Stallions Head To Memphis Looking To Avenge OT Loss To Showboats
MAY 31, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
A bumpy ride through the 2025 UFL regular season for the Birmingham Stallions closes on Sunday in Memphis. Just like the past three seasons, though, Skip Holtz and his Stallions are guaranteed at least one more game and have their sights set on two more.
“We set out to win the USFL division when we started the season,” said Holtz. “We wanted to try and win the USFL division and get into the playoffs and then once we get into the playoffs, we'll figure it out. And so what we've been able to accomplish with probably one of the more trying years that I've been involved with, with all the injuries that we've had, especially the quarterback position, I'm proud of what this team has been able to accomplish.”
The final regular season test comes on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Memphis Showboats at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. It will be the final game of the season for the Showboats (2-7) while Birmingham (6-3) will move on to the USFL Conference championship game against the Michigan Panthers on June 8 at Protective Stadium. With their postseason path already determined, the easy assumption would be that the Stallions have nothing to play for against Memphis. Holtz said that is not part of the approach, especially considering the Showboats beat the Stallions, 24-20 in overtime, on April 25 in Birmingham.
“I think our football team is excited to go play this game and put a much better foot forward than we did the first time we played them,” Holtz said. “When you look at this Memphis team, everybody wants to look at them and say, well, they're 2-7. Yeah, (but) they lose to DC by six points. They lose to Houston by one twice. They beat us. I mean, every game you look at it, they're in almost every game, even the St. Louis game was close game. I mean, they lost some games right at the end. It's a talented team. It's a physical team. They do a really good job defensively.”
Once again, the Stallions are dealing with injuries, which has been a way of life this season. The three areas hit the hardest this year are quarterback, defensive end and offensive line.
J’Mar Smith will get his third consecutive start on Sunday at quarterback. Andrew Peasley, who has played in one game, will serve as the backup and Case Cookus is once again the No. 3 quarterback. Alex McGough is practicing but is not ready to return for games at this point. Smith, McGough, Matt Corral and Case Cookus have each started at least two games this season.
“It's really my biggest frustration,” said Holtz, who also serves as the quarterback coach. “When you talk about handling all of them, it has been kind of the expression of the jack of all trades and the master of none. We don't have one guy that's had an opportunity to really grow and develop. It's like everybody is getting better in tiny increments, but we don't have that one guy that has had the opportunity to get all those reps and continue to develop because football is not a game you can simulate. You have to play the game to simulate it. You can't go in your backyard and throw the ball through a tire or things like that. There's a lot of moving parts into it.”
The offensive line also has faced a ton of moving parts. Holtz called it a “revolving door” up front because of injuries. This week, Armani Taylor-Prioleau, the starter at left tackle, will miss his second consecutive game. Grant Miller is serving as the backup at center and both guards and Darius Harpers is the backup at both tackles.
Bradlee Anae and Ronnie Perkins quickly established themselves as a strong duo on the edge for the Stallions defense. Neither will play on Sunday but Anae, who has been out for the past two weeks, should be ready to go against the Panthers. The Stallions will also be without defensive end Maximilian Roberts this week. Myjai Sanders and Delonte Scott will start on the edge and Steve Linton, a late-season pickup, will get his first action this week.
“I felt like by the time we got playoffs we could have four really good defensive ends,” Holtz said of his thoughts at the beginning of the season, despite playing with newcomers at defensive end. “But it's been probably inconsistent just because there's been so many new faces there.”