The defending champion Birmingham Stallions find themselves in a familiar position with two games left in the USFL regular season — sitting atop the South Division at 6-2.
The Stallions can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Houston Gamblers in Memphis on Sunday (2 p.m. ET) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
At 5-3, the Gamblers remain in the playoff hunt, but they need a victory to keep up with the rest of the division, as one of either New Orleans or Memphis will be 6-3 after they play each other this weekend. Houston head coach Curtis Johnson has his team playing well down the backstretch of the schedule, with the Gamblers winning five of their last six games.
Here’s one thing to watch for each team heading into this weekend’s contest.
Stallions: Alex McGough has offense peaking at the right time
The Florida native has been the engine driving Birmingham’s offense and likely is the frontrunner for league MVP.
McGough leads the league in passing touchdowns (16) and completion percentage (68.1%) and is third in passing yards (1,614). He’s also been productive as a runner, totaling 337 yards on the ground with four scores.
But what has elevated Birmingham’s offense to another level has been McGough’s ability to get other playmakers involved. Running back C.J. Marable has become a bigger part of the offense, with 631 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.
Tight end Jace Sternberger has proven a lethal red zone threat, with 26 catches for 375 receiving yards and five scores. And McGough has developed a good rapport with receiver Davion Davis, who has totaled 27 receptions for 437 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The Stallions need all three of those pass-catchers and McGough clicking against a Houston defense that is holding teams to 19 points per contest over the last six games.
Gamblers: Can Houston get Kenji Bahar and the passing game on track?
Running back Mark Thompson has been an unstoppable force as a runner for the Gamblers. He leads the USFL with 13 touchdowns since returning from an injury and making his season debut in Week 3. However, the Gamblers could use some big plays in the passing game to keep defenses from loading the box to stop their big bruising back.
Bahar finished with 11-of-20 for 146 passing yards and a touchdown in Houston’s close win over the Pittsburgh Maulers last week. For the season, he has completed 59.2% of his passes for 1,326 yards, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
One thing working in Houston’s favor is the Gamblers are 4-2 in one-score games. So, execution down the stretch by Bahar, Thompson and other impact players has been more good than bad so far this season with a playoff berth still within reach.
