Month: May 2024

To say it’s been a trying couple of weeks for the Birmingham Stallions would be a bit of an understatement.

For openers, the 2024 Stallions won’t be joining the 1965 Charleston Rockets or the 1972 Miami Dolphins as professional football teams that went through an entire season with a perfect record.

Last Saturday’s 18-9 loss to the San Antonio Brahmas made sure of that, snapping a 15-game winning streak in the process.

“The San Antonio game was a tough loss,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said on Tuesday. “You know, any loss is tough, but especially your first one of the year. I’m just glad we got to wait until the ninth week. We had a good run going, and I think we’ve had some success along the way.”

For two games the team found itself short one coach, with defensive coordinator John Chavis sidelined by illness before the game against the Houston Roughnecks and now no longer with the club.

Corey Chamblin has taken over the DC role and Anthony Blevins has been added to the staff.

“Nobody wants to go through what we’re going through,” Holtz said. “Two weeks ago, when John was dealing with a medical issue and he missed the game, we tried to put band aids on it to get through. We were fortunate in the Houston game (a 35-28 victory on May 18) that we were able to score enough points to win. But you’re also coaching a coach down, and you only have three coaches on defense.

“And the role that Corey was playing when Coach Chavis was calling the defense was echoing the calls of the secondary, getting the personnel groups and getting your different packages in on defense. There was nobody there to take that role.”

Enter Blevins.

Last summer – before the USFL and XFL announced their merger – he was tapped as the new head coach of the XFL Vegas Vipers. But when the Vipers found themselves among seven other spring clubs that were not absorbed by the United Football League, Blevins was out of a job.

“Anthony has a Birmingham background, he has a spring league background, he’s got a huge pedigree in the NFL with special teams, defense and linebackers … he just fit the bill,” Holtz said.

Blevins was a member of Watson Brown’s first recruiting class at UAB in 1995, and had five tackles in a 29-0 loss to Auburn on August 31, 1996 – UAB’s first game as a member of the NCAA’s top division.

The Pleasant Grove product was part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program with the Chicago Bears (2008), Arizona Cardinals (2010) and Indianapolis Colts (2011).

And Blevins also managed to get a PhD in instructional systems and workforce development at Mississippi State in 2015, meaning the Stallions now have a doctor on their defensive staff.

Holtz admits his team’s psyche could use a bit of healing heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Michigan Panthers (7-2) at Protective Stadium.

“They’re disappointed, they’re upset and probably a little bit angry, which is all good because I feel like we got their attention and I’m looking forward to a great practice today and getting ready for a tight contested matchup this week,” Holtz said.

Despite the loss to the Brahmas and upheaval on the staff, Birmingham is hardly stuck on a gloom and doom loop.

Still on the table is a chance to join the 1929-31 and 1965-67 Green Bay Packers as pro football three-peaters.

The two-time defending United States Football League champions have the best record in the inaugural season of the UFL at 8-1. And no matter how Saturday’s game turns out, the Stallions and Panthers will square off again a week later at the same venue in the USFL Conference Championship Game.

“We play Michigan back-to-back, which is very unique,” Holtz said. “It’s something that I have not been involved with but something that we’re going through, and we’re putting two game plans together this week.

“We’ll learn some of the things they’re going to be doing to us that we’re going to have to make adjustments for in game two, but we need to come back we need to get back on a winning track.”

Mess with the bull, and sometimes you get the horns.

After more than a year of competition and 15 consecutive victories, the Birmingham Stallions finally wound up on the wrong end of the scoreboard again. The San Antonio Brahmas (7-2) ended the run, topping the two-time defending United States Football League champions, 18-9, on Saturday in front of 11,839 fans at the Alamodome.

“All right, what a win,” San Antonio coach Wade Phillips said. “I mean, credit to Birmingham for not losing a game for two years … what an accomplishment. But our team stepped up. I thought all sides of the ball really played well.”

Birmingham (8-1) still has everything to play for in this inaugural United Football League season, with a host date against Michigan in the USFL Conference Championship Game set for June 8 at Protective Stadium.

San Antonio, meanwhile, locked up dome field advantage for the XFL Conference Championship Game against St. Louis with the upset coupled with the Battlehawks’ loss to Arlington.

Skip Holtz’s team was down 12-3 to San Antonio at intermission (their lowest first half point output since starting play in 2022) and had generated only 111 yards of total offense.

Still, they battled back over the final 30 minutes and trailed only 12-9 with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter. However, with San Antonio facing a third-and-26 play at the Birmingham 27, Kenny Robinson was called for unnecessary roughness. That penalty against the Stallions kept alive a drive that led to a Brahmas’ TD and 18-9 cushion.

Yet with two minutes to go, San Antonio had to punt the ball back to Birmingham from deep in its own territory. The kick went 64 yards, and the visitors needed a touchdown and 3-point conversion to stay alive.

Instead, Teez Tabor picked off an Adrian Martinez pass at the 1-yard line with 22 seconds to play.

“Brad Wing had a 64-yard punt at the end of the game that was a game winner basically,” Phillips said. “Our defense came up with an interception, and our offense played really well.”

Thus, the streak was over.

“I want to certainly give an awful lot of credit to San Antonio and Coach Phillips,” Holtz said. “I thought they played as clean as I’ve seen a team play all year. I mean, they didn’t put the ball in danger, they didn’t have a lot of penalties. They protected the quarterback and I thought they played one of their best football games of the year.”

Martinez was 18-32-1 through the air for 211 yards and a TD, while rushing for 56 yards. His favorite target was Jace Sternberger, who caught seven balls for 110 yards and Birmingham’s only touchdown.

“I can’t compliment him enough, the way that that son of a gun stood up and competed,” Holtz said. “We talked about it was going to be a day of contested catches, it was going to be a day that there was gonna be a lot of pulling and tugging and you’re gonna have to make some plays in open space and everything was going to be contested, but that’s what it is against good defensive football teams. And I thought Jace answered that bell today.”

The Stallions managed just 78 rushing yards, a rare case of the ground game being stifled.

Defensively, DeMarquis Gates has seven solo tackles and a sack, while Kyahva Tezino finished with six individual takedowns.

“I feel like we didn’t put our best foot forward today,” Holtz lamented. “In the first quarter we had three drops, and it was hard to get anything going.”

The news was much better for the winners – obviously.

They rolled up 329 yards of total offense and Chase Garbers returned to the lineup. Although he didn’t start, he finished with 139 aerial yards, going 16-23-0.

Jontre Kirklin had 66 receiving yards and threw his team’s only touchdown pass on a trick play in the first quarter.

Morgan Ellison was San Antonio’s big scorer on the afternoon with two rushing TDS but it was Anthony McFarland who put the most dents in the Birmingham defense, getting 82 yards on 15 totes. He also contributed 34 yards on catches.

Jordan Mosely was in on eight tackles and Tavante Beckett took part in seven.

“I’m excited about what we have ahead of us,” Holtz said. “I certainly didn’t like the way we played, and I’ve got to do a better job in a lot of areas, but I credit San Antonio. They did what they needed to do tonight to win the football game.”

Scoring plays: San Antonio, Justin Smith, 36-yard reception from Jontrae Kirklin, 6:49 first quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Brahmas 6, Stallions 0; Birmingham, Ramiz Ahmed, 34-yard field goal, 9:16 second quarter, Brahmas 6, Stallions 3; San Antonio, Morgan Ellison, 1-yard run, 5:47 second quarter, 1-point conversion failed, Brahmas 12, Stallions 3; Birmingham, Jace Sternberger, 15-yard reception from Adrian Martinez, 12:49 third quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Brahmas 12, Stallions 9; San Antonio, Ellison, 9-yard run, 8:35 fourth quarter, 1-point conversion failed, Brahmas 18, Stallions 9.

Standout stat: 3. The number of points the Stallions scored in the first half, the fewest in the team’s history.

Next up: The Stallions close out the regular season against the Michigan Panthers next Saturday at Protective Stadium. The game is set for 1 p.m. ESPN is providing TV coverage and fans can listen on ESPN Xtra on Sirius XM.

Historic ties: Birmingham and San Antonio have shared space in seven different alternative football leagues – the World Football League, American Football Association, original United States Football League, World League of American Football, Canadian Football League, Alliance of American Football and now the UFL.

The cities’ first meeting on the pro football gridiron came on September 13, 1975, when the WFL Birmingham Vulcans defeated the San Antonio Wings, 33-24, at Legion Field.

Until today their most recent meeting was in 2019. The San Antonio Commanders edged the Birmingham Iron, 12-11, in an AAF clash at Legion Field.

OTD in 1991: The Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football closed out the regular season with a 28-7 victory over the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks in front of 16,335 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium.

The win, which wrapped up a playoff berth for Birmingham (5-5), was highlighted by James Henry’s 50-yard punt return for a TD. The teams also combined for 11 turnovers – seven courtesy of the winless Skyhawks (0-10).

OTD in 1995: Former Alabama quarterback Danny Woodson was one of 28 players released by the Birmingham Barracudas as the franchise made its final roster cuts in preparation for its inaugural Canadian Football League season.

The Birmingham Stallions (8-0) and San Antonio Brahmas (6-2) find themselves in almost identical situations heading into Week 9 of the inaugural United Football League season.

Both have already locked up spots in their respective conference championship games, and both will play the same foes in Week 10 that they’ll meet in the opening round of the postseason.

But before Birmingham faces Michigan twice and San Antonio tangles with St. Louis in back-to-back contests, the USFL Conference rep Stallions and XFL Conference’s Brahmas go toe-to-toe in the Alamodome. And Saturday’s 2 p.m. showdown (on ABC and ESPN Xtra on SiriusXM) could potentially be a sneak preview of the UFL Championship Game.

“San Antonio has a really good football team at 6-2, and statistically they’re probably the best defense in the league, giving up the fewest amount of points,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said. “I think they pose some problems for our offense, and I think it’s got a chance to be a great matchup and we’re looking forward to it.”

True, the Brahmas have allowed only 131 points this season, placing them at the top of that category.

And San Antonio safety Jordan Mosley leads the UFL in total tackles with 67, teammate Tavante Beckett, a linebacker, is second with 63, and LB Jordan Williams is tied for third with 58.

“Coach Phillips, if you look at his track record of success and what he’s done, especially with his defensive background, his football team right now is very aggressive,” Holtz said. “They’re built on speed … it’s not so much the problems they give you schematically as much as it is athletically with what they’ve done.”

Yet, as tough as the Brahmas resistance is, the Stallions are No. 1 in total defense (242.8 yards per game), with safety A.J. Thomas’s three interceptions tying him for first in the league. And nose tackle Carlos Davis has six sacks, which gives him a share of the top spot in that group.

On the flip side, Birmingham leads the UFL in all major offensive categories, which has the full attention of Brahmas boss Wade Phillips.

“Their offense is No. 1 in the league and their defense isn’t quite as good as their offense, but that makes them a good team,” he said. “The things they do well has them undefeated at this point and they haven’t lost a game in two years. They’re doing it with a lot of the same people and running the same offense they’ve run for three years.”

By way of comparison, the Stallions score 29.5 points per game to 20.4 for the Brahmas; put up 371.8 yards on average to 295.6; and have tallied 27 touchdowns to 19 for the Texas club.

“Ricky Pearson just continues to be a warrior and a force running the ball,” Holtz said of his back, who has 329 yards and six rushing scores. “He’s doing a really nice job. And I think (quarterback Adrian Martinez) has been very diligent and calculated with what he’s doing in the way he’s running the offense right now.”

Martinez is the circuit’s rushing leader with 431 yards (he’s also scored three times running the ball) and is 102-169-2 passing for 1,375 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had a hand in five TDs and totaled 217 yards in last Saturday’s 35-28 victory over Houston.

“Their quarterback leads the league in rushing and has more yards that (San Antonio running back) John Lovett, but he can also pass, too, obviously,” Phillips said. “You can force him to throw the ball, but he had 200 and something yards last game. He’s the leading MVP player so far this year.”

Thirteen different receivers have caught passes for Birmingham, with Deon Cain amassing 400 yards and three touchdowns on 29 catches and Marlon Williams scoring four times and racking up 251 yards on 19 receptions.

Jace Sternberger also continues to excel, and has been on the paydirt side of two tosses while racking up 291 yards.

Chase Garbers started the season at quarterback for San Antonio but was sidelined due to injuries after going 75-106-1 through the skies for 586 yards and six touchdowns. Phillips said he’s available on Saturday, although Quinten Dormady has run the offense in five of  the Brahmas’ eight games.

Dormady is 85-142-6 for 974 yards and five TDs. He was outstanding in a 20-15, Week 8 win over Arlington, going 17-25-0 for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Jontre Kirklin has 45 receptions for 421 yards and five touchdowns, with Cody Latimer contributing 35 catches for 366 yards and a score.

Lovett paces the ground game with 422 yards and five touchdowns.

“They’re hard to run against, but I think we’ll be able to run the ball against anybody, so we’ll see,” Phillips said.

As for the Stallions, it’s a matter of rinse and repeat as they seek their 16^th consecutive victory dating back to 2023.

“I think what we have to do right now is we have to continue to get better and continue to strive for improvement as we get ready for the playoffs,” Holtz said. “We’re excited about where we are, and excited about the opportunities in front of us.”