The Birmingham Stallions (3-1) outlasted the Houston Roughnecks (1-3), 23-16, on Saturday night inside TDECU Stadium in Houston. Case Cookus replaced an injured Matt Corral late in the game and led the offense the length of the field, leading to an eventual successful field goal to increase the lead to seven. On the following possession, JoJo Tillery intercepted his first pass of the year, icing the game and securing the win for Birmingham.
"It's always great to win," said Head Coach of the Birmingham Stallions Skip Holtz. "We know that they are all going to be a dogfight, and we talk week in and week out about playing a 60-minute game. You can't overlook your opponent, can't look at just their record. Anybody can beat anybody in this league and Houston played extremely well tonight. They fought, and their quarterback did an excellent job coming in when their starter went down. He (Jalan McClendon) didn't put the ball in harm's way until the end of the game. We gave up some big plays over the top on defense, but in the end, we played zone to keep the ball in front of us, and JoJo (Tillery) did a great job of making a play on the ball. Offensively, I felt that the first half went well. We were moving the ball a bit and making the routine plays, and that's the main thing we have not done well this year. Once the second half got here, it got a little hairy between reads, throws, turnovers, missed blocks and execution. We need to eliminate the bad plays and make the routine ones. Today, we showed flashes of what we could be, and I thought our team competed for all 60 minutes, and we found a way to win a football game on the road. We want to win one game a week and keep getting better."
Corral left the game late in the fourth quarter with an injury, but put together an efficient offensive performance prior to his early departure. Corral finished the night completing 14-of-25 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Corral was the leading rusher on the night for Birmingham, picking up 52 yards on 10 carries. In his relief effort, Cookus went 1-for-2 for 36 yards, with his one lone completion going to Davion Davis on third and long late in the fourth quarter to keep an eventual scoring drive alive. The Stallions finished the night with a season-high 126 yards rushing. C.J. Marable finished the night with 47 yards rushing on 11 attempts, while Larry Rountree III totaled 28 yards on seven carries.
Deon Cain led Birmingham’s receiving core, compiling 69 yards on three catches, including a 50-yard touchdown reception. Cain led the team in receptions and receiving yards on Saturday. Davion Davis, Jalen Camp, Jordan Thomas, Rountree III and Marable all finished the night with a pair of receptions. Davis hauled in the other receiving touchdown on the night, taking a 26-yard pass to paydirt early in the second quarter.
Birmingham’s defense continued its stellar play so far this season, Kyahva Tezino led the way with 10 total tackles and a tackle for loss on the night. Tae Crowder brought down nine total tackles of his own, while A.J. Thomas and Chapelle Russell finished with seven total tackles and a tackle for loss each. In total, the Stallions’ defense ended the night with eight tackles for loss. Bradlee Anae picked up the one lone sack on the night, as Tillery snagged his first interception of the season on the game’s final drive. In total, Birmingham’s defense only allowed 64 rushing yards on the night and forced a crucial turnover on downs after Houston forced an interception in Stallions’ territory on the previous possession.
Notes
- The Stallions increased their all-time series record over the Roughnecks to 5-2, including a four-game win streak over Houston.
- Birmingham’s offensive line has gone three consecutive games without surrendering a sack.
- The Stallions’ offense converted 7-of-14 third downs on the night.
- Birmingham’s offense finished the night with a season-high 357 total yards of offense.
- Matt Corral’s 50-yard touchdown pass to Deon Cain in the second quarter is the second time this season the duo has connected on a touchdown pass of over 50 yards, with the first being a 52-yard score against the Michigan Panthers on April 4.
- With his five tackles on the night, DeMarquis Gates became the all-time leader in total tackles in franchise history with 135.
- Gates surpassed Christian McFarland; the two were tied at 130 total tackles entering tonight’s game.
- Bradlee Anae picked up his league-leading fourth sack of the season.
- JoJo Tillery registered his second career interception as a member of the Stallions.
- Perrion Winfrey, Steven Gilmore, Daniel Isom and Tillery all finished the game with a PBU.
- Harrison Mevis was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals with a long of 50, as he increased his season total to 8-for-8.
- ATTENDANCE: 6,613
How It Happened
First Quarter
- 8:46 - BHM | Harrison Mevis continued his hot start to the season, connecting on a 48-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession. The drive covered 50 yards on 11 plays and lasted 6:14 of gameplay (3-0, Stallions).
Second Quarter
- 14:52 - BHM | Matt Corral found Davion Davis for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Corral connected with Davis once again on the following two-point conversion to add to the lead. The scoring drive lasted six plays and covered 81 yards (11-0, Stallions).
- 9:41 - HOU | Houston got on the board on a four-yard touchdown run that concluded a 10-play, 70-yard drive. The following one-point conversion was successful (11-7, Stallions).
- 1:24 - HOU | The Roughnecks cut the deficit to one thanks to a 44-yard field goal that ended an eight-play, 44-yard drive (11-10, Stallions).
- 1:09 - BHM | The Stallions responded quickly on the following possession, as Corral found Deon Cain for a 50-yard touchdown pass that brought a quick, two-play, 65-yard scoring drive to a close. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful (17-10, Stallions).
Third Quarter
- 3:10 - HOU | Houston found the end zone on a 11-yard touchdown run to end a six-play, 86-yard drive. The Roughnecks attempted a one-point conversion on the ensuing play, but were unsuccessful (17-16, Stallions).
Fourth Quarter
- 11:30 - BHM | Mevis extended Birmingham's lead to four with a 35-yard field goal that capped off a nine-play, 46-yard drive (20-16, Stallions).
- 1:16 - BHM | Mevis’ third field goal of the night was from 50 yards out, and ended an 11-play, 67-yard drive (23-16, Stallions).
Up Next
- The Stallions will return to Protective Stadium for a Week 5 pairing against the Memphis Showboats.
- The contest will be played on Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. CT and will be aired live on FOX.