The Birmingham Stallions (1-0) kicked off the 2026 UFL season on Friday against the Louisville Kings (0-1) in front of a packed house at Lynn Family Stadium.
In the first quarter, Birmingham Dyontae Johnson intercepted the ball after the ball bounced off of Louisville tight end Zach Davidson’s hands and helmet. The Stallions went on a six-play drive for 43 yards that concluded with running back Snoop Connor scoring a five-yard touchdown. Kicker Jonathan Garibay missed the extra point, and the Stallions took a 6-0 lead.
Louisville would come back to go on a 10-play drive for 72 yards when quarterback Jason Bean threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Lucky Jackson for a 7-6 lead.
In the second quarter, the only points scored was Birmingham kicker Jonathan Garibay making a 31-yard field goal. The Stallions took a 9-7 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Louisville kicker Tanner Brown made a 37-yard field goal to give the Kings a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Brown made a 20-yard field goal for a 13-9 lead. Late in the game, Birmingham quarterback Matt Corral threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Justyn Ross. However, kicker Jonathan Garibay missed the extra point. It was now 15-13.
Birmingham’s defense stood tall when Izayah Green-May sacked Louisville quarterback Jason Bean. The defense was celebrating with a lack of awareness about the clock. Louisville had gotten back to the line and was ready to snap the ball, but Birmingham coach A.J. McCarron called a timeout to prevent a penalty and possibly lose the game.
Jason Bean completed a pass to Tarik Black, but he was quickly tackled, and the game was over. The Stallions survived to beat the Kings by the final score of 15-13.
Birmingham’s offense had 319 yards (208 yards passing, 111 yards rushing), 19 first downs, and the team was penalized three times. Quarterback Matt Corral completed 21 of 30 passes (70%) for 208 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for three yards. Running back Snoop Conner had 16 carries for 56 yards, one rushing touchdown, and two catches for 13 yards.
Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens made nine catches for 103 yards, while Justyn Ross made two catches for 30 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Louisville’s offense had 267 yards (227 yards passing, 46 yards rushing), 11 first downs, and the team was penalized one time. Quarterback Jason Bean completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9%) for 227 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and five carries for 27 yards. Running back Benny Snell had five carries for 12 yards.
Wide receiver Lucky Jackson led the receivers with six catches for 76 yards and one touchdown, while Isaiah Winstead made two catches for 60 yards. The defense made 73 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Next Saturday, the Louisville Kings visit the Orlando Storm at 8 pm on ESPN, while the Birmingham Stallions visit the Houston Gamblers on Sunday at 6 pm on NFL Network.
