Week 4 of the UFL continues with the Birmingham Stallions (2-1) traveling to Houston to take on the Roughnecks (1-2). Houston is looking to build off the success they saw last week against the Showboats. Birmingham is coming into this game with a point to prove. Although the team has a winning record, many feel like they haven’t been playing up to their potential.
It’s early in the season, but every win counts and the Roughnecks could quickly find themselves out of playoff contention if they don’t start playing a bit more competitively.
First Quarter
Matt Corral and the Birmingham Stallions would start out the game with possession, giving them a shot to strike first. It’s felt like the Stallions haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season. The offense was hoping to quiet the crowd. Birmingham moved the ball well, but the Roughnecks defense was able to force them to attempt field goal on their opening drive.
Harrison Mevis came out and knocked it in from 48-yards to put the Birmingham Stallions on the board. Houston now trails 3-0, but it’s still very early in the matchup.
Houston now had their first opportunity with the ball, looking to rebound with some points of their own. Nolan Henderson was named the starting QB last week after coming in for Anthony Brown last week and securing their first win of the season. Although Henderson was able to move the chains a few times, the team was forced to punt it away.
Luckily for the Roughnecks, Houston’s defense was here to play. They were able to come out and force a quick three and out, Birmingham has no choice to but to punt it back.
Nolan Henderson and the Roughnecks were back on the field, but unfortunately they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
Birmingham had the lead, but it was too narrow for their comfort. During their next drive Corral aired it out and found Jalen Camp for a huge reception to bring them 35-yards from the endzone.
Second Quarter
Birmingham could smell blood int he water to start the second. On the first play of the quarter Corral found Davion Davis who took it all the way home to grab the first Stallions touchdown of the night.
Coach Holtz opted for two and Corral once again found Davion Davis to grab the extra points. The Stallions now held a solid 11-0 lead over the Roughnecks.
Houston had the ball again, but now they were starting to fall further behind. There was still a lot of time left, but the team was looking to score. Nolan Henderson threw a long bomb to Marcus Simms for a huge reception and a first down.
Unfortunately, Henderson’s luck came up short. During this drive he took a huge hit, ultimately taking him out for the remainder of the game. This is a big blow for Houston as they finally felt like they found their starting quarterback for the season.
Anthony Brown was listed as QB3, so fans were able to see Jalen McClendon behind the rock for the first time this season. If you were worried about the change, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. McClendon was able to move the chains on his first pass of the night.
It didn’t end there, McClendon found Keke Chism to get the team into prime scoring position.
McClendon kept moving the ball for the team, ending the drive with a ZaQuandre White touchdown.
Lorenzo Lingard ran it in to secure the extra-point cutting Birmingham’s lead to 11-7 with 9:46 left in the half.
Houston was starting to look like a functioning team out there, and it was working on both ends of the field. The Roughnecks defense held up tehir end of the bargain, shutting down the Stallions next drive and forcing a punt.
McClendon continued to shine on this drive. He went long again, this time finding Justin Hall to move the chains for another first down.
The Roughnecks couldn’t get it back in the endzone, but Chis Blewitt was able to bring the game within one after a 44-yard field goal.
There was a a little over a minute left until halftime, but Birmingham did not let off the gas. During this drive Corral found Deon Cain, who was able to bring it all the way home for another Stallions touchdown. They could not convert the extra points, but they extended their lead to 17-10 heading into the half.
Third Quarter
McClendon and the Roughnecks received the kickoff to start the half. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep up with their first half momentum after a short drive and a punt.
The Roughnecks defense continued to shine today. During Birmingham’s next possession Rayshad Williams picked off Corral giving them possession and another chance to tie things up or take the lead.
Houston looked like they were on their way to more points, but it didn’t go as expected. When stuck on fourth and short, Coach Johnson opted to go for it, but the Stallions defense shut them down forcing a turnover on downs.
It’s hard to believe that Jalen McClendon was ever the third string quarterback for Houston with how he was performing today. He came up with another impressive pass, finding T.J. Vasher to put them into the redzone once more.
On the next play Jalen McClendon took things into his own hands, running it in for a touchdown himself to grab another Houston Roughnecks touchdown. They could not convert the extra-point, but they were now within one near the end of the third.
Birmingham had a slight lead, but they would be looking to secure some breathing room. Houston’s defense continued to put in the work, keeping the Stallions away from the endzone and forcing another punt.
With time nearing a close in the third the Roughnecks were on the march to grab their first lead of the night. They couldn’t get into the endzone, but they felt confident Chris Blewitt would secure the field goal to put them on top. Unfortunately, Blewitt went wide from 47-yards to keep the game 17-16 in Birmingham’s favor.
Fourth Quarter
This was turning out to be a much closer matchup than many expected. Even more shocking, there was a chance that the Roughnecks may pull off an upset against the defending champions.
During the Stallions first drive of the final quarter there were able to give themselves a little breathing room. Harrison Mevis came out and successfully completed the 35-yard field goal to extend their lead to 20-16.
Houston was still very much within striking distance, but they couldn’t keep up the momentum. That being said, their special teams unit was able to pin the Stallions after a massive punt.
The Stallions had the lead, but the team took a huge blow on this next drive. Matt Corral took a big hit which ended up bringing him out of the rest of the game due to an arm injury. He was later seen on the sidelines in a sling, raising questions around his status for the remainder of the season. Alex McGough went out in the first week, which means both teams are now playing their third string QBs to close out the game.
On his first play, Case Cookus handed off the ball and even provided a crucial bock to allow his team to secure the first down. Although he was able to get his team out from being pinned against the endzone, you can expect Coach Holtz was not happy to see his only QB come out with such a risky play.
Cookus couldn’t lead the team to the endzone, but he gave them enough yards to attempt another field goal. Mevis came back on the field, this time knocking it through the uprights from 50-yards.
There wasn’t a lot of time on the clock, but enough to allow Houston to potentially tie up the game or even take the lead. McClendon shined today for Houston, but his luck ran out just when the team needed it the most. With time running out, McClendon couldn’t handle the pressure and ultimately threw an interception to effectively close out the game.
After the game concluded Devin Gardner caught up with Case Cookus who spoke about how grateful he was to be able to come into the game and help his team secure the win.
Birmingham comes away with the win, but it probably wasn’t as easy as they had hoped. Houston is heading back to the drawing board. Even though the team wasn’t successful this week, surely they’re happy with some of what they saw on the field. The Roughnecks will look to tweak their offence as they head into San Antonio next week to take on the Brahmas in their first home game of the season.
The Stallions are set to take on the Memphis Showboats next week who are still on the search for their first win. Birmingham will probably continue to tweak their offense as they march towards their fourth potential playoff pus.
Do you think the Houston Roughnecks have a chance of makin the playoffs? Can the Birmingham Stallions make it to their fourth consecutive championship? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
