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Fox Sports
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Five things to watch for in Week 9 of the 2025 UFL season
The St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) get a test run at The Dome at America's Center this weekend to kick off Week 9 of the UFL season when they host the San Antonio Brahmas (1-7) on Friday (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Friday's contest is the last home game of the regular season for the Battlehawks, who are a league-best 4-1 at home this year, averaging nearly 30,000 fans a game. The UFL announced that St. Louis will host the DC Defenders (6-2) in the XFL Conference title game on June 8 regardless of how the two teams finish the final two games of the season. The Battlehawks and the Defenders are tied for the top spot in the XFL Conference and will meet in Washington, D.C. on May 30 in the final game of the regular season. St. Louis will also host the UFL title game on June 14. "It's a blessing," Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said, when asked about his team's home-field advantage. "It's a blessing to play in a place that's loud, and on third down it's hard for the other team. I wish we could play all 10 (games) here. That would be awesome, and they would show up every week. "We are very fortunate to have a fan base like this here, and we don't take it for granted ever because we know how important it is." [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ] Elsewhere, the Memphis Showboats (2-6) host the Arlington Renegades (3-5) on Saturday (noon ET), followed by the Michigan Panthers (6-2) hitting the road to face the Birmingham Stallions (5-3) at Protective Stadium (3 p.m. ET). In the weekend's finale, the Houston Roughnecks (3-5) host the Defenders on Sunday (4 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 9: 1. Stallions vs. Panthers offers USFL Conference title preview With Birmingham hosting Michigan in the first round of the playoffs in a few weeks, both teams will keep things simple and look to rest key players with the hopes of entering the postseason as healthy as possible. The Panthers already started doing that last week, as head coach Mike Nolan did not play star quarterback Bryce Perkins in his team's win over the Roughnecks because of a lingering ankle injury. Perkins also missed practice this week due to the injury, so Michigan signed quarterback Colby Suits to add depth to the position group. "The biggest decision will be how healthy our roster is and what we need to do, but we won't know that probably until the middle of the week," Nolan said. "That's probably the most important thing, because we want to be healthy going into the playoffs. So, we'll see how that goes. I know that there's a little rivalry going on between us and Birmingham, so I know everybody will want to play, but we'll see." Birmingham defeated the Panthers earlier this season in Week 2 in Detroit, 21-12. The Stallions are undefeated (6-0) against the Panthers dating back to the return of the legacy USFL in 2022. "Once you get in, anybody can win it," said Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz, whose Stallions have reached the postseason for a fourth straight year. "We've got to keep growing." Starting quarterback Alex McGough, who went on IR earlier this year with a right shoulder injury, was a limited participant in practice this week and could be healthy enough to return to the field this weekend. 2. DE Breeland Speaks returns for Panthers The reigning UFL Defensive Player of the Year, Speaks returned to the team's active roster after being placed on IR for six weeks with a left pectoral injury. Speaks led the league with 9.5 sacks last year but had six combined tackles and no sacks through two games played this season prior to his injury. With the Panthers already clinching a spot in the postseason, returning to the field this weekend gives Speaks a few weeks to knock the rust off. The Panthers are sixth in the UFL in sacks with 13 on the season and have just seven takeaways this year. 3. QB Kellen Mond returns as Brahmas' starter Benched for three games in favor of Kevin Hogan, Mond returns to the starting job as San Antonio hits the road this weekend. A San Antonio native and Texas A&M product, Mond started the first five games of the season, completing 57% of his passes for 597 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked 10 times, posting a 69.1 passer rating and going 1-4 as a starter. Mond replaces Hogan, who is out this week due to an injury to his throwing hand. The Brahmas signed Alan Bowman to serve as the team's third-stringer this week. 4. Battlehawks bring back QB Chevan Cordiero St. Louis lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins for the year with an Achilles tendon tear but get back some depth at the position with the return of Cordiero, who started the season as the third-string QB for St. Louis before landing on IR with a hamstring issue. Cordiero didn't appear in any games this season prior to the injury and joins a quarterback room that includes starter Max Duggan and backup Brandon Silvers. To make room for Cordiero, St. Louis released QB Trae Self. In another roster move, the Showboats released running back Wes Hills this week. 5. Defenders WR Cornell Powell shines Powell is the new league leader in touchdown receptions with two weeks left in the regular season. The 27-year-old Clemson product tops the UFL with five touchdown receptions on the season. Powell totaled four receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets in the Defenders' win over the Renegades last week. He has 21 receptions for 314 yards and five scores on 44 targets so far this season. Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Five things to watch for in Week 8 of the 2025 UFL season
Since the start of the 2025 UFL season, St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht has been preparing his team for this weekend's matchup. Becht has built the Battlehawks to win an UFL title, St. Louis will have to dethrone the current champion Birmingham Stallions in order to do that. They'll get an opportunity to see if they're up to that task this weekend when they host the Stallions at The Dome at America's Center on Saturday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). "They're the reigning champions, so if you want to be where they are, you've got to take it from them," Becht said. [MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League] The Stallions won the first and only matchup between these two franchises last season, a 30-26 victory in Birmingham in Week 7 of the regular season. St. Louis failed to make it to the championship game last year, losing to the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL Conference title game, 25-15. However, with both teams sitting at 5-2 and tied for the lead atop their respective conferences, Saturday's game could be a preview of this year's championship tilt. The Battlehawks hope to play in that one, with the highly anticipated contest taking place in St. Louis. However, Becht understands there's still a lot of work to do. "We know how good Birmingham is, but we're a good team, too," Becht said. "They're going to have to worry about us as well, so it's going to be a great matchup." Elsewhere, the Brahmas (1-6) kick things off by hosting the Memphis Showboats (1-6) on Friday (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). On Saturday, the Michigan Panthers (5-2) hit the road to face the Houston Roughnecks (3-4) in a game that'll be broadcast simultaneously (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) alongside Stallions-Battlehawks. Things come to a close with the DC Defenders (5-2) hosting the Arlington Renegades (3-4) on Sunday (noon ET). Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 8: Out since suffering a separated shoulder in Week 2, Birmingham's starting quarterback McGough returned to practice this week, giving head coach Skip Holtz a tough decision to make as to who to start against St. Louis in an all-important contest with huge postseason implications. Last week's starter, Case Cookus, could not finish the game due to an injured elbow on his throwing arm. Cookus has also been nursing a balky knee and was limited in practice this week. Smith, who helped lead Birmingham to a USFL title in 2022, subbed in for Cookus and helped lead the Stallions to a comeback victory over Houston in Week 7. Backup QB Andrew Peasley also returned to practice this week after suffering a knee injury in Week 6. The Stallions released Jalen Morton to make room on the roster for McGough. Holtz says he's carrying four QBs on the roster this week because he doesn't know who's healthy enough to play, but Smith will get the start against the Battlehawks. "The only healthy guy I've got right now is J'Mar Smith," Holtz said. "He's the healthiest quarterback right now and gives us the best chance to win." The quarterback carousel churned again for Memphis, as interim head coach Jim Turner made the decision to start Williams this weekend against the Brahmas. Williams split time with E.J. Perry to start the year. The Utah product has played in three games, making one start and completing 16 of 27 passes for 180 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Perry will serve as the backup and Dresser Winn, who started the last three games but missed practice time this week with a knee injury, will serve as the emergency third-string quarterback. The Showboats will also be without running back Wes Hills due to a calf issue. For San Antonio, star running back Anthony McFarland (shoulder) and receiver Mathew Sexton (hamstring) are inactive. Michigan will have to play the rest of the season without its leading tackler after Ginda was placed on IR due to a left shoulder injury. Ginda leads the league with 61 combined tackles, including four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Panthers already lost last year's UFL Defensive Player of the Year in edge rusher Breeland Speaks when he was placed on IR with an unspecified injury. However, the Panthers did get an explosive playmaker back, with running back Matt Colburn returning to the active roster after missing five games because of a shoulder issue. To make room, the Panthers waived running back Jaden Sheridan, who was claimed by the Brahmas. Speaking of the Brahmas, one of the team's leading receivers will return to action this week. Big-bodied pass catcher Harris returned to the active roster this week after missing Week 7 because of a foot injury. A fourth-round selection by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 NFL Draft, Harris spent two seasons in L.A. and one year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Harris leads San Antonio with 247 receiving yards on 15 receptions, averaging 16.5 yards per catch. Kevin Hogan is set to make his third start at quarterback for San Antonio. The Brahmas also waived safety BoPete Keys (hamstring) this week. St. Louis signed a familiar face to the roster, adding depth to the defensive backfield with the addition of Micah Abraham. A sixth-round selection by the Indianapolis Colts last season, he was cut during final roster cuts. He spent part of the 2024 season on the practice squad with the Cincinnati Bengals and signed a deal with the team in January. However, he was released by the Bengals this week. Micah Abraham, 24, finished with 150 combined tackles and 12 interceptions during his college career at Marshall. He joins a St. Louis defense that's allowed just one touchdown over the last two games. To make room on the roster, the Battlehawks waived LB Olakunle Fatukasi. Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
