Category: Alternative Football

The Birmingham Stallions (7-0) have not only locked up a playoff berth in the inaugural season of the United Football League, they already know who and when they’ll play in the USFL Conference championship – the Michigan Panthers at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.

Birmingham is coming off a 30-26 victory over St. Louis in what was, to date, the circuit’s marquee game.

The Houston Roughnecks (1-6), on the other hand, are going nowhere after Week 10 of the regular season wraps up.

Making matters worse, they were tantalizingly close to a major upset of San Antonio last weekend – leading 12-3 with 12:36 to play – only to fall 15-12 on a walk-off field goal.

Yet, while it would be easy to dismiss Saturday’s game between Birmingham and Houston at Protective Stadium as largely meaningless, it most certainly isn’t.

Not only are the Stallions seeking a perfect season (and their 15^th consecutive victory dating back to 2023), a win – coupled with a Michigan loss to Memphis – would secure a host spot in the conference title game. And, of course, both teams want to give their players more chances to get looks from the NFL.

“We have to get ready to do it all over again Saturday against what I think is a really good Houston football team,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said. “I know everybody wants to look at their record at 1-6, but when you look at it, especially the last three weeks, they’ve played San Antonio, who’s one of the better teams in the XFL Conference and tied for the first; they’ve played St. Louis, and actually gave up less points to them than we did, giving up 22; and they’ve played Arlington, who has one of the top offenses; and they played us.

“They’ve had four quality opponents over the last few weeks.”

The Stallions’ 32-9 win over the Roughnecks in Houston on April 27 was the worst loss of the season for Curtis Johnson’s team, which has been formidable on defense for much of the season.

They lead the UFL in both interception returns (with five for 176 yards, including a pick-six), and tackles for loss (40).

Offensive woes have plagued them from the start, however.

“Our defense has been outstanding,” Johnson said. “But we have too many unforced errors, especially on the offensive line, and when we get in the red zone, we’ve got to score touchdowns.”

Houston has played three quarterbacks this spring (Reid Sinnett, Jarrett Guarantano and Nolan Henderson) but they have yet to find consistency moving the ball through the air or on the ground. Sinnett will get the start on Saturday with Henderson backing him up.

Justin Hall is the Roughnecks’ top receiver with 352 yards and a touchdown, while T.J. Pledger IV has rushed for 208 yards and caught 15 passes for 91 more.

Pulling off an upset of the league’s only unbeaten team will be a tall order.

Birmingham’s Adrian Martinez has gone from a part-time starter at quarterback to an MVP candidate, leading the league in rushing yards and quickly climbing up the ladder in passing stats. He is second in the UFL in total offense with 1,589 yards.

And while Martinez tops the charts churning out yards on the ground, Ricky Person Jr. leads the way in rushing touchdowns with six.

“I know last year people liked to say I’m just a downhill runner, but I feel like I’m able to showcase my abilities in Skip’s offense,” Person said. “I want my quarterbacks to know they can throw to me out in space and I can make people miss, and catch the ball out of the backfield. But I can also run … I take a lot of pride in that.”

Birmingham is the only UFL club to have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in rushing with 1,017 (145.3 yards per game).

The receiving corps also continues to be a strong suit of the two-time defending USFL champions, as the Stallions lead in yards per reception (14.3) and are second in most aerial TDs with 12.

Deon Cain has racked up 371 receiving yards and scored twice, with Jace Sternberger contributing 261 yards and two scores.

Holtz’s crew is No. 1 in total offense (2,652 yards), all-purpose yards (3,623) and scoring (201 points).

Birmingham has the best rushing defense in the UFL, allowing only two TDs and 376 yards down low. The unit is also first in the takeaway department with 13, while Carlos Davis continues to rule the sack brigade with six – all of them solo.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for us this week,” Holtz said. “We just have to put yesterday behind us, and tomorrow’s not here yet. We’ve got to focus on today and what we’ve got to do to get better as a football team so we’re playing our best ball at the end of the year when we get into the playoffs.”

Saturday’s game is set for 7 p.m. with TV coverage provided by ESPN2. The contest can be heard on ESPN XTra on SiriusXM.

It’s easy to think of Birmingham’s Adrian Martinez as a “running” quarterback. After all, the Stallions signal caller leads the United Football League in rushing yards with 387 – and averages 10.2 yards per tote.

Then again, if you ignore his passing, you’re ignoring one of his greatest strengths.

A stat line of 138-83-1 for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns is even more impressive considering he has rotated starting duties with Matt Corral this season.

But regardless of what he can do with his arm and legs, it’s what’s between his ears that makes it all possible. And in helping Birmingham roll to a 7-0 record, he’s demonstrated that his head is always in the game.

“Professionalism is the word that comes to mind,” Stallions coach Skip Holtz said of Martinez. “He’s five minutes early for meetings. He’s got his notebook and he’s got a pen in hand and he’s taking notes. He watches film and he’s asking the questions like, ‘Coach, when that guy goes here do we want to go there?’ I mean, he is a student of the game.

“He’s a total professional. He’s not a roller coaster guy. He doesn’t just ride the highs and hit the lows. He is very steady and consistent in his performance each and every week.”

Last Saturday’s 30-26 victory over St. Louis was a prime example.

He lit up the Battlehawks defense for 230 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and ran for a game-high 60 yards.

But when St. Louis moved ahead 20-23, he wasted no time getting the lead back. Martinez hit Kevin Austin Jr. on a 40-yard TD strike and connected with Jace Sternberger on a 1-point conversion to register the final points of the contest.

It was the second game in a row Martinez had utilized 10 different receivers.

“We have a very talented roster and a lot of guys who – at any given moment – can take the top off of the defense, whether they’re tight ends or outside guys,” Martinez said. “I think all of them have shown that spurt of being able to do that.

“I don’t want to try and force the ball, it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s just read this, let’s stay within the offense.’ Any of these guys can win their routes, whether it’s press man or zone coverage. I have a lot of confidence that those guys will do what they need to do.”

When talking stats, he’s always quick to credit the guys on the money end of this throws.

“I think that really speaks to the job that (Mike Jones) has done as the receivers coach, and also the talent we have in that room,” he said. “I think everyone’s capable of having big games, and as I’ve gotten more comfortable, and as everyone else has gotten more comfortable, in this offense, we’ve been able to share the ball. I think all those guys deserve a chance to show what they can do. And they can all do it well. I mean, they have the talent, so it’s just my job to get it to the open guy.”

It helps, too, that the entire roster has an “all-for-one” attitude.

“We run an efficient team and an efficient offense and (Holtz) does a great job with that,” Martinez said. “And especially in-game, we’re able to communicate at a very high level and make adjustments on the field and he’s not afraid to do it. Again, I think that just speaks to Skip and the quality coach that he is.”

Holtz adds that Martinez stays focused throughout the week as well as in games.

“He gets into a routine and he follows it, which I, as a coach, love, because I’m a routine guy,” Holtz said. “Like, we do this on Tuesdays and this on Wednesdays and this on Thursdays … he’s a routine player and a student of the game. And he’s just been very consistent. He’s protecting the football, he’s reading defenses, he’s making good decisions.”

Birmingham doesn’t release its depth chart until Thursday of game week, and Holtz has made it clear since the 2024 UFL campaign began that he wanted to utilize both Martinez and Corral.

And he has, although Martinez’s play has earned No. 9 the start for three consecutive weeks.

“Matt and I are going to continue to compete and I think any given week, it could be either one of us,” Martinez said. “So, for me, that’s been my mindset. And that’s part of being competitive and having two talented guys who want to get to the NFL.”

Birmingham – already playoff bound – plays its penultimate regular season home game Saturday night against the Houston Roughnecks.

The game is set for 7 o’clock and will be televised on ESPN2.

With an average per game attendance of more than 35,000, the St. Louis Battlehawks clearly have the United Football League’s best fan base.

But the best football team?

That conversation still begins and ends with the Birmingham Stallions.

St. Louis (5-2) landed plenty of punches but Birmingham (7-0) absorbed them all, taking a 30-26 decision in front of 14,056 fans at Protective Stadium on Saturday. It was the fourteenth consecutive victory for Skip Holtz’s crew.

Leading 30-26 with :46 remaining, the Stallions suffered a blocked punt that gave the Battlehawks the ball at the home team’s 47.

The defense needed to hold on one final time and it did, stopping St. Louis on a fourth-and-2 play at the 39 with linebacker Kyahva Tezino breaking up A.J. McCarron’s pass with 11 ticks left on the clock.

“I thought it was a great game,” Holtz said. “It certainly wasn’t the cleanest game. We had a punt blocked and dropped a punt. And I could sit here and go through the little mistakes that drive you crazy.

“I don’t think we’ve got to play perfect, but we’ve got to play better than we did today.”

After falling behind briefly, Birmingham used a hurry-up drill late in the second quarter that ended in a touchdown – and a 17-11 lead.

The Battlehawks answered with Andre Szmyt’s 61-yard field goal to usher in halftime, and ultimately moved back in front, 20-17, in the third frame after the Stallions’ Isaiah Zuber muffed a punt to give the visitors the ball at the 11.

But with his side trailing by three, quarterback Adrian Martinez engineered another go-ahead march in the third, connecting with Marlon Williams to put the home team on top 23-20 with 12:23 to go in the fourth.

Back came the ‘Hawks, with Jacob Saylors scoring on a 7-yard scamper with half a quarter to play and putting Anthony Becht’s charges on the high side of a 26-23 score.

A Martinez-to-Kevin Austin Jr. pass covered 40 yards and ended up in the end zone, and the conversion had the Stallions in front 30-26 with 5:23 to play.

It was yet another clutch play involving Martinez, who certainly looks like QB1 right now.

He finished 21-33-0 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, and led all rushers with 60 yards on seven carries.

“I give a lot of credit to Skip and the culture that he’s built here,” Martinez said. “It was said that there’s been 50 percent turnover year in and year out from year one to year two to year three. There’s been a couple of things stay the same and one of those things is Skip, and I think he’s done a great job of building the culture and making sure that there’s a standard.

“I think a lot of guys bought into that, and that’s part of why you see the success on the field.”

Martinez hit 10 different receivers, with Williams racking up the most yards (59) on just three catches.

Tezino had four tackles and seven in all; A.J. Thomas picked off a pass; Dondrea Tillman and Jordan Thompson each had a sack; and the defense limited St. Louis to just 214 yards in total offense despite being plagued by injuries.

“I want to say there’s about seven or eight starters that are not on this football team right now, and we’re seven games into it,” Holtz said. “So, there’s a lot of new faces and every one of those (injured) guys we’ve talked about like DeMarquis Gates, JoJo (Tillery), Lorenzo (Burns) and Scooby (Wright) … those are leaders that have been on this team for two or three years.

“And so, to have (Tezino) out there with his level of play and his competitive nature and his attitude and the intangibles that he carries, he’s a leader.”

McCarron’s return to Alabama was spotty, as the former Crimson Tide standout was 19-32-1 for 161 yards and a touchdown.

Hakeem Butler managed seven catches for 89 yards and Saylors turned his 38 ground yards into a pair of TDs.

Qwynnterrio Cole led the Battlehawks’ defense with 12 total tackles, while Willie Harvey and Lakiem Williams added 10 and nine, respectively.

Chris Garrett blocked the final Birmingham punt.

Despite the setback, Becht was upbeat.

“We had a lead going into the fourth quarter, and we just ran out of time,” he said. “I give  credit to their defense for stopping us on four plays. We’ve got a lot of weapons and you know they’ve gotta stop us, too, and they did.

“We’ll see them again down the road and I’m excited about that. But you know, we’ve got to correct our mistakes and get better from it. We didn’t sign up for seven, eight wins a season, we signed up to get to the playoffs and do something.”

Scoring plays: Birmingham, C.J. Marable, 1-yard run, 6:32 first quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Stallions 6, Battlehawks 0; St. Louis, Andre Szmyt, 38-yard field goal, 13:43 second quarter, Stallions 6, Battlehawks 3; Birmingham, Ramiz Ahmed, 27-yard field goal, 5:08 second quarter, Stallions 9, Battlehawks 3; St. Louis, Jacob Saylors, 1-yard run, 2:06 second quarter, 2-point conversion (Saylors run), Battlehawks 11, Stallions 9; Birmingham, Deon Cain, 5-yard reception from Adrian Martinez, :11 second quarter, 2-point conversion (Marlon Williams run), Stallions 17, Battlehawks 11; St. Louis, Szmyt, 61-yard field goal, :00 second quarter, Stallions 17, Battlehawks 14; St. Louis, Saylors 8-yard reception from A.J. McCarron, 6:17 third quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Battlehawks 20, Stallions 17; Birmingham, Williams 4-yard reception from Martinez, 12:20 fourth quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Stallions 23, Battlehawks 20; St. Louis, Saylors, 7-yard run, 7:34 fourth quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Battlehawks 26, Stallions 23; Birmingham, Kevin Austin Jr. 40-yard reception from Martinez, 5:23 fourth quarter, 1-point conversion (Martinez to Jace Sternberger), Stallions 30, Battlehawks 26.

Standout stat: 214 … that’s the number of total yards amassed by St. Louis. The Battlehawks came into the game with the UFL’s top-rated scoring offense.

Up next: Birmingham continues its homestand with a rematch against the Houston Roughnecks next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Stallions won the first meeting in Houston, 32-9.

OTD in 1975: The Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League signed four members of the WFL champion Birmingham Americans – linebackers Mike Truax and Gary Champagne, defensive back Chris Arnold, and defensive end Jesse Wolf.

The WFL reorganized in 1975 and the Vulcans were a new and separate franchise from the Americans, which folded following the 1974 season.

OTD in 1982: The formation of the United States Football League was announced at the 21 Club in New York City. Birmingham was named one of the league’s original 12 franchises.

OTD in 1984: The Birmingham Stallions of the USFL defeated the Jacksonville Bulls, 43-20, in front of 29,500 fans at Legion Field.

Earl Gant scored two touchdowns and Cliff Stoudt went 14-22-1 through the air for 237 yards. The QB also ran for another score.

The win improved the Stallions to 10-2 and was the first game of the season the team played without Joe Cribbs, who was involved in a contract dispute with the Stallions. In the first 11 games of the season, Cribbs had amassed a USFL-best 1,105 yards.

OTD in 1985: The Stallions improved to 8-4 by defeating the Portland Breakers, 14-0, with 28,500 fans looking on at Legion Field.

There were 16 punts in the game and it was scoreless until four seconds left in the third quarter when Stoudt hit Ken Toler on a 15-yard TD pass.

Stoudt threw for another TD in the fourth quarter as the Birmingham defense registered the franchise’s first-ever shutout.