The Birmingham Stallions may have finally found their spark. After grinding out a huge 20-17 win over Orlando, the Stallions now turn their attention to what could be their biggest game of the season as they host the Dallas Renegades on Saturday night. With the playoff race tightening by the week, Birmingham can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.
Week 6 Recap
There were fireworks early for the Stallions. After recovering a fumble, Birmingham took over at their own 26-yard line and wasted no time getting to work. The Stallions marched 74 yards in only three plays, capped off by an 11-yard rushing touchdown from Snoop Conner.
Conner finished the game with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also adding 18 receiving yards to his stat line. After converting the extra point, the Stallions jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
The Birmingham defense continued to stand strong, forcing another turnover, this time on downs. The Stallions were gifted much better field position and capitalized once again.
Only needing to go 36 yards, Birmingham found the end zone in five plays. This time, Dorian Thompson-Robinson connected with Justyn Ross on an 11-yard touchdown pass to add six more points to the Stallions’ lead.
Ross had a monster game, finishing with 135 receiving yards, with 52 of those coming after the catch. While this was his lone touchdown of the day, he made a huge impact with six other receptions. Once again, the point-after attempt was good, making the score 14-0 for the Stallions.
Later in the first quarter, Orlando started to build some momentum. The Storm finally got on the scoreboard when Jack Plummer connected with Chris Rowland on a 3-yard touchdown pass. It was the biggest play of the game for Rowland, who finished with four catches.
Then early in the second quarter, Plummer found K.J. Hamler on a 5-yard touchdown pass to add another six points. Hamler led the Storm with 113 receiving yards on eight catches, while Plummer also had a solid day through the air. He completed 26 of 37 passes for 324 yards and tossed a pair of touchdown passes.
On the ensuing drive, the Stallions marched 59 yards over 11 plays. The drive stalled out in the red zone, but Birmingham was still close enough for Anders Carlson to drill a 38-yard field goal and add three important points. The Stallions took a 17-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with both teams trading possessions and struggling to generate much offence. One of the biggest plays came late in the quarter when the Storm were knocking on the door and threatening to take control.
Plummer couldn’t handle the snap, and Jayden Peevy jumped on the loose ball to kill Orlando’s momentum.
After that, the scoring quieted down on both sides. The final dagger came off the foot of Anders Carlson, who drilled a 48-yard field goal to extend the Stallions’ lead to 20-14.
Orlando would add three points of their own to cut the deficit to 20-17, but that would be as close as they would get. The score remained there as the clock hit zeroes, sealing a hard-fought Stallions victory.
Stud of the Game
This week’s Stud of the Game is an easy choice: Justyn Ross. The Stallions receiver put together a monster performance with 135 receiving yards and a huge touchdown catch. THIS GUY!
Dorian Thompson-Robinson needed a go-to target, and he has absolutely found one in Ross. This duo is becoming must-watch television.
Donkey of the Game
This week’s biggest donkey goes to whoever in the Orlando organization thought trading Dorian Thompson-Robinson was a good idea. That decision is looking worse by the week as DTR continues to shine in Birmingham.
Week 7 Preview
What could truly be described as the game of the week, the Stallions are set to host the Renegades in a massive matchup with major playoff implications as the postseason inches closer. Currently, Dallas holds the fourth and final playoff spot. Meanwhile, Birmingham sits one game back in fifth, tied with three other teams. The Stallions currently own the tiebreaker advantage over the others, but that’s not something Birmingham fans want to leave up to chance.
With two games now under his belt as Birmingham’s starter, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is starting to find his rhythm. He has thrown for three touchdowns while completing 67.1 percent of his passes. Jaydon Mickens and Justyn Ross have both been stars in the receiving game all season long, with both sitting inside the league’s top 10 in receiving yards. Deon Cain is also just outside that list.
The defense, however, is still a concern due to the amount of passing yards they continue to give up. Birmingham is coming off another game where they allowed more than 300 passing yards. That said, they have managed to force key turnovers at the most important moments, and that may be just enough to help turn their season around as the playoff race heats up.
Dallas enters the week with the most passing yards in the UFL at 1,379, while Birmingham sits second with 1,362. The Renegades also lead the league with 14 passing touchdowns, but are tied for last in rushing touchdowns with just three. Birmingham has found the end zone six times on the ground this season and sits in the middle of the pack with eight passing touchdowns.
Both teams have explosive offences, which is exactly why this game could come down to whichever defense makes the bigger stop. Against the run, both teams have been fairly average. Dallas has allowed 592 rushing yards this season, while Birmingham has given up 618. However, one major bright spot for the Stallions is their red-zone rushing defense. Birmingham has allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns in the league with only three, while Dallas has surrendered eight.
It’s not all good news defensively for Birmingham, though. The Stallions still rank near the bottom of the league with 11 passing touchdowns allowed. Dallas has been slightly better in that category, giving up seven.
This matchup feels incredibly tight and could easily go either way. The Renegades enter as slight favourites at -125 on the moneyline and are 1.5-point favourites on the spread. Vegas is also expecting points, as this game carries the highest over/under total of the week at 47.5.
Power Rankings
- D.C. Defenders (+1)
- St. Louis Battlehawks (+2)
- Dallas Renegades (-)
- Orlando Storm (-3)
- Columbus Aviators (-)
- Birmingham Stallions (+2)
- Louisville Kings (-1)
- Houston Gamblers (-1)
When & Where to Watch
This huge game in the standings takes place Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be available live on ESPN.
