Game Preview: Houston Roughnecks at Memphis Showboats, Sunday, June 2, 2024

• Houston Roughnecks (1-8) at Memphis Showboats (1-8)
• Saturday, June 2, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. CT (7:00 p.m. ET)
• Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
• Tickets: Ticketmaster and Stubhub
• Network: FOX (Streaming)
• Announcers: Kevin Kugler (Play-By-Play), Joel Klatt (Booth Analyst), Jake Butt (Sideline Reporter)
• Odds: Houston -2, O/U 44.5 (DraftKings)

In a battle between two last place teams, the Houston Roughnecks visit the Memphis Showboats for their final games of the 2024 UFL season. The two previously met at Rice Stadium in Houston in Week 1, where Memphis managed to secure victory in a close match 18-12.

In 2022, the Pittsburgh Maulers and Michigan Panthers entered the final week of the USFL season with identical records of 1–8. The USFL determined that the winner of this game would receive the first pick of the 2023 draft. With the same scenario playing out this year in the United Football League’s inaugural season, UFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston announced Tuesday that this week’s game between the Showboats and the Roughnecks would have the same stipulation, but with one difference. Not only will the winner of this game get the first overall pick, but the winning team in this game will get the first pick in each round of the draft.

What do we know?

The Roughnecks hosted the Michigan Panthers in Week 9 and lost 26-22 in a relatively close game. Quarterback Nolan Henderson finished with a season-high 150 passing yards and 67 rushing yards. WR Justin Hall recorded a season-high two receiving touchdowns and led the team with 109 yards. LB D’Juan Hines picked up his first interception of the season and FS Markel Roby recorded his second interception of the season.

Houston Roughnecks RB Mark Thompson can’t seem to stay out of the end zone lately, leading the team with five rushing touchdowns. Despite missing the first three games of the season due to injury, Thompson scored in three of the previous four games and currently ranks in the top ten in the league in scoring (including points additional).

Roughneck WR Justin Hall has been on a tear in recent weeks. After having his best game of the season last week (six receptions, 109 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions), the former Ball State Cardinal is second in the UFL in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Over the past two games, Houston’s offense has performed well under the leadership of quarterback Nolan Henderson. With Henderson being more mobile, he opened up running back Mark Thompson and wide receiver Justin Hall to find more open space.

For Memphis, their Week 9 matchup saw the DC Defenders rack up a record 431 offensive yards en route to a 36-21 victory over the Showboats. DC took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Defenders led the Showboats 30-7 early in the fourth and cruised to a 15-point victory. Jordan Ta’aamu led the way for DC, passing for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 38 yards and a score.

Darius Victor was a bright spot for the Showboats’ offense, totaling 98 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. Victor’s 6-yard TD run late in the second quarter brought Memphis within one score, 14-7. But DC responded quickly. Ta’amu led his team 61 yards in seven plays, finding Alex Ellis with a 15-yard touchdown pass 14 seconds before halftime.

The momentum continued early in the third. Ta’amu’s 1-yard TD run pushed DC’s lead to 30-7. Vinny Papale scored his fifth receiving touchdown of the season early in the fourth, on a 14-yard strike from Josh Love.

For Memphis, there was a merry-go-round of quarterbacks. Memphis’ original starting quarterback Case Cookus left the Week 4 game at St. Louis with a shoulder injury, leading to Troy Williams’ first start during Week 5. Cookus returned to the lineup in Week 6. Williams started in Week 7 but suffered a rib and hand injury. Cookus got the start in Week 8, but was relieved by Josh Love after suffering rib injuries during the contest. It was Love’s first action of the season. In Week 9, once again, Love entered the game in place of Williams.

In this game, Memphis plans to start Josh Love at quarterback with Troy Williams as a backup. For running backs, the depth chart shows Darius Victor, Titus Swen and Cyrus Habibi-Likio, and for receivers we will see Daewood Davis, Lee Morris, Vinny Papale, Jonathan Adams and Diondre Overton. For tight ends, the Showboats will line up Sage Surratt, Jay Jay Wilson and Wes Saxton.

Darius Victor is the No. 6 runner in the UFL. He totaled 337 yards on 96 carries with 2 touchdowns this season. This season, Victor is averaging 37.4 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. Titus Swen has 25 carries for 75 yards this season, but he has played a big role on special teams where he has become the leading kick returner for the Showboat, averaging 25.7 yards per return with a long of 38.

Offensively, these two teams rank 7th and 8th in the league, with the Roughnecks having 2,226 yards of offense (7th) and the Showboats having 2,100 yards (8th). Houston has 667 yards rushing and 1,559 yards through the air, while Memphis has 594 yards rushing and 1,506 passing yards.

Defensively, the Showboats are last in the league, allowing 3,230 yards (8th), and the Roughnecks have allowed 2,551 yards (5th). Memphis has allowed 1,004 rushing yards and 2,226 passing yards, while Houston has allowed 829 rushing yards and 1,722 passing yards.

What should we expect?

The Houston Roughnecks are on the rise, while the Memphis Showboats are suffering from a bad loss to the DC Defenders that capped an 8-game losing streak. You can be sure that both teams want to win this game, not only for pride, but also to establish a number one draft pick heading into next year’s season.

Even the oddsmakers aren’t sure how to take this game, giving the Houston Roughnecks a slim 2-point margin. Honestly, they should give a bigger spread because the Roughnecks will probably beat the Showboats hands down. If you need a good bet, go for the Roughnecks and the spread.