Notes, quotes and numbers from Birmingham’s 24-20 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday in Canton …
HOW THEY SCORED
Pittsburgh cashed in on the opening possession of the contest with a 20-yard Chris Blewitt field goal at 10:34 of the first quarter. The Maulers had a first-and-goal situation from the Birmingham seven but failed to punch it in on three tries, settling for a 3-0 lead after an eight play, 43-yard drive.
The Maulers added to their lead following a turnover.
Defensive back Mark Gilbert picked off an Alex McGough pass at midfield, and returned it to the Stallions’ 37.
A 35-yard first down pass from Troy Williams to Bailey Gaither put the ball at the two, but the hosts got no further, and Blewitt was called on to try another field goal. He nailed a 22-yarder at 13:14 of the second, and it was 6-0.
Another pick gave Pittsburgh another opportunity, but once again Ray Horton’s team was kept out of the end zone by the Birmingham defense.
Blewitt booted a 27-yard field goal 5:56 before halftime, capping off a 12 play, 76-yard march and increasing his team’s lead to 9-0.
The Stallions finally got on the board late in the second quarter, also via the kicking game.
Brandon Aubrey split the pipes from 37 yards away at the 1:49 juncture, and a nine play, 49-yard drive ended with the Maulers on top, 9-3.
After the game’s first three-and-out Birmingham got the ball back – and played beat the clock to get the first TD of the contest.
McGough highlighted an eight play, 60-yard junket with a five-yard touchdown run that saw him poke the ball across the stripe before going out of bounds as time expired.
Aubrey kicked the PAT, and the Stallions led 10-9 at the break.
The Maulers regained the lead late in the third stanza and – you guessed it – it was Blewitt who made it happen.
On the final play of an 11 play, 62-yard drive, the kicker drilled a
46-yard field goal at 3:35 of the third to give the edge back to Pittsburgh, 12-10.
McGough pulled off one of the season’s great scrambles to nudge Skip Holtz’s crew ahead at 9:40 of the fourth.
On third-and-goal play from the enemy nine, he wriggled his way in and out of trouble and finally found Davion Davis in the back of the end zone for a touchdown connection.
Aubrey kicked the lead to 17-12, adding a bonus point to a 14 play, 75-yard trip to paydirt.
Finally, the Maulers showed they could score touchdowns, too.
Going 61 yards in five plays, Williams did most of the work himself on a beautiful 34-yard scoring scoot with 6:52 showing on the game clock.
Isiah Hennie ran in the 2-point conversion, and the Maulers held a 20-17 advantage.
That lead lasted a grand total of 15 seconds.
Deon Cain took the ensuing kickoff back 91 yards for a TD, and after the kick it was Birmingham showing the way, 24-20, with 6:37 left.
It was the second game in a row Cain had taken a kickoff to the house, and proved to be the winning score.
Birmingham improved to 3-1 while Pittsburgh slipped to 1-3.
BIRMINGHAM COACH SKIP HOLTZ SAID …
“Just really proud of this football team and the way they competed. Losing the game last week, I thought we had a really good week of practice. We had an eight-day week, got a chance to get a little bit healthy, and I thought we were going to play really well offensively. And defensively I thought our team was focused and into it, and I’ll say we played a really good football team.”
PITTSBURGH COACH RAY HORTON SAID ….
“Today, the Maulers beat the Maulers. We gave up a touchdown on special teams, we were oh-for-three in the red zone, and we gave up another touchdown. Skip has a well-oiled machine and they’re champions for a reason. There are no moral victories, only victories on the scoreboard. But we’re headed in the right direction.”
STANDOUT STATS
McGough bounced back from throwing back-to-back interceptions by going 17-29-2 for 157 yards and a touchdown, and leading the Stallions ground game with 48 yards and a score on 10 carries.
“There are moments in games where it doesn’t go your way,” McGough said. “I threw a comeback with a guy in my face, and Deon runs a heckuva post and I just underthrew the crap out of him, and I’m so mad at myself. But you don’t win every time.
“But to see every player on the team come up to me and say, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ it’s just so uplifting.”
Davis caught eight balls for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Cain had five kick returns for 166 yards and the decisive TD.
“I really just wanted to spend time with my teammates then and enjoy the moment,” he said. “As a kick returner you just want to get positive yards for your team. Field position is the biggest key in football, and you want to get at least 25 yards guaranteed, and maybe more.”
Defensively, linebacker Scooby Wright returned from being sidelined with injuries to lead the winners with six tackles, including five solos.
“Just to have him back … it’s not just the plays he makes, but his presence,” Holtz said. “He’s kind of a calming presence for the entire defense. It’s like, when it starts reeling and they make a couple of first downs, I just think he’s got great knowledge, he understands the game so much. I think it’s invaluable having him in there.”
For Pittsburgh, Williams finished 21-33-0 for 217 aerial yards and ran for 63 more and a TD.
Linebacker Kyahva Tezino had a big night in a losing effort, registering six individual tackles and 11 overall.
GETTING HIS KICKS
Blewitt has been a member of the Maulers for less than two weeks, but already he’d made major contributions to his team.
In a 21-13 victory over the Philadelphia Stars on April 30 he kicked five field goals – including a 50-yarder – and the sidewinder was on target against Birmingham as well.
He accounted for all nine of his team’s first half points as he upped his field goal numbers to eight-for-eight since becoming a Pittsburgh placekicker.
His next kick in the third quarter gave his team a 12-10 lead, and he finished four-for-four for the evening.
NEXT UP
Birmingham returns to Protective Stadium next Saturday to take on the Houston Gamblers (2-2). After dropping their first two games of 2023, the Gamblers are now riding a two-game winning streak.
On Saturday Houston routed the Philadelphia Stars, racking up 463 yards of total offense and getting a 134-yard, three touchdown rushing performance from Mark Thompson.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on May 13 and the game will be televised on FOX.