It didn’t come easy but the Birmingham Stallions (2-1) won their second straight game this weekend with a 10-9 victory over the Arlington Renegades (2-1) in the season home opener. 

Once again, the Stallion offense struggled and trailed 9-0 going into halftime. In the third quarter, Birmingham cut the lead to 9-3 with a 42-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis. The Stallion offense continued to struggle after that, while the Birmingham defense kept the defending UFL Champs in the game. 

With just over two minutes remaining, the Stallions then marched on an 11-play drive that quarterback Matt Corral capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cade Johnson with just 26 seconds remaining. Corral then scored on the PAT attempt to give the Stallions the 10-9 lead and, ultimately, the win. 

“What a game,” said Head Coach of the Birmingham Stallions Skip Holtz. “We kept that one exciting until the very end. I am proud of this football team because they continued fighting, competing, and never giving up. I want to send a special thank you to the crowd for staying around all night to get the chance to see an incredible finish. 

“This is a testament to our football team’s chemistry, attitude, and desire. When we got stopped in the red zone, we thought about kicking a field goal but decided to go for it. We didn’t make it, but the defense had our back and made a great stop. They returned the ball to us, and we made it happen on that final drive. I am proud of how our defense competed; Ronnie Perkins did a great job, DeMarquis Gates was huge for us, and the entire unit kept an excellent offense out of the end zone all game. On offense, we did just enough to win and woke up to see a great finish to a great game. I’m proud of our players today, and we haven’t lost in Birmingham since 2023, so it’s always great to play at home.”

Birmingham totaled 308 yards of offense but a net of zero yards on the ground. The Stallions also turned the ball over twice and Birmingham was flagged 10 times. The Stallion defense, though, allowed just 256 yards of offense and five yards rushing along with tallying seven tackles-for-loss and three sacks. 

Corral completed 19-of-41 pass attempts for 255 yards, one score and one interception, while Mobile native Marlon Williams caught four passes for 41 yards. Johnson caught three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. 

Former Ole Miss star DeMarquis Gates led the Stallion defense with nine tackles and one tackle-for-loss, while AJ Thomas tallied eight tackles. Kyahva Tezino earned seven tackles, one tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble. 

Birmingham’s starting quarterback coming into the season, Alex McGough, suffered a shoulder injury on the first play of the first game and last week was placed on injured reserve. 

The Stallions are back on the road this Saturday, April 19, at the Houston Roughnecks at 6 p.m. in a game that will air nationally on FOX.