The St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0) visited TDECU Stadium on Friday night against the Houston Roughnecks (0-1) to kick off the 2025 UFL season. The Battlehawks controlled the game from the start on their way to dismantling the Roughnecks 31-6.
St. Louis quarterback Manny Wilkins completed 17 of 22 passes (77.3%) for 189 yards, eight carries for 43 yards, and two touchdowns. St. Louis’s rushing game was in full force led by Jarveon Howard with 13 carries for 115 yards, and one touchdown, including a 74-yard touchdown, while Jacob Saylors had 16 carries for 98 yards and one touchdown. St. Louis finished the game with a total of 273 yards on the ground.
Jahcour Pearson led the St. Louis receivers making six catches for 83 yards, and Hakeem Butler was quite targeted one time and recording no stats. St. Louis finished with a total of 460 yards on offense. The defense made 39 tackles, three sacks, two of them by Pita Taumoepenu, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups. Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship made two field goals with a long of 48 yards.
Houston had 160 total yards on offense. Quarterback Anthony Brown had a dismal debut completing 5 of 11 passes (45.5%) for 21 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for 20 yards. To be fair, the offensive line did not protect the quarterbacks well. Nolan Henderson replaced Brown early in the third quarter. He completed 7 of 18 passes (38.9%) for 68 yards, one touchdown, and four carries for 54 yards. Henderson’s touchdown came in the fourth quarter throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hall.
Houston running back Kirk Merritt had eight carries for 16 yards. Houston finished the night with 94 yards rushing. Wide receiver Justin Hall led the Houston receivers making five catches for 40 yards, and one touchdown. Houston’s receivers had 12 catches for 89 yards in this game. The defense finished the night with 64 tackles, one sack by Damon Arnette, three tackles for loss, and one pass breakup.
Next week, the St. Louis Battlehawks host the San Antonio Brahmas in a rematch of last year’s XFL Conference Championship game on Sunday at 6:30 pm on FS1. Meanwhile, the Houston Roughnecks visit the Arlington Renegades next Sunday at noon on ESPN. Purchase UFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
