Columbus Aviators Shock Birmingham Stallions With Late Surge At Home

For a second straight week, the Columbus Aviators (2-6) and Birmingham Stallions (4-4) faced off. This time, the game was hosted in Columbus.

Heading into this affair, Columbus was hanging on for dear life. With the worst record in the UFL, they weren’t eliminated quite yet, but they need everything to go their way this weekend in order to make it right.

On the other hand, the Birmingham Stallions have won three in a row. They control their own destiny: winning out means they clinch a playoff berth. Let’s take a look at what happened today at Historic Crew Stadium.

First Quarter

This game got off to one of the wildest starts in UFL history. On the very first play from scrimmage for Birmingham’s offense, Dorian Thompson-Robinson tried to force a ball down the field – and was intercepted by O’Donnell Fortune.

The Aviators could not take advantage. After getting deep in the red zone, a botched play resulted in disaster. Jalen Morton, who is getting his first start, threw the ball backwards on what was supposed to be a trick play, and Alex Cook jumped on it – taking it all the way to the house.

If you thought it wasn’t going to get any crazier, you’re wrong. Akeem Dent blocked the extra point attempt from Anders Carlson, and we had a 6-1 ball game after Columbus scooped it to the end zone.

Despite a one point score, Columbus received the football and appeared to be in a position to put more points on the board. However, they stalled out midfield, and turned it over on downs. Birmingham jumped on the opportunity to extend their lead. Even with two false starts from Deon Cain, he made up for it on a 17 yard reception for a touchdown to make it 13-1.

Second Quarter

Jalen Morton and Columbus would have an answer. A clean drive from Morton resulted in a touchdown completion to John Lovett, who found daylight and squeezed through defenders into the end zone for six.

Offenses were in a groove in this first half. DTR had a bit of a rough start, but settled in nicely – spreading the ball around to a few different targets. Even after they were backed up after a sack from Kenny Willekes, a DPI way down the field set up the Stallions inside the 10. Tyrion Davis-Price ran it in, and the Stallions jumped in front 20-8.

Morton efficiently put Columbus right back in scoring position. Completions to Easop Winston Jr., and a couple chunk yardage gains from Toa Taua set them up right on the brink of the red zone. Morton then connected with Gunnar Oakes for a 20 yard score, and the Aviators pulled it within one score.

Defensively, the Aviators regressed strongly compared to a week ago. Dorian Thompson-Robinson continued to do damage, even with his legs – and it resulted in another field goal right before the half.

Third Quarter

Columbus opened up the third period with the football, but weren’t able to get past midfield, punting it away. Defensively, they would step up, as a sack from Ron Stone Jr. forced a punt from Colby Wadman backed up in his own end zone, and the Aviators had the ball midfield.

This time, Todd Haley’s offense put it together. On 4th and 5 past the 50, Keke Chism made a ridiculous catch in traffic to move the chains. Then, Morton eluded pressure to find a wide open John Lovett, who pranced into the end zone untouched after a bobbled grab.

A decent kick return from Deon Cain put the Stallions in a positive position on their next series, and they delivered. Snoop Conner broke out with a large run, which in turn, set up a 43 yard field goal from Anders Carlson.

With fifteen minutes left to play, the Stallions led 26-21 – but Columbus was marching.

Fourth Quarter

Disappointingly, that momentum wouldn’t last too long. Pressure from Birmingham got to Morton, and a ball went right off of Winston’s hands – into the waiting arms of Bump Cooper for the takeaway. A great PBU from D.J. Miller Jr. on third down held the Stallions to a field goal, and it was an eight point affair.

The door was still open for Columbus, with over 11 minutes to play. Even with some theatrics and impressive playmaking from Jalen Morton, penalties were a killer, and the Aviators punted. Worth noting: kicker Jonah Dalmas served as the punter for the majority of this game due to an injury to Brad Robbins.

The Aviators would come up with a huge stop defensively. Tony Fields blew up DTR in the backfield which put them behind the sticks, and Captain Munnerlyn’s unit forced a crucial punt.

Jalen Morton, time and time again, put this team on his back. His refusal to go down in the pocket, paired with a massive DPI call against Stallions’ DB Steven Gilmore, led to a score. Morton went full-on Superman, putting the Aviators in position to tie it up.

On the two point conversion to tie it, Keke Chism came out in full effect. He skied for a grab right over Gilmore, and Columbus tied it up at 29 points a piece.

It went from bad, to worse, for DTR and the Stallions. Dorian and Jaydon Mickens weren’t on the same page, which led to D.J. Miller Jr. intercepting the ball – taking it to the house to give the Aviators a late lead.

Birmingham had one final crack at it, and saw a couple of positive plays. Completions to Jaydon Mickens and Daewood Davis put them into scoring position – but they needed a touchdown, not a field goal. On 4th and long, DTR attempted a prayer in the back of the end zone to Jordan Thomas, but strong coverage resulted in an incompletion. Columbus would hang on for the 36-29 victory at home.

Standout Playmakers

QB Jalen Morton: Morton deserves a ton of credit. He hasn’t started in a game in professional, 11-man football in quite some time – yet he looked in control out there all day long. Jalen threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns, also rushing for 96 yards and a score on the ground. He led the team in rushing yards.

 

RB John Lovett: While it was a quiet game for John running the football, he was outstanding out of the backfield – with two receptions for 50 yards. Both catches resulted in scores.

LB Tony Fields II: Tony has been a force all year for Columbus, and that trend continued. He had 10 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.

DB Kedrick Whitehead: Whitehead has flown under the radar all year long. He contributed in a major way in this win, with 10 tackles and three pass breakups.

DB D.J. Miller Jr.: Miller has been steady throughout the season, and delivered when they needed him most. D.J. recorded three tackles, a pick six (the go ahead score), along with two pass breakups.

Birmingham

LB Kyahva Tezino: Tezino was an impact player again, and truthfully, when is he not? The veteran was everywehre today, with 11 tackles and a TFL on the day.

Major Takeaways

After eight weeks of next to no explosives out of Columbus, it was refreshing to see what Jalen Morton brought to the table. Not only does he have a strong arm, but he is not afraid to push the ball down the field. Sometimes, that would lead to risky throws, but the Aviators could not wait on Jalan McClendon any longer – making the move was necessary for Haley and Ted Ginn. This offense looked about as good as it ever has, especially through the air. His wheels kept Birmingham on their toes all afternoon, which opened up passing lanes early and often.

“Jalen came out and he showed who he was. He played with his name no his back, and that’s all that I asked him to do. And that carried over to the rest of the Aviators. That’s where we are at right now. We need a lot of things to happen for us to make the playoffs. But, as a human, as offense, defense, special teams – we pride ourselves on being good, being great…this man sat for eight weeks, and just set a franchise record.” – Ted Ginn Jr. 

The Aviators need a miracle to get into the postseason, but this was a step in the right direction. This team has played some ugly football this season, and to be quite frank, this outing wasn’t exactly clean. Columbus committed 12 penalties for 132 yards. Without those, this is a game that they could have won even earlier. Plus, that botched playcall early which gifted the Stallions with six points was completely avoidable.

Birmingham needs to figure out who they really are as they head into the final week. Quarter to quarter, they are one of the most inconsistent teams in the UFL. After what was a hot start, the Stallions completely fell apart in the fourth quarter. They averaged just 3.8 yards per play in this game, compared to Columbus’ 6.5. It was an odd day for this offense, as they showed zero consistency throughout the afternoon.

“Hard truth is, coaches have off days. I felt like we should have ran the ball a little bit more. It’s part of it. You learn from those deals. I think the thing that haunted us more than anything, was not scoring at the one. Me personally, I felt like we should’ve ran it. Siskey felt like we were tight on the clock, getting personnel in…there’s plays for us to make. It’s one of those things that just didn’t go our way, and it sucks.” – A.J. McCarron

After such a stellar performance last week from Kevin Sherrer’s defense, the Stallions had zero answers for Jalen Morton. He broke a ridiculous amount of tackles in this game, making defenders look silly. Explosive plays have been a problem, and because Morton wasn’t afraid to go down the field, Birmingham paid for it. Last week, it wasn’t even a threat. Today, the defense couldn’t get out of their own way – especially late in the game.

Final Thoughts

This was one of the best games of the UFL’s season, there is no doubt about that. The Columbus Aviators showed some serious grit and determination, and got a win of their home fans as well, which is what we love to see. Heading into week 10, we are set for some more fireworks, as the Stallions losing today’s game makes it impossible for the postseason to be determined this week.

Week nine in the UFL wraps up tomorrow, with a matchup on FOX and then ESPN2.

What are your thoughts on how this game played out between the Birmingham Stallions and Columbus Aviators? Which players impressed you the most? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!