The inaugural USFL season ends on Sunday night. The Birmingham Stallions will take on the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL Championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Fans catch watch the game on Fox and the Fox Sports App at 7:30 p.m. ET.
“It’s been a heavy lift, a lot of work by a lot of great people up against a tight calendar,” USFL VP of Football Operations Daryl Johnston said on the Fox show Speak for Yourself. “Really, really proud of everyone who played a huge role in this. … I’m really happy for Birmingham and Philadelphia coming into this game.”
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The Stallions (10-1) have been arguably the best team in the UFSL. Their only loss came against the Houston Gamblers in Week 9, and they have benefited from having constant fan support since all the USFL games were played in Birmingham. But despite having home-field advantage all season, the Stallions have gotten consistent play from quarterback J’Mar Smith who threw for 1,573 yards, 10 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 10 games. Smith wants to win the championship for Stallions coach Skip Holtz since Smith played for Holtz at Lousiana Tech.
“I love the guy,” Holtz said, per The Repository. “I can say that. I love who he is and who he’s become. I loved the way that he handled a difficult situation in his life that could’ve defined him. Instead, he had that opportunity to develop him into the man that he is today.”
The Stars (7-4) are the surprise team of the playoffs after beating the New Jersey Generals in the semifinals last week. During the regular season, the Stars led the league in turnover ratio (+8) and defensive back Channing Stribbling led the USFL in interceptions with seven. A low-scoring game could give the Stars an upset win over the Stallions.
“I think I have a newfound appreciation for not playing for almost two years,” Stars quarterback Case Cookus said, per RJ Young of Fox Sports. “So just the opportunity now, playing for a championship. It’s so exciting to have my fiancée and my mom and dad will be there (at the USFL Championship Game). I just can’t wait. I’m super excited for it.”
