Stallions Hold Off Houston, Move to 3-1 and First Place In USFL

APRIL 20, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

By Steve Irvine

The script for the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday night in Houston included a sharp beginning by starting quarterback Matt Corral and a clutch ending by backup Case Cookus. It also included timely defensive stops, including a game-sealing interception by JoJo Tillery, another perfect night from ‘The Thiccer Kicker’, who is listed on the roster as Harrison Meevis, an explosive play touchdown by Deon Cain and some key plays in the passing game by Davion Davis.

Mix it all together and it comes out to a 23-16 UFL victory for the Stallions in a key USFL Division game against the Houston Roughnecks at TDECU Stadium.

“Great to win,” said Stallions head coach Skip Holtz, whose team improved to 3-1 and is tied with Michigan at the top of the USFL Division. “We know they're all gonna be a dogfight. We talk each and every week about a 60-minute game and you can't overlook anybody, you can't look at anybody's records. Anybody can beat anybody. And I thought that Houston team tonight fought.”

Both teams lost their quarterback during the game. Houston’s Nolan Henderson left with a shoulder injury after taking a big hit by Birmingham linebacker Chapelle Russell with 13:33 left in the first half. Jalan McClendon, who hadn’t taken a snap in the first three games, stepped in and was 22-of-31 for 236 yards and was intercepted by Tillery on his final throw of the night. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass but did rush for an 11-yard score.

The Stallions faced a much different quarterback situation. Corral was sharp in the first half, completing 10 of 17 passing for 171 yards with touchdown tosses of 26 yards to Davion Davis on the first play of the second quarter and 50 yards to Cain with 1:09 left in the half. He wasn’t as successful in the second half, completing 4 of 8 passes for 24 yards with an interception. His night ended deep in the Stallions territory when he took a snap at the 1-yard line and ran for five yards before being tackled by three Houston defenders. Corral hurt his left hip on the play and Cookus came on with 5:38 on the clock and the Stallions clinging to a 20-16 lead.

CJ Marable moved the chains with an 8-yard run on Cookus’ first snap. Two plays later, however, the Stallions faced 3rd-and-9 from their own 15-yard line. Cookus threw a perfect pass in front of the Stallions sideline, lofting the ball over a defender into the hands of Davis, who turned it into a 36-yard gain.

“A quarterback that's been sitting on the bench the whole day, he's got to go in right at the end, we're backed up and all of a sudden you're in a long yardage situation,” Holtz said. “I thought he threw an absolutely perfect ball because if that ball was underthrown it was intercepted. I thought he threw an absolutely perfect ball and Davion ran a really good route.”

The Stallions got another first down on a pair of runs that totaled 20 yards by Marable before the drive stalled. Meevis came on to nail a 50-yard field goal, his third of the game, to give the Stallions the seven-point lead with 1:16 remaining.

Then it was up to the defense to close out the game. It took three plays for Houston to get a first down at the Stallions 44-yard line. But Tillery ended the suspense by intercepting a pass thrown down the middle.

“Honestly, I've been saying all week, I was gonna catch an interception,” Tillery said. “(Defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin) just called the right play and I read my right read. Right place, right time.”

Perhaps it was fitting it ended that way on a  night when the Stallions defense was in the right place at the right time in key moments.  They kept Houston (1-3) from scoring after a pair of Birmingham turnovers with both coming while the Stallions were clinging to a narrow second half lead.

“Unbelievable coming up with stops twice,” Holtz said. “For the defense to step in and do what they've been doing all year. I mean, even last week, they were 4-for-4 in the red zone. I thought what they did a great job of today is keeping them out of the red zone. You know what I mean? I thought they really did a nice job of that.”

Moving forward, the defense might have to step up even more because of the quarterback injuries. Holtz said afterward that he wasn’t sure of Corral’s status moving forward. Corral had an ice bag taped on his left hip and seemed to be in considerable pain on the sideline. Cookus was the third Stallions quarterback to play in the first four games and Andrew Peasley, who the Stallions picked up last week when Alex McGough went on the injured reserve list, will be the backup if Corral has to miss any time.