Manny Wilkins, Battlehawks rout Roughnecks in UFL opener: Highlights

The St. Louis Battlehawks entered the 2025 UFL season with questions about how they would replace AJ McCarron at quarterback. They answered them resoundingly Friday in a 31-6 blowout of the Houston Roughnecks.

Anthony Becht tapped quarterback Manny Wilkins to be the successor to McCarron. The 29-year-old answered the call in an efficient and explosive performance.

Wilkins was accurate throughout the evening, completing 17 of 22 passes for 189 yards for the Battlehawks. However, his larger impact came on the ground, where racked up 43 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

Becht was vocal about his hope that his 2025 quarterbacks would provide the team with more dynamic scrambling than McCarron. Wilkins did just that and helped diversify St. Louis’ red-zone offense with his read-option skill set.

Wilkins was just one cog in St. Louis’ dominant running game. Top running back Jacob Saylors totaled 98 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while Jarveon Howard went for 115 yards on 13 carries, most of which came on a 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

As for Houston, it’ll be going back to the drawing board after a Week 1 shellacking. The first big decision CJ Johnson’s team will have to make: who will start at quarterback? Backup Nolan Henderson was much more effective than starter Anthony Brown, so the Roughnecks may consider changing up their signal-caller depth chart entering Week 2.

USA TODAY Sports tracked all the action from Houston as the UFL season kicked off. Below are the major updates and highlight plays from the game.

Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks highlights

Final score: Battlehawks 31, Roughnecks 6

Battlehawks sack Nolan Henderson on fourth-and-15

The Battlehawks were able to get one last stop against the Roughnecks, bringing down Henderson and forcing a turnover on downs. That will allow St. Louis to take a knee and run out the clock on a 25-point win.

Roughnecks convert onside kick alternative on facemask penalty

The Roughnecks decided to attempt the UFL’s version of an onside kick: a fourth-and-12 from their own 28-yard line. Nolan Henderson was sacked, but he was brought down by his facemask. That will allow Houston a chance to mount one more scoring drive.

Roughnecks avoid shutout with Nolan Henderson to Justin Hall TD

The Battlehawks will not shut out the Roughnecks in Houston’s home opener. Henderson helped lead Houston down the field and found Hall wide-open in the end zone to ensure the Roughnecks would not go home empty-handed.

The Roughnecks weren’t able to convert on the ensuing 2-point conversion and are still trailing by 25 with 2:24 left in regulation. Battlehawks 31, Roughnecks 6

Jarveon Howard breaks through Houston defense for 74-yard score

The Battlehawks are pouring it on. Howard had a seam open up the middle and he burst through it for a massive gain. He found a way to weave through the defense from there and put the game well out of reach.

Max Duggan took the point-after try into the end zone for St. Louis’ first conversion of the day. The Battlehawks now lead by four scores. Battlehawks 31, Roughnecks 0

Battlehawks put QB Max Duggan into the game for Manny Wilkins

With St. Louis blowing Houston out, head coach Anthony Becht is going to let Duggan get some action. The 24-year-old led TCU to a national championship game appearance in 2023 and was a seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers that same year. He is in his first UFL season and was one of the league’s marquee offseason signings.

Wilkins finishes the game having completed 17 of 22 passes for 189 yards while adding 43 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Roughnecks fail to convert fourth-and-10 in Battlehawks territory

Houston’s chances of making a comeback have all but evaporated. Nolan Henderson was able to lead the Roughnecks down the field with more success than Anthony Brown, but he couldn’t help Houston punch it into the end zone.

Kameron Kelly broke up a fourth-and-10 pass by Henderson to end Houston’s lone scoring threat of the evening. The Roughnecks are trailing 24-0 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.

Manny Wilkins scores second rushing TD to extend St. Louis lead

The Battlehawks are running away with the UFL opener. Wilkins scores his second touchdown of the day, this time doing so on a read-option run that saw him break a tackle and dive into the end zone. Once again, the Battlehawks failed to convert the point after, but they maintain a three-score lead over the Roughnecks. Battlehawks 24, Roughnecks 0

Battlehawks use UFL super challenge to create defensive pass interference

The UFL has a rule that allows coaches to use a ‘super challenge’ to question any call made on the field. Anthony Becht’s Battlehawks utilized that rule to challenge a non-pass interference call on a third-and-3 pass to Hakeem Butler in the end zone.

Mike Pereira agreed with Becht that pass interference should have been called. That resulted in the Battlehawks getting a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line rather than having to attempt a chip-shot field goal.

End of third quarter: Battlehawks leading Roughnecks 18-0 in dominant display

Any hopes of a competitive UFL opener appear to have gone by the wayside. St. Louis has dominated Houston through three quarters, possessing the ball for 31:56 of the first 45 minutes of game time and outgaining the Roughnecks 371-62.

Manny Wilkins has been up to the task of replacing AJ McCarron. The first-year Battlehawks starter has completed 17-of-22 passes for 189 yards while adding 42 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Running back Jacob Saylors has been an even bigger star, racking up 98 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while adding 47 yards through the air on four catches.

The Roughnecks have replaced starting quarterback Anthony Brown with Nolan Henderson, who spent the 2024 season with the team and made a couple of starts for it. Houston will see if he can provide its offense a spark.

Because of the UFL’s three-point conversion, the Roughnecks are still in a two-possession game. But with the Battlehawks inside Houston’s 10-yard line, it is likely to soon be a three-possession contest.

Nolan Henderson replaces Anthony Brown at QB for Houston

The Roughnecks are changing things up at quarterback. After Brown went 5-of-11 for 21 yards with two interceptions, Henderson will get a chance to prove himself at quarterback.

Henderson, 26, went undrafted in 2023 out of Delaware and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent. He spent the 2024 season with the Roughnecks and made three starts, completing 58.1% of his passes for 526 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Roughnecks pick up second fourth-down stop

St. Louis decided to go for it on a fourth-and-1 in field goal range but opted not to run the ball up the middle. Instead, the Battlehawks called a naked bootleg to quarterback Manny Wilkins’ left. Houston got immediate pressure on the Battlehawks quarterback and forced him to throw the ball away.

The Roughnecks will get the ball back trailing by 18 and still looking to mount their first scoring drive of the season opener.

Jacob Saylors stats today: Battlehawks RB rips off 25-yard run

Saylors has been rock-solid for the Battlehawks, and his first carry of the second half goes for a 25-yard gain. That’s his longest of the night, and gives him 125 scrimmage yards for the game.

Roughnecks go three-and-out to start second half

Houston’s first play out of the halftime locker room was a microcosm of its evening so far. Kirk Merritt took too long to take a read-option handoff and was tackled for no gain after dancing around in the backfield. He had a marginal gain on second down before Anthony Brown and Keke Chism failed to connect on a third-down pass just beyond the sticks.

The Battlehawks will get the ball back looking to improve upon their 18-point lead.

Roughnecks halftime stats

The Roughnecks have gotten off to a slow start. Houston failed to score in the first half and gained just 48 total yards while logging 8:22 of possession.

Below are the notable first-half stats for the Roughnecks:

QB Anthony Brown: 5-of-10 passing, 21 passing yards, 2 interceptions; 1 carry, 20 rushing yards
RB Kirk Merritt: 3 carries, 4 yards; 2 catches, 5 yards
WR Justin Hall: 3 catches, 16 yards
CB Damon Arnette: 5 tackles, 1 sack

Battlehawks halftime stats

The Battlehawks are off to a strong start, as they outgained the Roughnecks 265-48 in the first half. Manny Wilkins, Jacob Saylors and Jahcour Pearson were the main sources of offense while Rodrigo Blankenship contributed a couple of field goals.

Below are the notable first-half stats for the Battlehawks:

QB Manny Wilkins: 13-of-17 passing, 167 passing yards; 6 carries, 39 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
RB Jacob Saylors: 11 carries, 53 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD; 4 catches, 47 yards
WR Jahcour Pearson: 5 catches, 75 yards
S Qwynnterrio Cole: 2 tackles, 1 interception
S Lukas Denis: 2 tackles, 1 interception

Battlehawks notch another field goal heading into halftime

After Houston went three-and-out, the Battlehawks had 57 seconds to go 47 yards thanks to a great Jahcour Pearson punt return. St. Louis managed to get into scoring range but couldn’t quite punch it in despite taking a couple of shots into the end zone.

Blankenship made his 33-yard chip shot to give the Battlehawks an 18-point lead heading into halftime. Battlehawks 18, Roughnecks 0

UFL score update: Rodrigo Blankenship makes 48-yard field goal to extend Battlehawks lead

The Battlehawks decided to attempt a 48-yard field goal, but not before faking a trick-play sneak in an effort to draw Houston offsides on fourth-and-2. The Roughnecks didn’t budge, and the Battlehawks’ timeout didn’t bother Rodrigo Blankenship, who sneaked the kick inside the left upright to extend St. Louis’ lead. Battlehawks 15, Roughnecks 0

Battlehawks convert second consecutive third-and-18

Houston forced St. Louis into a second consecutive third-and-18. Once again, the Battlehawks converted, as the Roughnecks defense failed to line up properly before Manny Wilkins fired off a dump-off to Jahcour Pearson, who took the catch 30 yards downfield.

That puts St. Louis on the edge of field-goal range.

Jacob Saylors turns third-and-18 screen into first down

The Roughnecks finally had the Battlehawks moving backward after sniffing out a flea-flicker and drawing a holding penalty on Hakeem Butler. However, St. Louis dialed up a well-timed screen pass to Saylors, who ran through a couple of tackles and dove across the line to gain to give St. Louis another first down.

The Battlehawks are still on their own side of midfield, but they will not have to punt.

Anthony Brown throws second interception

Houston finally got some offensive momentum, picking up a couple of first downs, but Lukas Denis undercut a third-and-10 pass by Brown to intercept the first-year UFL quarterback for a second time.

Denis caught the ball on St. Louis’ 31-yard line and was downed there. The Battlehawks will begin their next drive there, looking to expand upon their 12-0 advantage.

Battlehawks score again on 1-yard Manny Wilkins QB sneak

St. Louis gets on the board again with a short run. This time, Wilkins finds his way into the end zone a play after converting a third-and-6 on a crisp 12-yard pass to Frank Darby near the front pylon. Darby couldn’t get the ball across the goal line, so Wilkins dove over it on the next play.

Once again, St. Louis failed to convert the two-point attempt, so Houston finds itself trailing by 12. Battlehawks 12, Roughnecks 0

End of first quarter: Battlehawks lead Roughnecks 6-0

The Battlehawks have a one-score lead, but they are threatening to score again. They have the ball at Houston’s 17-yard line and have ripped off several chunk plays to Jacob Saylors and Jahcour Pearson to kick-start their season.

St. Louis outgained Houston 156-10 over the first 15 minutes with new starting quarterback Manny Wilkins going a perfect 7-for-7 for 81 yards. Meanwhile, Saylors has 70 total yards and a score on 11 touches.

The Roughnecks possessed the ball for just 2:33 in the first quarter, so CJ Johnson’s squad will need to put together some longer drives in the second quarter as they look to compete with the Battlehawks. Houston has yet to convert a first down while St. Louis has nine.

Score update: Jacob Saylors scores 4-yard touchdown

The Battlehawks get on the board first, as their star running back Saylors found a seam in Houston’s defense and dove across the line for an easy score.

St. Louis tried to trick the Roughnecks on its ensuing two-point conversion, as it allowed receiver Jahcour Pearson to throw a pass on an end-around. He just overthrew his target, so the Battlehawks came away with just six points. Battlehawks 6, Roughnecks 0

Anthony Brown throws interception on first pass attempt

The Roughnecks weren’t able to capitalize on good field position. Houston ran the ball once with Kirk Merritt before Brown attempted the first pass of his UFL career. Battlehawks safety Qwynnterrio Cole was able to tip the ball to himself and come down with an interception.

Roughnecks get early fourth-and-inches stop

Manny Wilkins nearly scrambled for a first down on a third-and-13 play, but Houston stopped him 0.2 inches short of the first down, according to the UFL’s first-down measuring technology. St. Louis decided to go for it on fourth-and-inches, but the Roughnecks were able to bottle up Jarveon Howard to force a turnover on downs.

The Roughnecks will get the ball for the first time of the 2025 UFL season near midfield.

Battlehawks receive opening kickoff to begin 2025 UFL season

The UFL’s second season is underway. It begins with Houston kicker Chris Blewitt launching a kickoff to St. Louis’ Blake Jackson. He gets out to the 30-yard line, where the Battlehawks will get their season started.

Who is the Roughnecks starting quarterback?

Anthony Brown is presently listed as the Roughnecks starting quarterback, though Nolan Henderson, who played with the team last season, is also on the roster.

Brown went undrafted in 2022 after enjoying a solid college career playing for Boston College and Oregon. He landed with the Baltimore Ravens and made one start during the 2022 season. He completed just 44.9% of his passes for 309 yards with two interceptions.

Brown, 26, signed with the Roughnecks on Feb. 7 after spending the 2024 NFL season playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals.

Who is the Battlehawks starting quarterback?

Manny Wilkins is listed as the Battlehawks starting quarterback for Week 1, though Max Duggan may also get some playing time at the position.

Wilkins, 29, is in his third season with the Battlehawks and is best known for posting a solid college career at Arizona State. He spent the 2019 season on the Green Bay Packers practice squad but was released in April 2020.

What happened to AJ McCarron?

McCarron started the last two seasons at quarterback for St. Louis. However, the former Alabama star and nine-year NFL quarterback wasn’t retained by the team entering the 2025 season.

‘I just felt like, for me, it was time to just give other players and opportunity to shine and use this platform just like AJ did,’ Becht told USA TODAY in a phone interview.

Who is the St. Louis Battlehawks coach?

Anthony Becht is coaching the Battlehawks in 2025. It marks his third season with the franchise, and he has posted a 14-6 record in his first two seasons.

Becht, 47, had a 10-season NFL career as a tight end, playing for the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. He will be seeking his first playoff win as the Battlehawks head coach while breaking in a new starting quarterback.

Who is the Houston Roughnecks coach?

CJ Johnson is coaching the Roughnecks in 2025. It’s his third season in charge of the team, and he is hoping to help Houston bounce back after a 1-9 campaign in 2024.

Johnson, 63, was an NFL position coach for 12 years, mostly on Sean Payton’s staff with the New Orleans Saints. He also served as the head coach at Tulane from 2012-15, posting a 15-34 record during that stint.

Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks TV channel

TV channel: Fox

Fox will broadcast the UFL season open between the Battlehawks and Roughnecks. The network will share rights to UFL games with the ESPN family of networks this season, but Fox will broadcast most of the league’s Friday night games.

Fox’s top UFL broadcast team will be on the call for Friday’s game. Play-by-play announcer Curt Menefee and analyst Joel Klatt will be in the booth while Brock Huard will report from the sidelines.

Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks start time

Start time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Location: John O’Quinn Field at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

The Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The game will be the first of four UFL contests to be played over the season’s opening weekend.

How to watch UFL: live stream

Live stream: Fubo

Cord cutters hoping to catch the UFL opener can turn to Fubo to live stream the game. Fubo carries Fox and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch all of the UFL’s action for 2025 with the service.

Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks predictions, picks

Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports team feels the Battlehawks-Roughnecks game will go:

Jacob Camenker: Battlehawks 19, Roughnecks 17

Battlehawks vs. Roughnecks odds, moneyline, over/under

The Battlehawks are favorites to defeat the Roughnecks, according to the BetMGM UFL odds.

Spread: Battlehawks (-6)
Moneyline: Battlehawks (-275); Roughnecks (+225)
Over/under: 37.5

Where do the Roughnecks play?

Houston plays at John O’Quinn Field at TDECU Stadium, which is the home of the Houston Cougars. The stadium is set to be renamed “Space City Financial Stadium” beginning with the 2025 college season and has a capacity of 40,000 plus standing room.

What is the UFL?

The UFL is a spring football league that was created in 2024. The league formed after the USFL and XFL merged from two, separate eight-team leagues that competed head-to-head in the 2023 season into one eight-team league.

The UFL serves as a development ground for players on the NFL roster fringes and gives football fans a 12-week period of live games in the otherwise barren NFL offseason.

Who owns the UFL?

The UFL is a joint venture between Fox Sports, RedBird Capital Partners, Dany Garcia and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Fox Sports, which originally invested in the USFL, owns 50% of the league; the other 50% is shared by the other three partners, according to Fox Sports’ website.

UFL teams 2025

The UFL will have eight teams in 2025. They are as follows:

Arlington Renegades
Birmingham Stallions
DC Defenders
Houston Roughnecks
Memphis Showboats
Michigan Panthers
San Antonio Brahmas
St. Louis Battlehawks

Birmingham, Houston, Memphis and Michigan will compete in the USFL conference while Arlington, DC, San Antonio and St. Louis will be part of the XFL conference.

UFL coaches 2025

The UFL originally returned seven of its eight coaches from the 2024 season to its second season. However, DC Defenders coach Reggie Barlow left the team to take Tennessee State’s head coaching job on eve of the season while the league’s lone new hire, Ken Whisenhunt of the Memphis Showboats, stepped away from his team for personal reasons.

Below are the coaches for the 2025 season:

Bob Stoops, Arlington Renegades
Skip Holtz, Birmingham Stallions
Shannon Harris, DC Defenders (interim)
CJ Johnson, Houston Roughnecks
Jim Turner, Memphis Showboats (interim)
Mike Nolan, Michigan Panthers
Wade Phillips, San Antonio Brahmas
Anthony Becht, St. Louis Battlehawks

Best UFL to NFL players

Plenty of spring-league players have gone on to have successful NFL careers. Here are some of the most recent success stories:

Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys
Jake Bates, K, Detroit Lions
KaVontae Turpin, WR/KR, Dallas Cowboys
Dondrea Tillman, EDGE, Denver Broncos
Jalen Redmond, DT, Minnesota Vikings
Jeremiah Pharms Jr., DT, New England Patriots
Adrian Martinez, QB, New York Jets

UFL Week 1 schedule

Below is a full look at the UFL’s Week 1 schedule:

Friday, March 28: St. Louis Battlehawks at Houston Roughnecks (8 p.m. ET)
Saturday, March 29: San Antonio Brahmas at Arlington Renegades (4 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 30: Michigan Panthers at Memphis Showboats (Noon ET)
Sunday, March 30: Birmingham Stallions at DC Defenders (3 p.m. ET)

UFL championship odds 2025

Below is a look at the favorites to win the 2025 UFL championship, per BetMGM’s UFL odds.

Birmingham Stallions: +225
St. Louis Battlehawks: +375
D.C. Defenders: +600
San Antonio Brahmas: +600
Michigan Panthers: +650
Arlington Renegades: +1100
Memphis Showboats: +1400
Houston Roughnecks: +1800

Previous spring pro football league champions

Spring football has been played intermittently dating back to 1983. Below is a look at the teams to win spring football championships across the various leagues.

UFL

2024: Birmingham Stallions (over San Antonio Brahmas)

XFL

2023: Arlington Renegades (over D.C. Defenders)

USFL

2023: Birmingham Stallions (over Pittsburgh Maulers)

2022: Birmingham Stallions (over Philadelphia Stars)