The stallions remain undefeated thanks to a goal from close range

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports Writer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala - Was it good?

Asked if his 29-yard, 29-yard shot by Brandon Aubrey, which brought his team a 10-9 victory, really went to the left, Birmingham Stadium head coach Skip Holz looked at officials on the pitch.

“They didn’t come and ask me,” Holz said. “All we can do is follow what the officials have signaled on the ground. He has a much better view of it than I do.”

Asked the same question, New Orleans Breakers head coach Larry Fedor had this to say: “I’m just not going to answer that, what do you say to that?”

No matter what the coaches believe, the goal from the game was called good on the field. And after defensive defender Josh Shaw chose New Orleans quarterback Kyle Slaughter - Slaughter’s third interception in the game - the Stallions recorded another close victory on Saturday afternoon at Legion Field.

With the victory, Birmingham improved to 8-0 in the season, won the title in the Southern Division and the 1st seed, while the Breakers fell to 5-3.

The game was far from a work of art, with five missed shots and six turnovers. The most important of the misses was perhaps Taylor Bertolet’s PAT attempt after the only touchdown in New Orleans in the game - Anthony Jones’ 3-yard race - which enabled Birmingham’s winning margin.

However, both defenses played well, downplaying the two attacks with the best goal in the USFL.

“They have a great football team,” Holtz said of the Breakers. “Larry Fedora is doing a good job with his team. They are fierce. They are well trained. They are physical. … It is a very talented football team. But as someone told me when leaving the field, you just have to keep believing. ”

The Breakers had one last chance to take the lead with 15 seconds to go and a ball on the 45-yard line of New Orleans. Slaughter threw one to catch, a midfield throw intended for receiver Johnny Dixon, and Shaw managed to wind it up to close the game.

“At first when he left his arms, I thought it was too high,” Shaw said. “So I couldn’t go up with two hands. So I went with one, and somehow I managed to get down with it.”

As Victor Bolden Jr. was not available due to injury, Marlon Williams strengthened and played as the receiver of Birmingham. Williams finished with seven catches for 109 yards on 12 targets.

Bo Scarbrough led the Stallions with 54 yards, but most of them came in the first half.

The Bug bug hits the Breakers again

Slaughter was perhaps the most dynamic passer in the USFL this season, but he also had problems with decision-making and caring for football. Those problems hit the Breakers on Saturday.

Slaughter finished 23-of-40 for 251 yards of passes, without a touchdown and three interceptions.

The Breakers have broken the league record 15 times in eight games, and Slaughter has 10 interceptions during the year.

“In games like that, you can’t turn the ball around and expect to win,” Fedora said. “Each of them has been critical. If you do, you’re fighting a tough battle all the way. We need to take better care of football.”

Injury problems in KB for Birmingham

Meanwhile, Birmingham’s starting quarterback Jay Mar Smith also had an uneven performance, finishing 15-for-29 for 183 yards, with a 27-yard touchdown to Adrian Hardy. Smith also had an interception and lost his fumble.

After his second lost ball in just over five minutes until the end of the third quarter, Holtz replaced Smith with Alex McGowe in the next series. However, after McGowe ran 22 yards, he injured his left ankle again and had to leave the field.

Smith returned, but slammed his hand on his helmet, wincing in pain as he left the field. With inactive third quarterback Montelo Cosart, Holtz said he would address Marlon Williams as his emergency back.

And when McGough is healthy, expect him and Smith to continue sharing the footage.

“I’ve been saying all along that I’m going to play two quarterbacks,” Holtz said. “They both deserve to play. They are both talented defenders and they both won in professional football. We are very happy to have two. And if something happens to a player, I don’t want to put a guy in there who hasn’t played for four weeks. ”

Also, line back Demarkis Gates suffered a left leg injury in the middle of the third quarter, but returned later.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Ramses for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @ eric_d_villiams.

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