BIRMINGHAM, AL — A field goal battle turned last-minute thriller on Friday night, as the Birmingham Stallions rallied from behind to stun the Arlington Renegades 10-9 in front of a raucous home crowd at Protective Stadium.

The Renegades led for nearly the entire game. The Stallions only needed 26 seconds to steal it.

Quarterback Matt Corral, facing pressure both on and off the field, silenced the doubters with an 11-play, 76-yard game-winning drive, capped by a beautiful 20-yard touchdown pass to Cade Johnson. Corral then kept it himself for the 1-point conversion, giving the Stallions their first—and only—lead of the night.

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A Grind Until the Finish

The Renegades controlled the tempo for much of the contest, building a 9-3 lead on three field goals by Taylor Russolino (from 32, 39, and 41 yards). Their defense was locked in, forcing a Corral interception and keeping Birmingham’s offense out of the end zone for 59+ minutes.

But while Arlington’s defense stood tall, their offense failed to find paydirt. Settling for field goals left the door open—and Birmingham kicked it down.

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Corral’s Redemption Drive

Corral finished with 255 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, while also leading Birmingham in rushing with 24 yards. His connection with Johnson on the final drive was surgical, and his determination on the conversion run sealed one of the most dramatic wins of the UFL season so far.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Stallions head coach Skip Holtz said postgame. “But our defense kept us in it, and our quarterback made plays when we needed them most.”

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What It Means

• The Stallions improve to 2-1, defending their home turf and keeping pace in the UFL standings.
• The Renegades drop their first game of the season, falling to 2-1, but still look like contenders thanks to their defensive strength.

This was a game of two elite teams trading blows, but in the end, it was Corral who landed the knockout.

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Next Week

• Birmingham Stallions (2-1): Host the Houston Roughnecks in Week 4.
• Arlington Renegades (2-1): Return home for a pivotal matchup against the St. Louis Battlehawks.

If Week 3 proved anything, it’s this: the margin for error in the UFL is razor thin—and no lead is safe when the Stallions are charging late

image credit: 2C2K Photography from Houston, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons