Stallions Open the Inaugural Season of the UFL with 27-14 Win Over Arlington Renegades

ARLINGTON, Texas (March 30, 2024)  - In a historic clash marking the inaugural game of the newly amalgamated United Football League, the reigning back-to-back USFL champions, the Birmingham Stallions, made a resounding statement as they triumphed over the Arlington Renegades, 2023 champions of the XFL, with a final score of 27-14.

Making his first career start as a Stallion, Matt Corral opened the matchup utilizing the passing game. Corral finished the game 201 passing yards, 25 rushing yards and one touchdown. Adrian Martinez also made a strong appearance, showing off his rushing capability just before sustaining an injury. He finished with 52 rushing yards on three attempts, with a long of 20 yards.

C.J. Marable and Ricky Person Jr. each chipped in a touchdown for the Stallions offense. Marable led the offense in rushing attempts with 18 rushes totaling 67 yards. Person Jr. rushed for 31 yards with eight attempts. 

Seven different receivers caught passes in an impressive debut of the Stallions passing game. Deon Cain finished with three receptions, 66 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Binjimen Victor had two receptions for 37 receiving yards. Running back C.J. Marable also finished with two receptions and 36 receiving yards. Altogether, the receiving core tallied 227 total yards of offense.

A strong defensive front kept the Renegades at bay on their home turf. Kyahva Tezino led the defense with six tackles. Chris Jackson followed closely with five tackles and Carlos Davis finished with five tackles including one sack. The defense as a whole totaled 48 tackles with two sacks and held the Renegades to 59 rushing yards.

How it happened:

First Quarter

• On the opening drive of the game in a crucial 3rd and 3, a Carlos Davis sack caused a fumble recovered by Mark Gilbert
• Stallions drove the ball downfield to to the Arlington 40-yard line before an interception
• Arlington ended its final drive of the quarter with a field goal to take the 3-0 lead

Second Quarter

• Stallions opened the second quarter with a 27–yard field goal from Chris Blewitt to tie the game 3-3
• Arlington took an 11-3 lead after a six-play 72 yard drive and two point conversion
• Adrian Martinez came in for Birmingham and picked up 25 yards in his first three snaps
• Martinez led a drive downfield before an interception in the end zone
• A Lorenzo Burns stop on 3rd down forced Arlington to punt just after the two-minute warning
• With seven seconds left in the 2nd quarter, Matt Corral completed a pass to Deon Cain for the Stallions first touchdown of the season
• Ricky Person Jr. made a diving conversion attempt that added two more points to the scoreboard for the Stallions to tie the game at 11-11
• Stallions finish the half rushing 113 yards compared to the Renegades 44

Third Quarter

• After a punt on their opening drive, the Stallions were able to force a punt from the Renegades
• On the next possession, the Stallions went 60 yards on five plays and scored off a Ricky Person Jr. rush at the two-yard line for a Stallions touchdown.
• Corral found Gary Jennings in the end zone for a two-point conversion to take a 19-11 lead
• Renegades made a field goal later in the quarter to cut the lead to 19-14

Fourth Quarter

• After several short run gains, Corral utilized the passing game to get the Stallions down into the red zone
• C.J Marable ran up the middle for seven yards to score a touchdown
• Amari Rodgers caught the two point attempt, stretching the Stallions lead to 27-14
• On the next drive Arlington drove 29 yards before Mark Gilbert intercepted Luis Perez at the Birmingham five yard line
• On their next possession the Stallions ran down over eight minutes of clock time with 15 plays ending in a field goal attempt. Blewitt missed the 51-yard attempt off the right upright
• The Stallions won 27-14. Now sitting at 1-0 on the season and extending its win streak to eight games going back to last season (postseason included)