The Birmingham Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars by three points in last year’s USFL Championship Game, and they did it again on Saturday in a clash between the league’s division leaders.

Tight end La’Michael Pettway caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex McGough with 28 seconds remaining to lift the Stallions to a 27-24 victory over the Stars on Saturday at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

In the USFL’s other Week 8 games:

· After making four field goals, including 3-pointers from 53 and 54 yards, Pittsburgh’s Chris Blewitt missed a 41-yard attempt with 1:50 to play as the Houston Gamblers hung on for a 20-19 victory over the Maulers on Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Houston’s Mark Thompson ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, including a 33-yard score with 4:44 to play that, after Nick Vogel’s PAT, gave the Gamblers their one-point margin of victory. In a game without a turnover, Pittsburgh lost even though it had the football for 19:34 more than Houston. Blewitt also had field goals of 33 and 22 yards after the Maulers had first-and-goal situations from the Gamblers 9- and 10-yard lines without finding the end zone.

· Alex Kessman made six field goals as the Memphis Showboats recorded their fifth straight victory in a 25-16 win over the New Jersey Generals on Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Kessman connected on field goals of 29, 37, 30, 38, 38 and 23 yards as Memphis’ offense had the football 21:30 longer than New Jersey but converted only one of its five red-zone possessions into a touchdown. Running back Kerrith Whyte had 102 yards and one touchdown on 23 rushing attempts for the Showboats.

· Three second-quarter touchdowns allowed the New Orleans Breakers to beat the Michigan Panthers 24-20 on Sunday at Protective Stadium. On the three touchdown drives as New Orleans built a 21-0 lead, Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 13-of-13 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns. In the rest of the game, he completed 12-of-21 passes for 134 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. New Orleans wide receivers Johnnie Dixon had nine receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns and Jonathan Adams had eight receptions for 117 yards. Michigan had possession twice trailing 24-20 in the fourth quarter, but two sacks ruined a first-and-10 at the Breakers 25 and safety Jarey Elder intercepted Panthers QB Josh Love’s long pass from the New Orleans 43 on the final snap of the game.

After Pettway’s touchdown, Birmingham cornerback Nate Brooks intercepted Philadelphia quarterback Case Cookus’ long throw on the final snap of the game to end the only fourth-quarter possession that did not finish with points.

The Stallions took a 17-14 lead five seconds into the final period on McGough’s 10-yard TD pass to tight end Jace Sternberger. A 71-yard completion from McGough to wide receiver Davion Davis set up the score.

Philadelphia had to settle for a tying field goal of 25 yards by Luis Aguilar with 7:25 left after reaching first-and-goal at the Birmingham 9-yard line. Brandon Aubrey’s 41-yard field goal with 4:35 remaining put the Stallions up 20-17.

Three consecutive completions by Cookus moved the Stars 52 yards and back into the lead with 3:05 to play, with running back Dexter Williams scoring on a 7-yard reception.

A 23-yard McGough-to-Sternberger connection on fourth-and-8 with 46 seconds to play pushed Birmingham to the Philadelphia 12-yard line to set up the winning score.

McGough completed 24-of-35 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Davis had four receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown.

Cookus, who suffered a broken leg in the Stars’ 33-30 loss to the Stallions in the league championship game on July 3, completed 20-of-32 passes for 265 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Corey Coleman had four receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown for Philadelphia.

While Birmingham had to win to keep sole possession of first place in the USFL South with two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Stars lost and still have a one-game lead in the USFL North.

The Stallions have the league’s best record at 6-2, but the other teams in its division – the Breakers, Gamblers and Showboats – own 5-3 marks as the South swept the North in four interdivision games in Week 8. In the North, Philadelphia has a 4-4 record with the Panthers at 3-5 and Generals and Maulers at 2-6.

Players from Alabama high schools and colleges in the USFL’s Week 8 games included:

Houston Gamblers 20, Pittsburgh Maulers 19

· Gamblers tight end Brandon Barnes (Russell County, Alabama State) did not record any stats.

· Gamblers defensive tackle Tim Bonner (Demopolis) made four tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Maulers offensive lineman Xavier Dampeer (Auburn) did not record any stats.

· Maulers linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn High, Alabama) made three tackles.

· Maulers defensive back Sedevyn Gray (West Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Gamblers safety Bydarrius Knighten (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive. Houston signed Knighten last week.

· Gamblers kicker Nick Vogel (UAB) made two of his three extra-point kicks.

Birmingham Stallions 27, Philadelphia Stars 24

· Stallions wide receiver Myron Mitchell (Jasper, UAB) had a punt return that netted minus-2 yards.

· Stars defensive tackle LaBryan Ray (James Clemens, Alabama) made one tackle and shared a sack.

· Running back Bo Scarbrough (Northridge, Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Stallions wide receiver Austin Watkins (UAB) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Wide receiver Marlon Williams (McGill-Toolen) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Memphis Showboats 25, New Jersey Generals 16

· Generals guard Calvin Ashley (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Generals tight end Braedon Bowman (South Alabama) caught three passes for 18 yards.

· Showboats defensive end Big Kat Bryant (Auburn) made one tackle.

· Generals linebacker Jalen Choice (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville State) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Generals cornerback Blake Countess (Auburn) is on the injured list and not eligible to play.

· Generals running back Kingston Davis (Prattville, UAB/Miles) made two tackles on special teams.

· Generals wide receiver Cam Echols-Luper (Auburn High) had a 16-yard reception.

· Generals safety Trae Elston (Oxford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Showboats wide receiver John Franklin III (Auburn) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Showboats running back Ezra Gray (Alabama State) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Showboats safety T.J. Green (Sylacauga) made four tackles and broke up one pass.

· Generals tight end Wes Saxton (Hueytown, South Alabama) had a 16-yard reception.

· Generals nose tackle Tyrone Truesdell (Auburn) made seven tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Generals cornerback Christian Tutt (Auburn) made two tackles.

· Showboats tight end Jay Jay Wilson (Auburn) caught three passes for 43 yards. On a first-quarter kickoff return, Wilson caused New Jersey’s Warren Newman to fumble, with Memphis recovering the football on the Generals 33-yard line to set up a field goal for a 6-3 lead.

New Orleans Breakers 24, Michigan Panthers 20

· Breakers wide receiver Dee Anderson (Alabama A&M) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Breakers defensive tackle Connor Christian (Jacksonville State) made one tackle.

· Breakers quarterback Aqeel Glass (Alabama A&M) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Brodarious Hamm (Auburn) started at right offensive tackle for the Panthers.

· Kirk Kelley (Troy) started at left guard for the Breakers.

· Michigan defensive tackle Garrett Marino (UAB) made four tackles and recorded two tackles for loss.

· Breakers linebacker Zakoby McClain (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Breakers guard Steven Rowzee (Troy) did not record any stats.

· Breakers linebacker Shaheed Salmon (Samford) made four tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Breakers tight end Jared Scott (Jacksonville State) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Breakers wide receiver Eli Stove (Auburn) had a 4-yard rushing attempt and returned four kickoffs for 101 yards, including a 48-yarder.

In the USFL’s Week 9 games:

· The Panthers and Maulers meet at 11 a.m. CDT Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. FOX will televise the game.

· The Breakers and Showboats square off at 2 p.m. Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. NBC will televise the game.

· The Stallions and Gamblers play at 1 p.m. Sunday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. NBC will televise the game.

· The Stars and Generals face off at 6 p.m. Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. FOX will televise the game.

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