By RJ “The Bullish Brahma” Reid
Introduction
It is Week 7 of the United Football League (UFL) and the San Antonio Brahmas (4-2) finish their 3-game road trip as they head to Houston to take on their former division rival, the Houston Roughnecks (1-5). Here’s what you need to know:
When?
Sunday, May 12, 2024 @ 2:00pm CT (happy Mother’s Day!).
Where?
Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas.
Gameday Weather
For those who are tailgating before the game, rejoice, as it should be great weather for you! You are looking at 83-degree temperatures, partly cloudy with a 2% chance of rain and 13 mile per hour winds.
History
The Roughnecks lead the series 2-0. For the sake of this article, I am basing the history on the Roughnecks name, and not the technicality that the Roughnecks are the former Houston Gamblers, which the Brahmas have never faced.
Keys to Victory
First and foremost, Quinten Dormady needs to revert to the way he was in his first game. He has regressed his last two games, throwing three interceptions against Arlington and another one against DC. He has been inaccurate, and his deep passing has been less than stellar. Despite their record, Houston has the third best defense in the UFL.
The Brahmas need to continue to run the ball. The past two weeks, no one has run the ball better than the Brahmas. John Lovett is coming off a franchise record game, running for 153 yards, the most in the UFL this year. The Roughnecks have the third best rush defense in the league, so this will be a great test for San Antonio. The run game needs to continue to dominate, as the passing game has been underwhelming during that span of time.
The defense needs to get back to being aggressive. The Brahmas have the second most sacks in the league but was only able to record one sack against DC. The defense continues to play well, but the injuries that are piling up on that side of the ball are starting to affect the team. The Brahmas are missing Delontae Scott in the middle of the field. Additionally, their tackling continues to be sloppy and inconsistent. We’ve seen too many broken tackles that result in the opponents gaining five more yards than they should.
Predictions
Let’s look at how my predictions from last week fared:
Quinten Dormady will throw for at least 250 yards, 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Incorrect. He threw for 79 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
John Lovitt will have 80+ yards rushing.
Correct. He had a franchise record 153 yards.
The Brahmas will record at least 5 sacks.
Incorrect. They had one sack.
The Defenders will not score a red zone touchdown.
Incorrect. They were 2-3 in the red zone.
Week 6 results: 1-3.
Overall results: 6-19.
And now my predictions for this week. I hope I won’t “steer” you wrong:
San Antonio will hold Houston to under 250 of total offense.
Ryan Santoso will not miss a field goal.
Justin Smith will have at least 50 yards of receiving.
Jordan Williams will have at least 10 tackles.
Final Thoughts
The Brahmas are coming off perhaps their worst game of the year in their loss to the DC Defenders in Washington DC. Quinten Dormady looked awful, and the passing game couldn’t get anything going. The bright spot was running back John Lovett who rushed for a franchise record 153 yards. The defense was excellent, save for that one 99-yard drive they allowed the Defenders to have, despite the fact they were missing several key players on defense. Surprisingly, they couldn’t get any real pressure on Jordan Ta’amu, only sacking him once, even though the Defenders had a make-shift offensive line and a new offensive coach that joined the team mere days prior to the game. This game against the Roughnecks could be the elixir that cures the Brahmas’ woes. The Roughnecks are on the brink of elimination and while mathematically they are still alive for the playoffs, a San Antonio victory will officially end Houston’s season. With the loss against DC, the Brahmas need to get back on the winning track if they want to stave off the Defenders. The good thing for San Antonio, they are playing two of the worst teams in the league this week and next week. With the quarterback struggles the Brahmas have been having, they cannot afford to underestimate Houston who will be bringing their best. Dormady is possibly sitting on a very warm seat with backup quarterbacks Kevin Hogan and Jayden De Laura are waiting in the wings if Dormady continues to struggle.