The march to the 2023 USFL Championship Game has concluded, with the final two teams now set to face off. The North Division's representative in the big game was decided on Saturday night when the Pittsburgh Maulers outlasted the Michigan Panthers,31-27, in an overtime thriller. Now the Maulers have a chance to complete an incredible worst-to-first turnaround after a 1-9 campaign in 2022. They'll face the Birmingham Stallions, looking to defend their 2022 championship after trouncing the New Orleans Breakers, 47-22, on Sunday in the South Division Championship.
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Saturday, July 1, 2023
Pittsburgh Maulers vs. Birmingham Stallions -6.5, OU 46
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, the Birmingham Stallions will face the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff time is set for 8 p.m. ET with television coverage on NBC and Peacock.
Last week the Pittsburgh Maulers beat the Michigan Panthers 31-27 as 3-point favorites in the USFL North Division championship game playoff. The game went over the total of 36.5. In the regular season, Pittsburgh had a record of 4-6, good for 1st place in the USFL North Division. Pittsburgh has USFL metrics of 8th for offensive yardage, 4th for rushing yardage, 8th for passing yardage, and 7th for scoring offense. On defense, Pittsburgh ranks 1st for total yards allowed, 2nd for rushing yards allowed, 1st for passing yards allowed, and 1st for points permitted.
Last week the Birmingham Stallions beat the New Orleans Breakers by a score of 47-22 as 3-point favorites in the USFL South Division championship game playoff. In the regular season, Birmingham had a record of 8-2, good for 1st place in the USFL South Division. Birmingham has USFL metrics of 1st for offensive yardage, 3rd for rushing yardage, 2nd for passing yardage, and 1st for scoring offense. On defense, Birmingham ranks 7th for total yards allowed, 7th for rushing yards allowed, 6th for passing yards allowed, and 3rd for points permitted.
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The best offense in the USFL takes on the top defense in the league when the Birmingham Stallions face the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL championship game on Saturday, 8 p.m. ET in Canton, Ohio, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Stallions finished with the best regular-season record in the league at 8-2, then beat down the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL South title game, 47-22 in front of Birmingham’s hometown fans at Protective Stadium.
Led by playmaking quarterback Alex McGough, Birmingham seeks to defend its USFL title from last season. The Stallions are 20-3 under head coach Skip Holtz, averaging a league-best 28.7 points a game during the 2023 season.
The Maulers (5-6) have been the surprise team in the league, winning the North division title with a 31-27 overtime victory over the Michigan Panthers on Saturday. Pittsburgh finished last in the division last year at 1-9, and with new head coach Ray Horton, the Maulers now find themselves one win away from a worst-to-first turnaround.
The Stallions won the only contest between these two teams during the regular season, a 24-20 victory over Pittsburgh in Week 5 in Canton.
However, Pittsburgh’s defense kept McGough from wrecking the game. The Florida native finished with just 157 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
Maulers quarterback Troy Williams finished 21 of 33 for 217 passing yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions in that contest. Williams also ran for 63 yards.
Deon Cain’s 91-yard kickoff return for a score in the fourth quarter was the difference in the game.
The Maulers finished the regular season as the top team in the USFL in takeaways, with 20. Pittsburgh’s defense forced McGough into two interceptions in the earlier matchup and will likely need to do something similar to have a chance in the title game.
Specifically, McGough’s ability to extend plays with his feet and keep the chains moving has been a key part of Birmingham’s offense. McGough was responsible for 394 yards and five touchdowns in his team’s runaway win over the Breakers.
The Maulers will have to devise a scheme that keeps McGough in the pocket, whether it’s using a spy on the quarterback defensively or disguised blitzes that confuse the mobile signal caller and slow down his decision making.
Birmingham has averaged 37 points in the playoffs over the last two years. The Maulers held Birmingham to 281 total yards and an average of 4.7 yards per play in a close loss to the Stallions earlier this year.
The Maulers finished a league-worst 29.7% in the red zone during the regular season but converted 3-of-4 red zone opportunities in the win over Michigan.
Birmingham ran 30 times for a season-high 245 rushing yards against New Orleans. The Maulers held Michigan to 40 rushing yards last week.
Bookmaker Best Bet: Birmingham Stallions
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