Kenneth Farrow II literally carried the San Antonio Commanders in his hands last Sunday as they dealt erstwhile unbeaten Birmingham Iron its first loss at the Alliance of American Football, 12-11, at Legion Field.

Running back sensation Farrow rushed for an AAF record 142 yards off 30 carries to propel San Antonio to a bounce-back win and earn a share of lead at the Western Conference with Arizona Hotshots and San Diego Fleet at 2-2.

"Kenneth is a very solid back. We have good running backs and Ken is a good example of that group. Ken had a special night," said Commanders' head coach Mike Riley, whose team now split their four-game road trip at 1-1.

The Commanders orchestrated a balanced attack, needing both of its offense and defense, to send Birmingham in the losing side for the first time this season.

Safety Orion Stewart sealed the deal for San Antonio as he intercepted Iron's quarterback Luis Perez and returned it for 22 yards after the latter tried The Alliance's new fourth-down onside coversion.

"We definitely needed this win. If we would have lost three straight, you have no idea how a team’s mentality would have turned out. That was a damn big win for us," quipped Stewart, who went on to finish with two tackles, a pass deflection, and the game-winning interception.

San Antonio was the first to rack up points in their low-scoring affair against Birmingham after kicker Nick Rose booted a 39-yard field goal in the opening quarter before Iron's own's Nick Novak tied the game at 3-3 at the half.

Farrow's partner-in-crime at the backfield Trey Williams would then score the tiebreaking touchdown at the third quarter before Rose extended the Commanders' lead to 12-3.

Birmingham inched closer in setting up what could have been a blockbuster all-undefeated matchup against the Orlando Apollos next week after Trent Richardson rushed for his seventh touchdown in the season, but the Iron failed to deliver in their last play and was eventually relegated to the second spot at the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 card.

Commanders' Corner: The Offense

Unlike the last two games, where San Antonio suffered back-to-back losses, coach Riley and his staff were able to fully utilize all of its squad in the offense.

From the Commanders' offensive line to their running backs, wide receivers, and quarterback Logan Woodside, everything seemed to have worked in their favor.

Woodside led San Antonio for the fourth time as a starter despite completing only 11 of his 25 attempts for 106 yards.

The Toledo alum was responsible for the Commanders' time-efficient offense last weekend, who incorporated a well-managed control of the clock during the final quarter where Birmingham was slowly knocking on their lead.

“I love to take shots, but I’m just here to do whatever I’m asked to do,” Woodside said. “If I’m asked to go and make a big throw, that’s what I’ll do and if I have to lead the team down for a big drive, I’ll try to do that. I’m here for whatever coach needs me to do.”

But, the spotlight belonged to Farrow and Williams, who combined for 162 yards, and outran the Iron's running backs who only had a total of 85 yards.

Farrow made Birmingham's top two run defense look like a cotton wall after averaging 4.7 yards per carry and even highlighting a 26-yard run.

Williams, who also scored a touchdown for the second straight game, had nothing but praises for his running mate.

"For Kenneth to be able to do that, that's a heck of a statement. It's not surprising to see him do that and he's a player that's going to make us better," Williams remarked to Farrow, who is now seven yards short of overtaking Richardson's 287-yard league-leading total rushing record.

Commanders' Corner: The Defense

Had Stewart failed to pick off Perez in Birmingham's last play, the Commanders would now probably be left at the bottom of the standings and lose three straight games.

But, defensive coordinator Jim Grobe drew just what they wanted as they kept on forcing Perez to throw in tight throws as well as limit Richardson's explosive ground control.

The Commanders picked Perez twice in the night to elevate their season total to six, tying the Apollos with the most number of interceptions in the league so far.

San Antonio's first interception came off in the third quarter as cornerback Zack Sanchez picked off Perez's 19-yard throw to DeVozea Felton which culminated the Commanders' seven-play, 77-yard drive that ended in Williams' touchdown.

“Teams still don’t think we’re that good on the back end and we love that. We love the challenge. The more opportunities we get, we’re going to come down with more than they do.

"Overall I thought we played really well on the back end," Sanchez said.

Commanders' Corner: The Special Teams

San Antonio's specialists have had just one theme this season—and, that is Rose's impressive status as the league's best kicker.

The former Los Angeles kicker has yet to miss a single field goal after going two-for-two once again last week.

Wide receiver Greg Ward Jr. also made a remarkable highlight after dashing for a 23-yard punt return, while Joseph Zema punted six times highlighted by a couple of 20-yarders and a touchback.

UP NEXT: San Antonio continues its four-game road trip at the Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona in a battle between Western Conference leaders.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @KristoffBellen.