Stallions TE Jace Sternberger (12) - CJ Hallaron/UFL/Getty Images
On Saturday, May 25, the San Antonio Brahmas Outmuscle the Birmingham Stallions at the Alamodome in Texas.
In an 18-9 upset win, it was the first matchup between the two teams since the UFL merger, and it did not disappoint.
The (7-2) Brahmas gave the (8-1) Stallions their first loss and snapped a 15-game winning streak dating back to last year.
The Stallions may be the cream of the crop in Spring Football, but they ran into a Brahmas team that plays at a fast pace and can run the ball physically, as they never trailed the Stallions in this historic upset.
San Antonio Brahmas Outmuscled Birmingham Stallions by A.J. Smith’s Play Calling
Without a doubt, Brahmas offensive coordinator A.J. Smith is one of the best playcallers in the league.
Offensively, instead of playing fast, Smith adjusted and decided to play keep away in the fourth quarter with an 18-9 late lead.
This strategy aimed to drain as much clock as possible and keep the Stallion’s offense off the field for the remainder of the contest.
The Brahmas know their offensive system and how to execute it well.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Smith becoming a head coach in the UFL next season.
San Antonio Brahmas Outmuscled Birmingham Stallions Defensively
The Brahmas defense came to play as Will Reed’s unit knows how to play a Wade Phillips aggressive defense.
They held Adrian Martinez and the Stallions to just 9 points. This is the first time the team has put up fewer than 20 points all season.
Martinez only found his tight end Jace Sternberger once in the endzone for a touchdown on a 15-yard pass while only making 3-10 on third down conversions.
They also dialed up heavy blitz packages and were chasing after Martinez all afternoon long.
Game Recap
The score was 0-0 until 6:49 left in the first quarter.
A double pass from Quinten Dormady to wide receiver Jontre Kirklin threw it 36 yards downfield to Justin Smith for a fantastic touchdown.
The one-point conversion was no good, which led to six points and a 6-0 San Antonio lead.
The Stallions’ second-quarter drive ended up in a field goal, and the lead was cut to 6-3.
Kirklin’s long gain halfway through the second quarter set up a one-yard touchdown run by running back Morgan Ellison. The Brahmas led the Stallions 12-3 at the half.
Beginning the second half, Martinez found his tight end Sternberger for a lengthy drive in the endzone. The two-point conversion was no good, which brought the score to 12-9, Brahmas.
In the 4th quarter, the Brahmas had a touchdown declined due to an illegal pick-set by Kirklin.
Luckily, they had another chance, as the Stallions were cited for unnecessary roughness, giving the Brahmas another shot.
Ellison scored another touchdown, this time for 9 yards, giving the Brahmas a 9-point advantage.
In the final moments of the game, it was up to Martinez to get the ball down the field to keep the game alive.
Instead, on his final attempt, he threw a long ball to Sternberger, hoping he would catch it, but Teez Tabor had other intentions and jumped up to intercept it, securing the win and upsetting the Brahmas.
San Antonio will head to St. Louis next Saturday to take on the (6-3) Battlehawks for home-field advantage.
While Michigan will travel to (8-1) Birmingham next Saturday to battle the Stallions.
To catch up on another Week 9 UFL Story:
Please check out the DC Defenders vs. the Memphis Showboats Week 9 article by my awesome co-writer, Miss Angela Miele of the Forkball, here.
