The Houston Roughnecks (2-3) visited the Alamodome on Sunday afternoon against the San Antonio Brahmas (1-4). It was the first home game of the season for the Brahmas.
In the first quarter, Houston kicker Chris Blewitt made a 38-yard field goal to put the Roughnecks up 3-0 with 8:46 left. The Roughnecks led 3-0 after one quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Houston running back Zaquandre White rushed to his right side to score a six-yard touchdown. They did not get the one-point conversion and led the Brahmas 9-0 with 14:56 left. On the final play of the second quarter, Houston kicker Chris Blewitt made a 29-yard field goal and the Roughnecks led the Brahmas 12-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Houston running back Kirk Merritt broke a tackle before scoring a 21-yard touchdown for an 18-0 lead with 9:30 left. Late in the third quarter, San Antonio kicker Tristan Vizcaino made a 33-yard field goal and it was now 18-3 Houston with 44 seconds left.
In the fourth quarter, San Antonio quarterback Jarrett Guarantano’s pass bounced off the hands of Jacob Harris and into the arms of Rayshad Williams for a pick-six 64-yard touchdown. Houston converted a three-point play and it was now 27-3 with 6:36 left. That was all the Roughnecks needed as they defeated the San Antonio Brahmas by the final score of 27-3. With the win, Houston is now in contention in the USFL Conference with Birmingham and Michigan.
Houston had 273 yards of offense led by quarterback Jalan McClendon completing 22 of 32 passes (68.8%) for 171 yards, one interception, and eight carries for 17 yards. Running back Zaquandre White led the rushers with 11 carries for 40 yards, and one touchdown, while Kirk Merritt had six carries for 24 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Justin Hall led the receivers making nine catches for 68 yards, and Josh Pederson made three catches for 27 yards. Kicker Chris Blewitt made two field goals with a long of 38 yards. The defense made 34 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups.
San Antonio had 118 yards of offense. Starting quarterback Kellen Mond completed 4 of 9 passes (44.4%) for 35 yards, and one interception, while backup quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 6 of 15 passes (40%) for 29 yards, one interception, and three carries for 24 yards.
Running back Anthony McFarland led the rushers with six carries for 40 yards, and Aidan Robbins had three carries for 12 yards. Wide receiver Jacob Harris led the receivers making one catch for 24 yards, and Jontre Kirklin made four catches for 21 yards.
Kicker Tristan Vizcaino made one field goal for 33 yards. The defense made 64 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, five pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Houston Roughnecks host the Memphis Showboats on Saturday at noon on ABC, while the San Antonio Brahmas visit the Birmingham Stallions on Sunday at 4 pm on Fox. Purchase UFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
