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With 10 minutes to play, the Philadelphia Stars led by three points in the USFL title game. Fueled by a touchdown drive led by backup quarterback Alex McGough and a pick-six by linebacker Scooby Wright, the Birmingham Stallions turned the tables and won 33-30.
Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks to injury during the game. Stallions quarterback J’Mar Chase left with cramps. Stars starter Case Kucus suffered a broken fibula on a third-down play as Philly clung to a 23-20 lead.
A pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter put Birmingham up by 10. The Stars responded with a touchdown. They opted for a fourth-and-12 play in an attempt to keep possession. The effort just fell short, with the pass falling incomplete.
Birmingham still had to run out the clock. Facing fourth down in Philly territory with less than a minute to play, coach Skip Holtz called a punt. The Stallions barely missed a chance to get the ball down near the goal line, giving the Stars a first down at the 20. Two plays later, however, another interception sealed the win for the Stallions.
Birmingham finished the year 11-1. The Stars went 7-5, including the postseason.
Victor Bolden, with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, was named MVP of the championship game.
The match was played in front of a noticeably large crowd in Canton. Fox announced that the USFL will return next April for a second season with the same eight teams that competed in 2022.
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