Stallions Look To Continue Streak As They host Showboats In Friday Night Matchup
APRIL 25, 2025 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
By Steve Irvine
The Memphis Showboats will bring a hint of the unknown to Protective Stadium on Friday night at 7 in a USFL Division game against the Birmingham Stallions.
Dresser Winn is not only getting his first start of the season at quarterback for the Showboats but it’s also his first professional start. He will be running an offense that is directed by longtime college assistant coach Noel Mazzone, who became the Showboats offensive coordinator when Jim Turner was elevated to interim head coach last week following the departure of former head coach Ken Whisenunt.
All of that leaves Stallions head coach Skip Holtz and his defensive staff a bit perplexed.
“It's hard to attack it, because you don't know what you're attacking,” Holtz said.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Winn played at Tennessee-Martin from 2107 to 2022. Over his six seasons, Winn threw for 5,800 yards with 37 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He wasn’t a fulltime starter until his final year when he threw for 2,928 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s been with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL and Edmonton Elks in the CFL but has never been active for a regular season game. E.J. Perry started the first three games and Troy Williams was the starter last week for the winless Showboats (0-4). Perry will be the backup on Friday while Williams is designated as the No. 3 quarterback.
The new coordinator adds another wrinkle.
“You know, it's going to be like it’s a first game,” said Holtz, whose team is 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the USFL Division. “It's like an unveiling, and we will be just as shocked as everybody else. This is going to be one of those games you put the ball on the tee, take a deep breath, and go ‘Okay, what are they doing?’”
The Stallions will be without defensive end Ronnie Perkins, who has made a big impact in his first season in the UFL. The 6-foot-2, 251-pound Oklahoma product has teamed with Bradlee Anae to form one of the best starting Edge duos in the UFL. Perkins only has 1.5 sacks but has put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Anae leads the UFL with four sacks.
Myjai Sanders will get the start in place of Perkins while recent addition Delontae Scott serves as the backup. Scott had 3.5 regular season sacks for the San Antonio Brahmas last season.
“Delontae Scott is going to be up this week, the first time he's been up,” Holtz said. “He was the guy we signed when DJ Coleman went out a couple of weeks ago. (He) was the defensive end on the San Antonio team last year that we played the championship and he was one of their better defensive ends. For us to have the opportunity to sign him was huge and that's the type of depth you're trying to create. So when you do have an injury, it's the next guy up mentality. Kind of like we've had for a lot of positions on this football team so far this year.”