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.
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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.
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.
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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).
Reggie heard the loud buzz of the generator more clearly as he trudged up the hill, weary from the climb and aching due to carrying the two large, full gasoline cans. His near-constant, splitting headache wasn’t helping matters, either.
Time was he’d have never paid much attention to the sound; in fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever even heard it before. But these days it was like a beacon.
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Not only did it break the eerie silence that blanketed this part of the city, but it meant he was about to have breakfast with a friend. Actually, his only friend.
Esther – a middle aged woman who was almost as round as she was tall – opened the door to her bakery and gave Reggie a wry smile.
“Just put the gas next to the generator,” she said. “And then come in and wash up.”
Reggie sighed as he set the cans down, feeling immediate relief as his thin arms were finally free from strain.
Manual labor was hardly his strong suit, and never had been for his thirty something years. To be fair, it was never really required.
Growing up in an old money mansion came with old money perks, meaning much of the “work” that required doing was almost always done by someone else.
He had more cash than he knew what to do with but he often felt invisible, even to his own family. Being wealthy gave Reggie plenty of advantages, but his social awkwardness and C-student intellect hardly made him a favorite son.
Times had changed dramatically, though – and quickly.
Six months earlier the thought of lugging gasoline cans for miles seemed ludicrous. Now he considered it his job.
“So, what’s on the menu this morning, Esther?” Reggie asked.
Esther cracked her neck and then put on an oven mitt.
“Just pulling out a pan of biscuits,” she said. “And I also opened a can of bacon. It’s all yours … I’m so nauseated I can’t even think about eating.”
Reggie winced.
“Is it bacon from a can that makes you nauseated?” he asked. “I can see why. I didn’t know bacon in a can was even a thing.”
“It is,” Bertha said. “I grabbed a bunch of them the last time I was at Durbin’s Supermarket … it’s over there with the potted meat. I could load it all up but going back and forth is about the only exercise I get these days.”
Reggie leaned over and took a whiff of the biscuits, watching as Esther emptied the bacon into a pan and turned on the front eye of the stove top.
“You know I can go to Durbin’s any time that you need me to,” he said, massaging his temples in a losing effort to ease his headache. “I can do more than fetch gas for your generator. I’ve never really done much for anybody, so it feels good to help.”
Esther tossed the empty bacon can into the trash and then grabbed the skillet, taking it to the sink and pouring the excess grease into a pot.
“Nah,” she said, forcefully scratching her cheek with her free hand. “I’ve spent over 40 years cooking, and part of cooking means rounding up food. I mean, it’s not hard. I just grab what I need, put it in a buggy, and leave. It’s not like there’s much else to do.”
Reggie looked out the window and stared at the empty street.
“I know. I just ….”
“Just what?” Esther asked.
“I just sometimes feel bad that it’s all come to this. Every day when I go to the pump and get gas, I find myself looking around to see if anyone is about to catch me stealing. Hell, I still select ‘credit’ at the pump out of habit. Does it ever bother you to just wander into a store, snag whatever you want and walk away?”
Esther reached under the counter and grabbed a plate.
“No,” she said. “The owners are dead. Except for me and you, the customers are dead. We’re scavengers, but dead people don’t care. I’d gladly buy something if there was someone to buy from, but there isn’t.”
Esther put two biscuits and a wad of bacon on the plate and pushed it toward Reggie.
“I’m glad we got to know each other, even if we are scavengers,” he said. “If this hadn’t happened, I doubt we’d have become friends. so, you know … silver lining.
“Still, there have to be other people who survived the bomb … have to be. Maybe we’ll find them … or they’ll find us. Tomorrow might just be the day you’ll have more people to cook for and more people to talk to.”
Esther looked at her left arm and started lightly rubbing the radiation burn that was spreading over the top of her hand. She didn’t have much time left, and she doubted Reggie did, either.
“Yeah, maybe tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t suppose there’s anything wrong with having a little hope.
