The Birmingham Stallions have lost two of their last three games and are now third in the USFL South Division.
That’s the bad news.
The good news?
The South – as well as the North Division – remain wide open with half the regular season gone and five games remaining.
Birmingham (3-2) trails Houston (3-2) based on last weekend’s 27-20 Gamblers win in a head-to-head matchup at Protective Stadium, while New Orleans (4-1) remains at the top of the heap despite suffering its first loss of the season last Sunday against Memphis.
The Stallions hope to regain their winning form on Saturday at Detroit’s Ford Field against a Michigan team that has dropped three consecutive games and sits at 2-3.
However, Birmingham quarterback Alex McGough suggests the Panthers’ sub-.500 record is misleading.
“They’re a good team,” McGough said. “They’ve got a really good D-line, very athletic linebackers, and their secondary’s really good at flying around, making some plays. We’re just trying to play our game. I don’t think we have to go outside the box here, I think we’ve just got to kind of find ourselves and do what we do best.”
Saturday’s game marks the first time in the history of the modern Stallions they’ve suited up somewhere other than Birmingham or Canton.
“I just think it’s a mindset of great teams where on the road, you’ve just got to clear your mind of distractions,” McGough said. “When I was in college, we had an expression where the horses wear the blinders and you can only see what’s in front of you. So, I just try not to worry about the airplane, the hotels, or if my back’s gonna hurt, or anything like that.”
Birmingham safety JoJo Tillery will finally be back in action after battling injuries, and is glad to be able to suit up – regardless of where the game is being played.
“We can play in the backyard … it don’t matter as long as we’re on that field,” he said. “The game plan is to win. As long as we go 1-0, it don’t matter. I’m not used to this feeling. We lost one game last year and now we’ve lost two of the last three, so it’s not a great feeling. The mindset now is just to win.”
The Panthers have everything to play for as all four teams in the North share the same 2-3 record. Based on current tiebreakers they – like Birmingham – are in third place in their side of the circuit.
“We have five games to go and we’re 2-3, which is not what you’d like,” Michigan coach Mike Nolan said. “But if we’d been 0-3 and looked at our record now, we’d be saying, ‘Wow … we’re on the right track.’ It’s still midseason, so we’ll stay optimistic and see if we can rectify things.”
But Nolan’s team is looking for an offensive spark; in the Panthers’ last three games, they’ve averaged only 10 points per outing.
And despite yielding 80 points during its three-game skid, the Michigan defense is still formidable. Defensive end Breeland Speaks leads the league in sacks with 6.5, while linebacker Frank Ginda has a pair of interceptions.
“They’re big and strong, physical up front, and they’re a bend-don’t-break type defense,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said. “They don’t give up a lot of big plays. They keep everything in front of them and they make you earn it. It’s hard to drive the field 80 yards on them.
“On offense, they’re very unpredictable. You don’t really know what you’re gonna get.”
With quarterback Carson Strong placed on the injured reserve list, quarterbacking duties will come down to Josh Love and possibly Eric Barriere.
Running back Reggie Corbin has 262 rushing yards and two scores, and tops the USFL in all-purpose yards with 650.
As for Birmingham, McGough continues to be the workhorse of the offense. He has now accounted for a league-leading 10 touchdowns and 72 points, and has shown he’ll do whatever’s necessary to move the markers.
“Where he’s playing mentally, that’s what’s making him so good,” Holtz explained. “He had talent last year, but he’s really playing in the system now. He understands the system and takes what the defense gives him rather than predetermined ‘I’m gonna throw to him,’ or ‘I’m gonna do this.’ He’s letting the game come to him.
“I think he’s doing a really nice job. He’s our leading rusher right now (214 yards to go with 972 passing yards) and when he does run the ball, he’s averaging, I don’t know, 14 yards a carry or something like that. I think he said it best … ‘I’m not trying to be Superman.’ He’s just trying to be a quarterback, and I think he’s really doing a nice job of it, both mentally and physically.”
Davion Davis continues to pace the receiving corps in yardage with 290 yards, while Jace Sternberger has the most touchdowns (three).
Defensively, safety Christian McFarland has 34 tackles for Birmingham and defensive tackle Willie Henry has added a pair of sacks.
Having turned the page from last week, the Stallions aim to make the most of their next opportunity.
“We’ve always talked about you have 24 hours to celebrate or 24 hours to mourn, but after 24 hours are over, no more pity parties if you lose,” Holtz said. “Let’s pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and get ready for the next week.
“And that’s what I love about this game.”
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday with FOX televising.
PLAYER STATUS (via Stallions Twitter)
Free Agent Signings: LB Brody Buck, NW Missouri State
Transferred Player to Active Roster: S JoJo Tillery; LB Brody Buck; OL O’Shea Dugas
Transferred Player to Inactive Roster: CB Bryan Mills; OT Jahmir Ross-Johnson; DE Darrion Daniels
Game status: DE Joe Jackson: Out (R Ankle); WR Deon Cain: Out (Illness); S Christian McFarland: Probable (R Hamstring, R Shoulder); TE La’Michael Pettway: Probable (L Foot); S JoJo Tillery: Probable (B Ankles); OL O’Shea Dugas: Probable (R Knee); CB Donnie Lewis: Probable (R Hand); CB Brian Allen: Probable (L Shoulder); LB Rashad Smith: Questionable (L Ankle); WR Davion Davis: Probable (B Thighs); WR Adrian Hardy: Probable (R Knee); DT Khalil Davis: Probable (R Knee); OG Matt Kaskey: Probable (R Thumb).