Stallions QB Adrian Martinez (9) - sportingnews.com/getty
On Sunday, June 16, 2024, the first UFL Championship game was played at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
It featured the (10-1) Birmingham Stallions and the (8-3) San Antonio Brahmas.
The Stallions entered the game victorious in 17 of their last 18 contests. Their only loss, in fact, was to the Brahmas on May 25 this season.
The Brahmas entered the game with their top-notch defense, leading the league in sacks while providing the fewest yards, points, and touchdowns this season.
It would be a battle played by the best offense and best defense in the league.
First UFL Championship Game Highlights
The game began sloppy, and it took a while for one of these offenses to get going.
With 40 seconds left in the first half, (WR) Gary Jennings caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from (QB) Adrian Martinez.
It was Jennings’s first touchdown catch of the season.
A pass from Martinez to (WR) Amari Rodgers would complete the two-point conversion to make the score 8-0 at half-time.
The Stallions picked up from where they finished before half-time to start the second half. Martinez was pumped up and scored an 11-yard touchdown run to open up the second half.
Then, a pass from Martinez to (TE) Jordan Thomas to complete the two-point conversion made the score 16-0.
On the Brahmas first play on the next drive (WR) Jontre Kirklin, fumbled the ball.
Birmingham received the ball recovered by (S) Kenny Robinson on the 19-yard line.
Martinez scored a second rushing touchdown while scoring on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line that made it 22-0.
With 11:31 left in the game, (K) Chris Blewitt made a 49-yard field goal to close out the game at 25-0.
This was the first time a UFL game ended in a shutout.
Stallions Crushing Defense
It ended up being the Stallions’ defense, which looked like the number-one unit in the league. The Brahmas were parked to only 208 yards.
Additionally, their run offense was neutralized to only 52 yards after rushing for 213 in the XFL Conference Championship game. They fumbled the ball three times while the Stallions recovered two.
The Home to a Spring League Dynasty
The Stallions are officially a dynasty in Spring football.
Love or hate them, they have a spirited head coach in Skip Holtz, “The King of Spring,” who always has his team prepared and ready to do the things to get the job done the right way.
Therefore, with the 25-0 shutout and clinching the UFL Championship, this is technically his third Spring football championship (counting the 2022 and 2023 USFL titles before the merger).
He also has been blessed to coach three outstanding quarterbacks to those victories, but one has certainly stood out.
Martinez was the best Spring football quarterback all year long, and he sealed his legacy with a UFL Championship.
The 24-year-old also had a massive run for a touchdown that put the Stallions up 22-0 in the third quarter.
Look for Martinez to try out for a roster position on an NFL team soon.
Kurt Warner
Former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner was there to cheer on his son Cade, who is a wide receiver for the San Antonio Brahmas.
He also presented the Championship game ball to Coach Wade Phillips to get the game started.
Dani Garcia
UFL co-owner and businesswoman Dani Garcia presented the first UFL Championship game trophy to Coach Skip Holtz of the Birmingham Stallions, which was followed by a champagne-popping and victory cigar celebration.
Tom Brady
If the action on the field wasn’t enough, guess who made his presence known at the Dome on Sunday? It was none other than the G.O.A.T. Tom Brady.
The seven-time Super Bowl quarterback debuted his FOX broadcasting opportunity with Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt.
He wasn’t done there as during the Stallions Championship confetti celebration, he presented Martinez with the UFL Championship MVP trophy.
How fitting that the G.O.A.T. of the NFL could award the MVP trophy to the G.O.A.T. of Spring football.
Well, folks, season one of the UFL is in the books, and we can say that merging the XFL and USFL was the right move for Spring football’s long-term future.
We enjoyed watching this season and will see you all in season two.
To read another interesting UFL story, please check out:
UFL Players Getting NFL Opportunities after Regular Season Ends
