Columbus Aviators vs. Birmingham Stallions | Week Nine Preview

Just a week later, the Birmingham Stallions (4-4) and Columbus Aviators (2-6) will face off again. This time, they will play the game in Columbus, as the Aviators hang on for dear hope that they can make a playoff push.

Heading into this affair, Birmingham has won three in a row, all of a sudden back at the .500 mark following an abysmal start to the year. They haven’t been perfect, but A.J. McCarron and this group have found ways to win.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Aviators have not been able to take flight week to week. After a win over Houston in week six positioned them to make a late playoff push, they’ve lost their last two games – and now have a less than 1% chance to make the postseason.

Let’s take a look at what we can expect this week at Historic Crew Stadium.

Quarterback Play

Dorian Thompson-Robinson probably hasn’t played up to the exact level he would have liked over the last two games, but there is no denying his raw talent. DTR’s mobility, and confidence, has elevated Birmingham as a whole to another level. He’s going to have to hope that his pass protection is a bit better in this outing, as that was an issue against Columbus last week. When DTR has time, he’s one of the UFL’s best.

The Aviators are making a change at quarterback this week. Ted Ginn Jr. announced Jalen Morton as the team’s starting signal caller, getting his first start of the year. With Columbus’ playoff hopes hanging on by a thread, Ginn and Haley have decided to give Morton an opportunity before the season is over to showcase what he can do. Morton, who played for the Stallions 2023, will be making his first start in spring football.

He’s played a lot of arena ball, but hasn’t seen many snaps in the USFL/UFL. Jalen is a mobile quarterback – but we have yet to see him throw the ball effectively. This should be interesting on Saturday.

“It’s a blessing. Guys train for this moment, in all sports, and to have a moment like this, I can’t thank God enough. Can’t thank the organization enough, to trust me to go in and start…I’m excited to showcase my consistency. Our team has been able to put together those 9-to-15 play drives before, we’re a well oiled machine. I want to do that consistently as a team.” – Jalen Morton

Standout Playmakers

Jordan Thomas has emerged for Birmingham lately as one of DTR’s go-to targets. With his 6’7” frame, this isn’t much of a surprise. Jordan has been one of the top “contested catches” guys in the UFL the last few years. He’s a mismatch for just about any linebacker or safety that Columbus rosters.

Jaydon Mickens continues to shine at wideout, leading the UFL with 519 receiving yards. Whenever the Stallions need a spark, Mickens seems to be the guy they go to.

It’s too bad that the Aviators have been flat lately offensively, because they do have a lot of talent. We highlighted Keke Chism last week, and we’re going to do it again – if Columbus has any chance of getting their air attack going, Chism is the piece. He has traditionally had plenty of success against Birmingham in the past.

The Injury Report

The Stallions have a few injuries to keep an eye on. Anthony McFarland is a DNP again, trending towards being inactive for a second straight week against Columbus. It’s disappointing, especially given Columbus’ struggles against the run. WR Deon Cain may be inactive as well. Notably, DE Kobe Jones who had a breakout game against the Aviators this past weekend, is dealing with a foot injury.

Columbus will be a bit banged up again in their secondary. Cam Smith is trending towards another game on the sidelines, which is unfortunate given his ability to take on tough assignments all year long. Newly signed Elijah Blades, who has played well, is also injured.

Depth Chart Notes

Updated when the depth chart goes live.

Looking At Week Eight

When these two teams faced off on Sunday, it was an ugly outing. Neither offense was able to produce at all, as the Stallions had just 144 yards of offense. The Aviators didn’t fare much better, with 181. In the Birmingham heat, it wasn’t even the defenses playing lights out – both groups were simply sloppy.

The Stallions’ struggles all stemmed from the O-Line. Noah Henderson hasn’t had a great year, and Adrian Ealy just signed to the team, yet was thrust into the starting role. DTR was pressured all game long, something the Aviators did very well. Because Dorian had such little time to throw, it allowed for the backend to stay on top of Birmingham’s elite wide receivers.

“We have to move the ball. We’ve got to be productive on first downs, we put ourselves in a lot of third and longs. Columbus did something, and played some coverages they hadn’t shown all year long. The fact that they were playing some two-trap, they had been a quarters and a man team against everyone else. They brought out some Tampa 2, and showed some different looks we hadn’t seen on film. It took us a minute to adjust to that.” – Stallions HC A.J. McCarron

Now, Birmingham’s defense deserves some serious credit. Their defensive line contained the top rushing offense in the UFL to just 2.4 yards per carry. Isaiah Coe, T.J. Carter, Ricky Correia, and others all pitched in to make life miserable for Todd Haley as a playcaller. On top of that, Kobe Jones had a breakout game at EDGE, with multiple pressures, a sack, and a forced fumble.

Without Steven Gilmore, though, the Aviators may have won this game. Steven came up with a clutch interception on an early drive that showed promise for Columbus – and later on, blocked a field goal, taking it to the house. He’s responsible for preventing 10-13 points out of the Aviators single-handedly.

Run Struggles For Both

The Aviators and Stallions both had a very difficult time running the football last week. For Birmingham, they were without Anthony McFarland – but still, it made little sense. Columbus has not defended the run well at all, yet their two backs in Davis-Price and Snoop Conner combined for just 42 rushing yards.

If Birmingham can crack the code and see more production from their backfield, it’ll unlock an entirely new layer of their offense. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be 10x more deadly as a passer (and runner) if the Stallions can put pedal to the metal on the ground.

“Columbus is a great team. It’s fun going against them. They do like to run the ball. It’s fun going up against a team that runs the ball, it’s kind of like throwback football. We just need to have that same approach. It’s playoff football right now, and we’ve got to focus up again this week.” – Stallions LB Tae Crowder

Columbus doesn’t have any excuses – they just played poor football. Again, the heat was a factor, but this is a team that is built on their ability to run the rock. When they can’t, the offense looks entirely incompetent – hence why they had only three points on the board at the end of the day last week.

Coaching Matchup

Columbus Aviators, Ted Ginn Jr.: Ginn has made a couple of good moves lately (i.e., making a change at kicker). It hasn’t been an easy season for Ted, though, as his Aviators boast just a 2-6 record – the worst in the UFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Ginn can rally his guys to finish the season strong.

“I think, the assessment of playing a team twice in a row, you know what you did right and what you did wrong. You’re able to go back and not have to scheme up, but just teach up a lot of what we did well, and what we didn’t do. We were close, but a couple of plays prevented us from being successful.” – Ted Ginn Jr.

Birmingham Stallions, A.J. McCarron: McCarron has Birmingham on a hot streak. This team has clearly bought into what he’s trying to accomplish with the Stallions, as they’ve removed pieces who weren’t “All In” (i.e. Perrion Winfrey, Matt Corral). Birmingham controls their own destiny: win out, and you’re in.

Final Thoughts

The Columbus Aviators are all but eliminated, yet they still have a fighting chance. Birmingham cannot expect a cake walk this week – the Aviators will be tough to beat twice in a row. Columbus’ two wins have come off of their back-to-backs, taking down both Dallas and Houston at home.

That said, Birmingham is in a prime position to come away with a win. They’re going up against a quarterback who has hardly played at this level – and offensively, they’re due for a big game. It’s been a couple of weeks since they’ve been consistent in that area.

The action kicks off at 3pm ET, on ABC. You can secure your tickets for the game here.

Full Roster Breakdowns: Birmingham, Columbus

What are your thoughts on this matchup between the Columbus Aviators and Birmingham Stallions? Who do you think will win? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!