The Alex McGough vs Matt Corral QB battle in camp was an interesting one.
McGough came out on top, but Corral still had a lot of fans in his camp. Those fans only got louder when McGough struggled passing in week one.
The Birmingham Stallions’ week 2 win over the Michigan Panthers reignited the question in many fans’ eyes.
Starting quarterback Alex McGough went down with a shoulder injury on the very first offensive play of the game.
Backup quarterback Matt Corral stepped in and played well enough to win the game.
Considering this isn’t the first time Corral has come off the bench to win for the Stallions, there are some rumblings online about potentially leaving him as the starter.
Both quarterbacks are certainly capable, but which is the better option? It’s hard to say, there are good arguments for both.
The argument for McGough
The biggest question when it comes to Alex McGough is the severity of his injury.
He could be heard on a sideline microphone saying that this shoulder “popped out.”
On one hand, any injury to a QBs throwing shoulder is concerning. On the other hand, he wanted to return to the game, so that’s a good sign.
McGough was listed as DNP (did not practice) on Monday’s injury report. We will have to wait for the injury reports later in the week to get a better idea of where he’s at. The team isn’t saying much, which is no surprise.
If healthy, he’s a great option at QB. Sure, he had a rough first game, but that’s just one game. He’s a former USFL champion and MVP for a reason.
The ability to create with his legs is the biggest dimension McGough brings to the table that Corral can’t quite match. In week one, he had 84 yards rushing despite several big runs being erased by penalty.
The argument for Corral
If Matt Corral entering the game as a backup only to lead the team sounds familiar, that’s because it’s happened before.
Last season, he came off the bench to lead the team to the title game.
That, plus his previous experience starting for the Stallions, makes his success last week come as no surprise.
- 18–29
- 198 yards
- 1 td
- 2 int
I thought Corral played a good game overall. Thre is some room for improvement, his 2 interceptions could have easily been more if the Michigan defenders caught the ball better.
Those interceptions didn’t take away from the overall good game. He got the ball out on time and accurately. And, most importantly, he remained poised. At one point, there were issues with his helmet microphone. Despite having a hard time hearing the playcall, he remained calm and led the offense down the field repeatedly.
There is no doubt the offense looked better in week two with Corral than in week one with McGough.
That’s partly because of the QB play.
It also has a lot to do with the improved offensive line play and play calling.
Week two saw the Stallions commit to establishing the run and the quick passing game. Both of those things make a quarterback’s job easier. Hopefully that style of playcalling will continue, regardless of who’s under center.
Coach Skip Holtz
Coach Holtz has been consistent in his praise for his QB room from the start.
“I’ve said it all along, we’ve got two quarterbacks who are good enough to play. We’ve got two quarterbacks that are good enough to win with. We have two quarterbacks that have won.” Coach Holtz
Only time will tell if we have a true QB controversy here. Coach Holtz certainly isn’t going to tell us one way or another.
But the fact of the matter is that the Birmingham Stallions have two players capable of starting at QB, and that’s a good problem to have.
2 Comments
by Frank Dux
Please explain as to why Corral was having a hard hearing the play calls with 6,000 in the stadium.
by Greyson Alman
It was an issue with the speaker in his helmet. In college and high school, football teams rely mostly on signals to call the plays (but there are a few other options). Because the UFL allows speakers in helmets, teams typically call plays with it. Thankfully, it was a short-lived issue that only lasted a drive or two. It might be a good idea for teams to develop a simple backup system of play calling in case of malfunction in the future.