By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun, July 30, 1995

   This was supposed to be a new Birmingham team, nothing like the one the Baltimore Stallions blew out in an exhibition game five weeks ago.
   Last night at Legion field, the expansion Barracudas faced Baltimore in a battle for supremacy in the Canadian Football League's Southern Division, and the Stallions brushed Birmingham aside with ease once more, 36-8, before 30,729. Birmingham (3-2) certainly has improved since its unsettled preseason, which concluded with a 37-0 loss to Baltimore. But maybe the Stallions have improved that much more. 
   Despite the return of quarterback Matt Dunigan - who missed the Barracudas' preseason with a finger injury and had returned to lead the Birmingham to two straight victories before last night - the Stallions had little difficulty, even on a night when plenty went wrong with them.
   Quarterback Tracy Ham left the game midway through the third quarter after taking a shot to the head, but not before he had thrown three first-half touchdown passes - two to slotback Chris Armstrong - to lead the Stallions to a commanding 27-8 half-time lead. Just before Ham walked off the field and gave way to quarterback Shawn Jones, the Stallions (4-1) lost rush end Elfrid Payton to an ejection after he got into a fight following a Baltimore punt return. That didn't stop the Stallions' defense from dominating Birmingham, who, except for a brief, second-quarter flurry, could not muster much of an attack. 
   The Barracudas' highlight came when Dunigan connected with Delius Morris for a 28-yard touchdown that cut Baltimore's lead to 20-8 with 4:09 left in the half. After that, Baltimore controlled the proceedings, especially running back Mike Pringle, the CFL's leading rusher who enjoyed his first 100-yard game of the season. 
   Despite Dunigan, the first quarter resembled last month's preseason rout by Baltimore, as the Stallions scored on their first three possessions and stuffed the Barracudas' offense early while taking a 13-0 lead on the way to the rout. 
   The win gave Baltimore sole possession of first place in the Southern Division, knocking the Barracudas into a tie for second with Memphis.
   Pringle, who ran through gaping holes throughout the first half, started the Stallions' opening drive with runs of seven and 14 yards to move the ball across midfield. A pass interference penalty against Birmingham put the Stallions' on the Barracudas' 11, where the drive stalled after a delay of game penalty against Baltimore. Kicker Carlos Huerta salvaged the drive with a 14-yard field goal, giving the Stallions a 3-0 lead with 12:19 left in the quarter. 
   The Barracudas' first play, a screen pass from Dunigan to running back Keith Woodside, resulted in a 12-yard loss, and Birmingham quickly punted. The Stallions, who began their next drive just shy of midfield, wasted little time capitalizing on fine field position. Pringle rambled for 11 yards over the right side. On the next play, Shannon Culver beat Andre Strode down the left sideline, and Ham hit Culver in stride for a 45-yard touchdown. Huerta kicked the convert, and five minutes into the game, the Stallions held a 10-0 advantage. 
   Payton made his presence felt next, when he chased down Dunigan for a 14-yard loss, Payton's eighth sack of the season. The Barracudas punted again. Huerta flexed his kicking muscles on Baltimore's next possession. On second down, Ham ran around the left end for 14 yards to the Birmingham 40. A five-yard run by Pringle and a seven-yard completion from Ham to Armstrong were nullified by an illegal block by Baltimore. Huerta came on to kick a 49-yard field goal, barely clearing the crossing bar, but giving the Stallions a 13-0 lead with 4:34 left in the quarter. The Barracudas finally scored early in the second quarter, although kicker Franco Grilla cost them by missing a 32-yard field goal. But the ball sailed out of the end zone for a single to make it 13-1.
   Pringle then took over on Baltimore's next drive, collecting 54 of his 98 first-half rushing yards on that march alone. He started the drive with two runs for 11 yards to the Baltimore 46. Ham then teamed up with Armstrong for 16 yards, which set the stage for Pringle again. First, he burst up the middle for a 23-yard gain. Next, he ripped off 20 more yards to the Barracudas' 5. On the next play, Ham dropped back, scrambled to his right, and found Armstrong, who made a diving catch in the end zone. Huerta's convert gave the Stallions a 20-1 lead. 
   Birmingham finally got its offense untracked late in the second quarter on three impressive passes by Dunigan, who moved the Barracudas 84 yards in the process. Dunigan hit Morris with the 28-yard scoring pass, as Morris beat halfback Ken Watson deep in the end zone. Grilla's convert made it 20-8 with 4:09 left. 
   Baltimore's offensive line then went into a funk by collecting three holding penalties over the next two minutes over two possessions. The last infraction backed the Stallions up to their 15, but punter Josh Miller halted Birmingham's momentum by uncorking a 70-yard punt, putting the Barracudas on their 25. The Barracudas then compounded their troubles.
   First, Dunigan threw unwisely into tight, man-to-man coverage, and halfback Charles Anthony stepped in front of Phillips for an interception at the Birmingham 29. The Stallions were hit with another holding penalty, but the Barracudas returned the favor. After Ham's pass to Culver fell incomplete, Strode shoved Culver and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Stallions a first down at the Birmingham 24. Four plays later, with eight seconds left, Ham connected with Armstrong for the second time to make it 27-8 at the half. 

Hitting the road 
   Last night's game marked the start of the toughest road trip for the Stallions, who travel to play Edmonton on Wednesday, then finish the trip Sunday against undefeated Calgary, the Northern Division leader. On top of the lengthy travel, Baltimore is up against stiff competition. going into last night's game, the Stallions' three road foes had a combined record of 11-2. Baltimore isn't alone. Birmingham, having beaten Hamilton and Saskatchewan to pull into a first-place tie with the Stallions before last night, is about to find out just how good its team really is. Starting with the Baltimore game, the Barracudas will face three of the CFL's finest teams over the next four weeks. After playing the Stallions, Birmingham will play in British Columbia on Thursday, then will meet Calgary on back-to-back weekends later in August. "This could be an overwhelming stretch for us," Birmingham coach Jack Pardee said. 

Off and running 
   The Stallions have broken seven team records and equaled five others. Last week against Winnipeg, punter Josh Miller broke his own records for the longest punt (80 yards), best average (51.8) and best net average (49.0). Linebacker Tracey Gravely's total of 13 defensive tackles in Week 3 against San Antonio was tops in club history. So was running back Mike Pringle's 86-yard run that night. In Baltimore's home opener earlier this month, Chris Wright's 69-yard punt return for a touchdown marked a franchise best. The same night, kicker Carlos Huerta kicked a team-best 51-yard field goal. Wright, an early candidate for the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award, has accounted for 11 "big plays," which the teams counts as plays covering 25 yards or more. Before last night, Wright was leading the league in all-purpose yards (774), total return yards (662) and punt return average (16.7). 

STALLIONS' DEFENSE SPREADS PRAISE 
Line, backfield stellar in rout 

By Gary Lambrecht
Baltimore Sun, July 31, 1995

   Baltimore Stallions halfback Charles Anthony said the credit should go to the defensive line. Linebacker O.J. Brigance, who spent the evening performing well at his old defensive end position, gave the highest praise to the backfield behind him. The bottom line is that both parts of the Baltimore defense combined on a stellar performance in Saturday's 36-8 rout of the Birmingham Barracudas. 
   It was a show that, besides putting Baltimore (4-1) alone atop the Canadian Football League's Southern Division for the first time this season, solidified the Stallions as the league's premier defense. 
   The Stallions have surrendered only 21 points in the past 10 quarters. Birmingham (3-2) entered on a two-game winning streak, having scored 75 points in those victories behind quarterback Matt Dunigan. The Barracudas finished with a bruised run-and-shoot offense that produced only 10 first downs, 11 rushing yards and 150 total yards. 
   "To go in there and give up only eight points, the defense just did a spectacular job. That was the main part of what happened out there," Baltimore coach Don Matthews said. "We've got a good defense, and our coaches did a great job of putting together a great game plan with a big-time pressure package." 
   The Stallions did nothing fancy. They countered Birmingham's one-back, five-receiver set by playing with six defensive backs and one fewer linebacker. They assigned their defensive backs to cover the Barracudas man-to-man all night and relied on a four-man rush to bother Dunigan. 
   "That's the way most teams will probably play them," Matthews said. But most teams probably will not succeed as brilliantly as the Stallions did. They sacked Dunigan four times, intercepted him three times - by three different defensive backs - and overcame injuries and other problems while doing it. 
   Early in the second half, Baltimore lost rush end Elfrid Payton to an ejection for fighting after a Baltimore punt return. Later, cornerback Irv Smith departed with some lower back pain, although Smith did return. Cornerback Gary Wilkerson did not return after pulling his left hamstring in the fourth quarter. No big deal. Cornerback Corris Ervin, just activated off the practice squad, stepped into Wilkerson's spot and played well, knocking down a deep pass as Dunigan tested him quickly.
   Brigance, originally penciled in to share time with strong-side end Grant Carter, ended up playing in Payton's spot for most of the second half and looked like the rush end who was one of Baltimore's most consistent players last year. "We have athletes all over the field, guys everywhere who can step in," said Brigance, who sacked Dunigan in the end zone in the fourth quarter for a safety. "A lot of teams can't play that much man defense, but we have guys in the backfield who can cover one-on-one, and that gives us time to pressure the quarterback. That's a real asset." 
   Anthony begged to differ. "I give all of the accolades to the defensive line. They made our job easier all night," he said. "With all the receivers they [Barracudas] use, they try to mix you up, get your defense thinking about too many things. The advantage is having a line like we have. It was just our night." Baltimore's offense didn't exactly take a back seat.
   Behind running back Mike Pringle's season-high 137 rushing yards and Ham's three first-half touchdown passes, the Stallions scored the game's first 13 points, then rolled up 450 yards. "We executed just like it was drawn up," Pringle said. Now it's on to the toughest leg of this 10-day road trip for the Stallions, who take on the powers of the Northern Division. 
   On Wednesday, Baltimore will play in Edmonton, then will face undefeated Calgary on Sunday. "This was a big test for us," Brigance said. "These next two games are really huge." 
   NOTES: Matthews said he doesn't expect Wilkerson to play Wednesday. He also was upset at Payton for the flagrant foul that caused his ejection. There's no excuse for it. A bad, bad decision. Certainly, the league will fine him a sizable amount."... In their four victories, the Stallions have outscored their opponents, 157-62...Punter Josh Miller averaged 50.1 yards on nine punts and hit punts of 70, 65 and 58 in succession ... Linebacker Jason Bryant (sprained ankle) is questionable for the Edmonton game, Irv Smith (back) and offensive tackle Shar Pourdanesh (twisted right ankle) are expected to play.