Alex McGough, Deon Cain lead Birmingham Stallions to second straight USFL championship
CANTON — There is a reason why Birmingham Stallions quarterback Alex McGough is this year's USFL Most Valuable Player.
McGough led the Stallions to the league championship for the second year in a row at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, throwing four touchdown passes Saturday night — three to Deon Cain. The duo helped propel the Stallions to a 28-12 win over the Pittsburgh Maulers in the title game.
Stallions head coach Skip Holtz mentioned McGough is one the best quarterbacks he's been around, comparing him to NFL quarterback Jeff Driskel back when Holtz coached Louisiana Tech. Holtz also said McGough is like an offensive coordinator to him by the way they work together.
"I think he's really talented, and yes, I believe that he is capable of being an NFL quarterback without a doubt," Holtz said.
McGough completed 18 of 25 passes for 243 yards. It was the perfect ending for the former NFL seventh-round quarterback who stepped into the starting QB role after J'Mar Smith went down earlier in the season. McGough credits his teammates and coaches around him for slowing the pace down and making his job easier once he became the leader of the team.
"The people played for each other. It helps everyone on the field," McGough said. "I could never sit here and say I did anything alone. I'm slowing something down. People are helping me. Everyone helps everyone."
The Maulers led 3-0 after one quarter, controlling the ball much of the quarter before McGough and the Stallions got going. Five minutes into the second quarter, McGough threw his first TD pass, hitting Davion Davis. The final three went to his go-to target, Cain.
Cain was selected MVP of the title game after three of his four receptions went for touchdowns, including a 40-yarder to seal the win for the Stallions with 6:28 left.
"I was blessed with the opportunity to return to the USFL and showcase my talent. I was blessed," Cain said. "I was talking to Coach Skip and Zachary Potter just to figure out the plan for me to help this football team win. They put me in the right way, embraced me, and to shine the best way I could, and I'm just grateful to have the opportunity and have these guys behind me to lead the way and have the confidence to go out and play on Saturdays and Sundays."
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While the Maulers held their own, especially defensively, they failed to find the end zone despite multiple opportunities. They depended on their kicker Chris Blewitt to put points on the board. Blewitt went 4-of-5 in field goals, the longest from 55 yards to end the first half and cut the Stallions' lead to 14-6.
Maulers quarterback Troy Williams was 24-of-37 throwing the ball. The Maulers, the North Division champs who were based in Canton this season, finish at 5-7 under first-year head coach Ray Horton.
"We're not going to take a backseat to anybody anymore. We are a very good team that's going to get better," Horton said. "Nobody is going to come in here and say that we have them guys. Do you know what they're going to say? 'We better strap it up.' "
The Stallions end their season 10-2. Holtz is 21-3, with two USFL titles under his belt.
"We don't try to go 21-3. We were just trying to win one game, and that's how we were going to win this game," Holtz said. "There will be highs and lows. I'm just proud of how these guys came together, how they competed, and what they were able to get done."
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Deon Cain, Alex McGough lead Birmingham Stallions to USFL title
