2025 UFL Season: Week 2 Birmingham Stallions at Michigan Panthers Game Preview
Week 2 of the UFL season kicks off with the surprisingly 0-1 Birmingham Stallions heading to Ford Field to face the 1-0 Michigan Panthers.
The Stallions are coming off one of the biggest upsets in recent spring football history as they fell to the D.C. Defenders 18-11 on Sunday. Quarterback Alex McGough struggled with 89 yards passing and one touchdown to one interception and was sacked eight times. McGough did lead the team in rushing yards with 84 in the loss.
Michigan played a close game against the Memphis Showboats, but a late-game interception for a touchdown by safety Kai Nacua sealed the win for the Panthers 26-12. Quarterback Bryce Perkins shined, completing 16 of 19 passes for 163 yards and two total touchdowns. The Panthers’ defense performed well, allowing just under 300 yards of offense from the Showboats and two turnovers in the win.
Birmingham leads the series against Michigan 5-0 dating back to the 2022 USFL season. Stallions head coach Skip Holtz is also undefeated against Panthers head coach Mike Nolan with four straight wins.
Game Details
Location: Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
Date and Time: Friday, April 4 at 8:00 pm EST
Network: FOX
Betting Odds via DraftKings: Stallions -2.5, O/U 38.5
Injury Reports
The Stallions are beat up this week with key players. Return specialist Amari Rodgers is out with a neck injury after being added to the injury report later in the week. Starting safety Kenny Robinson Jr. will not play with a right ankle injury as he didn’t practice most of the week. Tight end La’Michael Pettway was added to the injured reserve list with his left hip injury that will keep him out for at least half the season. Depth at running back takes a hit with C.J. Marable out for personal reasons.
Michigan is in a much better position as all four players on their injury report are good to go. One player to monitor is wide receiver Siaosi Mariner, who was limited by a left wrist injury but is probable to play and start.
Depth Charts
The injuries have caused some adjustments to the depth chart for Birmingham. Tight end Jace Sternberger takes over as the starter after last year’s All-UFL selection was listed at third string in Week 1. Running back Larry Rountree III takes over as the backup to Ricky Person Jr. Wide receiver Davion Davis takes over on special teams as the punt returner and second kickoff returner. A.J. Thomas moves from starting linebacker to strong safety to replace Robinson.
There are very little differences between Week 1 and Week 2 depth charts for the Panthers. Devin Ross will be the starting punt returner as Xavier Malone was at that position last week, and Malone is listed as inactive against Birmingham. D.J. Miller fills in as the backup cornerback and strong safety this week as safety Tyree Gillespie is also listed as inactive.
Keys to Stallions Win
Protection, protection, and more protection. McGough took a good enough beating last week as he was on the injury report with a quad injury. The five men up front have to find a way to keep McGough up and not on the ground. Holtz will have to get more creative with his play calling and run more short passes to get the ball out of McGough’s hands and run more RPO plays to utilize McGough’s legs.
All in all, the Stallions’ defense had a sneaky good game last week that didn’t get enough support from the offense. Upfront, they held the Defenders to 86 rushing yards, as they will need to do more of the same on Friday night, as the Panthers are one of the better rushing attacks in the UFL. Containing Perkins in the pocket is essential, as well, as he made some Houdini-like plays last week.
Keys to Panthers Win
Let Perkins run the ball more. The Panthers have one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league, so run more QB runs with him and make it easier on starting running back Nate McCrary to have fewer defenders to go up against.
Michigan’s defense has to find a way to keep McGough in the pocket as he sliced and diced the Defenders’ defense with his scramble runs. The best part about this defense is the numerous playmakers it has to create turnovers, so more of what Nacua did last week would give them the edge against the Stallions.
Prediction
Don’t expect a shootout, but this will be a close game. These are two of the most well-coached teams in the UFL and had some classic matchups last year. Hopefully, this game won’t feature as many turnovers as the USFL Conference Championship game did last year, but it should still be a good one. Birmingham will still have the slight edge over Michigan, but watch out for the Panthers, as they are on the map as UFL championship contenders.
