The first-ever UFL Championship Game will be played on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. ET from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, MO.
Brahmas vs. Stallions Event Information
Birmingham Stallions (-4.5) vs. San Antonio Brahmas (+4.5); o/u 42
5:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, June 16, 2024
The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, MO
TV: FOX
Stallions’ coach Skip Holtz reflects on conference title win
“Might have been one of the wildest quarters I’ve ever seen,” Holtz told host RJ Young about the third quarter against Michigan. “During the course of the season, I think we had seven turnovers in 10 games, and we had four in that [game]. It was just crazy. It went back and forth. Watching it was like watching a tennis match. I’m sure television was excited because they got all their commercial breaks in with all the change of possessions. It was a wild game; it really was. It was a hard-fought game, a well-played game. …
“I thought our defense did a great job creating a bunch of turnovers and kept our offense in it until we really could get our feet on the ground, quit turning the ball over and go down and put some points up.”
San Antonio upsets St. Louis in XFL title game
Brahmas K Ryan Santoso made a 31-yard field goal on San Antonio’s following possession to complete an 8-play, 62-yard drive and extend the lead to 22-15 with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams punted on their next possessions. St. Louis then reached the San Antonio 32 yard line, but K Andre Szmyt was unable to convert a 50-yard field goal attempt. Santoso then made a 45-yard field goal to give the Brahmas their final 10-point lead.
San Antonio led by as much as 19-3 with 10:08 to play in the third quarter after a 69-yard touchdown run from RB Anthony McFarland Jr. The Battlehawks scored their first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB A.J. McCarron to TE Jake Sutherland with 5:54 left in the third quarter to cut San Antonio’s advantage to 19-9. WR Hakeem Butler nearly made a 2-point conversion catch, but officials ruled the catch out of bounds, which left St. Louis at a 10-point deficit.
Brahmas vs. Stallions Prediction
Take San Antonio. One of the things I overlooked last week when I took the Battlehawks over the Brahmas in the XFL Conference Championship game was the coaching matchup. San Antonio head coach Wade Phillips took young St. Louis offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski behind the woodshed. His defensive scheme gave QB A.J. McCarron all sorts of issues and while the Battlehawks nearly came back to win the game, they would have done so because of turnovers and a little luck. Otherwise, the Brahmas dominated the game.
Let’s not forget that the Brahmas are also the only team to hand the Stallions a loss this season. That upset occurred in Week 9 when the Stallions traveled to Birmingham and left Texas with an 18-9 loss – the first and only time this season the Stallions scored fewer than 20 points in a game. That goes to show you the impact Phillips has on these UFL offenses.
The 4.5 are a gift. San Antonio could win this thing outright tonight.
Brahmas vs. Stallions UFL Conference Championship Prediction: SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS +4.5