UFL Memphis Showboats

Memphis Showboats Game Notes

Published on May 2, 2024 under United Football League (UFL)
Memphis Showboats News Release


A USFL Conference rivalry matchup is on tap Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Memphis will be looking to avenge a 33-14 loss at the hands of the Stallions in Birmingham in Week 3.

Birmingham is 5-0 and coming off back-to-back USFL Championship seasons. Memphis has lost its last four since winning the opener. But a victory for the Showboats could put them back on a trajectory to contend for for a playoff berth.

Michigan has alternated wins and losses since Week 1, defeating St. Louis and Houston in Weeiks 1 and 3 and falling to Birmingham and San Antonio in Weeks 2 and 4.

The Stallions feature the No. 1 total offense and No.

2 scoring offense in the UFL. Birmingham's defense is also among the league's best, ranking No. 1 in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense.

Saturday's game is slated for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

The Memphis radio broadcast will be heard on News Talk 98.9, with Eli Savoie, Russell Copeland and Tyler Springs on the call.

LAST WEEK

A heavy rain shower, two first-quarter Michigan Panthers touchdowns and a Memphis turnover all put a damper on the start the game for the Showboats, who dropped a 35-18 decision.

Memphis fell behind 13-0 after one quarter on a pair of rushing touchdowns, sandwiched around a fumble on a strip sack of Troy Williams. Michigan extended its lead to 19-0 late in the half.

Williams then found a streaking Daewood Davis down the left sideline. The 82-yard scoring strike was the longest of the season so far in the UFL to make it 19-6.

Michigan opened the second half with a TD to go up 25-6. But Memphis wouldn't go away quietly.

The Showboats recovered a muffed punt at the Panthers' 7-yard line, leading to a Williams-to- Jonathan Adams touchdown pass. The Showboats then drove 75 yards in 10 plays, capped by a 4-yard TD pass from Williams to Sage Surratt. It was a 1-possession game heading into the fourth, 25-18.

But the Panthers answered on the first possession of the final frame. Wes Hills rushed for a 14-yard touchdown to give his team a 32-18 edge.

TRIPLE TD TROY

Troy Williams stepped in for a banged-up Case Cookus at quarterback last week against Michigan and performed admirably. He threw three touchdown passes, including a UFL-long 82-yarder to Daewood Davis in the second quarter.

Williams' three TD passes last week tie for a league-best mark for single-game scoring strikes with A.J. McCarron (STL) and Chase Garbers (SA).

RUNNING BACK NOTEBOOK

- Darius Victor was the 2022 USFL Offensive Player of the Year, an All-USFL selection and led the league in rushing touchdowns. He rushed for 477 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022 for the New Jersey Generals. While his touchdown total went down in 2023, he rushed for 551 yards last season and his yards per carry was up nearly one full yard. In 2022, he averaged 4.54 yards per carry and that average increased to 5.51 last season.

- Titus Swen and Darius Victor have an interesting shared background. Both were refugees of Civil War-torn Liberia in their youth. Both found their way to the U.S., picked up football, became running backs and now share the same locker room.

- Cyrus Habibi-Likio joined the team prior to the Week 4 matchup at St. Louis and has seen plenty of action the last two weeks. Habibi-Likio has not recorded a carry, but played a great deal on special teams and saw action in the backfield as well.

- Swen had one reception in the season-opening victory over Houston, but it was a big one. Facing a 3rd-and-4 at the Houston 47 with less than four minutes remaining, Swen took a swing pass to the left and looked for the sticks. He lowered his shoulder and powered past the first-down marker in a big collision with the Roughnecks' Colby Richardson. The initial first down of the possession allowed Memphis to control the ball and run the clock under one minute left in the game.

QUARTERBACK NOTEBOOK

- Case Cookus was a two-year starter for the Philadelphia Stars. Josh Love started nine games for the Michigan Panthers last season. Troy Williams started eight games for the Pittsburgh Maulers last season. No other UFL team can boast that amount of USFL/XFL starting experience among its top three quarterbacks.

- Cookus ranked No. 2 in the USFL in passing yards last season, throwing for 2,433 yards, while playing for the Philadelphia Stars. He also passed for 14 touchdowns, which ranked No. 3 in the league.

- Williams was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the USFL last season. He passed for 1,414 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 341 yards and three scores for the Pittsburgh Maulers. Williams made his first 2024 start last week against Michigan, going 19-of-37 for 248 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

- Love passed for 1,556 yards and 13 touchdowns with 13 interceptions for the Michigan Panthers last season.

VICTOR BREAKS OUT

Battling injury for most of the season, Darius Victor struggled to get things going in the running game. But he broke out a bit at St. Louis in Week 4.

Victor found the end zone for the first time this season against the Battlehawks and rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries. He also caught three passes for 16 yards. He rushed for 17 yards last week, while also pulling in three catches for 11 yards.

DAEWOOD = DA MAN

Daewood Davis put up one of the top highlights of Week 5 in the United Football League. Quarterback Troy Williams found him streaking down the left sideline against Michigan and Davis did the rest, going 82 yards for a score. It was the longest touchdown and play from scrimmage so far this season in the UFL.

Davis currently ranks No. 8 in the league in receiving yards with 231 and No. 5 in receptions with 23.

WIDE RECEIVER NOTEBOOK

- Vinny Papale is one of just four UFL receivers with three touchdowns this season, joining Marcus Simms (Michigan), Marcell Ateman (St. Louis) and Hakeem Butler (St. Louis). Papale has a TD catch in each of the Showboats' three road games this season.

- Jonathan Adams ranked No. 6 in the USFL in receiving yards last season, playing under John DeFilippo with the New Orleans Breakers. Adams hauled in 41 receptions for 511 yards and 2 touchdowns.

- Papale was the Showboats' leading receiver last season, catching 33 balls for 345 yards and three scores. He was also an All-USFL selection as a Special Teams Player. And yes, if you recognize his name, his father is Vince Papale, the subject of the movie Invincible.

TIGHT END NOTEBOOK

- Surratt was the top-ranked tight end in the USFL in both receptions and receiving yards last season. He hauled in 50 receptions for 552 yards. His reception total was No. 2 in the league among all receivers, while his receiving yards ranked No. 3 among all receivers. He did all that under John DeFilippo with the Breakers.

- Jay Jay Wilson returns to the Showboats after catching 16 balls for 170 yards and a score last season. He also made an impact on special teams last week, recovering a muffed punt that led to a touchdown.

- Wes Saxton comes to the Showboats after playing for the New Jersey Generals in both 2022 and 2023. Saxton missed the last two games with an injury.

- Saxton iced the victory for the Showboats vs. Houston in Week 1, recovering a muffed punt, allowing Memphis to run out the clock and secure the win.

OFFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK

- Jarron Jones returns to the Showboats as a two-time All-USFL selection for the franchise. He earned that honor with the Tampa Bay Bandits in 2022, before the franchise became the Memphis Showboats.

- Jared Thomas was a 2022 All-USFL selection with New Orleans and played for the XFL Seattle Sea Dragons last season.

- Terry Poole got the start at left tackle in Week 1 at Houston, but has since been released. Larry Tunstall took over the left tackle spot the next three weeks. Marcus Tatum took over at left tackle last week with Tunstall injured.

- Darrin Paulo has started all three at left guard. Thomas has held down the center spot, Jarron Jones (tackle) manned the right tackle position. Jordan McCray has started the last three contests at right guard.

SURE-HANDED SURRATT

Tight end Sage Surratt is No. 3 in the UFL among tight ends with 165 yards receiving on 14 receptions. Surratt had two receptions for 31 yards and his first touchdown of the season last week vs. Michigan.

DEFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK

- John Atkins Sr. returns to anchor the defensive line for the Showboats. He was a 2023 All-USFL selection, recording 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Atkins has been with the franchise since 2022, when it was the Tampa Bay Bandits. Atkins has 10 stops in five games this season to lead the Showboats' defensive line.

- Daylon Mack is tied with Atkins for the lead among the D-Line in tackles with 10.

- P.J. Hall doubled his previous output from the rest of the season last week with his six tackles. He now has nine stops on the season, including two tackles for loss and the aforementioned sack last week.

HALL MONITOR

Defensive tackle P.J. Hall had a big game vs. Michigan last week. He tied for the team lead with six total tackles and recorded his first sack of the season, taking down Michigan quarterback Danny Etling for a 12-yard loss.

THREE APIECE

Three Memphis outside linebackers share the team lead in sacks. Starters Greg Reaves and Jordan Ferguson have each tallied brought the quarterback down three times. Meanwhile, backup OLB Maximillian Roberts also has three sacks.

Reaves and Ferguson each took the QB down last week vs. Michigan to bolster their totals.

SECONDARY NOTEBOOK

- Green returns to the Memphis secondary. He tallied 21 tackles last season and his lone interception of the season secured a win over Houston on May 28, 2023. He recorded a team-best 6 solo stops (7 total) with 2 tackles for-loss in Week 2 vs. SAn Antonio.

- Quenton Meeks returns to the 'Boats after posting 21 stops and 1 INT last year. He played for both New Orleans and Tampa Bay in the USFL's 2022 season. Meeks returned an interception 42 yards at St. Louis in Week 4.

- D.J. Daniel returned to the Showboats' defensive backs room this week. He was signed after being released just prior to the season. Daniel recorded two solo tackles vs. Michigan in his first action of the season.

- Delrick Abrams ranks No. 2 on the team in total tackles with 24 (17 solo).

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK

- Matt Coghlin made 18-of-19 field goal attempts last season for New Orleans. He was 6-of-6 from 40-49 yards and did not miss a field goal of less than 50 yards. He is now 9-of-10 and still has not missed from less than 50. Coghlin buried a career-best 57-yarder in Week 3 at Birmingham.

- Matthew White averaged 44.9 yards per punt last season for the Breakers, ranking No. 4 in the USFL. He currently ranks No. 4 in the UFL with an average of 43.7 yards per punt. His 66-yarder in Week 3 at Birmingham is the longest of the UFL season.

- Head coach John DeFilippo is very familiar with his specialists. The Showboats' new head coach brought his kicker, punter and long snapper over with him from the New Orleans Breakers. Coghlin handles the placekicking duties, while White punts and holds for placekicks. Turner Bernard is the long snapper.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN(S)!

The Showboats have announced their captains for the 2024 season, as determined by a team vote. The 2024 Memphis Showboats captains are:

- DL John Atkins Sr.

- QB Case Cookus

- DB Jarey Elder

- RB Darius Victor

- P Matt White

LINEBACKER NOTEBOOK

- Malik Lawal leads the Showboats' defense with 27 total tackles. He has also contributed 2 tackles for-loss and forced a fumble. Lawal currently ranks No. 15 in the UFL in total tackles.

- Jordan Ferguson led the Memphis defense in Week 3 at Birmingham. He tallied 10 tackles and a sack, becoming the first Showboat to reach double-digit stops in a game so far this season. His 23 total stops ranks No. 3 on the team.

- Reaves had two sacks, including a strip sack for a turnover against Houston in Week 1. He got back on the board with another sack vs. Michigan.

- T.J. Neal topped the stat sheet for the Showboats defense in Week 1 with four solo stops and added a team-best six last week as well. Neal has been with the franchise for three seasons now, including time with the Tampa Bay Bandits in 2022.

GREEN WITH ENVY

T.J. Green tied for the team lead with six tackles last week vs. Michigan. For the season, Green is No. 7 on the team with 18 total tackles (13 solo, 5 assisted). He has also contributed two tackles for-loss from his secondary position.

TALKING TURNOVERS

The Showboats are No. 1 in the United Football League in takeaways, creating eight opponent turnovers so far this season.

On the flip side, Memphis is also leading the league in giveaways with nine for a -1 turnover margin that ranks No. 6 in the league.

GOTTA TAKE CARE OF THE LAUNDRY

Penalties have hurt the Showboats this season. Memphis is currently the third-most penalized team in the UFL, averaging 6.1 penalties per game.

WHAT'S THE CONVERSION RATE?

While the Memphis offense has struggled, the Showboats are still No. 3 in the league in third-down conversions. Memphis has converted 25-of-60 third downs (41.7 percent). Defensively, the 'Boats are struggling to get off the field, ranking last in third- down conversion defense at 50 percent (29-58).

ROSTER MOVES

Memphis made a change in the secondary last week. Christian McFarland was waived and D.J. Daniel was added to the roster. Daniel was with the Showboats in training camp. He played for the New Jersey Generals in the 2022 and 2023 USFL seasons and was a 2023 All-USFL selection.

The Showboats announced a pair of roster moves prior to the Week 4 game in St.

Louis. Memphis waived tackle Terry Poole and running back Trey Williams. Memphis then added running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio and tackle Marcus Tatum.

PAPER OR PLASTIC?

The Showboats' defense currently ranks No. 4 in the UFL in sacks. Memphis has gotten to the quarterback 12 times this season. Only Birmingham (18), San Antonio (17) and Michigan (13) have more sacks this season.

Check out the Memphis Showboats Statistics

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