The Birmingham Stallions (5-2) hosted the Houston Roughnecks (3-4) on Sunday afternoon from Protective Stadium with second place on the line in the USFL Conference.
In the first quarter, Houston running back Zaquandre White rushed for a nine-yard touchdown. They did not get the one-point conversion for a 6-0 lead with 9:02 left. Birmingham came back when running back C.J. Marable rushed for a nine-yard touchdown. Birmingham did not get the two-point, and the game was tied 6-6 with 2:18 left.
On the next drive, Houston running back Zaquandre White followed his offensive linemen before taking off for a 53-yard touchdown. Once again, they did not get the one-point conversion and led Birmingham 12-6 with 1:35 left.
Late in the first quarter, Birmingham quarterback Case Cookus’s pass was intercepted by Damon Arnette for a 50-yard pick-six touchdown. Houston attempted a two-point conversion and did not get it. The Roughnecks led the Stallions 18-6 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Houston quarterback Jalan McClendon completed a short pass to Keke Chism for an 11-yard touchdown. McClendon rushed for the one-point conversion, and it was now 25-6 Roughnecks over the Stallions with 5:54 left.
Then, Birmingham began their comeback. Late in the second quarter, quarterback Case Cookus threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jacke Sternberger. They did not get the two-point conversion and trailed the Roughnecks 25-12 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Birmingham kicker Harrison Mevis made a 41-yard field goal and a 20-yard field goal to pull the Stallions within a touchdown 25-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Mevis made his third field goal of the day for 52 yards. It was now 25-21 Roughnecks with 7:52 left in the game. Birmingham quarterback Case Cookus suffered an injury late in the fourth quarter and J’Mar Smith was in at quarterback.
Smith rushed for a one-yard touchdown but did not get the one-point conversion. Birmingham took its first lead of the game 27-25 with 1:55 left. On the kickoff, Mario Goodrich knocked the ball out of Lawrence Keys III’s arm and Birmingham recovered.
Birmingham running back Ricky Person Jr. rushed for a two-yard touchdown. They did not get the one-point conversion and extended their lead to 33-25 with 1:40 left. Birmingham’s defense stopped Houston on fourth down to end the game. The Birmingham Stallions come back to beat the Houston Roughnecks by the final score of 33-25.
Birmingham had 397 yards of offense led by quarterback Case Cookus completing 17 of 34 passes (50%) for 199 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four carries for 36 yards. Backup quarterback J’Mar Smith completed 3 of 5 passes (60%) for 63 yards, four carries for nine yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Ricky Person Jr. led the rushers with 13 carries for 60 yards, and one touchdown, while C.J. Marable had 10 carries for 44 yards, and one touchdown. Tight end Jace Sternberger led the receivers making four catches for 74 yards, and one touchdown.
Kicker Harrison Mevis made three field goals with a long of 52 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles.
Houston had 229 yards of offense led by quarterback Jalan McClendon completing 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 167 yards, one touchdown, and four carries for eight yards. Running back Zaquandre White led the rushers with nine carries for 69 yards, and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Lawrence Keys III led the receivers making four catches for 65 yards, while Keke Chism made two catches for 14 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 60 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and four pass breakups.
Next week, the Birmingham Stallions visit the St. Louis Battlehawks on Saturday at 1 pm on Fox, while the Houston Roughnecks host the Michigan Panthers on Sunday at 1 pm on Fox. Purchase UFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
