The San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL Conference finished with a 4-0 mark against USFL Conference teams in the inaugural season of the United Football League – including an 18-9 victory over the Birmingham Stallions on May 25.
That snapped the two-time defending USFL champions’ 15-game winning streak dating back to 2023, and ultimately helped the XFL contingent win the head-to-head battle with the USFL, 9-7.
So, what does that mean entering Sunday’s rematch between the teams in the UFL Championship Game in St. Louis?
Simply that 2024’s premiere spring football clash will feature the circuit’s two best squads.
San Antonio (8-3) is playing its best football of the year thanks in large part to getting its running back room healthy, while Birmingham (10-1) is one victory away from dynasty status.
The Stallions average 26.5 points and 347.5 yards per game to 19.2 and 296.6 for the Brahmas. Birmingham has tallied 31 touchdowns to 24 for San Antonio and has the league’s top-ranked offense.
On the other side of the ball, the XFL Conference champs have the No. 1 defense, yielding just 15.3 points per game to 18 for the USFL Conference standard bearers.
“We know we have a great challenge with San Antonio,” Stallions coach Skip Holtz said. “Our players are really excited. if they could have picked who we’d play, it’s San Antonio. It’s not only their record, but it’s not very often in sports that when you lose a game, you get a do-over.
“I think they’re really excited about this opportunity. Not only is it a championship game, but it’s against our only blemish. So, I think there’s gonna be a lot of emotion.”
Brahmas boss Wade Phillips said his charges are equally pumped about their shot at glory.
“I’d feel great for the players,” Phillips said. “They work really hard at it and they deserve where they are now, and I think they deserve a championship. But, they have to play for it and win it.
“We beat a team that hadn’t lost a game in two years, and now we just beat a team (St. Louis) that hadn’t lost a home game. So, I believe we’ve been the underdogs almost every game and we like playing that role.”
The Brahmas have been outstanding on defense since Week 1, but now their offense is showing how good it can be.
In last week’s 25-15 win over St. Louis in the XFL Conference title tilt, Anthony McFarland rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown while John Lovett was back in the lineup and ground out 83 yards.
Although he played in just eight regular season games, Lovett was the league’s third-leading rusher with 422 yards and five TDs.
Chase Garbers is once again starting at QB, and threw for 765 yards and six TDs in five regular season appearances.
The team has several talented receivers, led by Jontre Kirklin, who has 56 catches for 614 yards and three paydirt receptions.
“We’ve got to tackle,” Birmingham safety JoJo Tillery said. “Their receivers are great once they get the ball in their hands, and the yards after the catch is going to be big for them. I know McFarland has been doing a lot – he’s a physical runner. Those guys are elusive, so we have to try our best to get them on the ground as soon as you can.”
The Stallions, of course, feature UFL MVP Adrian Martinez at quarterback as well as Matt Corral, who could be considered QB1-A.
Martinez has hit 134 of 229 passes for 1,749 yards, 18 TDs and three interceptions.
He led the UFL in rushing with 528 yards in the regular season.
Corral came on in relief for Martinez in last week’s 31-18 victory over Michigan, and San Antonio defensive coordinator Will Reed said there’s a plan for both.
“There’s two schools of thought,” Reed said. “Martinez got them there, just didn’t have a great game. Matt got them out of it, so OK, we’ll go back with Adrian. There’s also the possibility they’ll play both. And then the other piece is there’s one game left … Matt came in and had the hot hand, maybe that’s who they’ll stick with. We have to prepare for seeing both or either/or.”
Stallions tight end Jace Sternberger has scored four times and caught 25 balls for 454 yards; Deon Cain has 436 receiving yards and three touchdowns; and Marlon Williams has racked up 313 yards and four scores catching the ball.
Ricky Person Jr. (342 yards, six TDs) and C.J. Marable (309 yards, four TDs) give Birmingham a nice 1-2 punch when Martinez or Corral opts to hand the ball off.
Although Holtz is certainly concerned with the San Antonio attack, it’s the defense that really grabs his attention.
“When you look at them as a defense, they have the No. 1 defense in our league, having given up 20 or more points one time,” he said. “When you look at their schedule, they’ve given up 9, 12, 15, 18, 13 … they’ve got a really strong defense, and they do a really nice job. They’re a very talented group.
“They’ve played great ball all year, you know? It’s not an overly complicated scheme. It’s not that they do a million things and blitz from everywhere and create an ungodly amount of pressure with what they do, they just play solid, fundamental football. They’re built on speed.”
Linebacker Kyahva Tezino leads the Stallions in tackles with 70, while tackle Carlos Davis has seven sacks and A.J. Thomas, three interceptions. The team has 29 sacks and eight INTs in all.
Josh Moseley paces the Brahmas with 75 tackles, linebacker Wyatt Ray has recorded 5.5 sacks (they have 32 for the year), and cornerback Teez Tabor has two of his team’s four picks.
The 2024 campaign demonstrated that the former USFL and XFL teams that merged into the UFL formed a balanced league. But after 11 weeks, there is little question which sides stand above the rest.
“I think the two best teams have earned their way into the championship,” Holtz said. “And so, really excited to have the opportunity to play in the championship game, really excited to have the opportunity to represent the city of Birmingham, but really glad that we have the opportunity to go against a quality team.”
Game time is set for 4 p.m. on Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center. The contest can be seen on FOX.