The Birmingham Stallions (4-4) hosted the Columbus Aviators (2-6) on Sunday afternoon from Protective Stadium to conclude Week 8 of the UFL season. Both defenses kept this a low-scoring game.
In the first quarter, Columbus moved the ball to the 42-yard line before the drive stalled. Birmingham’s offense had the ball on the 12-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 46-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s pass was intercepted by D.J. Miller Jr., who made a one-handed catch at the 15-yard line.
Columbus moved the ball to the 22-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Jalan McClendon’s pass was intercepted by Steven Gilmore at the 25-yard line. On the third play, Columbus’s defense pressured as defensive lineman Celestin Haba sacked Thompson-Robinson, forcing a fumble, but Birmingham recovered it on the eight-yard line to end the first quarter still scoreless.
In the second quarter, Columbus had the ball on the 45-yard line. Running back Zaquandre White rushed for nine yards. The offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line, where kicker Jonah Dalmas made a 48-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Birmingham moved the ball to the 18-yard line. Kicker Anders Carlson attempted a 36-yard field goal, but he missed it. The Aviators led the Stallions 3-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Birmingham quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw three passes for 25 yards to the 29-yard line. Two plays later, Thompson-Robinson scrambled to his right side before throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Jordan Thomas. The Stallions took a 7-3 lead to conclude an eight-play drive for 53 yards.
For the rest of the third quarter, both teams went three-and-out. Columbus had the ball on the 31-yard line to begin the fourth quarter, trailing the Stallions 7-3.
In the fourth quarter, Columbus moved the ball to the 38-yard line before the drive stalled. The turning point of this game came on the next play. Columbus kicker Jonah Dalmas attempted a 55-yard field goal. The field goal was blocked and recovered by Steven Gilmore for a 65-yard touchdown. Kicker Anders Carlson made the extra point for a 14-3 lead.
Late in the game, Columbus moved the ball to the 49-yard line. On the next play, Birmingham’s defense pressured McClendon, with Kobe Jones hitting McClendon just as he was throwing the ball, and it was intercepted by Tae Crowder to seal the game. The Stallions defeated the Aviators 14-3 for their third win in a row.
Birmingham’s offense had 144 yards (126 passing yards, 49 rushing yards), 11 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 12 of 20 passes (60%) for 126 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and five carries for seven yards. Running back Snoop Conner had seven carries for 21 yards, and Tyrion Davis-Price had eight carries for 21 yards.
Tight end Jordan Thomas made three catches for 28 yards and one touchdown, while Jaydon Mickens made two catches for 33 yards. The defense made 62 tackles, 10 pass breakups, five sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Columbus had 188 yards on offense (150 passing yards, 61 rushing yards), 12 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times. Quarterback Jalan McClendon completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 150 yards, two interceptions, and four carries for 18 yards. Running back Toa Taua had five carries for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Tay Martin made three catches for 33 yards, while Antwane Wells made four catches for 22 yards. The defense made 38 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Stallions and Aviators will meet in a rematch on Saturday at 3 pm on ABC.
