The Birmingham Stallions (4-0) hosted the D.C. Defenders (2-2) on Saturday night from Protective Stadium in front of a crowd of 7,262 before the lightning delay.
The Stallions fought hard to beat the Defenders 20-18 extending their lead in the USFL Conference, while the Defenders will now sit in sole possession of third place after both St. Louis and San Antonio won their games earlier in the day.
Birmingham had 356 yards on offense. Quarterback Matt Corral completed 19 of 29 passes (66%) for 240 yards, one touchdown, and seven carries for 51 yards. Corral’s touchdown happened in the second quarter to Amari Rodgers for 50 yards that tied the game 6-6 with 2:58 left before halftime.
Running back Ricky Pearson Jr. led the rushers with 11 carries for 57 yards, and two catches for 22 yards, while C.J. Marable had 14 carries for 19 yards and three catches for 10 yards. The rushers finished the night with 33 carries for 130 yards.
Wide receiver Amari Rodgers led the receivers making four catches for 82 yards, and one touchdown, while Victor Binjimen made three catches for 33 yards. The receivers finished the night with 19 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Ramiz Ahmed made four field goals with a long of 46 yards, including a game-winning 46-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game to give Birmingham a 20-18 lead. Birmingham’s defense made 58 tackles, five tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
D.C. had 251 yards on offense. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 12 of 22 passes (55%) for 161 yards, two touchdowns, and four carries for 24 yards. Ta’amu’s touchdowns happened in the first and third quarters. In the first quarter, Ta’amu threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Chris Rowland for a 6-0 lead with 3:29 left. In the third quarter, Ta’amu found Kelvin Harmon for 45 yards cutting Birmingham’s lead to 14-12 with 53 seconds left.
Running back Cam’ron Harris led the rushers with 11 carries for 34 yards and one catch for one yard. The rushers finished the game with 26 carries for 90 yards.
Wide receiver Kelvin Harmon led the receivers with five catches for 93 yards, and one touchdown, while Chris Rowland made two catches for 21 yards and one touchdown. The receivers finished the night with 12 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Kicker Matthew McCrane made two field goals with a long of 39 yards. D.C.’s defense made 81 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, a safety, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
Next Saturday, the Birmingham Stallions visit the Houston Roughnecks at 7 pm on FOX, while the D.C. Defenders return home to host the St. Louis Battlehawks at 12 pm on ESPN. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 UFL Season and tickets for the game are available today on StubHub and Viagogo.
