I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a quote that summarized the outcome of a game better than this.
“We’re not playing in Birmingham because Ford Field isn’t available. We’re playing in Birmingham because we earned the right to play in Birmingham.”-Skip Holtz
The Stallions’ 26–22 victory over the Panthers brings them close to clinching 1st place in the conference.
We already knew that the Stallions would be hosting the USFL Championship game, but this weekend, the Stallions had the chance to earn it.
Next week, they have a chance to finish the job. With a win or a Michigan loss, the Stallions would clinch 1st place.
Regardless of the outcome next week, the Stallions still have plenty of things to work on before the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at some of the good and bad takeaways from their game against the Panthers.
The Good
QB 1
J’Mar Smith has pretty clearly emerged as the Stallions’ QB 1.
He looked fantastic in his second straight 300-yard passing day.
The most important stat for me is the 0 interceptions. It was only the second time all year Birmingham didn’t throw one. Taking care of the ball is always important, but even more so in the playoffs.
Smith’s big arm and aggressiveness open up the underneath game. Outside screens and QB draw look particularly good when the defense starts to drop to cover the deep ball.
Wide Receivers
Great QB play could easily be wasted without good receivers.
Thankfully, that’s not a problem for Birmingham.
Deon Cain has established himself as one of, if not the top, wide receivers in the league. And, he’s not the only one making big plays for the Stallions.
- Deon Cain (4 catches, 55 yards, 2 tds)
- Cade Johnson (3 catches, 82 yards)
- Jalen Camp (2 catches, 58 yards)
The Bad
Offensive Line
The offensive line has had an up-and-down season.
Game one was an 8-sack disaster.
Then, they went 3 weeks without allowing a single sack. Since then, they’ve allowed multiple sacks in every game.
Against the Panthers, they allowed 3 sacks and 5 TFLs. They also failed to open many holes in the run game.
The offensive line will need to step up its game if the Stallions want to repeat as UFL Champs.
Running Backs
I’ve spent most of the season frustrated by the lack of commitment to the run game. I felt vindicated when they rushed for 124 yards against St. Louis.
The game against Michigan was the first time all year, I think they made the right call not running the ball more.
C.J. Marable averaged just 1.8 yards on 10 carries. That was with the Panthers spending most of the day with two deep safeties.
Finding some semblance of a run game would be extremely helpful for the Stallions.
Penalties and Execution
Coming into the game, Birmingham had 60 penalties in 8 games. They added 8 more against Michigan. That’s a real problem that will make winning close playoff games harder than it needs to be.
There were also several blown coverages and broken run fits by the Stallions. No team is perfect, but there are too many mistakes for a team 9 games into their season.
