With this week's 23–16 win over the Houston Roughnecks, the Birmingham Stallions sit at 3–1.
That leaves them tied with the Michigan Panthers at the top of the USFL conference.
It hasn’t been pretty for the Stallions this season. They have looked great at times. Average at others, and downright bad sometimes.
That begs the question: Who are the 2025 Birmingham Stallions?
Only time will tell for sure, but there have been signs.
Play Calling
I probably sound like a broken record by now. All season, I’ve been calling for the Stallions to put more emphasis on establishing the run.
I’m not suggesting they become a run-heavy team by any means, just that they put some emphasis on it.
They have three talented RBs and a QB who can run it as well. Establishing the run is a great way to take pressure off the passing game.
Against Houston, they finally established the run, and it showed.
Matt Corral had his best rushing day of the season (10 rushes for 52 yards). I liked what I saw from him. Some runs were by design, and others were him aggressively creating something when nothing was open.
The RBs also had great days with the ball in their hands.
C.J. Marable
- 11 rushes for 47 yards
Larry Roundtree
- 7 rushes for 28 yards
All three runners average over 4 yards per rush. It’s much easier to succeed in the passing game when you run the ball well.
Which Stallions will we get the rest of the season? The one that only ran the ball 14 times against Arlington, or the one that establishes the run?
Matt Corral
Matt Corral had his best game of the season against the Roughnecks:
- 14–25
- 195 yards passing
- 2 Tds
- 1 Int
- 52 yards rushing
The best part of the game was that he looked in control of the offense. He consistently made good decisions with the ball.
The one negative is that his ball placement was somewhat inconsistent. If he can improve that, he has a shot at having a great season.
It’s worth noting that Corral did get hurt running the ball. There is no word yet on how serious the injury is.
However, before the injury, he was doing a great job sliding and getting out of bounds. The one time he tried to fight for extra yards, he got hurt.
That begs the question, which Matt Corral will we see the rest of the season? The aggressive and poised one from this week, or the one who makes questionable reads and avoids using his legs?
The answer to that will have a big impact on how the rest of the season goes.
Deon Cain
Last week, Deon Cain missed the game due to the birth of his second son.
Matt Corral was definitely happy to have him back. He reminded everyone why he’s been the Stallions' leading WR so far this season.
- 3 catches
- 69 yards
- 1 TD
Unfortunately, his special-teams day wasn’t as effective.
In the first two weeks of the season, Cain averaged over 30 yards per return.
Against the Roughnecks, his average was a disappointing 24.7. He also fumbled a ball off his own knee.
We already know which Deon Cain we will see on offense, but what about special teams? Will he be the special-teams ace we saw in the first two games, or will he be a liability?
Defense
The defense has been the strength of the Stallions so far this season.
Watching their run defense makes it easy to see why.
The week after keeping the league's leading rusher in check, they turned in another great performance.
The Stallions allowed just 64 yards rushing. Thier front 7 clearly takes pride in stopping the run. They fly to the ball and that leads to multiple players getting in on each tackle.
Unfortunately, their passing defense didn’t have its best showing.
Starting QB Nolan Henderson was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter. That would normally be a good sign for the defense, but not this time.
Backup Jalan McClendon found quite a bit of success passing.
- 22–31
- 236 yards
- 1 Int
- 71% Completion percentage
It is worth noting that with the game on the line, the defense stepped up with a game-sealing interception.
So, which defense should we expect the rest of the way?
The dominant run defense, or the one that struggles against the pass?
Offensive Line
The offensive line had another great day.
Not only did they open holes in the run game, but they also excelled in pass protection.
After the week 1 debacle (8 sacks allowed), they’ve now put together three straight games with 0 sacks.
It’s safe to say we know which line we are getting, the good one. But, they will need to continue to prove it if they want to make a run at a championship.
Week 5
The Memphis Showboats are traveling to Birmingham on April 25th.
This is a classic trap game.
The Showboats are in last place in the USFL Conference (0–4).
On paper, the Stallions shouldn’t have a problem taking care of business. However, games aren’t played on paper.
The Showboats have looked better than their record indicates. They played both the Defenders and Roughnecks tough.
The Stallions have played well for most of the season, but they are by no means unbeatable (they’ve already lost this season). They will need to stay focused and take care of business if they want to keep their home winning streak alive.