCAR NIGHT

Not only is it the second USFL weekend of the season, but it’s also Talladega race weekend which, in Alabama, is a pretty big deal.

Thus, the Birmingham-Houston game, televised on FS1, is being billed as the main attraction of “NASCAR Night” at Protective Stadium.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Tyler Reddick and Ty Dillon, who will compete in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, will be in the stadium Saturday to “shake hands, sign autographs, and take photos with fans.”

In addition, fans can also see and take photos with an official NASCAR Cup show car before the game and enter a contest to win tickets to Sunday’s race. The show car will make a special on-field appearance during pregame festivities.

LINEUP

The second week of USFL action starts tonight at 7 p.m. when Michigan plays New Jersey (USA Network).

Saturday at 11 a.m., Pittsburgh meets Philadelphia (Fox), followed by the Birmingham-Houston contest.

The final game of the week is Sunday at 2 p.m. when New Orleans and Tampa Bay square off (NBC/Peacock).

Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz likes to say that football is the “best reality show on TV,” and it’s hard to argue the point after Saturday night.

In his team’s 28-24 come-from-behind victory over New Jersey, there were three hours full of drama and the hometown fans at Protective Stadium even got a happy ending.

But for quarterback J’Mar Smith, who was called into duty after starter Alex McGough injured his ankle, it was more like a dream come true.

Starting the game 0-for-4 passing, Smith finished with 156 yards through the air and a touchdown toss. The headline, however, was when he capped off the rally with a two-yard, game-winning rushing TD just 29 seconds from the final horn.

“He was really ready when his number was called,” Holtz said. “He stepped in and it took us a couple series to get him into a rhythm, but I thought once he got into a rhythm he was really dialed into the game and focused. I thought he did an excellent job with his reads and the way he threw the ball. Really proud of him.”

That performance was good enough to earn Smith the 2022 USFL’s first-ever Offensive Player of the Week honor.

“I put pressure on myself during the week in practice, but game time it’s just a matter of being ready and getting out there,” Smith said today following practice. “You’ve always got to stay ready and prepare, make sure we get the assignments down, and execute. Coach always told me that when my number was called, it was time to make the offense go.”

Smith played for Holtz at Louisiana Tech, and the Birmingham boss often talks about Smith being a “coach on the field.” Beyond that, he showed he could step up in the role of next man up.

Holtz was the first to tell Smith about his player of the week honors after gathering players together following their Wednesday workout.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to make that announcement before with him in college,” Holtz said. “But to be the first Offensive Player of the Week in the resurrected USFL in 2022 is really cool. I’m happy for him. There’s a guy that came in here, was a backup, accepted his role, supported Alex as the starter, and helped with signals and terminology.

“With me trying to be a head coach, trying to be an offensive coordinator, and trying to be a quarterback coach, he’s been invaluable.”

A Meridian, Mississippi, native, Smith had a decorated career at Tech, winning the Conference USA Player of the Year award in 2019.

But transitioning to a professional career has been more difficult. He was cut from the New England Patriots in 2021 and failed to catch on with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats last year.

The USFL opened up another door.

“I’m telling you … the pregame with the jets going by and the great fans up in the stands and the fireworks – man, it’s a great, humbling experience,” Smith said. “Just the journey I’ve been on and knowing I get to keep playing the game of football means so much.”

With McGough in street clothes on Wednesday and Smith taking all the practice snaps, chances are he’ll get the ball again when Birmingham faces Houston Saturday at 6 p.m. on FS1.

But regardless of his role, Smith wants to make the most of the chance at hand.

“It was just a great opportunity to go and play football again,” Smith said. “But my main thing is we’ve got to win … that’s the overall goal for sure. But you know, individual accolades aren’t possible without the whole team, so I just thank them for everything.”

Coming Friday: Holtz and Smith break down the Gamblers.

BIRMINGHAM – Day two of the 2022 United States Football League season was a drop-in/pop-in affair at Protective Stadium, where fans could stay for a doubleheader (the scheduled third game was postponed due to the risk of severe weather) or just sample a bit of one.

Heavy rain and Easter Sunday contributed to an extremely small crowd for the early game, but the opener between the Houston Gamblers and Michigan Panthers gave fans of the Birmingham Stallions a sneak peek at their team’s next opponent.

And what they learned is that Kevin Sumlin’s Gamblers have a stingy defense that was good enough to hold off Jeff Fisher’s Panthers, 17-12.

The winners jumped out to a 17-0 lead despite managing just 174 yards of total offense, while Michigan’s 363 yards didn’t translate into enough points.

“We talked in our postgame about what a learning opportunity that was for us,” Sumlin said. “This was really the first time these guys have been in a game situation and fortunately it came out good because we won. But there’s a lot of things we can learn from. There’s a lot you can improve on between game one and game two.”

Houston opened scoring when Nick Vogel, the former UAB kicker who is the Blazers’ third all-time leading scorer (269 points) and their most accurate PAT kicker (128 of 131), drilled a 37-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to make it 3-0.

As for the first touchdown of the day, that was credited to the Gamblers’ defense.

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson – the top pick in February’s USFL Draft – had the Panthers at the Gamblers’ four-yard line and poised to take the lead. But as he dropped back to throw he stumbled to the ground, got up, was smacked hard by outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden, and fumbled the ball away to inside linebacker Reggie Northrup.

Northrup scooped up the loose cargo and chugged 90 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.

“Our defensive front and linebackers can match up with anybody,” Sumlin said. “They basically won the game for us.”

Donald Payne had 13 solo tackles and 19 in all, while Northrup added 11 and Gooden contributed six solo tackles and had two sacks as the unit forced three turnovers.

“It was a good day,” Gooden, a Samford product, said. “Coach (Tim) Lewis (former Birmingham Iron head coach) put together a good game plan and we worked real hard. We were in the right place at the right time as a defense.”

Following the opening TD Houston opted to try the first two-point attempt in league history and it was successful, with running back Dalyn Dawkins bulling in from the two-yard line to give Sumlin’s team an 11-0 lead.

“We had talked about doing that, just because of the odds,” Sumlin said. “From the two-yard line you’re gonna maybe make 75 percent, so you’re still ahead on points when you miss one.”

With 5:08 remaining in the opening half they were adding to their total again, this time when QB Clayton Thorson found Isaiah Zuber in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard paydirt strike.

Dawkins’ two-point effort failed this time, but the Gamblers were in charge, 17-0.

Vogel hit the post on a 27-yard field goal try :38 before intermission, but Michigan was still staring at a 17-0 deficit with two quarters left to play.

The Panthers showed some life in the third frame, getting six at 9:42 of the third when Patterson threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Lance Lenoir Jr.

Either a two or three-point conversion would’ve potentially made it a one-score game, and Fisher opted for the safer option. However, Patterson threw incomplete under pressure, leaving Houston in command, 17-6.

But with just over 10 minutes to go, things got interesting.

Patterson connected with Lenoir on a 12-yard gainer while facing a fourth-and-six dilemma at the Houston 19, and with 10:20 remaining, Stevie Scott III punched it in for a touchdown.

The conversion failed, but at 17-12, this one was suddenly in doubt.

“We lost our composure a bit in the second half,” Sumlin said. “We had no penalties in the first half and six in the second half. That put us behind the chains on offense. We hurt ourselves.”

Michigan quickly got the ball back when Jameson Houston picked off Thorson, giving his team possession at the Houston 43. And despite facing a third and 20 call after going backward on two plays, Patterson threw 19 yards to Lenoir to set up a fourth-and-1 on the enemy 34.

But the ensuing QB sneak was stuffed, and Houston still led by five with 8:57 left.

The Panthers got one more chance to complete a remarkable comeback 5:12 from the finish when they took over at their 10 following a punt.

A 15-yard pass to Lenoir moved the markers, a nine-yard run by Cameron Scarlett and a Patterson sneak pushed the ball to the 37, and a 12-yard pass to Devin Ross made it first down at the Panthers’ 49.

At the two-minute warning Michigan was down to the Houston 41 and tried chipping away at the defense with short runs and quick passes.

Patterson hit Joe Walker for a 19-yard gainer down to the 14, but a bad snap took the Panthers back to the 21 with :46 showing on the clock.

Chris Odom sacked Patterson back at the 30 to make it third and 26, and passes on third and fourth downs fell incomplete, sealing the deal for the Gamblers.

“The one thing going through my mind on a daily basis is how do we compare against the other seven teams, just because of the unknowns and the lack of familiarity with their rosters,” Fisher said. “A lot of those questions, at least from my perspective, were answered today. We did some really good things and got some things done in a short period of time that I’m especially proud of.

“But in the game of football you don’t turn the ball over like we did and win very many of them. But considering the turnovers, to still have a chance to take the lead at the end of the game is something we can hang our hat on.” The Gamblers and Stallions meet next Saturday at 6 p.m. while the Panthers and Generals start Week Two Friday with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

BREAKERS 23, STARS 17

The second game of the day featured a pick-six by Vontae Diggs and blocked punt for a safety by Chad Williams as New Orleans topped Philadelphia in the third close game in as many USFL contests this season.

The Breakers outgained the Stars, 321-246, and dominated the ground game with 171 rushing yards. Jordan Ellis had 89 yards and a TD toting the freight while T.J. Logan added 56 yards and another score.

Philadelphia QB Bryan Scott was 25-36-1 passing for 202 yards and Darnell Holland added a 42-yard touchdown run in a losing effort.

The game between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay will be played today at 6 p.m.