Showboats Drop Stallions In UFL’s First Overtime Game
APRIL 26, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
The Birmingham Stallions and Memphis Showboats made history on Friday night with the first overtime game in the UFL. Memphis had more reason to celebrate, though, after pulling out the 24-20 victory over the Stallions in a USFL Division game at Protective Stadium.
Memphis never trailed in the game. The Showboats scored the first 11 points of the game, seized firm control at halftime after a 108-yard return by Isaiah Hinnie following a 63-yard missed field goal and endured the disappointment of a touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion by the Stallions with 26 seconds remaining.
“If you didn’t care who won, what a great football game, huh?” Stallions coach Skip Holtz said. “First ever overtime experience in the UFL, to be part of that. You hate being on the losing end of it. But, I give them an awful lot of credit, they did what they had to do.”
Ultimately, the game came down to the extra period. In the UFL, the overtime period consists of each team trying a series of three two-point conversion attempts from the 5-yard line. The team with the most success on those three opportunities wins the game. Memphis used a unique approach to scoring first in overtime. The Showboats were credited with the two points after Birmingham penalties – pass interference and roughing the passer – on back-to-back plays.
Holtz challenged that there was an uncalled holding penalty on the second play but reported the wrong number to be checked out on the replay.
“You know, what’s happening with the finish of the play, the quarterback scrambles and look downfield, so I wasn’t watching the number,” Holtz said. “I said (to his staff) give me the number of who was held, somebody was being held on the left side. They gave me the number of a guy that wasn’t even on the field. They gave me Carlos Davis’ number (96). That’s what I told (the officials) and then it was like, no it was 90 (Bradlee Anae). You can’t change it.”
So, the challenge failed, as did the Stallions first two attempts at the 2-point conversion, leaving it open for Dee Anderson’s two-point conversion catch from Dresser Winn on the Showboats third attempt to clinch the victory.
Long before all that, perhaps the biggest play of the game came on what turned out to be the final play of the first half. Birmingham was attempting to carve into Memphis’ 11-3 lead on a 63-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Mevis. The kick fell short and Hennie gathered in the football eight yards deep in the end zone. By the time he quit running, he was in the end zone, there was no time left on the clock and the Showboats led by 14 points.
The Stallions didn’t fold, partly because Case Cookus, who was starting his first game for the Stallions, finally found a bit of a groove. Cookus threw a perfect strike down the middle of the field to tight end Jordan Thomas on a 33-yard touchdown play with 10:55 left in the third quarter. The conversion attempt failed and Birmingham (3-2) was content to trimming the deficit to eight points.
The other Birmingham touchdown drive came in the final two minutes with Memphis clinging to a 20-12 lead. Birmingham took over on the Memphis 46-yard line with 1:55 left in the game. It took the Stallions six plays and a pair of third down conversions to set up a first down at the Memphis six-yard line. On the next play, Cookus connected with Marlon Williams to cut the deficit to two points. Cookus then found tight end Jac Sternberger crossing in the back of the end zone for the game-tying conversion. Soon afterward, they began overtime.
Cookus finished 15-of-33 for 145 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 83 yards on six carries.
“I think it just took me too long to get going,” Cookus said. “And there are a lot of plays, we’ll watch the film and we’ll get the corrections done. A lot of plays were left out there, whether it’s big plays or just small little things.”