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The DC Defenders closed Week 1 of the 2025 UFL season with an 18-11 upset of the reigning champion Birmingham Stallions.
Birmingham entered Sunday's road game at Audi Field heavily favored to beat DC. The Stallions had only lost four total games, postseason included, dating back to the start of the 2022 USFL season, while the Defenders were playing just a week after their former head coach Reggie Barlow left the team to take the head coaching job at Tennessee State.
Despite this, DC's defense dominated Birmingham's usually strong offense. They significantly limited 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough as a passer while relentlessly pressuring him throughout the afternoon.
ALEX MCGOUGH: How Stallions are using 2023 USFL MVP after NFL position switch
That led them to a win during which interim coach Shannon Harris said his players "fought hard."
"We've talked about it all year, all camp," Harris told ESPN's Harry Douglas in a postgame interview. "Coach Barlow did a really good job of getting this team ready to go in camp, and then we just continued what we've been taught the entire time. Very emotional win for these guys. They deserve it, and we're excited for it."
Here's what to know about the Defenders' first-ever win over the Stallions and Birmingham's second-ever UFL loss.
The Defenders fittingly used a stellar defensive performance to deal the Stallions a Week 1 defeat. DC shut out Birmingham in the second half and completely nullified McGough as a passer.
McGough – who went 10 of 23 passing for 89 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception on the day – couldn't do anything through the air in the second half, literally. He completed 0 of 7 passes while being sacked seven times after halftime. He lost 64 yards as a result of those sacks, which kept Birmingham behind the chains as the team tried to mount a comeback.
The sacks weren't entirely McGough's fault. The Stallions' offensive line struggled badly to contain Gregg Williams' blitz-happy defense. That resulted in McGough often having to scramble away from pressure, which is part of the reason he was able to rack up a team-leading 84 yards on eight carries.
But either way, DC's strong defensive effort allowed it to outgain Birmingham 297-138 during the contest despite Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu completing less than 50% of his passes (he went 17 of 37 for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception).
That left Harris feeling particularly proud about how his stop unit carried the team to victory.
"Our defense is outstanding," Harris said after the game. "Anytime you can contain these guys the way that we did today – we're talking about [a] three-time champ. A lot of respect for those guys. Coach Holtz has done a good job with that organization. Hats off to those guys, but our guys wanted it more."
Next up for the Defenders will be a date with the Memphis Showboats, who lost their season opener to the Michigan Panthers, 26-12.
Meanwhile, the Stallions will travel to Detroit to take on the Panthers in a game that will be critical to the USFL conference's early season power structure.
UFL OPENS SECOND SEASON: How previous start-up pro football leagues have fared
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How DC Defenders upset Birmingham Stallions in UFL Week 1
Continue reading...
Birmingham entered Sunday's road game at Audi Field heavily favored to beat DC. The Stallions had only lost four total games, postseason included, dating back to the start of the 2022 USFL season, while the Defenders were playing just a week after their former head coach Reggie Barlow left the team to take the head coaching job at Tennessee State.
Despite this, DC's defense dominated Birmingham's usually strong offense. They significantly limited 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough as a passer while relentlessly pressuring him throughout the afternoon.
ALEX MCGOUGH: How Stallions are using 2023 USFL MVP after NFL position switch
That led them to a win during which interim coach Shannon Harris said his players "fought hard."
"We've talked about it all year, all camp," Harris told ESPN's Harry Douglas in a postgame interview. "Coach Barlow did a really good job of getting this team ready to go in camp, and then we just continued what we've been taught the entire time. Very emotional win for these guys. They deserve it, and we're excited for it."
Here's what to know about the Defenders' first-ever win over the Stallions and Birmingham's second-ever UFL loss.
How DC Defenders upset Birmingham Stallions in UFL Week 1
The Defenders fittingly used a stellar defensive performance to deal the Stallions a Week 1 defeat. DC shut out Birmingham in the second half and completely nullified McGough as a passer.
McGough – who went 10 of 23 passing for 89 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception on the day – couldn't do anything through the air in the second half, literally. He completed 0 of 7 passes while being sacked seven times after halftime. He lost 64 yards as a result of those sacks, which kept Birmingham behind the chains as the team tried to mount a comeback.
The sacks weren't entirely McGough's fault. The Stallions' offensive line struggled badly to contain Gregg Williams' blitz-happy defense. That resulted in McGough often having to scramble away from pressure, which is part of the reason he was able to rack up a team-leading 84 yards on eight carries.
But either way, DC's strong defensive effort allowed it to outgain Birmingham 297-138 during the contest despite Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu completing less than 50% of his passes (he went 17 of 37 for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception).
That left Harris feeling particularly proud about how his stop unit carried the team to victory.
"Our defense is outstanding," Harris said after the game. "Anytime you can contain these guys the way that we did today – we're talking about [a] three-time champ. A lot of respect for those guys. Coach Holtz has done a good job with that organization. Hats off to those guys, but our guys wanted it more."
Next up for the Defenders will be a date with the Memphis Showboats, who lost their season opener to the Michigan Panthers, 26-12.
Meanwhile, the Stallions will travel to Detroit to take on the Panthers in a game that will be critical to the USFL conference's early season power structure.
UFL OPENS SECOND SEASON: How previous start-up pro football leagues have fared
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How DC Defenders upset Birmingham Stallions in UFL Week 1
Continue reading...
