BIRMINGHAM – The Birmingham Stallions are on their way to the United Football League’s first-ever championship game.
But it didn’t look like it would be that way for about three quarters.
The UFL’s conference championship games are this weekend, and in the first one, here at Protective Stadium, one-loss Birmingham was in trouble – until they made a late comeback in the second quarter.
The Stallions, hosting the Michigan Panthers in the USFL Conference Game airing on ABC, trailed 18-12 at the half after a less-than-stellar first quarter.
After one of the wildest third quarters you’ll ever see that featured three interceptions – one for a touchdown – inside of about 20 seconds of game play, then another late score, Birmingham came from behind and won the game, 31-18.
The Stallions (10-1), champions of the USFL Conference, will play in the inaugural UFL Championship on June 16 against the winner of Sunday’s St. Louis-San Antonio game, the XFL Conference Game, on FOX.
But Michigan made ‘em work for it.
The Panthers (who finished the season with a 7-4 record) led until just under the 14-minute mark of the fourth quarter, when Matt Corral, coming off the bench for Adrian Martinez (who did spend some time in the injury tent), found Amari Rodgers for a 7-yard score with 13:42 left. That broke an 18-all tie.
Birmingham would go up 24-18, then add one more insurance touchdown late, when Corral and running back Ricky Person Jr. hooked up for a swing pass out of the backfield – Person caught it and sneaked the ball just inside the pylon for the touchdown, a 17-yard pass that gave the Stallions a 30-18 lead with 4:04 left.
On the conversion, Corral hit a jump-pass to Jordan Thomas, who lost his helmet, but caught the ball for the point after, giving the Stallions the 13-point lead (31-18).
Michigan’s best play on its first series was a check-down pass to running back Nate McCrary, and then a 15-yard penalty was added for a personal foul for roughing the passer by Birmingham’s Carlos Davis. That gave the Panthers first-and-10 at Birmingham’s 36.
A pass over the middle to Siaosi Mariner was broken up – hard – by members of the Stallions’ secondary, but on third-and-nine, the Panthers broke through: Etling to Mariner for a 35-yard touchdown, the game’s first score, with 12:17 left in the first quarter. The Stallions’ defense stuffed the conversion, though, and kept it at 6-0 Panthers.
Birmingham’s Martinez brought the Stallions’ offense out for the first time in the game to their own 33-yard-line, and the Stallions stuck to their formula: a Person rush for a couple of yards, then Martinez mixing it up – no receiver open, so a scramble for a few. On third-and-2, though, a short pass to Amari Rodgers for the first down was reviewed and overturned, leaving Birmingham with a short fourth-down conversion.
Coach Skip Holtz elected to go for the first down – a running play on a fourth-and-2 that was measured, and was ruled that the run was short. (The Tru-Line / UFL predictor said it would be short by nine inches, by the way). Michigan took over on downs at Birmingham’s 42-yard-line.
McCrary bounced the first-down run attempt outside for good yards, all the way to the Stallions’ 37. Two plays later, on third-and-3, Etling tried to hit Mariner again around the 20-yard-line along the Stallions’ sideline. But this time, it was nothing-doing. The pass was high, and Mariner couldn’t reach it.
With 8:43 left, Michigan kicked a field goal, a 52-yarder by Jake Bates that added to the Panthers’ lead (9-0).
A penalty on the kick return had Birmingham buried at its own 23 to start its second possession. The Stallions’ speedy C.J. Marable hit third gear bursting through the heart of the Panthers’ defense on second down for a good 8-yard gain, to the 35 and a first down.
The Stallions’ short passing game, though, left them in third-and-short again: a third-and-3 at their own 42, again. A quick review left them shorter than that: Rodgers’ latest pass that had been ruled a catch along the sidelines was overturned, putting the Stallions back into third-and-7 at their own 38.
It would get worse for Birmingham.
A false start was called on wideout Deon Cain, and then unsportsmanlike conduct, a flag thrown on Derwin Gray, who was in a shoving match with members of Michigan’s offensive line.
By the time all of that was enforced, the Stallions had third-and-forever: third-and-27 at their own 18.
Martinez’s pass out in the open to Cain was incomplete, and not close: Cain lost his footing and was on the turf.
The punt got off with no problem, and Birmingham shut down Michigan’s Devin Gray after only a short gain, back to Michigan’s 45.
Etling’s first-down pass bounced harmlessly off the turf downfield, around Birmingham’s 20, and a flag came in on Michigan this time – left tackle Jarrett Horst was called for holding.
The Panthers, in first-and-20 at the 35, went right back to the pass play, Etling to tight end Cole Hikutini, but for a gain of only 2. Devin Gray made a catch of an Etling pass for 5 yards, but was quickly spun around and down by Birmingham’s Daniel Isom, leaving the Panthers in third-and-13.
Etling went over the middle to a crossing Mariner, who caught the ball at the Birmingham 46 and was quickly popped. Officials flagged Birmingham linebacker Damon Lloyd for unnecessary roughness, giving the Panthers the ball at the Stallions’ 31.
On the second play from scrimmage, Michigan running back Matthew Colburn II never got the pitch-back from Etling, and although officials ruled the Panthers recovered, they lost about 6 yards, giving them a third-and-12. Etling went right back to Colburn II, hitting him for a 9-yard gain.
On fourth-and-3 at the 24, Michigan coach Mike Nolan sent Bates back out, and he hit a 41-yard field goal, putting the Panthers up 12-0.
Person Jr. got a great return, right up the middle, a 29-yarder all the way to his own 40. The Stallions ran only one play, though, before it was disrupted: Michigan defensive end Ron’Dell Carter managed to get into the backfield and hit Martinez, as he tried to roll out. Martinez spun free, but down for a 1-yard loss as the first quarter came to a close.
Second down on the drive turned out a lot better, a quick throw to Marlon Williams for 8 yards to the Stallions’ 47, leaving them in another third-and-3. Third down was even nicer: a catch over the middle by Binjamin Victor for a big play, tackled by Levonta Taylor at Michigan’s 40.
A pass to tight end Jace Sternberger all the way down to Michigan’s 3 – Sternberger dragging Panthers defenders with him inside their 5-yard-line – got Birmingham a first-and-goal, but the Panthers stood Martinez up and forced him out of bounds on first down.
On the second-and-goal play, a flag came down: Birmingham was called for holding (right guard Zack Johnson) and pushed the Stallions all the way back to the Michigan 21.
Martinez found Gary Jennings for a big gain to Michigan’s 5, to get most of that yardage back, but Jennings had to dive to catch the pass, leaving Birmingham with third-and-goal back at the 5. Martinez lofted a pass to Marable into the end zone, a fade, but it was broken up by Keith Gipson Jr.
Birmingham settled for the field goal, with Chris Blewitt hitting the 22-yarder to get the Stallions on the board (12-3) with 10:30 left in the half.
McCrary broke a huge run, all the way to Birmingham’s 26-yard-line, to get Michigan back into at least Bates’ field goal range. And that’s exactly what happened: the Stallions’ defense stiffened for three downs, forcing Bates to come back onto the field for a 38-yard attempt. He nailed it out of the hold of punter Brock Miller, giving the Panthers their 12-point lead back (15-3) with 7:10 left in the half.
The kickoff was almost disaster for Birmingham. Person couldn’t get a handle on the ball, and it was loose for at least three seconds on the turf. He lost it, and teammate Marlon Williams was able to dive on it at Birmingham’s 19, where the Stallions would start the drive. It was just that kind of a half for Birmingham.
The first play: 0 yards. Second play: Martinez was blindsided by Noah Dawkins, causing a loose ball, and recovered by Carter at the Stallions’ 14.
McCrary picked up 7 yards on the first-down play, to Birmingham’s 7, then maybe a yard up the middle, as the Stallions’ defense stuffed him, a somewhat-bizarre call on second down, almost as if Michigan was playing for another field goal with five minutes left in the half. McCrary was tripped up after getting the handoff on third down, and lost 2 yards.
Out trotted Bates again, this time to kick a field goal from the 8, and he drove it home, a 18-3 Panthers’ lead that could have been MUCH, much worse for Birmingham, with just under four minutes left in the half.
Martinez and company made the Panthers pay immediately for all the stumbling, bumbling play-calling. He hit Jordan Thomas – wearing No. 81 and looking like Hall-of-Famer Terrell Owens – in stride, and Thomas pulled away from the Michigan defender, right down the middle of the field, for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the one and only play of the drive. The conversion was no good: Rodgers couldn’t hold onto the ball. It did look like he was interfered with, but no flag came, leaving the Stallions down, 19-9, with 3:53 left in the half.
Devin Ross took the kickoff at his goal line and brought it back to his own 33 – would Michigan try anything, or be content to get to the half with the 18-9 lead?
A penalty on Carlos Davis, another one, helped. Davis was flagged for roughing the passer, his second of the day, and it was added to the end of a run by McCrary, setting Michigan up in business at the Birmingham 41, just that quickly.
Etling, scrambling for yards on the next play, found linebacker Demarquis Gates instead. Etling got the pass off but was smacked by Gates – no flag came, as the crowd roared.
A pass to Trey Quinn gave the Panthers a fourth-and-2 at Birmingham’s 33, at the two-minute warning (1:56). But this time, Bates’ kick was no good, leaving the Stallions behind just nine, and with time to work – field position at their own 41, and all three time outs.
The first two downs took them absolutely nowhere – well, 5 yards. Martinez’s pass on second down was thrown off his back foot and good for an intentional grounding call, which was flagged. The penalty left the Stallions in a third-and-16 at their own 35, with 1:11 left in the half, after a 10-second run-off.
On the play, Michigan’s Nate Brooks was called for holding Rodgers, who had him beat for what would have been a walk-in touchdown.
It gave Birmingham a new set of downs at their own 40, but now under 50 seconds left. Martinez threw the ball away with everyone covered on first down. Forty-three seconds left, with the clock stopped.
Second down: a huge play, big completion to Williams, who caught the pass, then lost the ball and regained it, all the way down to Michigan’s 31. Birmingham went into hurry-up mode, but coach Skip Holtz called time out with 32 seconds left – he still had two in his pocket.
Martinez went for it all on the first-down play afterward, but neither Sternberger nor Victor could get to it. On second down, Martinez found himself scrambling, to Michigan’s 26, for 5. Holtz had to spend another time out with 20 seconds left in the half.
The third down pass glanced off of Rodgers’ hands at the goal line, covered by Brooks, but he couldn’t haul it in.
So Blewitt came out and hit a 43-yard field goal, getting the Stallions within six (18-12) with 12 seconds left, and considering the half Birmingham had, a real achievement. Michigan knelt out the clock and took the six-point advantage into the locker room.
Cain took the second-half kickoff back into Michigan territory, all the way to the Panthers’ 47-yard-line. The first play from scrimmage, though, was an interception by Michigan.
That would be good for Michigan – and bad. The ball was ruled down at his own 1-yard-line, putting the offense’s backs against the wall. Etling would convert quickly, though, a pass to Marcus Simms good for first-down yards to the Panthers’ 19-yard-line.
A second pass along the sidelines on the next play to Devin Gray was ruled complete, an 18-yard gain to the 37, and suddenly what looked to be a rough situation for Michigan was turning into a solid drive.
A pair of running plays yielded little, though, and they found themselves in third-and-long at their own 41. Etling found Mariner again, but this time, he couldn’t wriggle free for the necessary yardage to get the first down: he was 1 yard short.
A fake punt ball thrown by the deep snapper, Jordan Ober, was caught and converted for the first down – but even that turned sour on Michigan when, on the next play, they fumbled the ball back to Birmingham.
The Stallions would take possession with 9:38 in the third quarter at their own 49, about 3 yards from where they opened the half to begin with!
Martinez would scramble, though, and lose control of the ball, Michigan regaining possession at its own 45, still in front, 18-12.
McCrary was stuffed on first down for no gain, then Etling was sacked by a myriad of Birmingham defenders, hit first by Jonathan Garvin, for a big loss.
On third-and-18, Quinn caught Etling’s pass, but well short of the 18 yards needed for a first, and Michigan, on fourth-and-8, would punt, pinning the Stallions back at their own 18 with 6:17 left in a wild, but quickly-moving third quarter.
The three downs got the Stallions exactly 1 yard, though, and they’d have to punt back to Michigan, a high punt that left the Panthers with the ball at their own 42.
Etling’s pass was errant, though, and picked off by Birmingham’s Ike Brown. The cornerback picked off the pass downfield, but brought it back to Michigan’s 47, with 4:04 left in the third quarter.
Two plays later, in this crazy game: a ball thrown by Martinez was tipped off the hands of Williams, and picked by Michigan linebacker Javin White. Michigan had it right back with a new set of downs at its own 40.
And then two plays later: ANOTHER PICK, this one by Birmingham’s Isom, returned for a touchdown, with 2:37 left.
On the conversion: a batted-down ball, of course, leaving the game tied at 18 with 2:37 left in the third quarter. Of course.
A short kick and good return by Ross left Michigan with good field position, back at their own 41.
McCrary, though, had a tough time getting going after the big run in the first half, just a 3-yard gain on first down. Etling tried to dump a pass off to the tight end, Hikutini, on second down that was dropped (it would have been a fantastic catch in traffic), and on third down, Etling was running for his life, but dropped short of the first down marker as the time in the third quarter was rapidly coming to an end.
The punt by Michigan’s Brock Miller would bounce into the end zone for a touchback, the first of the day, and Birmingham took over at its own 25 with 26 seconds left in the third.
Matt Corral, replacing Martinez at quarterback for the Stallions, connected with Jordan Thomas for a 13-yard gain on the quarter’s final play.
On the first play of the fourth quarter: FIREWORKS, courtesy of a huge pass from Corral to Jennings, down to the Michigan 20-yard-line. Corral scrambled to the 10 on the next play, and then was corralled by Breeland Speaks, the UFL’s newly-announced defensive player of the year (UFL releases postseason awards | The Football Beat), on the first down play afterward.
On the next play, though, the Stallions finally broke through, a touchdown pass from Corral to Rodgers for Birmingham’s first lead of the game with 13:42 remaining.
A false start moved them back on the conversion, and the pass was incomplete, leaving the Stallions in front by just six, 24-18.
Etling was rushed into a throw on the Panthers’ next drive but completed it to Mariner, keeping the drive alive with a first down at Birmingham’s 38, then two plays later, another completion to Gray for another first down, this time to the 28.
They kept trying to test the waters up the middle with McCrary on the ground, but Birmingham kept bottling him up.
After back-to-back incompletions by Etling, Michigan brought Bates out for another field goal try, but he slipped, completely missed it, and wound up on his back as the score remained 24-18 Birmingham with 9:43 to play.
Rather than bleeding the clock, the Stallions chose to try and get the first down immediately and did so with a pass from Corral to Williams. Now at midfield, though, Corral was spun around on the next play and sacked by Carter for a 4-yard loss.
The good that came from that play was immediately undone, though, for the Panthers when Levonta Taylor was flagged for defensive holding on the next play, giving the Stallions another first down. Then, Cain caught a pass for yet another, to Michigan’s 41.
Of course, the clock is just running – down under the 7 1/2-minute mark.
Corral handed off to Marable, who lifted those knees and ran hard, for 12 hard-fought yards to the Panthers’ 29, then 6 more inside the 25. Michigan’s defense suddenly looked gassed.
Corral threw for a first down to the 12, but a false start blew the next play dead. That might have been a blessing, as the shotgun snap looked to have gotten past Corral, anyway.
With 4:44 left, the Stallions had a first-and-15 at the 17.
That’s when Corral and Person connected for their 17-yarder with 4:04 left, then Thomas’s loss-of-helmet, game-breaking conversion.
There have been some crazy, and late, comebacks in the UFL in this inaugural season – could Michigan pull one off?
Etling began the march, and with just under the three-minute mark, a tipped ball was almost intercepted.
On third-and-5 at the Birmingham 43, he was sacked by Isom.
That brought a time out from Nolan, with 2:19 left in the game.
Etling’s pass was almost anti-climatic on the fourth-down play: a pick, an interception, by Ike Brown, who returned it about 12 yards and gave the Stallions the ball at their own 28 with 2:02 left in the game.
A run by Marable to the Birmingham 46 for 18 yards left the Stallions 1:52 to run off, after a second time out by Michigan. The Stallions ran the first down play, and Michigan called its final time out with 1:47 left.
Michigan did get a final play, but Etling ran into one of his own offensive linemen, and was tackled, as time expired and several members of the Stallions ran into the end zone and vaulted into the stands, ala “Lambeau Leap” style, to celebrate with fans.
