Category: Alternative Football

Notes, quotes and numbers from Birmingham’s 28-12 victory over Pittsburgh in the 2023 United States Football League Championship Game …

HOW THEY SCORED

Pittsburgh (5-7) got the ball first on the opening kickoff and proceeded to move deep into Birmingham (10-2) territory, but had to settle for Chris Blewitt’s 37-yard field goal at 5:27 of the first quarter, making it 3-0.

The drive covered 60 yards on 16 plays.

The Stallions took the lead at 10:39 of the second quarter when Alex McGough hit Davion Davis on a 42-yard TD strike to highlight a six play, 70-yard march.

Brandon Aubrey kicked the score to 7-3.

The Maulers closed the gap to 7-6 when Blewitt made a 35-yard field goal 3:01 before halftime. They used 13 plays to advance 47 yards.

The Stallions then worked the two-minute drill to perfection and hit paydirt when McGough found Deon Cain on a three-yard touchdown pass at :31 of the second, highlighting a seven play, 68-yard trek.

Aubrey’s PAT made it 14-6.

Blewitt, however, continued to keep his team in the game, nailing a 55-yard field goal on the last play of the half to trim the deficit to 14-9.

Pittsburgh managed just 12 yards in five snaps, but it was good enough to put Blewitt in range.

Birmingham made it a two-score game on the opening drive of the third quarter, going 83 yards on eight plays with a McGough to Cain 20-yard connection resulting in six points at 10:29.

The PAT gave the Stallions some breathing room, 21-9.

It was 21-12 after Blewitt did his thing again, drilling a 51-yard field goal at 7:45 of the third to make something out of a five play, 20-yard trip.

A McGough fumble forced by Reuben Foster and advanced 60 yards by Olive Sagapolu put the Maulers in good shape at the enemy 33 late in the third quarter, but the defense stiffened and Blewitt was called on again.

This time he missed from 48 yards, and the lead remained nine.

The Stallions put the game away with 6:28 to play.

Scrambling out of trouble, McGough unloaded a 40-yard TD pass to Cain to wrap up a two play, 40-yard drive.

Aubrey kicked true, and it was 28-12.

BIRMINGHAM COACH SKIP HOLTZ SAID …

“The bottom line is the players bought into it. That’s why it worked. A lot of people say, ‘1-0,’ but these players bought into it. And that’s why it worked. Wow, 10-2 … pretty special.”

PITTSBURGH COACH RAY HORTON SAID …

“I apologized to them. I didn’t get them where they expected me to get them. I did tell them that this team is one of the best teams in the league. They’re only going to get better. We’re missing a couple ingredients that we will get and we will find, and they will be smarter players next year because they understand the system … they understand our expectations. We’re not the laughingstock of the league anymore. This is a team that’s going to be a force to reckoned with.”

STANDOUT STATS

For Birmingham, McGough was 17-25-0 for 243 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 64 yards.

“I think he’s really he’s really talented and yes, I do believe that he is capable of being an NFL quarterback,” Holtz said.

Cain, who earned championship game MVP honors, had four catches for three touchdowns and 70 yards and 101 return yards. Jace Sternberger reeled in three receptions for 65 yards and Davis had a TD and 55 yards on three catches.

“It’s just a blessing to be honored with this trophy, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates or my coaches,” Cain said. “I just had to make the plays. It’s a lot of hard work and tears behind this trophy.”

The winners piled up 357 yards of total offense.

JoJo Tillery finished with eight tackles (six solo) while Lorenzo Burns was in on seven tackles and had six individual takedowns.

Blewitt accounted for all of Pittsburgh’s points.

Troy Williams was 24-37-0 for 143 yards and Isiah Hennie had eight catches for 55 yards.

Kyahva Tezino had nine solo tackles and 10 in all.

EXPECTED SUCCESS

Championships are always sweet, but this one was a bit different for linebacker Scooby Wright.

“It’s kind of a weird feeling,” he said. “It’s almost like it was expected because we did it last year, so things aren’t as sweet as they are the first time, but the next one is always just as important.

“It doesn’t feel like the same as it did last year because we expected it this year.”

NEXT UP

The city of Birmingham will have a parade for the Stallions Sunday starting at Protective Stadium and ending at City Hall. It begins at 2:30 p.m.

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.

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.

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).