Week three of the United Football League kicks off tonight, and the defending champs – the Birmingham Stallions – finally get a home game.
On top of that, it’s an undefeated Arlington team that’s coming to town.
Yes, we did say “undefeated.”
The Stallions, who were on the road the first two weeks, are 1-1, and will be home at Protective Stadium for the first time this season, an 8 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Central time kickoff tonight on FOX against coach Bob Stoops’ Arlington Renegades (2-0), who have had the reverse schedule: they’ve played both of their games at home.
Arlington faced San Antonio in week one, then got by the Houston Roughnecks last week, and plays its first road game tonight.
In other games this weekend, Houston (0-2) visits Memphis (0-2) on Saturday, a 2: 30 ET / 1:30 Central kickoff on ESPN; San Antonio (0-2) travels to Ford Field in Detroit to take on the Michigan Panthers (1-1) at noon ET / 11 a.m. Central on Sunday on ABC; and right after that one, also on ABC, the D. C. Defenders (1-1) go into one of the league’s loudest houses, as they visit 2-0 St. Louis (3 ET / 2 Central) to take on the Battlehawks.
This one tonight in B-ham could be the most underrated game of the weekend.
Birmingham is Birmingham – they come right at you, don’t make many mistakes at all, and play solid football.
Arlington has one of the league’s best passers in Luis Perez, although the Renegades have had a problem at times handling the pass rush. Perez is technically the league’s top passer right now, through two weeks. He’s 39-of-52 for 375 yards, and has thrown for a touchdown and an interception.
His Birmingham counterparts are Matt Corral and Alex McGough – Corral is 18-of-29 for 198 yards, a touchdown and two picks, and McGough is 10-of-24 for 89 yards and a TD and an INT.
Arlington also comes to the Magic City with the league’s leading rusher, Kalen Ballage. Ballage has 148 yards and averages 74 a game, and the longest touchdown in league history (77 yards, in week one against San Antonio).
The Renegades are second in the league in total offense, behind only St. Louis, averaging 322 yards off offense a game. Birmingham is actually seventh out of the eight teams (204 per game). Arlington is averaging 44 points a game, Birmingham, 32.
The Renegades are also among the league leaders in time of possession: 64:57 through two games, behind, again, only St. Louis. Birmingham is fifth in TOP (58:58).
The Stallions are middle-of-the-pack in penalties committed so far this year; out of eight teams, Birmingham is fifth in the league, averaging 59.5 penalty yards a game; Arlington averages 62.5, the second-worst per game. San Antonio is the worst, averaging 88.5 a game.
Birmingham has the second-most tackles so far through two games – 147. Memphis, though, at 0-2, has more (155), so that may not be much of a gauge.
Through two games, the Stallions have recovered three fumbles as a defensive unit; Arlington has recovered none.
Birmingham has eight tackles for loss as a defense; Arlington, 13.
Both teams have four sacks so far this season.
