By: Trey Colbeck
Well… I could not have been more wrong about the Week 1 match-up between the Birmingham Stallions and the D.C. Defenders. Everything on paper pointed towards the defending champs stomping to victory in the nation’s capital. I predicted a 27-17 game and my final score for D.C. was almost spot on. (To be fair, my week 1 Shakedown counterpart, Drew Wells had it being 34-9 Birmingham, so at least I beat him.)
Recap
The game opened with a 37-yard field goal by D.C.’s McCrane but Birmingham’s kicker, Mevis would tie it up with a 53-yard field goal is own. In under four minutes, McCrane added another three points for the Defenders and the first quarter ended 6-3. However, early in the second quarter, Alex McGough found C.J. Marable for a 12-yard touchdown. The stallions would also add more with the two-point conversion, this time, McGough from Marlon Willaims.
The Defenders would punch their first major score of the year just before the half with a 4-yard pass from Jordan Ta’amu to Chris Rowland. The score would be 12-11 in D.C.’s favor after 30 minutes.
The Stallions could not produce anything in the second half and would be completely shut out. McCrane would add two more field goals to the Defender’s tally, including a 53-yard bomb of his own to seal the game. The final score was 18-11 for the D.C. Defenders.
“We’ve got a new team, and I thought we were sloppy today,” Head Coach Holtz said during his post-game press conference. “Offensively, we couldn’t get into a rhythm or do anything consistently. Much of that is a testament to them (D.C.) and how hard they played on defense.”
Injury Update
It was announced Monday evening that tight end La’Michael Pettway was moved to the Injured Reserve list. Pettway had only one catch for 12 yards in the game on Sunday.
This should move Jace Sternberger up the depth chart, who was surprisingly absent on Sunday. He was only targeted once, and he didn’t even catch it… WEIRD! The top tight end on the depth chart, Jordan Thomas, only had one reception for 13 yards. The tight end position is the key if the Stallions are to have success this season.
Stud of the Game
Although it is not on the Stallion’s side, I have to give credit where credit is due. I love a kicker who takes control and puts the game literally on his foot! Matt McCrane went a perfect four-for-four for field goals and nailed a 53-yarder late in the fourth to essentially win the game. The 30-year-old kicker has been around for some time and has bounced around several different NFL teams before finding a home on the Defenders. He is 8 for 12 in his NFL career but something about the UFL must be clicking for the guy as he sits at 20 for 24 in his UFL career.
Technically I am the Stallions writer so I guess I should throw them a bone and give them a Stud of the Game too. Colby Wadman did everything he could to pin D.C. in their own zone. The former Denver Bronco booted the ball four times and averaged 51.0 yards per punt. He also got into one and set it 62 yards. It’s not a great day when I am giving out Studs of the Game to a kicker and punter….
Donkey of the Game
Alex McGough would not have been my top choice to start week 1 for Birmingham but the former FIU QB got the nod to be the man under center. He completed 10 of 23 passes and threw for one touchdown. With only 43.5% completion and 89 passing yards, it’s no shock that the Stallions only put up 11 points. McGough was picked off once in the game and Deandre Baker was the lucky recipient on the other side of the ball. With the tight coverage downfield, McGough found a way to pick up 84 yards on the ground.
Donkey might be understating how lacklustre this performance was from the former NFL 7th-round pick. At times, he looked like exactly what you would expect a 7th rounder would look like. With Matt Corral and Case Cookus sitting in the wings, McGough will have to start showing up if he wants to keep his spot. One saving grace I’ll give McGough is he is coming off a season where he suffered some injuries and spent most of his time on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. Getting back up to game speed can take some time especially since he was briefly moved to the receiver position. However, there is not much time left in the 2025 campaign with only nine more weeks remaining.
An honorary mention for Donkey of the Game can also go to Coach Holtz. He openly took responsibility for the lack of preparation from his quarterback so he, too, shall share the title of shame for the week.
“I did not do a very good job with Alex (McGough) getting him ready”, Holtz stated after the game. “He has been out of the quarterback position for a while and I thought he did some great things athletically but I’m talking about playing quarterback.”
Holtz also admitted post-game that there was consideration to put Corral in the game but elected to stick with McGough for now.
My Power Rankings After Week 1
- St. Louis Battlehawks
- Arlington Renegades
- Michigan Panthers
- D.C. Defenders
- Memphis Showboats
- Birmingham Stallions
- San Antonio Brahmas
- Houston Roughnecks
Up Next
The Stallions will stay on the road and head north to Michigan to take on the Panthers in a USFL conference showdown. Michigan is the only team in the USFL side to win week 1, but Birmingham will look to change that on Friday night. The Stallions will have a big test as they look to turn things around. Kick off is 8:00 p.m. EDT and can be seen on Fox.
