For the first time since the USFL returned to play in 2022, the Birmingham Stallions will not be playing for a spring football championship.
The Michigan Panthers beat the Stallions in a 44-29 shootout at the 2025 USFL conference championship game. The win marked Michigan’s first over Birmingham since the 2022 USFL season and was also the Stallions’ first-ever playoff loss under Skip Holtz during four combined seasons in the USFL and UFL.
‘This was a complete team effort,’ Panthers coach Mike Nolan said on the ABC broadcast after the win. ‘The players played their hearts out.’
The Stallions struggled to stop Michigan’s offense throughout Sunday’s matchup. The Panthers racked up 371 total yards while getting dominant performances from quarterback Bryce Perkins and running back Toa Taua.
Perkins made plenty of plays both through the air and on the ground. Notably, he hit Malik Turner in stride to create a 76-yard touchdown reception and also had an impressive, 29-yard scamper on a third-and-18 to keep alive a critical Panthers touchdown drive.
Meanwhile, the Panthers leaned on Taua throughout the game. The tough, downhill runner posted 85 rushing yards and scored three times, including a key fourth-quarter touchdown run that extended Michigan’s lead to 12 points after a run of 12 consecutive Birmingham points cut Michigan’s lead to 5.
While Holtz’s Stallions did what they could to stay in the game, turnovers ultimately killed their offense’s chances of competing. Starting quarterback J’Mar Smith was benched after throwing a pick-six to Kai Nacua that allowed Michigan to take a lead into halftime.
Matt Corral performed better after replacing Smith. However, he had two key, fourth-quarter turnovers that ended Birmingham’s chances of pulling off the 17-point comeback and brought to an end the Stallions’ streak of three consecutive spring league titles.
As for the Panthers, they snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Stallions and will now advance to the UFL championship game for the first time.
Nolan is happy to celebrate the victory, but the veteran coach knows it will take another strong performance to beat the winner of the XFL conference championship between the St. Louis Battlehawks and DC Defenders.
‘We’re gonna have to play the same team effort, team game to win and beat whoever it is we do play,’ Nolan said.
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