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 15th 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.