With 40 seconds to play on Saturday, St. Louis outside linebacker Chris Garrett blocked a punt by Birmingham’s Drue Chrisman to give the Battlehawks the football at the Stallions 47-yard line trailing by four points.

That set the stage for the kind of comeback victory that St. Louis quarterback AJ McCarron has become accustomed to delivering since joining the Battlehawks last season.

And adding electricity to the storyline was the United Football League game’s location – Protective Stadium in Birmingham. A former All-American and national-championship quarterback at Alabama, McCarron also was a prep star at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile, and Saturday’s United Football League game was his first action in his home state since the Kick Six Iron Bowl in 2013.

But about seven minutes of game time before the blocked punt, McCarron had walked to the sideline and told the St. Louis coaches: “Hey, my ankle’s broken.”

Despite his injury proclamation, McCarron did not miss a snap. But he couldn’t deliver the dramatic game-winning drive either as Birmingham stayed undefeated 30-26 victory.

McCarron did not speak at St. Louis’ postgame press conference, as he usually does, as the Battlehawks said he was receiving treatment. Coach Anthony Becht did not provide an update on the quarterback during his postgame remarks.

“I know he wanted to deliver today,” Becht said, “and we just came up short. …

“He’s been doing it his whole life. He’s played in front of 100-plus thousand fans. He can deal with 10 or 12 (thousand), and most of them were cheering for him. That’s good, you know? I know he wanted this one. I know he wanted to bring this one home.”

McCarron’s return to Alabama was used as a marketing tool by the UFL, and with a reported attendance of 14,056, Birmingham had its biggest crowd of the season.

About two hours after the game ended, a statement from St. Louis said McCarron had sustained a left ankle injury and would undergo further evaluation.

McCarron had just completed a third-and-8 pass to wide receiver Hakeem Butler for a 15-yard gain to the Birmingham 22-yard line when he was taken down by Stallions nose tackle Carlos Davis on an incompletion.

Davis hit McCarron in the shins, then rolled the QB over holding his legs and got a roughing-the-passer penalty. St. Louis running back Jacob Saylors scored on a 7-yard run on the next snap to give the Battlehawks a 26-23 lead with 7:43 to play.

McCarron made his ankle announcement after the conversion try and went into the sideline medical tent.

After a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adrian Martinez to wide receiver Kelvin Austin Jr. allowed Birmingham to take a 4-point lead with 5:23 remaining, an 8-yard loss on a sack, an 8-yard run by Saylors and an incompletion on a long pass gave the Battlehawks their first three-and-out since the opening possession. St. Louis punted with 3:10 remaining.

But Garrett’s blocked punt gave the Battlehawks an opportunity to pin the first loss of the season on Birmingham. A 7-yard completion to Saylors was followed by a run for 1 gain by McCarron as the quarterback somehow eluded a sack. But with St. Louis out of timeouts, the next snap had to be a spike to stop the clock.

A fourth-down throw to wide receiver Jahcour Person was broken up by linebacker Kyahva Tezino with 11 seconds left to seal the Stallions’ victory.

McCarron finished the game 19-of-32 passing for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He ran for 24 yards on two carries, and his scrambling allowed him to throw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Saylors as the Battlehawks took a 20-17 lead with 6:17 left in the third quarter.

The Battlehawks face the D.C. Defenders at 11 a.m. May 19 at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. ABC will televise the game.

At 5-2, St. Louis will be at least tied for the XFL Conference lead after the United Football League’s Week 7 games are completed. But it remains to be seen if the Battlehawks will have their starting quarterback against D.C.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team (31-18, 11-14) looks to take its series against the LSU Tigers (32-19, 9-16) and keep its Hoover and potentially hosting bids alive on Saturday afternoon. 

The Crimson Tide took Game 1 in walk off fashion. The contest was a back-and-forth battle until Alabama scored five unanswered runs in the eighth and ninth to win the game 8-7. 

Alabama left-handed pitcher Zane Adams (4-3, 4.71 ERA) will start on the mound. The freshman is making his 15th appearance and 12th start of the year. In his 49.2 innings pitched, Adams has allowed 50 hits, 31 runs (26 earned), walked 18 batters, and struck out 35. 

For LSU, right-handed pitcher Luke Holman (6-3, 2.84 ERA) will start on the mound. Holman, who spent his freshman and sophomore campaigns at the Capstone, will be making his 13th appearance and start for the Tigers. In his 66.2 innings pitched, the junior has allowed 41 hits, 28 runs (21 earned), walked 26 batters, and struck out 98. 

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Pregame: 

Who: Alabama Crimson Tide (31-18, 11-14) and LSU Tigers (32-19, 9-16).

When:
Friday, May 10 at 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 11 at 4 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 12 at 1 p.m. CT. 

Where: Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 

TV: SEC Network+.

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network on Tide 100.9 FM. Roger Hoover will be on the call.

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – McNeese men’s basketball, hot off their best season in program history, added arguably their biggest matchup in program history on Saturday, a visit to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide, another team hot off their best season in program history following a trip to the Final Four for the first time.

Alabama is the second SEC team that McNeese has scheduled for next season, the first being a matchup against Mississippi State in Tupelo in December.

Will Wade and the Cowboys are making it a point this offseason to schedule more difficult competition, in addition to games at Alabama and Mississippi State, the Pokes also scheduled the Paradise Jam, a tournament that includes Kansas State, UAB (who McNeese beat in 2022-23), Liberty, George Washington, and Illinois State.

The November 11th matchup in Tuscaloosa will be the first time McNeese and Alabama have played one another, but not the first time Will Wade has played the Crimson Tide.

Will Wade coached teams vs. Alabama (all while at LSU):

• January 13th, 2018: Alabama 74, LSU 66
• February 13th, 2018: Alabama 80, LSU 65
• January 8th, 2019: LSU 88, Alabama 79
• March 2nd, 2019: LSU 74, Alabama 69
• January 29th, 2020: LSU 90, Alabama 76
• February 15th, 2020: Alabama 88, LSU 82
• January 19th, 2021: Alabama 105, LSU 75
• February 3rd, 2021: Alabama 78, LSU 60
• March 14th, 2021: Alabama 80, LSU 79
  • SEC Tournament Championship
• January 19th, 2022: Alabama 70, LSU 67
• March 5th, 2022: LSU 80, Alabama 77 (Overtime)

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