St. Louis at Birmingham: Stallions Victorious Over Battlehawks in Instant Classic, Remain Perfect
The most anticipated matchup of the season more than delivered as the Birmingham Stallions (7-0) came away with a narrow 30-26 victory over the visiting St. Louis Battlehawks behind a brilliant performance by Adrian Martinez.
The frontrunner for the first-ever UFL MVP award was responsible for 290 yards of offense, including 230 passing yards and a trio of touchdown completions to Marlon Williams, Deon Cain and Kevin Austin, Jr.
Martinez also put up a game-high 60 rushing yards on seven carries.
Relive @MartinezTheQB's massive 3 TD, 290 Total yard performance ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oNp1q4xYD8
— B2B CHAMPIONSTALLIONS 🏆🏆 (@USFLStallions) May 11, 2024
Ricky Person Jr. (10 carries, 42 yards) and C.J. Marable (seven carries, 31 yards) contributed to the ground game as well, the latter of whom found the end zone in the opening frame to capitalize on A.J. Thomas’ interception of A.J. McCarron and put Birmingham on the board.
The matchup was tightly contested from the start, with neither team scoring more than nine consecutive points or leading by more than six.
The first of the game’s six lead changes came late in the second on the first of Jacob Saylors’ three total touchdowns for the Battlehawks, and his third gave St. Louis a 26-23 edge midway through the fourth.
Martinez and Austin connected for the 40-yard game-winner on the following possession, though — Jace Sternberger caught the one-point pass — and the final two Battlehawks drives fizzled out to cement the Stallions' 14th-consecutive win dating back to last season.
THE PLAY THAT SEALED THE WIN@USFLStallions remain undefeated 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/mB6HK7b7tM
— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 11, 2024
Now, three moments when Birmingham almost gave this one away.
Szmyt’s 61-Yarder
The Stallions took a 17-11 lead in what seemed like the final moments of the first half on a Martinez-to-Cain connection, giving back the ball to St. Louis with just 0:11 on the clock. Birmingham was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the next play however, and Andre Szmyt drilled a line-drive 61-yard field goal before the break.
Zuber’s Muffed Return
The Battlehawks couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the second half. First, Ramiz Ahmed missed a 41-yarder. St. Louis had to punt on the next possession, but Isaiah Zuber muffed the catch, and Jerome Kapp recovered it to put the ball back in McCarron’s hands at the BHAM 11.
He found Saylors in the end zone three plays later for the only points of the third.
The Blocked Punt
St. Louis had two opportunities to reclaim the lead after Martinez’s go-ahead TD pass with 5:32 remaining. The first drive resulted in a three-and-out, but the Battlehawks defense forced a Birmingham punt with 0:46 to go.
WOW
— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 11, 2024
THE BATTLEHAWKS BLOCK THE PUNT IN THE FINAL MINUTE 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/gnAPeAtHyq
Chris Garrett broke through to block the kick, and Sternberger recovered it in Stallions territory. Kyahva Tezino quashed any hope of a comeback moments later, however, when he batted down McCarron's fourth-down pass to seal the Birmingham win.
The Stallions have now beaten every team in the league except for San Antonio. They’ll get their chance in Week 9, but first, they’ll host Houston. Meanwhile, the Battlehawks will try to bounce back against D.C. in Week 8.
You can find Kacy Sager on X (Twitter) at @THESagerbomb.
Catch up with UFL on FanNation on Facebook and X.
