Max Duggan dives for the touchdown! (Photo by the St. Louis Battlehawks and the UFL)
The St. Louis Battlehawks beat the Birmingham Stallions in an instant classic thriller on Saturday!
Battlehawks against Stallions
This was an excellent game for St. Louis and the UFL, XFL, USFL, and spring football in general. The Stallions struck first with a 65-yard touchdown pass from J’Mar Smith to Deon Cain. The tray failed, but Birmingham led St. Louis 6-0. They would add a field goal to lead the game 9-0 before the Battlehawks struck. Max Duggan led the Battlehawks on a nine-play 65-yard touchdown drive that he finished off himself with a 13-yard touchdown run. The try failed, so the score was 9-6.
It would stay that way after the end of the first quarter and into the second before the St. Louis defense made a game-changing play. The former Washington Huskies star, Travis Feeny, got to J’Mar Smith and got the strip sack. The Utah Ute Pita Taumoepenu recovered the fumble and set up the offense inside the ten-yard line.
From there, Max Duggan did it again with his legs. The TCU Heisman runner-up scrambled again for a touchdown, this time from 12 yards out. Jacob Saylors converted the one-point try, and St. Louis led Birmingham 13-9. The Stallions would get another field goal, and St. Louis would lead 13-12 at the half.
The 2nd Half
Birmingham would strike first in the second half, just like they did to open the game with the Smith to Cain connection for a big touchdown, this time for 50 yards. The try would be no good, and the defending UFL Champions would get another field goal and take the 21-13 lead going into the final quarter. St. Louis would answer with a Rodrigo Blankenship field goal from 49 yards out to start the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 21-16.
The Hawks’ defense struck next. Birmingham quarterback J’Mar Smith was having a good game and made a fatal mistake. He never saw the star linebacker out of Montana State, Callahan O’Reilly. O’Reilly picked the pass off and returned it 18 yards untouched for the touchdown. The try would fail, but St. Louis would lead Birmingham 22-21.
J’Mar Smith would get his third deep touchdown pass of the game in response. This one was a 47-yard pass to Cade Johnson. The Stallions would reclaim the lead, 28-22. Duggan and the Battlehawks would answer with a five-play, 65-yard drive. Jacob Saylors would finish it off with a one-yard touchdown. The East Tennessee State star would punch in the go-ahead point on the try after that. That would be enough for St. Louis to win 29-28.
The Battlehawks Claws
St. Louis would fly to victory behind their rushing attack, led by quarterback Max Duggan and running back Jacob Saylors. Saylors would rush for 118 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown. Duggan would go for 54 yards on 11 carries for two touchdowns. Travis Feeny led the defense with five tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
The Battlehawks have won four in a row and are 6-2. They sit alone in first place in the XFL Conference, while Birmingham fell to second place in the USFL Conference with the loss. Next, St. Louis travels to San Antonio to take on the reeling, 1-7 Brahmas. The Battlehawks can’t take the defending XFL Conference champions lightly, especially while in their house. St. Louis and San Antonio play on Friday, May 23rd at 7:00 PM. Kaw is the Law!
