The Birmingham Stallions (5-2) scored 27 unanswered points to crawl out of a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat the Houston Roughnecks (3-4), 33-25 on Sunday afternoon inside Protective Stadium. The come-from-behind win is the largest comeback win in UFL history. J’Mar Smith replaced an injured Case Cookus in the second half, leading the offense on a 75-yard go-ahead scoring drive late in the fourth to put the Stallions in front for good. The drive was captivated by a one-yard rushing touchdown by Smith, followed by a fumble recovery on the following kickoff by Birmingham’s special teams that led to a touchdown run by Ricky Person Jr. to push the game out of reach.
"Well, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there," said Head Coach of the Birmingham Stallions Skip Holtz. "We told the players that everyone has a mother and that they make sacrifices everyday for us to be here. Looking at the game, it’s 60 minutes long. We have almost mastered the art of using every bit of those 60 minutes to find a way to win a football game. Our team will never quit. Defensively, a bit of a rough first quarter and then on offense we had a receiver that fell down that led to a pick six. Now, all of a sudden it felt like we were down 18-6 before the game even started. Nobody on our sideline hung their head, we’ve got a motto about not flinching and keep playing. We made the plays that we needed to win and I am proud of how we ran the ball today. I thought that after that first quarter they really locked in and did a great job getting that huge stop at the end.
The Stallions used multiple quarterbacks on Sunday, as Case Cookus got the start and finished the day 17-of-34 for 199 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Prior to his early departure due to injury, Cookus added 36 rushing yards on four attempts. J’Mar Smith provided a spark to the Stallions’ offense in the fourth quarter, replacing a bang-up Cookus and completing 3-of-5 passes for 63 yards. Smith led the go-ahead touchdown drive, calling his own number for a one-yard rushing score.
Birmingham’s offense finished the day with a season-high three rushing touchdowns. Ricky Person Jr. led the ground attack, rushing for 60 yards on 13 attempts and a touchdown. Person’s running mate, C.J. Marable also had a productive day out of the backfield for the Stallions. Marable finished the game with 44 rushing yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Marable also had the longest Stallions’ rush on the day with a 31-yard dash in the second half.
The Stallions receiving room continued its consistent play, as nine different players had at least one catch on the day. Jace Sternberger led the way with 74 yards receiving on four receptions and a touchdown. Deon Cain hauled in a game-high five receptions for 63 total yards.
Birmingham’s defense came up big in the second half, sacking Houston’s quarterback on fourth and long to seal the win for the Stallions in the waning moments. A.J. Thomas and Steven Gilmore led the defense with six tackles each, as Thomas added one tackle for loss, and all six of Gilmore’s tackles were solo stops. Birmingham’s defense walked away with a season-high four total sacks on the day. Kenny Robinson Jr., Marvin Wilson, Carlos Davis and Perrion Winfrey all registered a sack for Birmingham’s defense. Special teams continued to play a huge role on Sunday, as Harrison Mevis was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, while Mario Goodrich forced a fumble on a Houston kickoff return that was recovered by Tre Norwood. The very next offensive play, Person Jr. scored from two-yards out to push the score to the eventual final.
Notes
- The Stallions increase their all-time series record over the Roughnecks to 6-2, including five straight.
- The 19-point come-from-behind win is the largest comeback win in UFL history, previous high was on April 27 of this year when D.C. erased a 15-point deficit to defeat Arlington.
- Birmingham’s 397 yards of total offense sets a season-high for the Stallions, the previous high was 357 in the first matchup against Houston on April 19.
- The Stallions’ offense scored on six consecutive possessions.
- Birmingham finished the day a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions.
- The Stallions’ defense only surrendered 95 rushing yards, marking the sixth time this season that an opponent has failed to reach the 100-yard rushing mark.
- Houston’s offense only managed 33 total yards in the second half.
- J’Mar Smith scored his first touchdown since the 2023 USFL season.
- Ricky Person Jr. 's 60 rushing yards are a new season-high for the tailback, his previous high was 53 rushing yards against Michigan on April 4.
- Harrison Mevis continues his all-league caliber season, connecting on three field goals on the dat to push his season total to 15-of-16.
- ATTENDANCE: 4,744
How It Happened
First Quarter
- 9:02 - HOU | Houston opened the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening possession. The scoring drive lasted 10 plays and covered 60 yards. The following one-point conversion was denied (6-0, Roughnecks).
- 2:18 - BHM | C.J. Marable found the end zone from nine yards out for his first rushing touchdown of the season. The drive lasted 12 plays, covered 64 yards and ate up 6:44 of gameplay. The ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful (6-6).
- 1:35 - HOU | The Roughnecks retook the lead on a 53-yard touchdown run that ended a two-play, 65-yard drive. The following one-point attempt failed (12-6, Roughnecks).
- 0:00 - HOU | A Houston defender stepped in front of a Stallions pass attempt, intercepting it, and returning it for a touchdown to add to the lead. The Roughnecks elected to go for a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful (18-6, Roughnecks).
Second Quarter
- 5:54 - HOU | Houston added to the lead on a 11-yard touchdown pass from Jalan McClendon to Keke Chism. Houston elected to go for the one-point conversion and was successful in the attempt (25-6, Roughnecks).
- 0:03 - BHM | Case Cookus found Jace Sternberger on a eight-yard touchdown pass that brought a 13-play, 53-yard scoring drive to a close. Birmingham elected to go for a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful in the attempt (25-12, Roughnecks).
Third Quarter
- 12:38 - BHM | Harrison Mevis drilled a 41-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half that ended a five-play, 45-yard drive (25-15, Roughnecks).
- 4:56 - BHM | Mevis connected on his second field goal of the day, a 20-yarder to cut the deficit to single digits. The scoring drive covered 75 yards and lasted 11 plays (25-18, Roughnecks).
Fourth Quarter
- 7:46 - BHM | Mevis’ third field goal attempt of the day was true, connecting on a 52-yard field goal to conclude an 11-play, 40-yard drive (25-21, Roughnecks).
- 1:55 - BHM | J’Mar Smith scampered around the right side of the line for a go-ahead rushing score from one yard out. The following one-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Birmingham’s lead at two (27-25, Stallions).
- 1:40 - BHM | Following a fumble by Houston on the ensuing kickoff that was forced by Mario Goodrich and recovered by Tre Norwood. The Stallions wasted no time adding some insurance to their lead, as Ricky Person Jr. found paydirt from two-yards out to cap off a quick, one-play scoring drive that started at the two-yard line due to an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Houston. The following one-point conversion was unsuccessful (33-25, Stallions).
Up Next
- The Stallions will hit the road in Week 8 of the season for a matchup against the St. Louis Battlehawks at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, MO.
- The contest will be played on Saturday, May 17, at 12 p.m. CT and will be aired live on FOX.