2025 UFL Season: Week 3 Arlington Renegades at Birmingham Stallions Game Preview
Week 3 of the UFL season is arguably the best week for games. It kicks off with the Arlington Renegades facing the Birmingham Stallions on Friday night.
Last week was not a good week for the Renegades, despite still winning as they sneaked past the Houston Roughnecks 11-9 on Sunday. The offense struggled to get going, but a fourth-quarter touchdown and two-point conversion were enough to help them win. Arlington’s defense has been stellar through two games, allowing just 18 total points.
Birmingham rebounded nicely last Friday as the Stallions picked up a critical USFL Conference win over the Michigan Panthers 21-12. Starting quarterback Alex McGough was hurt on the first play, and Matt Corral finished the game.
The Renegades enter the game as one of three undefeated teams remaining in the UFL at 2-0. Birmingham holds a 1-1 record. The Stallions defeated the Renegades 27-14 in last year’s UFL opener.
Game Details
Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, AL
Date and Time: Friday, April 11 at 7:00 pm CST
Network: FOX
Betting Odds via DraftKings: Stallions -4.5, O/U 39.5
Injury Reports
Arlington is concerned about Chris Odom’s left calf injury, which is questionable, but he will be active for the game. Wide receiver David Durden is the only Renegades player out with a left groin injury. Jamal Carter looks to be improving his health, but despite being listed as probable, he will still be inactive for the game.
The Stallions were hit hard on the injury report this week, with five players listed as out. McGough was placed on the IR this week, which means it will be the Corral show for the next month. Top receiver Deon Cain is out as he is celebrating the birth of his child. Safety Kenny Robinson Jr. will miss yet another game with his left ankle injury. Another key injury is on the offensive line, with left tackle Christian DiLauro out with a neck injury.
Depth Charts
Arlington won’t be seeing much change to the depth chart from last week as Myles Dorn will make another start at free safety for the injured Carter. The rest of the lineup remains the same as it was on Sunday.
Corral takes over as the Stallions’ starting quarterback with Case Cookus backing him up. C.J. Marable returns to the lineup as he will start at running back over Ricky Person Jr., but expect both to split carries. Jarron Jones takes over at left tackle, and Marlon Williams replaces Cain as one of three starting wide receivers. Linebacker Chapelle Russell and cornerback Faion Hicks hop into the starting lineup on defense for Birmingham. Amari Rodgers returns from injury and will be the punt returner.
Keys to Renegades Win
This offense has to get off to a faster start. Arlington could move the ball decently against Houston but failed to score more than 11 points due to a missed field goal and too many penalties on offense. Renegades head coach Bob Stoops spoke this week about cleaning up the penalties and dominating at the line of scrimmage.
The defense has been spectacular all season. They are second in the league in yards allowed per game (216), points allowed per game (nine), and rush defense (84). Birmingham is back at full strength in the backfield with Marable and Person, so loading up the box to stop them is key. Corral is not as mobile as McGough, so pressuring him in the pocket early and often is key.
Keys to Stallions Win
Corral is willing to bomb the ball deep, so Stallions head coach Skip Holtz should call more deep passes and be more aggressive with his play calling. Not having starting left tackle DiLauro hurts the Stallions, as the strategy is to run the ball more to the right side of the line and call quick passes to get it out of Corral’s hands.
Renegades starting quarterback Luis Perez leads the UFL in passing yards with 375, so the Stallions must be sound in the secondary. Birmingham has been good up front with pressuring the quarterback, and Perez is more of a pocket quarterback, but the Stallions have to watch out for Perez to use his legs, as he has been running it more than in recent years.
Prediction
Birmingham is banged up this week with five starters out with injuries or personal reasons. It feels easier to pick the safe choice and go with Arlington to remain undefeated, but there is something about this Stallions team that is hard to go against. This has the potential of being a low-scoring affair with two great defenses that might come down to who gets the ball last.
