Week 10 of the United Football League season came down to a dramatic finale between the Houston Roughnecks and Memphis Showboats. In a back-and-forth battle at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the Showboats held on for a 19-12 victory to snap an eight-game losing streak and secure the first overall pick in the 2025 UFL Draft.

The game started slowly as both teams tried to find their rhythm after not facing each other since Week 1. Memphis pulled ahead 3-0 in the first quarter on a Matt Coghlin 29-yard field goal. The Roughnecks thought they had taken the lead, but a touchdown was called back due to offensive pass interference.

Quarterbacks Nolan Henderson for Houston and Josh Love for Memphis traded blows in the second quarter. Henderson air-mailed it downfield, connecting with Kirk Merritt for 43 yards on one play. But the Roughnecks could only muster a J.J. Molson 25-yard field goal from two red zone trips. Coghlin added another three points before halftime as Memphis took a 6-3 lead into the locker room.

The second half was a dramatic tug-of-war. Henderson led a touchdown drive capped by Merritt’s 1-yard plunge to make it 9-6 Houston. But Love was intercepted by Markel Roby, who returned it for an apparent touchdown that was nullified by penalty. The Roughnecks settled for a tying field goal instead.

Darius Victor’s two short touchdown runs, sandwiched around another Molson field goal, gave the Showboats a 19-12 advantage late. Henderson and the Roughnecks drove inside the Memphis 15 in the final minute, but the Showboat defense rose up with a huge fourth down stop to seal the win.

Henderson finished 21-of-34 for 232 yards in a losing effort for 1-9 Houston. Victor scored both Memphis touchdowns as the Showboats improved to 2-8 but earned the top pick in next year’s draft by virtue of their head-to-head win over Houston.

Three of the four Week 10 UFL games were decided by one point, but the Roughnecks-Showboats matchup provided high drama befitting of the regular season’s final day.