The Columbus Aviators (3-6) hosted the Birmingham Stallions (4-5) on Saturday afternoon at Historic Crew Stadium. With the season nearing its completion, both teams needed this win with the hopes of getting into the playoffs.
Columbus got the ball to start the game on the 30-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the seven-yard line. On the next play, Columbus quarterback Jalen Morton attempted a lateral pass. Because the pass was backwards, it was a live ball. Birmingham elected to go for the one-point conversion. Alex Cook blocked it before scooping it up and scoring an 80-yard touchdown. On the extra point, Columbus blocked it, and it was returned by Akeem Dent and recovered by Nehemiah Shelton to score the one point. Birmingham led Columbus 6-1.
Later, Birmingham had the ball on the 33-yard line. They moved the ball to the 17-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a quick pass to Deon Cain for the touchdown. It was now 13-1 to conclude a 10-play drive for 69 yards. Columbus had the ball for the rest of the first quarter.
On the fourth play, quarterback Jalen Morton scrambled for 29 yards to the 21-yard line. Running back John Lovett rushed for five yards to the 16-yard line to conclude the first quarter. The Aviators trailed the Stallions 13-1.
In the second quarter, Columbus quarterback Jalen Morton threw a short pass to John Lovett, who scored a 16-yard touchdown. The Aviators trailed the Stallions 13-8 to conclude a six-play drive for 64 yards.
Birmingham got the ball on the 43-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Tyrion Davis-Price scored the touchdown for a 20-8 lead. The drive took seven plays for 57 yards. Columbus had the ball on the 30-yard line. On the third play, quarterback Jalen Morton threw a 20-yard pass to Easop Winston Jr. to the 48-yard line. Columbus moved the ball to the 20-yard line. On the next play, Jalen Morton threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Gunner Oakes. They attempted a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Aviators trailed the Stallions 20-14 to conclude an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Birmingham quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a 26-yard pass to Jaydon Mickens as they moved the ball to the one-yard line. Kicker Anders Carlson made a 19-yard field goal. The Stallions led the Aviators 23-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Columbus had the ball on the 49-yard line. On the fourth play, Jalen Morton threw a 20-yard pass to Keke Chism to the 24-yard line. After a penalty backed them up 10 yards, Birmingham’s defense pressured Morton. Morton was able to scramble before a pass to a wide-open John Lovett for a 34-yard touchdown. The Aviators trailed the Stallions 23-21 to conclude a five-play drive for 54 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Birmingham had the ball on the 36-yard line. On the third play, running back Snoop Connor rushed for 29 yards to the 28-yard line. They would get three additional yards before kicker Anders Carlson made a 43-yard field goal for a 26-21 lead.
Columbus quarterback Jalan Morton threw a 13-yard pass to Easop Winston Jr., and running back Zaquandre White rushed for six yards to the 42-yard line as the third quarter ended. The Aviators trailed the Stallions 26-21.
In the fourth quarter, Columbus reached the 47-yard line. On the next play, Jalen Morton’s pass was intercepted by Ryan Cooper, who returned it before getting pushed out of bounds at the 30-yard line. The Stallions went three-and-out, and kicker Anders Carlson made a 46-yard field goal for a 29-21 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, Columbus quarterback Jalen Morton’s pass to Easop Winston Jr. was incomplete, but a defense pass interference penalty on Birmingham moved the ball to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Morton scrambled to score the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, where Morton found Keke Chism, and the game was tied 29-29 to conclude a six-play drive for 91 yards.
Birmingham had the ball on the 24-yard line. On the second play, Columbus defensive back D.J. Miller Jr. picked Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a 39-yard pick-six touchdown to give the Aviators a 36-29 lead. Columbus’s defense was able to hold off Birmingham, and the Aviators defeated the Stallions 36-29. With Columbus beating Birmingham, the D.C. Defenders clinched a playoff spot.
Columbus had 392 yards on offense (213 passing yards, 179 rushing yards), 18 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 12 times. Quarterback Jalen Morton completed 14 of 30 passes (46.7%) for 213 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, 12 carries for 97 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Zaquandre White had eight carries for 39 yards, while John Lovett had three carries for 11 yards, two catches for 54 yards, and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Keke Chism made three catches for 51 yards, and Gunnar Oakes made two catches for 45 yards and one touchdown. The defense had 54 tackles, three tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, one touchdown, eight pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Birmingham’s offense had 237 yards (157 passing yards, 116 rushing yards), 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 16 of 35 passes (45.7%) for 157 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four carries for 27 yards. Running back Snoop Connor had 10 carries for 58 yards, while Tyrion Davis-Price had nine carries for 31 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Daewood Davis made five catches for 50 yards, while Deon Cain made three catches for 27 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.
Next week is the UFL regular-season finale. The Birmingham Stallions host the Houston Gamblers on Saturday at 3 pm on ESPN2, while the Columbus Aviators host the Louisville Kings at 6 pm on Fox.
