It might be a stretch to call what happened at Protective Stadium on Sunday the Mother’s Day Miracle in the Magic City. But it wasn’t far from it as the Birmingham Stallions scored the final 27 points in a 33-25 victory over the Houston Roughnecks, including 12 in the last 115 seconds.

The Stallions staged the biggest comeback in United Football League history as they overcame a 19-point deficit.

“The game is 60 minutes long,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said, “and we have almost mastered the art on how to try to use every one of those 60 minutes to try to find a way to win a football game. We have a team that will never say die, will never quit.”

Quarterback J’Mar Smith didn’t just come off the bench to complete the Stallions’ rally. He came out of retirement.

Before Sunday, Smith’s most recent pass for Birmingham had been a 7-yard completion to Marlon Williams in the second quarter of a 27-10 victory over the New Jersey Generals on April 15, 2023.

Smith’s first action of the 2025 season was a third-and-5 incompletion after starter Case Cookus went to the sideline injury tent. Harrison Mevis made a 52-yard field goal on the next snap to cut Houston’s lead to 25-21.

After a Houston punt, Smith and Birmingham took possession at their 25-yard line with 5:13 to play. The Roughnecks sacked Smith on the first snap. Then came a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Deon Cain for a first down, an 11-yard scramble by Smith for a first down and, after an incompletion, a 32-yard completion to tight end Jace Sternberger to the Roughnecks 9-yard line.

After an 8-yard completion, Smith put Birmingham in front for the first time on Sunday with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:55 to play. An unsuccessful 1-point conversion run left the Stallions up 27-25.

“I thought he showed poise, I thought he stood in the pocket, I thought he did some really good things,” Holtz said of Smith. “… I think he reverted back to all the football knowledge that he has, and I thought he did an unbelievable job of standing in there. For a guy who got here Monday, I thought he did a great job.”

On the ensuing kickoff, Birmingham cornerback Mario Goodrich punched the football away from returner Lawrence Keys III, and safety Tre Norwood recovered for the Stallions. On the next snap, running back Ricky Person Jr. went over from 2 yards out to put Birmingham in front 33-25 with 1:40 remaining.

“One plus one equals two,” Smith said. “That’s what it is for me. Just go in there and execute. …

“Just go have fun. Try not to be too hard on myself and just do what I do.”

Birmingham’s QB No. 5 in 2025 had been the Stallions’ QB No. 1 in the 2022 USFL championship season. But Smith got hurt in 2023’s opening game, clearing the way for Alex McGough to win the USFL MVP Award for that season. Smith backed up Adrian Martinez and Matt Corral in 2024, and with the Stallions lining up McGough and Corral for the 2025 season, Smith retired.

But McGough got hurt in the second game, Corral got hurt in the fourth game and Andrew Peasley, who was backing up Cookus, got hurt last week. Smith had returned to serve as the emergency third quarterback the past two games, and Holtz chose to use Smith as the No. 2 QB for Sunday’s game over 2023 backup Jalen Morton, who had rejoined Birmingham on Monday.

“I’ve always wanted J’Mar on this roster,” said Holtz, who also coached Smith at Louisiana Tech. “Was disappointed when he made the decision that he did at the beginning of the season. I think that time was good for him. And ever since probably the third game, he has been texting me with regret about the decision he made and how much he wanted to be back involved. And I am just appreciative and grateful that those opportunities have showed up for him. I think the world of this guy. We’ve been together a long time. That’s how this gray got into this beard. …

“It’s great to see him get out there on the field and see him take control, take command, run the offense, run the huddle. He’s got a lot of natural leadership in him, and I thought he did a great job. I thought Case did a great job today, but was really proud to see J’Mar come in with so little work.”

The Stallions’ comeback started when Cookus connected with Sternberger for an 8-yard touchdown with three seconds left in the second quarter as Birmingham went into halftime trailing 25-12.

By the time Houston quarterback Jalan McClendon had an incomplete pass, the Roughnecks had an 18-6 lead.

McClendon went 6-of-6 as Houston moved 60 yards, including running back Zaquandre White’s 9-yard touchdown carry, on the Roughnecks’ first possession, and White ran 52 yards for a touchdown as Houston took a 12-6 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter. The Birmingham defense had yielded two rushing touchdowns this season before White had two in the first quarter on Sunday.

On the final play of the first quarter, Roughnecks cornerback Damon Arnette intercepted Cookus and ran 51 yards for a touchdown.

McClendon capped a nine-play 72-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keke Chism as Houston went ahead 25-6 with 5:54 left in the first half.

In the first half, the Roughnecks netted 196 yards on 24 snaps. In the second half, the Houston offense produced 46 yards on 18 snaps – and 13 of that came on a recovery of a forward fumble. Houston’s four second-half possessions resulted in three punts and a turnover on downs when Birmingham defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey sacked McClendon on the Roughnecks’ final snap.

“I thought the defense, after the first quarter, just really tightened up their belts and played outstanding,” Holtz said.

In contrast, Birmingham scored on five consecutive second-half possessions before kneeling out the final seconds, with Mevis getting the first three scores after halftime on field goals.

The Stallions ran for 142 yards in the game, with Person picking up 60 on 13 carries, with a touchdown on his final touch, and C.J. Marable going 48 yards on 10 carries. Marable scored Birmingham’s first points on a 9-yard run with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

Sunday’s game gave Houston an opportunity to catch Birmingham in the UFL standings. Instead, the Roughnecks dropped to 3-4 while the Stallions went to 5-2. Birmingham is tied with Michigan for the lead in the USFL Conference, owns a 21-12 victory over the Panthers on April 4 and meets Michigan again on May 24 in the next-to-last week of the regular season.

But before that, the Stallions will play the St. Louis Battlehawks at noon CDT Saturday at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. FOX will televise the game.

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