The UFL season is in full swing with all the week 2 games in the books. The UFL is a great extension pipeline to the NFL. This gives players a second chance to make the NFL Roster. That said, let’s look back at the action-packed weekend, shall we? The UFL season has a lot of surprises in store, so stay tuned.
Michigan Falls to Stallions on Home Turf
The action kicked off Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit with a power struggle for the Panthers. The reigning UFL Champions looked to rebound after a week 1 loss. The starting QB for the Stallions, Alex McGough, got injured on the first play of the game. That brought in backup Matt Corral, who had an alright day, completing 18-of-29 passes for 198 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 ints.
Running back Ricky Pearson Jr. rushed for 53 yards on 17 attempts and a touchdown. The UFL defense was also a key component, with a dominant and consistent outing holding the Panthers to only 12 points. That makes the Stallions a perfect 6-0 all-time UFL against the Panthers. The final was a 21-12 win for the Stallions, taking them to a 1-1 mark for the season, and the Panthers fell to a 0-2 start.
Defenders Rally Back to Beat the Showboats
The D.C Defenders had to rally back down 12-9 late in the fourth quarter. The game started with the Showboats E.J. Perry throwing an INT to the Defender’s Kiondre Thomas, who returned 19 yards. The scoring for this game didn’t come until the Showboats kicked a 23-yard field goal with 1:04 left in the first quarter. The first half would be all defense, with only 2 more field goals by the Defenders, making it a 6-3 game at halftime.
The Defenders kicker Matt McCrane kicked a field goal on their opening drive of the second half to take a 9-3. The Showboats would answer right back on the ensuing drive with a 32-yard field goal from Coghlin to make it a 9-6 game. The Showboats would put together a drive in the fourth quarter for a 6-play 70-yard drive capped by an E.J. Perry 16-yard scramble for a TD to take a 12-9 lead.
On the very next drive, the Defenders marched down the field themselves self, and tight end Ben Bresnahan grabbed a 3-yard TD and converted a two-point conversion to take a 17-12 lead with 8 minutes left in the game. That would be the game’s final. The Showboats attempted a field goal that DT Devonnsha Maxwell blocked to seal the 17-12 win and make the Defenders undefeated on the year.
Battle of the Texas Teams
The Arlington Renegades and Houston Roughnecks did battle at Choctaw Stadium on Sunday afternoon. This would be a very defensive game, with the halftime score only 3-3. The game’s only touchdown came in the fourth quarter when WR Deontay Burnett caught his first TD of the 2025 UFL season to make it a 9-3 game.
The Renegades would also get a successful 2-point try to gain an 11-3 edge in the fourth. The Roughnecks would not go away in the final 2 minutes. They scored a TD, but the Renegade’s defense held strong on the 2-point try, keeping the game 11-9. So the Roughnecks retain possession, but the Renegades defense again stands strong and holds on for an 11-9 victory, moving them to 2-0, and the Roughnecks fall to 0-2.
Brahmas Take on the Battlehawks
The St. Louis Battlehawks were home in the Dome at America’s Center against the San Antonio Brahmas. This was a rematch of last year’s XFL Conference Championship. The Battlehawks came to play Sunday night, as by the end of the first quarter, they had an 11-0 advantage. They would continue that in the second quarter when QB Manny Wilkins Jr. completed the longest pass of the season to WR Gary Jennings Jr for 58 yards.
Then, a couple of plays later, RB Saylors runs a 1-yard touchdown to make it 17-0 with 3:21 left in the first half. The Brahmas would show a sign of life before halftime when kicker Donald De La Haye made a field goal to make it a 17-3 halftime score. The Battlehawks would convincingly win this game with a 26-9 final.
A Look Ahead to Week 3
Week 3 of the UFL kicks off Friday night on Fox. Here is a look at the action for next week.
- Friday- Fox at 8 pm. Renegades (2-0) at Stallions (1-1)
- Saturday- ESPN at 2:30 pm. Roughnecks (0-2) at Showboats (0-2)
- Sunday- ABC at 12 pm. Brahmas (0-2) at Panthers (1-1)
- Sunday- ABC at 3 pm. Defenders (2-0) at Battlehawks (2-0)
