The three-time USFL/UFL Champion Birmingham Stallions (0-1) looked like anything but a champion in a season-opening loss to the DC Defenders (1-0) by a score of 18-11 on Sunday. 

Alex McGough made his return to the Stallions as a starting quarterback on Sunday but it was a tough day for the 2023 USFL MVP. McGough didn’t complete a single pass in the second half and was sacked a total of nine times in the loss. 

DC went up 3-0 on a 37-yard field goal with 10:40 left in the first quarter but the Stallions answered with a 53-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis to tie the score with 7:36 left in the first. The Defenders regained the lead with a 39-yard field goal with 3:31 left in the opening period.

Birmingham took its first – and only – lead of the game to open the second quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from McGough to CJ Marable. McGough then converted a two-point try to Mobile native Marlon Williams to extend the Stallion lead to 11-6. With just eight seconds left in the first half, though, DC retook the lead on a 4-yard touchdown pass to go up 12-11 at halftime.

DC added a 21-yard field goal early in the third quarter to go up 15-11 and then connected on a 53-yard field goal with 1:50 left in the game to extend the lead to 18-11. McGough used his legs to drive Birmingham deep into DC territory on the last possession but two straight sacks ended the game. 

“Congratulations to D.C,” Stallion head coach Skip Holtz said. “They made the plays they needed to win the football game. As we have discussed all week, this league has a lot of talent, and anyone can beat anyone in any given week. If you come out to a game and don’t do the necessary things to win, you can get beat. 

“We have found that out in the past, and we found that out today. We have a brand new football team this year and will learn about who we are and what we are all about. D.C. has a great team, but we could have given ourselves a better chance if we mitigated a few mistakes on both sides of the ball.”

Birmingham’s usually potent offense could muster just 138 yards of offense with 122 yards coming on the ground. Along with the nine sacks given up by the Stallions, Birmingham also turned the ball over twice. DC tallied 297 yards of offense and only turned the ball over once. 

For Birmingham, McGough completed just 10-of-23 passes for 89 yards, one touchdown and one interception along with 84 yards rushing. McGough accounted for all but 38 yards of Birmingham’s offense. Defensively, Tae Crowder earned 11 tackles and one pass breakup for the Stallions, while Carlos Davis intercepted a pass and Chapelle Russell earned the only sack of the game for the defending champs. 

The Stallions remain on the road this Friday, April 4, for a USFL Conference matchup with the Michigan Panthers at 8 p.m. on FOX.