close
close

Birmingham Stallions vs. Houston Roughnecks

Gillberg
Birmingham Stallions vs. Houston Roughnecks

The Houston Roughnecks (1-6) have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, but they will travel to Birmingham on Saturday night to face the undefeated Stallions (7-0). Houston is coming off a heartbreaking loss to the San Antonio Brahmas. They managed to lose a home game that they led by nine with less than three minutes remaining. Despite also having a +3 turnover differential, a 51-yard Ryan Santoso field goal at the buzzer ended their slim playoff hopes. Birmingham is coming off an exciting 30-26 home victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks.

In a game that many called “Game of the Year,” the Stallions won again, as they have for a full calendar year. The last time these two teams met was in Week 5 at Rice Stadium and the Stallions controlled the game throughout, winning 32-9. Now let’s look at the second and final matchup between these two teams on opposite ends of the USFL conference.

Attack of the Roughnecks versus defense of the Stallions

The last time these two teams met, Houston was held scoreless in the second half and had just 36 rushing yards for the game. Not much has changed since then, the Roughnecks are still last in scoring (13.7 points per game) and rushing (60.6 yards per game), and that trend doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Their success in the passing game has been mediocre at best and they haven’t had enough explosive plays this season. In Week 5, quarterback Reid Sinnett went 27/38 (71%) for 203 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He played decently, but with a poor ground attack, Houston needs more from its signal-caller. Last weekend we saw Week 1 starter Jarrett Guarantano get the nod at QB after returning from injury and we don’t know if he will get the start again this week. So far he has been unable to train due to a wrist injury suffered in the defeat. If he’s ready to go, Guarantano will need to use his legs as a weapon and attempt some deep shots down the court if they hope to pull off the upset. We’ll likely see Sinnett start again if Guarantano is out. Wide receiver Justin Hall had 11 catches for 93 yards in their last game and they’ll need a similar performance from him in this one.

The Stallions defense gave up a season-high 26 points last week to the Battlehawks in their victory. Special teams gaffes gave St. Louis good field position on several occasions, which didn’t help the defense, but overall the unit played another solid game. They cut quarterback AJ McCarron, which is rare, and sacked him twice. They also came under constant pressure and forced him to carry out numerous checks. Birmingham still leads the league in defensive scoring, allowing just 15 points per game, as well as rushing defense and total defense. Cornerback Mark Gilbert led the team with 11 tackles against Houston in Week 5 and defensive end Jordan Thompson had a sack. Thompson played well again last week and should be a force against the Roughnecks’ struggling offensive line. The Stallions are second in the standings this season and have NFL-level talent throughout their defensive line. The only weak spot in Birmingham’s defense is its battered secondary. They match up well with Houston’s receivers, but they may need to play a little more coverage and let their front four do a lot of the work against the run.

Stallions attack vs. Roughnecks defense

Last week, quarterback Adrian Martinez once again looked like the UFL MVP. He finished 21/33 for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 60 yards rushing and was the best player on the field. In Week 5 against Houston, he finished with 293 total yards and a touchdown. We should expect another big game from him this week. Birmingham’s offense still leads the league in total yards, passing yards and rushing yards.

Against the Roughnecks, they finished with 358 yards of offense and got a big game from tight end Jace Sternberger, as well as running backs Larry Rountree III and Ricky Person Jr. Wide receiver Deon Cain had a relatively quiet game during the fifth week (three catches). for 33 yards), but he remains a huge threat and fifth in the UFL in receiving yards with 371 yards. The Stallions lead the league in scoring at 28.7 points per game and will likely hit the 30-point mark again in this one, although Houston’s defense is one of the best units in the league.

The Houston Roughnecks are third in the league against the run, fourth against the pass and total yards allowed, and fifth on defense. The rankings tell you they are middle of the pack on defense, but with more support from their offense they would likely have even better numbers. Defensive end Chris Odom was excellent in his second season in Houston with 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He had five tackles and 1.5 sacks last week and continues to improve as the season progresses. Safety Markel Roby (7 tackles, PBU last week) and cornerback Kiondre Thomas (4 tackles, PBU last week) have both been good as well, each with an interception on their resume this year. With injuries all over the defense, including Thomas, the players continued to step up and the defense was good for 57 minutes last week. Although they gave up 12 points in the final three minutes against San Antonio, they only allowed 15 points in the game and that should win you a lot of football games. It’s not easy to win when your offense doesn’t score a single touchdown. However, they gave up 32 points, 358 yards and 6.6 yards per play in their previous game against the Stallions. They also failed to force a single turnover. This is a bad game for Houston’s defense, which is riddled with injuries.

Final Thoughts

The last time the Birmingham Stallions lost a game was in Week 5 of 2023 against the Houston Gamblers. The Gamblers are now those same Houston Roughnecks and they will look to replicate last season’s success against Birmingham. With Game 1 being a blowout, Houston will look to take advantage of their mistakes and play a better game on both sides of the ball. However, I still expect a result similar to the 32-9 we saw in Houston. Birmingham’s roster is the best in spring football, and it should be 8-0 late Saturday night.

What do you think of this upcoming matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and the Houston Roughnecks? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord!

Related Posts