HOUSTON — The [Birmingham Stallions] improved their record to 3-1 Saturday night with a 23-16 win over the Houston Roughnecks in Week 4 of the United Football League season. The defending champions relied on sturdy defense and key offensive plays to secure the road victory.
The Stallions sealed the win late in the fourth quarter. With Houston driving to potentially tie the game, safety JoJo Tillery intercepted a pass with less than 30 seconds remaining. Tillery's play ended the Roughnecks' threat and allowed Birmingham to celebrate their third consecutive win.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, kicker Harrison Mevis extended Birmingham's lead. Mevis hit a 35-yard field goal and later connected on a 50-yard kick. The 50-yarder capped an 11-play, 67-yard drive that moved the ball down the field methodically.
Quarterback Matt Corral made a clutch play during that drive, finding Davion Davis for a 36-yard gain on third-and-9 from their own 15-yard line. This play kept the scoring drive alive and helped set up the decisive field goal. Fans can view the play here.
Houston had closed the margin to 17-16 late in the third quarter. Roughnecks quarterback Jalan McClendon connected with T.J. Vasher for a 46-yard catch through pass interference. McClendon then scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown on a read option play. A clip of the catch is available online.
Birmingham answered quickly just before halftime after Houston had scored 10 unanswered points. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Corral found a wide-open Deon Cain streaking down the sideline for a touchdown, giving the Stallions a 17-10 lead.
The Stallions jumped out to an early 11-0 lead in the first half. After a Houston three-and-out, Corral threw a deep pass to Jalen Camp for a 42-yard catch that set up a score. Corral later completed a short pass to Davion Davis, who ran it in for a touchdown and also caught the two-point conversion. The team also scored first with a 48-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis on their opening drive. More on the league standings can be found on the official UFL page.
Coach Skip Holtz noted before the game that the team took time to evaluate their performance. He discussed the need for more patience in the passing game and developing a better run game, which ranks near the bottom of the league.
Matt Corral has taken over as starter after Alex McGough's injury earlier in the season. While the passing game seeks greater efficiency, Corral has avoided sacks despite shifts on the offensive line. Their previous win over Arlington showed late-game resilience as well, detailed in earlier reports.
Looking at the team's self-assessment, Coach Holtz summarized the goal for offensive improvement. "You never go broke making a profit," Holtz said. "If we can get 3 or 4 yards a play, you can win a lot of football games just going 3 or 4 yards and driving the length of the field.”
