Inside the UFL

by Fran Stuchbury
May 8, 2025 - United Football League (UFL)

All four home teams emerged victorious in week six of the United Football League season, something that happened just twice last season.

In a defensive battle Friday, the St. Louis Battlehawks held on to a 12-6 victory over the Arlington Renegades.

"That's what divisional football looks at its finest," said Battlehawks Head Coach Anthony Becht. "I know from an offensive standpoint people will say that is nasty, but that was a defensive gem, it really was.

"It really starts with our defense, an incredible performance. We struggled on offense, obviously we had some issues. What's really good is the defense had to raise it up and hold it down for us, and they did. We can be a lot better. It's nice to know one side can win a game with elite football the way our defense did. To be 4-2, we are really happy where we stand, and we get nine days to fix everything else which is critical."

Rodrigo Blankenship went two-for-two on field goals from 49 and 53 yards. He is a perfect 14-for-14 on kicks this UFL season with his longest from 56 yards. He previously played for two NFL teams, the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals. A third NFL team could be on the horizon.

"Rod's been spectacular, our kicker has been phenomenal," added Becht. "Enjoy him now, he won't be with us next year, I can almost guarantee that. This dude, we can count on him. He is money, he will be the first guy taken out of this league. There's no question about it. If he's not, the NFL is crazy."

On the other side, the Renegades lost four turnovers, three fumbles and one interception, plus suffered eleven penalties for 59 yards.

"Penalties and turnovers, you can't win with that and that's what we did," said Renegades Head Coach Bob Stoops. "Too many penalties and turnovers to win. We have been good at taking care of the football. Obviously St. Louis did a really good job today of getting it out and stripping it and making those plays to get the ball turned over."

The Houston Roughnecks improved to 3-3 after their second one-point victory, 21-20 over the Memphis Showboats. Suddenly, the Roughnecks find themselves one game out of first place in the USFL Conference behind Michigan and Birmingham.

The defining play of the game came with 2:45 left in the third quarter. Houston's Armani Marsh sacked Showboats quarterback Dresser Winn and forced a fumble that teammate T.J. Franklin returned for a 40-yard touchdown to give Houston a 21-14 lead.

"I was so happy we were able to scoop in and score and get a turnover off of it," said Marsh. "There was nothing special; I was just doing my job. Credit to Defensive Coordinator Chris Wilson and my teammates. We all did our jobs and it was successful, trying to keep contain on the quarterback, I saw the ball and put my helmet on the ball."

The Michigan Panthers recorded an impressive 38-14 home victory over the D.C Defenders.

The Panthers put up 401 yards of total offense, 213 on the ground, a team-high this season.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Perkins completed 13-of-18 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 76 rushing yards on nine carries and one rushing touchdown. In last week's loss to St. Louis, Perkins connected on 21-of-25 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

"Obviously Bryce Perkins played an outstanding football game; he played lights out," said Panthers Head Coach Mike Nolan "I thought he made a tremendous amount of plays on sheer athletic ability, things that you don't really draw up."

The last two weeks the Defenders defense has given up a combined 71 points.

"It goes back to guys reading their keys, being disciplined with their eyes, and then at the end of the day it's all about tackling," said Defenders Interim Head Coach Shannon Harris. "That's the second week in a row we had a poor tackling game. The scheme itself is where it needs to be, it just comes down to executing. That's the part for us: tackling the ball, getting that ball on the turf, rapping up and running our feet when we get ready to tackle. We let their offense get too comfortable."

Birmingham finished the perfect week for home teams by cruising to a 26-3 win over the San Antonio Brahmas.

In the second quarter Stallions quarterback Case Cookus threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Amari Rodgers.

Rogers played at Clemson from 2017 until 2020 and won a National Championship in 2018 under Head Coach Dabo Swinney who was on the sidelines for this game.

"Tigers on the board today baby! It's good to see. I'm proud of these guys it's fun to support them," said Swinney.

Three of his former players are on the Stallions roster: wide receivers Amari Rodgers and Deon Cain and cornerback Mario Goodrich.

"Football is not a game of longevity," added Swinney "This is a game that is hard to play a long time. I think the UFL has created an opportunity. Both Deon and Amari were drafted and played in the pros. This gives them the opportunity to continue to play a game they love, continue to get good tape and all that kind of stuff. I love it. Growing up just south of Birmingham, I was a huge Stallions fan in the 80's as a kid, with Joe Cribbs, Cliff Stoudt, Jim Smith, Buddy Aydelette, Jackie Cline, and all those guys. That was my pro team since we didn't have pro sports. When this came back, it was awesome. I am good friends with (Birmingham Head Coach) Skip (Holtz); what an amazing job he has done to win three championships at any level of football especially professional football. It's been fun to keep up with these guys."

UFL Top 10 Plays From Week 6

Every Touchdown of Week 6

Week 7 Games

Friday, May 9th

D.C. Defenders at San Antonio Brahmas - 8 pm est. FOX

Saturday, May 10th

Michigan Panthers at Arlington Renegades - 1 pm est. FOX

Sunday, May 11th

Houston Roughnecks at Birmingham Stallions - 12 pm est. ABC

St. Louis Battlehawks at Memphis Showboats - 3 pm est. FOX

EXTRA POINTS

• Friday's Arlington Renegades at St. Louis Battlehawks telecast on FOX drew 630,000 viewers. Saturday's Memphis Showboats at Houston Roughnecks game on ABC totaled 874,000 viewers. Sunday's D.C Defenders at Michigan Panthers telecast on ESPN had 454,000 viewers. The San Antonio Brahmas at Birmingham Stallions broadcast on ESPN completed the weekend with 620,000 viewers.

• Attendance at Friday's Arlington at St. Louis game was 26,684. Saturday's Memphis at Houston contest drew 4,134 Sunday's D.C at Michigan game game attracted 11,653, and San Antonio at Birmingham drew 9,627.

• Michigan Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins, St. Louis Battlehawks linebacker Pita Taumoepenu, and Houston Roughnecks cornerback Armani Marsh were named the OurSports Central United Football League Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for week six of the UFL season.

• Teams went four-of-five on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, five-of-ten on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and no three-point conversions were attempted from the 10-yard line.

• The United Football League (UFL) announced that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been completed and signed after being ratified by both the UFL Board of Directors and the UFL players. The CBA will run through the 2026 season.

• The St. Louis Battlehawks released wide receiver Denzel Mims. He was a second round pick, 59th overall, by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft.

• The Memphis Showboats traded wide receiver Dee Anderson to San Antonio Brahmas for cornerback Darius Phillips.

• Renegades running back Kalen Ballage is expected to miss the rest of the season due to an injury, He was second in the league in rushing yards with 306.

• My UFL Best Bet Lock of the Week will be the St. Louis Battlehawks -4 over the Memphis Showboats. The Battlehawks are on a two-game winning streak, trying to keep pace with D.C. Look for their offense to be more productive this week. As for Memphis, at 1-5 with playoff possibilities very slim, they will try to play spoiler, but it won't happen this week.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.