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The Birmingham Stallions, winners of three straight, find themselves in familiar territory at 3-1 and sitting atop the USFL Conference this season.
Still, the defending UFL champions haven’t been the dominant team football fans expected at the start of the season, which is something head coach Skip Holtz is actively working to fix.
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League]
The Stallions averaged a league-high 26.5 points per game in 2024, but they’re scoring just 16.2 points per contest so far this season. Last year, Birmingham led the league by averaging 136.0 rushing yards a game. This year, the Stallions are averaging just 93.4 rushing yards per contest.
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“We’ve shown flashes of who we can be, and I think we’ve shown flashes of who we are,” Holtz said.
Holtz and the Stallions get another opportunity to live up to big expectations when they host the Memphis Showboats (0-4) at Protective Stadium in Week 5’s opening game on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Then, the Michigan Panthers (3-1) hit the road to face the St. Louis Battlehawks (2-2) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET).
In Sunday’s doubleheader, the Arlington Renegades (3-1) host the DC Defenders (3-1) at Choctaw Stadium (noon ET), followed by the San Antonio Brahmas (1-3) facing the Houston Roughnecks (1-3) at the Alamodome (3 p.m. ET).
Here’s a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 5:
1. Case Cookus takes over at QB for Stallions
Holtz said Matt Corral suffered an injury to his midsection late in last week’s game and will serve as Birmingham’s emergency No. 3 quarterback this week. That means Northern Arizona product Cookus will get his first start of the season against his former team. Cookus finished 1-5 as a starter for Memphis last season, completing 61.5% of his passes for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He was also sacked 20 times.
Before that, Cookus spent two seasons in the legacy USFL with the Philadelphia Stars, totaling 3,629 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions and helping lead them to the 2022 championship game.
“I feel really good,” Holtz said about Cookus starting. “I think he’s got a really good grasp on the offense and what we’re doing.” Cookus, 29, and his wife are expecting a baby boy in July.
Andrew Peasley will serve as the backup quarterback for the Stallions.
2. Battlehawks QB Manny Wilkins out for the year with torn Achilles
St. Louis head coach Anthony Becht received some unfortunate news this week when his team’s medical staff confirmed that theiir starting quarterback suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in his right leg.
Wilkins was placed on IR, and backup Max Duggan will get his first start of the season this week. Wilkins earned UFL Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 2. He has completed 65.2% of his passes for 498 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions through four games. The Battlehawks brought back QB Brandon Silvers, who was with St. Louis last season, to back up Duggan.
St. Louis did receive some good news this week, too. Reigning UFL Offensive Player of the Year and standout receiver Hakeem Butler is expected to return to the field after missing the past three games with a lingering hamstring injury.
The Battlehawks, losers of two straight, have turned the ball over eight times in the past two games but look to get back on the winning track at home against the Panthers.
3. QB Dresser Winn elevated to starting job for Showboats
Looking to shake things up, Memphis interim head coach Jim Turner will start Winn against Birmingham, while E.J. Perry will serve as the team’s backup and Troy Williams will be the team’s emergency third-string quarterback.
Winn, 26, spent some time with the NFL‘s Los Angeles Rams in training camp and on that team’s practice squad in 2023 and 2024. Winn threw for 5,800 yards and 37 touchdowns in college at UT Martin.
Turner said that the Showboats revamped the offense this week now that Noel Mazzone has taken over as the team’s offensive coordinator, with Ken Whisenhunt moving on as the team’s head coach.
The Showboats are averaging just 12.5 points per game and a league-worst 78.3 rushing yards a contest this season.
4. QB Kellen Mond playing in his hometown of San Antonio for the first time
Mond, a Texas A&M product, helped lead the Brahmas to their first win of the season last week. Now, he’ll get to experience another first as he plays a professional game for the first time in his hometown of San Antonio when his team hosts the Roughnecks in Week 5. The Brahmas are the last team in the UFL to host a home opener.
Mond has completed 57.8% of his passes for 562 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in four starts. He has also rushed for 82 yards.
“To come out here and be able to go full games and have to execute drives, end-of-half and end-of-game situations — I think is the best thing,” Mond said when asked about the growth he has experienced from his college days to now. “It’s a quarterback-driven league, and I think it’s extremely beneficial, and I’ve grown. From understanding defenses from my college days and my accuracy level … I think I’m a totally different player.”
5. Defenders, Renegades meet in battle for the top spot in XFL Conference
Undefeated at home this season, the Renegades host the Defenders in Week 5 with the XFL Conference’s No. 1 spot up for grabs.
The Defenders are looking to rebound after losing their first game of the season at home last week, but it will be a tall task, as the Renegades are holding opposing offenses to a league-low 10.8 points per game. The Defenders will look to play a cleaner game after finishing with 13 accepted penalties for 121 yards last week.
“You can’t overcome games like that with so many penalties,” Defenders interim head coach Shannon Harris said. “We’ve got to clean that up.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams.
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