BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Orlando Apollos left no doubt Saturday about which team currently is the best in the Alliance of American Football.
Quarterback Garrett Gilbert went 23 of 35 passing for 286 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Apollos to a 31-14 win at the Birmingham Iron in a matchup of the teams with the best records in the AAF.
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Orlando is not only the only unbeaten team in the league at 5-0, but all other teams in the AAF have at least two losses.
De'Veon Smith ran for 119 yards on 14 carries to flank Gilbert for the Apollos.
The Apollos jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Gilbert to Scott Orndoff and a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Keith Reaser.
The Apollos took a 20-8 lead at halftime before Birmingham closed to within 20-14, but the Iron (3-2) couldn’t get any closer after that.
Following a 27-yard field goal by Elliott Fry with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Gilbert hit Charles Johnson for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 8:33 remaining in the game.
A subsequent 2-point conversion pass gave the Apollos a 31-14 lead.