Roughnecks vs. Stallions: Houston eyes first UFL home win of 2025

After earning their first victory of the year, the Houston Roughnecks will seek a win over the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas.

The encounter will mark the second home game of the 2025 campaign for the Houston Roughnecks. It will be the third away game for Birmingham, who split a two-game road trip to start its season.

The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. CT kickoff and will be broadcast nationally on FOX. Deportes Nation will have the Spanish audio broadcast on DeportesNation.com, our mobile app, and across our social media channels.

Storylines:

• Head coaches Curtis “CJ” Johnson and Skip Holtz meet again. Their first coaching duel came in the 2012 college football season when Johnson’s Tulane Green Wave won 24-15 against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

History:

• Seventh all-time meeting. Stallions lead, 4-2, and have won the last three.
• The Stallions won both meetings between the USFL conference opponents last year, 32-9 in Week 5 at Rice Stadium and 35-28 in Week 8 in Protective Stadium.
• As the Houston Gamblers, head coach Curtis Johnson led the team to a 27–20 over the Stallions in Week 5 of the 2023 USFL season and a 17-15 win in Week 9 of the 2022 USFL season.

Houston Roughnecks (1-2, 1-0 USFL)

Quarterback Nolan Henderson will get the start at quarterback after leading Houston to a 18-17 win at the Memphis Showboats one week ago. Henderson entered the game in the third quarter and instantly made an impact. He completed 10-of-11 passes for 80 yards, including a key six yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Butler on his opening drive. The signal caller was also able to show his abilities running the football, rushing for 15 yards on three carries.

Linebacker Marvin Moody Jr. returns to his second season with the Roughnecks as a key contributor. The Tulane product is currently second on the team behind Leon O’Neal Jr. in total tackles (20), and has almost matched his total from the 2024 season (28).

Safety Markel Roby had one of his best career games the last time these two teams met in 2024. Roby finished with 10 total tackles, five solo tackles, and a pass break up in the 35-28 loss at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium.

Birmingham Stallions (2-1, 1-0 USFL)

Stallions QB Matt Corral was the star for the reigning UFL champions in Week 3, helping his team rally in the final minute to take a 10-9 win over the Arlington Renegades. Finished 19-of-41 for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Was pushed into action in Week 2 at Michigan after Alex McGough injured his right shoulder on the opening play of the 21-12 victory. He lost out on the starting job to Adrian Martinez last season but Corral was outstanding in the championship game win over the San Antonio Brahmas.

Cade Johnson emerged as a receiving threat in the Stallions come from behind win. Had three catches for 63 yards and a 20-yard touchdown reception that tied the score with 26 seconds on the clock. Prior to last Friday, he had one catch for 17 yards. The 5-foot-10, 194-pound South Dakota State product had 162 catches for 2,872 yards with 29 touchdowns in his colllegiate career.

Keaton Sutherland, the 6-foot-5, 302-pound Texas A&M product, showed his versatility against Arlington. He opened the second half at left tackle after Jarron Jones got hurt on the final play of the second half. Center Cole Schneider got hurt on the first drive of the second half and Sutherland had to slide over two spots to take on a much different role. He finished the game at center.