Battlehawks come up short in game of the year

The battle between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Birmingham Stallions lived up to the billing as the UFL game of the season.

Unfortunately for the Battlehawks, there still remains an undefeated team as the Stallions prevailed 30-26 on Saturday, May 11, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron played in his home state for the first time since he was playing collegiately at the University of Alabama in 2013. His presence led to a reported attendance of 14,056, which is the biggest crowd of Birmingham’s season.

McCarron completed 19-of-32 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran twice for 24 yards. Seven of those passes went to Hakeem Butler, who amassed 89 yards.

“He’s been doing it his whole life,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. “He’s played in front of 100-plus thousand fans. He can deal with 10 or 12 (thousand), and most of them were cheering for him. That’s good, you know? I know he wanted this one. I know he wanted to bring this one home.”

Adrian Martinez won the quarterback battle when he completed 21-of-33 passes for 230 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and ran seven times for 60 yards. This game certainly has him leading the MVP race.

“Adrian Martinez was a problem today,” Becht said. “Trust me: We game-planned and schemed and put ourselves in position where we had a good plan, but that kid’s good. He really is. The legs are a difference-maker, and it’s been happening every week.”

Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown. Each score led to the Battlehawks taking the lead.

The Stallions scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Kevin Austin Jr. with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter.

McCarron injured his ankle during the game but remained on the field the entire time. His health and availability will be a concern leading up to the Battlehawks' next home game, against the D.C. Defenders at 11 a.m. May 19 at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.

Both teams remain on top of their respective conferences and are the favorites to meet again in the UFL Championship Game on June 16 in St. Louis.

“We’ll see them again down the road,” Becht said. “I’m excited about that.”