United Football League, Week 9: Michigan warms up for Birmingham

In the other UFL games in Week 9:

· St. Louis' final three possessions ended in interceptions, including one that Arlington safety Joe Powell returned 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:31 left in the Renegades' 36-22 win over the Battlehawks on Saturday. The interceptions came from Manny Wilkins as former Alabama All-American AJ McCarron missed a second game with an ankle injury. Unlike last week, McCarron was in uniform for Saturday's game. Wilkins ran for two touchdowns, and St. Louis running back Jacob Saylors rushed for 104 yards on 14 rushing attempts, while Arlington got 259 yards and three touchdowns through the air from quarterback Luis Perez.

· San Antonio cornerback Teez Tabor's interception at the goal line with 22 seconds left sealed the Brahmas' 18-9 victory over the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday. The Stallions suffered their first loss of the season as San Antonio stopped a 15-game winning streak that began on May 20, 2023. Running back Morgan Ellison scored two touchdowns on the ground for San Antonio and tight end Jace Sternberger had seven receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Stallions.

· Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu completed 20 of 24 passes for 237 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran for 38 yards and a touchdown on four carries to lead the DC Defenders to a 36-21 victory over the Memphis Showboats on Sunday. The Defenders rushed for 431 yards in the game, including 168 yards and three touchdowns on 38 rushing attempts by six ball carriers. With 126 yards, Memphis had 21 more rushing yards than passing yards, with Darius Victor rushing for 98 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Perkins completed 12 of 15 passes for 121 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

Perkins' touchdown pass – a 4-yard pass to wide receiver Trey Quinn – cut Houston's lead to 16-12 with 5:26 left in the third quarter. His first touchdown run on an 11-yard run cut the Roughnecks' lead to 22-19 with 11:45 left.

Houston took the lead thanks to touchdown passes of 63 and 7 yards from quarterback Nolan Henderson to wide receiver Justin Hall. Hall caught six passes for 109 yards.

Michigan's next two games are in Birmingham – the final regular season game on June 1 and the UFL semifinals on June 8 against the Stallions.

22 players from high schools and colleges in Alabama are on the UFL rosters:

Arlington Renegades 36, St. Louis Battlehawks 22

· Renegades tight end Sal Cannella (Auburn) extended his streak of games with a touchdown reception to four when he caught a 46-yard pass from quarterback Luis Perez on a fake reverse flea flicker early in the game. Cannella had five pass receptions for 70 yards on Saturday, giving him 29 pass receptions for 281 yards and five touchdowns over the past four games.

· Renegades defensive lineman Davonte Lambert (Auburn) made a tackle.

· Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron (St. Paul's Episcopal, Alabama) did not play. The St. Louis starter has missed the last two games because of an ankle injury.

· Battlehawks quarterback Brandon Silvers (Gulf Shores, Troy) did not play.

San Antonio Brahmas 18, Birmingham Stallions 9

· Stallions guard Deonte Brown (Austin, Alabama) is on the injured list and is not eligible to play.

· Stallions wide receiver Marlon Williams (McGill-Toolen) had five pass catches for 42 yards and one run attempt for 6 yards.

DC Defenders 36, Memphis Showboats 21

· Showboats wide receiver Dee Anderson (Alabama A&M) did not record any statistics.

· Defensive back TJ Barnes (Enterprise) made a tackle.

· Defensive long snapper/tight end Trae Barry (Spanish Fort, Jacksonville State) did not record any statistics.

· Showboats defensive tackle Connor Christian (Jacksonville State) was marked as inactive on game day.

· Showboats cornerback TJ Green (Sylacauga) made five tackles and defended a pass.

· Showboats linebacker TJ Neal (Auburn) made five tackles.

· Showboats tight end Wes Saxton Jr. (Hueytown, South Alabama) did not record any statistics.

· Showboats tight end Jay Jay Wilson (Auburn) had an 11-yard pass and made a tackle.

· Offensive lineman John Yarbrough (Homewood) did not record any statistics.

Michigan Panthers 26, Houston Roughnecks 22

· Roughnecks linebacker Christopher Allen (Alabama) made a tackle.

· Roughnecks tight end Braedon Bowman (South Alabama) did not record any statistics.

· Cam Carter (Minor) started as left offensive tackle for the Roughnecks.

· Roughnecks linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn High, Alabama) is on the injured list and is ineligible to play.

· Roughnecks running back Ezra Gray (Alabama State) was reported inactive on game day.

· Roughnecks tight end AJ Lewis (Murphy, Alabama State/Troy) was marked as inactive on game day.

· Panthers defensive tackle Garrett Marino (UAB) made one tackle and intercepted a pass.

In the games of Week 10 to conclude the regular season schedule:

· The Panthers (7-2) and Stallions (8-1) play Saturday at 1 p.m. CDT at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. ESPN will televise the game.

· The Brahmas (7-2) and Battlehawks (6-3) will face off at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis. FOX will televise the game.

· The Renegades (2-7) and the Defenders (4-5) meet at 11 a.m. Sunday at Audi Field in Washington. ABC will televise the game.

· The Roughnecks (1-8) and Showboats (1-8) will face off at 6 p.m. Sunday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. FOX will televise the game.

The pairings for the UFL semifinals have already been determined. The USFL championship game will pit the Stallions and Panthers against each other again at Protective Stadium on June 8 at 2 p.m. ABC will televise the game. The XFL championship game will pit the Brahmas and Battlehawks against each other again at a site to be determined on June 9 at 6 p.m. The winner of the last regular season game between the teams hosting the playoff game will be the contest.

The winners of these games will face each other in the UFL Championship Game at the Dome at America's Center on June 16 at 4 p.m.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.