Stallions seek second USFL crown

The defending United States Football League champions are one victory away from remaining the only champion in the modern circuit’s history.

The Birmingham Stallions (9-2) clash with the Pittsburgh Maulers (5-6) on Saturday in the USFL Championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on NBC.

Skip Holtz is now 20-3 as boss of the Stallions, guiding the club to a 33-30 victory over Philadelphia in the 2022 title game. This time another team repping a different Pennsylvania city stands in the way.

In their regular season meeting in Canton, Birmingham escaped with a 24-20 victory over Ray Horton’s squad.

“Their leading ball carrier is their quarterback (Troy Williams), which poses some problems for you,” Holtz said. “It’s a little bit like a single wing that uses a lot of motion, and they do some really good things offensively. They’re a tough team to stop and they’ve been playing really well defensively. They’re number one or number two in almost every statistical category on defense.”

Next-level outings from Birmingham quarterback Alex McGough have helped his team put together a six-game winning streak. The latest conquest was a Saturday beatdown of New Orleans, 47-22, to win the South Division championship.

McGough, expected to be officially named league MVP later today, has put together incredible numbers this season. Through 11 games, the signal caller has compiled 2,414 yards and 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions.

On the ground, McGough is the team’s second-leading rusher with 487 yards and seven touchdowns.

“He’s been really focused … really dialed in,” Holtz said. “I like the way he’s playing and the way he sees the field. He’s got a great understanding of this offense right now, even to the point where he and I are able to have the conversations about they’re doing this, why don’t we do this or this?

“It’s a pleasure when you’ve got a guy like that out there on the field.”

When asked if his play has inspired confidence in his teammates, McGough stresses that it’s a group effort.

“They instill confidence in me, too,” he said. “I think I get confidence from them, they get confidence from me, we all get confidence from coach and it’s just kind of like we feed off each other and it’s just that type of energy that we build on.

“It’s something we’ve got to keep building and keep working on.”

Jace Sternberger has snagged eight TD catches and amassed 579 yards for the Stallions, while Davion Davis has 44 receptions for 650 yards and six touchdowns.

Deon Cain now has 670 return yards and two touchdowns to go with 256 receiving yards and two more TDs.

When Birmingham runs, C.J. Marable is the go-to guy with 596 yards and four scores, and he is also the squad’s third-leading receiver with 239 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Brian Allen and Nate Holley have each recorded two interceptions (both of Allen’s came against New Orleans last Sunday), while Christian McFarland has 50 tackles (38 solo) and Dondrea Tillman and Willie Henry boast four sacks apiece.

Although the Maulers have a losing record, they enter the championship game having won three in a row – and all three were must-win matchups.

“As you go further along the games become more meaningful and more important, and the players understand there’s a different vibe and a different attentiveness,” Horton said. “Ultimately you’re still playing tackle football, but the games mean more.”

Williams has become steadier behind center, and finished the regular season with 1,414 passing yards, six touchdowns and three INTs.

In a 31-27 victory over Michigan last Saturday, Thompson went 23-40-0 for 203 yards and a touchdown.

Leading the bruise crew for Pittsburgh is linebacker Kyahva Tezino, who was in on 73 tackles during the regular season and had 53 solo takedowns. Reuben Foster, Bryce Torneden, Arnold Tarpley and Mark Gilbert each had 29 individual tackles.

Gilbert also has four picks and Tarpley adds three interceptions to the stat sheet. Those two, along with Kyahva, are members of the 2023 All-USFL Team.

“From top to bottom, Coach Horton has instilled in us to get better every day,” Tarpley said. “That’s our focus. I don’t think we’ve worried about wins and losses up until this point. If we just keep getting better and play like a team – and I think we’ve done a great job of that – we’ll have success.”

Holtz – the 2023 USFL Coach of the Year – says it’s an honor to be in this position again.

“How great is it to be playing the last game of the year and it’s a meaningful game,” he said. “There are a lot of teams in a lot of these leagues that are going through seven, eight, nine games that don’t mean anything. They already know who’s in and who’s out. But we’re in a meaningful game.”

PLAYER STATUS (via Stallions Twitter)

Game status: WR Myron Mitchell: Out (L Hand), S Christian McFarland: Probable (L Thumb), S JoJo Tillery: Probable (L Knee), RB Ricky Person: Probable (L Hip, R Ankle), TE La’Michael Pettway: Probable (R Hamstring), LB Scooby Wright: Probable (L Calf), RB CJ Marable: Probable (L Knee), DB TJ Carter: Probable (R Groin, R Heel), OL Matt Kaskey: Probable (R Groin), CB Matt Hankins: Probable (R Back), CB Bryan Mills: Probable (R Wrist), CB Brian Allen: Probable (L Shoulder), DL Keyshon Camp: Probable (L Shoulder), OL Darius Harper: Questionable (Illness).

PLAYER STATUS (via Maulers Twitter)

Transferred Player to Active Roster: RB Duane Gary.

Transferred Player to Inactive Roster: CB Sedevyn Gray.

Game status: LB Reuben Foster: Full Go (Head), DE Nasir Player: Full Go (Right Knee).