BIRMINGHAM — On the same night that the 147th run of the Preakness took place in at Pimlico Race course in Baltimore, Maryland other horses were putting on a show in Birmingham, Alabama. The USFL Birmingham Stallions (5-0) were looking for a win over the Michigan Panthers (1-4) to keep their undefeated title.
No photo finish was needed in this competition though, as the Stallions pulled ahead in the 4th quarter trotting over the Panthers 33-17 in the end.
The race didn’t start out that way though…
The Panthers inched ahead of the Stallions with 9:44 left in the first quarter when Cole Murphy kicked a 56- yard field goal to put three points on the board for Michigan. The kick also put Murphy in the record books for longest kick in USFL history. The Stallions soon evened up the race with a field goal of their own with a little over two minutes left in the first quarter.
The second quarter started with a huge sack by Panthers DE Vantrel McMillian on third down forcing a punt and giving Michigan the ball. The Panthers couldn’t get ahead and the Stallions took advantage as quarterback J’Mar Smith connected with WR Osirus Mitchell and he was ‘off to the races’ for a touchdown. The Stallions then added an extra point with a kick from Brandon Aubrey to put them ahead 10 – 3.
Before the celebration was over, the players were being taken off the field due to a severe thunderstorm warning. Lightning had been detected in the area but never materialized and after a 30 minute delay the game continued. This time the Panthers came out of the gate hot finding a rhythm on their second drive. Quarterback Shea Patterson and RB Reggie Corbin pushed the ball down the field and on fourth and goal, Patterson ran it in from the one yard line for a touchdown. With the extra point scored, the Panthers were back in the race with a score of 10-10.
Birmingham was forced to punt after Smith overthrew WR Victor Bolden Jr, which gave Michigan the chance to take the lead, but unfortunately for the Panthers, WR Lance Lenoir Jr fumbled after WLB Demarquis Gates forced the ball loose. The ball was given back to Birmingham and despite an attempt by Bolden for a touchdown, he was out of bounds and the Stallions were forced to kick a field goal putting them a nose above the Panthers 13-10 at halftime.
The second half saw the Stallions putting together a great drive that had RB Bo Scarbrough saying “giddy up” with some excellent plays. With 8:46 left in the 3rd quarter, Smith found RB Tony Brook – James for a touchdown bringing the score to 19-10 Birmingham.
But the Panthers weren’t going to lose the race that fast, as quarterback Shea Patterson pulled in the reins escaping a sack and guided the team down the field quickly. At the end of the drive, Patterson connected with WR Devin Ross for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the game neck and neck with a score of 19-17 to mark the end of the third quarter.
The Panthers started to loose steam in the fourth quarter, as Scarbrough turned up his gallop from 30 yards out and hurdled over the pylon for Birmingham’s third touchdown of the game. Things continued to get worse for Michigan, as a tipped pass was intercepted by DE Johnny Newsome and the ball was once again in the Stallions possession.
With 3:34 left in the 4th quarter, Stallions quarterback Alex McGough, subbed for Smith earlier in the game, trotted the ball one yard into the end zone to extend the lead to 33-17.
The Stallions kept that lead and were named the game winners with a final score of 33-17. ‘Early Voting’ may have predicted the Stallions to win over the Panthers, but who knew that the horse with the same name would win the Preakness.
Written by Deborah Whitcas
