Darius Victor #27 of the Memphis Showboats is tackled by Donald Rutledge Jr. #38 of the Houston Roughnecks during the third quarter at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on June 02, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale/UFL/Getty Images)
Houston Roughnecks (1-8) at Memphis Showboats (1-8)
In a battle of two last-place teams, the Houston Roughnecks visited the Memphis Showboats for their final games of the 2024 UFL season. The two previously met at Rice Stadium in Houston during Week 1, where Memphis managed to secure the victory in a close 18-12 game.
Back in 2022, the Pittsburgh Maulers and Michigan Panthers entered the final week of the USFL season with identical 1-8 records. The USFL determined that the winner of that game would receive the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. With the same scenario unfolding this year in the United Football League’s inaugural season, UFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston announced Tuesday that this week’s game between the Showboats and Roughnecks would have the same stipulation, but with a twist. Not only will the winner of this game get the overall No. 1 pick, but the victorious squad in this game will get the first pick in every round of the draft.
The Roughnecks J.J. Molson kicked off 58 yards, and the ball was returned by Jonathan Adams to the Memphis 37. Memphis quarterback Josh Love passed to Adams for a 16-yard gain, and then Love kept the ball but gained zero yards. A handoff to Darius Victor gained 5 yards, but a Houston face masking penalty tacked on 15 more yards.
Love passed to Jay Jay Wilson for a gain of 5 yards, and then passed to Adams for 9 more yards and a first down on the Houston 13. A handoff to Victor gained 3 yards, and then Love was pressured and threw the ball away. An offensive holding call moved the Showboats back 10 yards. On second and 17, Love was sacked for a 7-yard loss and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Memphis’s Alec Lindstrom at the Houston 27. On third and 14, a pass to Vinny Papale gained only 6 yards, and Memphis settled for a 29-yard Matt Coughlin field goal to make the score 3-0 for Memphis.
The Coughlin kickoff was returned by Cyril Grayson to the Houston 36. Houston quarterback Nolan Henderson handed to Mark Thompson for a 2-yard gain, and then another handoff to Thompson made a short gain, but a Memphis offside penalty gave the Roughnecks 5 yards. A 6-yard pass to Justin Hall moved the chains to the Houston 49.
Henderson completed a 17-yard pass to Kirk Merritt, and then passed to Hall for an 18-yard gain up to the Memphis 16-yard line. A handoff to Thompson gained only one yard, and then a 15-yard pass to Hall was good for a Houston touchdown. Memphis head coach John DeFilippo challenged the play for offensive pass interference and he was successful. Now on second and 19, Henderson was pressured and hit, but delivered a pass downfield that fell incomplete. A 17-yard catch and run by Merritt was short of the first down. On fourth and 2, a handoff to Thompson was stuffed for a one-yard loss and the Roughnecks turned over the ball on downs.
From his own 9-yard line, Love handed to Victor for a loss of one yard, and then passed to Adams for a gain of 4 yards. On third down, a pass intended for Adams was incomplete, and the Showboats were forced to punt.
The Matt White punt was returned by Justin Hall to the Houston 38-yard line.
Reid Sinnett entered the game at quarterback and passed to Emmanuel Butler for a 16-yard gain. Sinnett was sacked for a one-yard loss , and then a handoff to Thompson lost one yard. On third and 12, Sinnett was intercepted by Quenton Meeks, who returned the ball to midfield.
Josh Love passed to Sage Surratt for a 3-yard gain as the first quarter ended.
Love tossed to Daewood Davis and he immediately lost 4 yards, and then a pass to a well-defended Adams was not caught. The Showboats were forced to punt.
The White punt was returned by Hall to the Houston 27. Henderson passed to Hall for a 14-yard gain, and then handed to Hall for a short gain, but offensive holding pushed the Roughnecks back 10 yards. Henderson was pressured and tried to flip the ball to Thompson, but he was nearly intercepted. A pass intended for Keke Chism was not caught, and then a pass down field drew a 5-yard defensive pass interference penalty. A pass intended for Hall fell incomplete, and the Roughnecks were forced to punt.
The Hunter Niswander punt was returned by Papale to the Memphis 28. Love handed to Titus Swen for no gain, and then passed 12-yards to Sage Surratt to move the chains. A pass to Swen gained 8 yards, and then a handoff to Victor was stuffed for no gain. On third and 2, a pass to Davis was dropped, and the Showboats were forced to punt.
The White punt was taken by Hall and returned to the Houston 19. A handoff to Thompson resulted in a 5-yard gain before he fumbled. The ball was recovered by Dylan Faamantua and Houston retained possession. Henderson passed 10 yards to Butler, and then handed to Thompson for no gain. A short pass to Merritt gained 43 yards to the Memphis 23.
A handoff to Merritt gained 9 yards, and then an end zone pass intended for Hall was well-defended and fell incomplete. On third and one, a pass to Grayson gained 8 yards to move the chains to the Memphis 6-yard line. A handoff to Merritt lost 2-yards as the two-minute warning was announced.
Henderson kept the ball and scrambled for a 3-yard gain, and then Henderson was pressured and had to throw the ball through the end zone. The Roughnecks settled for a 25-yard Molson field goal to tie the score 3-3.
The Molson kickoff was returned by Adams to the Memphis 35-yard line, and a 15-yard Houston unnecessary roughness penalty was added. Josh Love passed to Surratt for a 15-yard gain, and a pass to Davis was good for 4 more yards. Love was pressured and threw the ball away, and then passed to Victor for a 4-yard gain. With 0:02 remaining, the Showboats settled for a 46-yard Matt Coughlin field goal to make the score 6-3 at halftime.
The Coughlin kickoff was returned by Grayson to the Houston 41. Henderson kept the ball and rushed for a 20-yard gain, and then he handed to Thompson who lost 2 yards. Henderson kept the ball and rushed for 18 yards to the Memphis 22. A handoff to Merritt was stuffed for no gain, and then a pass to Chism was well-defended and could not be caught. On third and 10, Henderson was pressured and had to throw the ball away. The Roughnecks settled for a 40-yard Molson field goal attempt, which hit the top of the upright and bounced away for no points.
From his own 30-yard line, Love passed to Adams for an 8-yard gain, and then handed to Victor for a 12-yard run to move the markers to midfield. Love passed to Swen for a 7-yard gain, and then could not complete a pass to Adams. On third and 3, a pass to Davis was dropped, but a 5-yard defensive holding penalty gave the Showboats a first down.
Love passed to Diondre Overton for a 6-yard gain, and then handed to Victor for a 12-yard rush to the Houston 20. A pass intended for Papale was knocked away, and then a pass to Daewood Davis was caught at the back of the end zone. Upon review it was determined that Davis was out of bounds, however a defensive pass interference penalty gave the Showboats a first down on the 6-yard line.
Love handed to Victor for a 4-yard rush, and then another handoff to Victor saw him drive into the end zone for a Memphis touchdown. The two-point conversion was good, but an offensive pass interference call nullified the play. The conversion attempt was re-run from the 15-yard line, and a pass to Davis was caught and gained only 12 yards, for a failed attempt. The score was now 12-3 for Memphis.
The Coughlin kickoff was returned by Grayson to the Houston 39. A handoff to Merritt lost 3 yards, and then a pass to Grayson gained 14-yards for a first down. Henderson swung a pass to Hall for an 8-yard gain, and then passed deep to Braedon Bowman for an 18-yard gain to the Memphis 24. A handoff to Merritt found a hole and he ran 18 yards to the 8-yard line, and then a pass to Chism gained 7 yards to the one-yard line. A handoff to Merritt resulted in a one-yard touchdown. The one-point conversion failed, making the score 12-9 for Memphis.
The Molson kickoff was returned by Adams to the Memphis 39. Love passed to Victor for a 6-yard gain, and then Love had a pass batted away. On third and 4, a false start penalty pushed the Showboats back 5 yards. Now on third and 9, Love’s pass was tipped in the air and intercepted by Markell Roby and returned for a touchdown. Unfortunately, a defensive holding call during the return negated the touchdown, and the ball was placed on the Memphis 45-yard line.
Henderson was pressured and had to throw the ball away as the third quarter ended.
Henderson passed 10-yards to Hall, and then passed to Anthony Ratliff-Williams for a 5-yard gain. Another pass to Hall gained 7 yards, and a pass intended for Hall fell incomplete. A pass to Merritt gained one-yard, and then on third and 9, a pass to Ratliff-Williams fell incomplete. The Roughnecks settled for a 39-yard Molson field goal, to tie the score 12-12.
The Molson kickoff was returned by Titus Swen to the Memphis 47. Love passed to Papale for an 18-yard gain, and then a run by Victor was negated by an offensive holding call. Love kept the ball and scrambled for 6 yards, and then a pass to Adams resulted in a 16-yard gain. A defensive pass interference call was declined on the play.
Love passed to Papale for a 4-yard gain, and then handed to Victor who barreled 17 yards to the Houston 3. A Memphis false start penalty pushed the Showboats back 5 yards, and then a pass to Adams gained 7 yards to the Houston 2-yard line. A pass to Surratt at the back of the end zone was dropped, and then Love handed to Victor who plowed 2 yards into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the night. The one-point conversion was good on a pass to Daewood Davis, to make the score 19-12 for Memphis.
The Coughlin kickoff was returned by Ratliff-Williams to the Houston 39. Henderson passed to Bowman, but the ball fell incomplete, and then a pass to Hall gained 9 yards. On third and 1, a 1-yard run by Merritt moved the chains. Henderson passed to Hall for a 5-yard gain, and then was sacked for a 4-yard loss. On third and 9 a deep pass to Ratliff-Williams gained 21 yards for another first down. A handoff to Thompson gained 4 yards as the two-minute warning was announced.
A Thompson rush lost 4-yards, and then a pass to Ratliff-Williams fell incomplete. Houston head coach Curtis Johnson challenged the play for defensive pass interference and he won the challenge. The ball was placed on the Memphis 20. Henderson was pressured and scrambled for one yard, and then a pass to Ratliff-Williams was stopped for a 5-yard gain. On third and 3, a short pass to Hall was stuffed for no gain. On fourth and 3, with 0:54 remaining, the snap was low, Henderson was pressured and had his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, resulting in the ball falling to the turf.
The Memphis Showboats went into victory formation and ran out the clock.
The final score was Memphis Showboats 19, Houston Roughnecks 12.
