Round one goes to Stallions, USFL

Remember the 1950 season opener between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles?

Of course you don’t … neither do I.

Let me fill you in, anyway.

The Eagles were the defending National Football League champions, and the Browns were coming off a title in the All-America Football Conference. Late in 1949, three AAFC clubs merged with the NFL, so the senior circuit’s brain trust thought it’d be a great idea to start the season with the two defending champs going head-to-head.

It was a great idea – for the Browns.

Cleveland shellacked Philly, 35-10, embarrassing the team from what was considered the stronger league. While Paul Brown’s charges were no longer in the AAFC, you can be sure they were carrying the banner of their former organization into that game.

So, what does this have to do with a United Football League contest played 74 years later?

Well, when the Birmingham Stallions knocked heads with the Arlington Renegades at Choctaw Stadium today, it was a season opener that featured a pair of champions. Skip Holtz’s Stallions won both modern USFL titles, while Bob Stoops’ Renegades wore the crown in XFL 3.0.

Those leagues have been downsized and converted into conferences as part of the UFL. And since there’s still a sense of pride for the clubs that repped their old leagues, that added a bit of intrigue to today’s grand opening in Texas.

The final score of Birmingham 27, Arlington 14, will have fans of the Stallions – and the USFL – claiming supremacy. And on a warm spring day in Tarrant County, Texas, they earned the right to make that claim. Down 11-3 early, Holtz’s team took control the rest of the way.

“So great to be part of the first game of the UFL and to represent Birmingham and be 1-0,” Holtz said. “I’m just so proud of these players and the way they competed. We turned the ball over two times early in the game but nobody blinked, nobody panicked, nobody flinched.”

A better braggin’ rights barometer will be taking all 40 regular season games into account, but you have to start somewhere, and the venue formerly known as Globe Life Field (and before that, The Ballpark in Arlington) is where the 2024 United Football League took its first competitive breath.

As you might expect for a game that followed just a month of practice, it got sloppy – and chippy – at times. The teams combined for 100 yards in penalties and there were quite a few false starts.

But it was still extremely fun to watch. And the Stallions served notice that once again they’re a tough bunch to beat, regardless of what FL they play for.

As for league firsts, here they are:

First fumble: Luis Perez, Arlington, 12:18, first quarter.

First interception: Matt Corral, Birmingham, 9:10, first quarter.

First field goal: Taylor Russolino, Arlington, 38 yards, 3:08, first quarter.

First touchdown: Perez to Isaiah Winstead, Arlington, 51-yard pass, 9:09, second quarter.

First conversion: Lindsey Scott to Winstead, Arlington, (2 points).

Corral made his debut as QB1 for the winners, and after a slow start he settled into the role, finishing 12-21-1 for 201 yards and a TD.

C.J. Marable shined once again at running back, racking up 67 yards on 18 carries and scoring a TD. He also had two catches for 36 yards.

The receiving crew was impressive; Deon Cain caught three balls for 66 yards and a score. There were seven pass catchers in all, including Jace Sternberger and Binjimin Victor.

Defensively, Carlos Davis had five tackles, a sack and forced a fumble, while Kenny Robinson Jr. hauled in an interception.

The Renegades got 214 aerial yards and a TD from Perez, and Sal Cannella paced Arlington receivers with 49 yards on four catches.

Middle linebacker Marquel Lee had the best day defensively in a losing effort, closing out the season debut with nine tackles.

Duron Lowe and Darren Evans each had picks.

From a competition standpoint, the UFL should be more than the sum of its parts. The USFL in 2022 and 2023 and the XFL in 2023 were quality leagues with quality players, but those players were spread out over 16 teams.

With only eight squads teeing it up this spring, there were 400 less landing spots for near-miss NFL guys.

Need an example?

Quarterback J’Mar Smith was a huge reason the Stallions won the USFL championship in 2022 and was the starter before being lost for the season due to a finger injury in the 2023 opener. The 27-year-old is a proven winner.

Today, however, he could only watch as Corral and Adrian Martinez were 1-2 on the depth chart.

I’m looking forward to seeing how all these teams – and all their players – evolve over the next two and a half months. And while there will still be some old league pride once we get to June, pride in winning the first UFL title will be the only thing that matters in the end.

There’s still a lot of football to be played, as they say, but I’m glad the journey is now officially under way.

“We’re guaranteed 10 of these and this was only one,” Holtz said. “There are a lot of things we’ve got to clean up. Still a long way to go to be the football team we want to be, but I just want us to make sure with all the work and preparation, we’re as good as we can be.”