stallions’ holtz recaps memphis game and looks ahead to key contest with dc

APRIL 17, 2024 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

By Charles Vaughan

Several strange sights greeted fans in attendance at the Birmingham Stallions’ home opener. Quarterback Alex McGough and wide receiver Davion Davis, each departed to the NFL, stood not in the team’s huddle but on the sidelines as guests of honor. Former stars Austin Watkins and Brandon Aubrey were nowhere to be seen. Even the name of the league was unfamiliar. 

However, the most important constant from the first two seasons of Stallions football remained unchanged: the defending champions recorded a blowout win. 

With their 33-14 victory over the Memphis Showboats, Birmingham now sits atop the UFL standings as the league’s sole undefeated team. They haven’t lost a game in nearly a year. Stallions head coach Skip Holtz credited the city with revitalizing his group, who hadn’t played in Protective Stadium since June 2023.

“To have the opportunity to be back in Birmingham, it was great, and it just reminded us of all the great special times and memories that we have in [this] city,” said Holtz. 

Over 25 Stallions alumni returned to Protective Stadium to receive their rings on Friday night, headlined by McGough and Davis. The pair unveiled the 2023 championship banner before the Stallions took the field on Saturday afternoon. 

The pre-game ceremony coupled with the energetic home crowd created an environment Holtz described as “special.”

“I thought the atmosphere was electric. I was very appreciative to the fan base, the noise they made. It was really nice to be back in Protective Stadium,” said Holtz, whose team spent training camp and the first week of the season in Texas. “You know, for about six, eight weeks [we were] in Arlington. And so it just reminds you coming back to Birmingham, what a special place [this] is and how much that meant to us.”

Holtz was pleased with the Stallions’ efforts on both sides of the ball, particularly defensively; Birmingham recorded eight sacks, forced one fumble, and held the Showboats to just 20 rushing yards.

“I think the defense set the tone with two out of the first three plays of the game being sacks,” said Holtz. “We really challenged our secondary to challenge everything, everything. We wanted to challenge all the underneath throws, make that quarterback hold it for a second and give that D-line an opportunity to get there. 

“I thought [defensive coordinator] John Chavis, [defensive line coach] Bill Johnson, [secondary coach] Corey Chamblin, [assistant secondary coach] Daric Riley, they all did a great job, the defensive staff,” Holtz added. “Defensively, they really set the tone.”

Holtz also complimented quarterback Adrian Martinez, who threw for 334 yards, running back Ricky Person, tight end Jace Sternberger, wide receiver Deon Cain, Birmingham’s special teams unit, and both Stallions lines.

“There were just a lot of positives on that night,” Holtz said.

The Stallions will host their second consecutive home game next Saturday, with perhaps their greatest challenge of the season looming.

“We're just trying to keep [the team] focused on what we need to do,” said Holtz. “We have a DC Defenders team coming in [next] week… they had the best record in the XFL last year. They returned a lot of starters off last year's team. Jordan Ta'amu is their quarterback, who was a very talented individual from Ole Miss. They can score a lot of points. They have scored a lot of points and right now they're tied for first place in the XFL division. So we've got a real challenge coming in this weekend.”

“It's got all the makings for another great atmosphere and another great environment,” Holtz added. “We're just trying to get done what we need to get done to bring the best product to Protective Stadium that we can.”