On Saturday, May 3rd, the 1-4 Memphis Showboats will face the 2-3 Houston Roughnecks. It’s the second time in less than a month that the teams have played each other. However, a lot can change in a month.
THE QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL
In the team's previous meeting, quarterback E.J. Perry got the starting assignment for Memphis while Anthony Brown was at the helm for the Roughnecks. Memphis lost by a score of 18-17 to Houston.
However, since that first game, Perry and Brown have been benched. Rookie quarterback Dresser Winn got his first start for Memphis a week ago. Following Nolan Henderson's injury two weeks ago, former D.C. Defenders quarterback Jalen McClendon took over for Houston. Both quarterbacks have looked strong in their debuts.
MEMPHIS OFFENSE
Winn had an impressive first game last week, pulling off a decisive 24-20 overtime victory against the Birmingham Stallions. Completing 17 of 29 attempts for 235 yards and a touchdown, Winn also had two successful 2-point conversions. He provides mobility and an impressive arm as the Showboats' quarterback. He can scramble and get away from defenders while making accurate throws on the run. Winn's first completion was a stunning 78-yard touchdown bomb to Dee Anderson. With the long-awaited return this week of Daewood Davis and the talented Jonathan Adams, Winn has an impressive receiving group supporting him.
McClendon is 1/2 in his two starts for Houston. He lost his first game 23-16 to the Stallions. However, McClendon executed an impressive 27-3 win against the San Antonio Brahmas last week. At 6’4´´ and 222 lbs, he brings size and athleticism to the position. McClendon enters this weekend's game with more passing yards (407) than either Brown (207) or Henderson (183) and one rushing touchdown to his credit.
HOUSTON OFFENSE
The Roughnecks' top receiver is Justin Hall. He has 27 catches for 203 yards and one touchdown. Keke Chism is second with 13 receptions for 118 yards. Although Emmanuel Butler has only four catches for 49 yards, two of those receptions were for touchdowns.
Marcus Simms, one of the UFL’s best receivers last year, was traded from the Michigan Panthers ahead of Week 3. He has only five catches for 51 yards. But Simms hasn’t practiced all week, hampered by a hamstring injury, and is unlikely to play on Saturday.
Running back Zaquandre White (previously with the D.C. Defenders) has proven to be a terrific addition to the Roughnecks' backfield. White has 43 carries for 151 yards with two rushing touchdowns. He also has nine receptions for 74 yards.
ROUGHNECKS DEFENSE
Houston has a strong defense that has recorded 9.0 sacks and five interceptions. Tashawn Bower leads the Roughnecks with 3.0 sacks, while Marvin Moody has the most tackles with 27. Leon O’Neal is a fierce competitor with 25 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. Safety Markel Roby, a dangerous threat with 23 tackles and a sack, is unlikely to play as he was limited in practice due to a hamstring injury. Cornerback Rayshad Williams currently leads the team with two interceptions.
MEMPHIS GROUND ATTACK
Deneric Prince leads the Memphis ground game this season with 50 carries for 195 yards with one touchdown. Prince also has five catches for 49 yards. With Jacob Kibodi's release earlier this week and the addition of former Michigan Panthers running back Wes Hills, the Showboats' ground game is taking shape. Before his injury, Hills had a solid season with the Panthers. Appearing in eight games last year, Hills had 72 carries for 291 yards with five touchdowns. He had another 59 yards on 12 carries. Jalen Jackson rounds out the trio with 25 carries for 63 yards and two catches for 21 yards.
MEMPHIS DEFENSE
Jarren Horton’s defense looked terrific last week, keeping the pressure on Stallions quarterback Case Cookus. Cookus completed only 50% of his passes for 145 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He added six carries for 83 rushing yards. LB Steele Chambers led the defense with 10 tackles. He has a total of 45 tackles this season with one pass deflection.
Safety Eli Walker had five tackles on Friday night, plus a huge interception off Cookus. In addition, Nasir Player forced a fumble, and P.J. Hall sacked Cookus.
SPECIAL TEAMS
If it comes down to special teams play, Memphis has the advantage. In one of the UFL’s most exciting plays of the UFL season, wide receiver and special-teams return specialist Isiah Hennie caught a missed 63-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis and returned it 108 yards for the touchdown. Hennie's sensational heads-up play is the UFL's longest kick return. That play earned him the “UFL News Hub Player of the Week” honors.
Adding two more field goals on Friday from 37 and 32 yards, Matthew Coghlin is one of the most reliable kickers in the league. Coghlin is 8 of 10, with one of his misses resulting from a blocked kick. His longest field goal is from 52 yards.
The Roughnecks kicker Chris Blewitt is 6 of 8 with his longest a 44-yard kick.
Interim head coach Jim Turner and OC Noel Mazzone have begun to turn things around in Memphis. With one win on the books, the Showboats are looking for their second consecutive victory. The Roughnecks pulled off a defining win a week ago. Houston brings a strong defense, and Curtis Johnson may finally have found his quarterback in McClendon.
The action begins at 11:00 am CDT when the Houston Roughnecks host the Memphis Showboats on Saturday, May 3rd at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Tickets are still available.