# 2023 Houston Gamblers season

The 2023 season was the Houston Gamblers' 2nd and final season in the United States Football League and their 1st under head coach/general manager tandem of Curtis Johnson and Robert Morris.

## Draft

2023 Houston Gamblers draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 3 | Chase Brice | Quarterback | Appalachian State |
| 2 | 10 | Justin Ford | Defensive end | Montana |
| 3 | 18 | Joseph Fisher | Offensive guard | Shepherd |
| 4 | 26 | Scott Matlock | Defensive tackle | Boise State |
| 5 | 34 | Jeffrey Johnson | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma |
| 6 | 42 | Keenan Issac | Defensive back | Alabama State |
| 7 | 50 | Alex Jensen | Offensive tackle | South Dakota |
| 8 | 58 | Brady Russell | Tight end | Colorado |
| 9 | 66 | Jason Taylor II | Safety | Oklahoma State |
| 10 | 74 | Colby Reeder | Linebacker | Iowa State |

## Schedule
### Regular season

| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | TV | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | April 16 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Michigan Panthers | L 13–29 | 0–1 | NBC | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | April 22 | 12:30 p.m. | at New Orleans Breakers | L 31–38 | 0–2 | USA | Protective Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | April 29 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Memphis Showboats | W 30–26 | 1–2 | Fox | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at Philadelphia Stars | W 41–16 | 2–2 | Fox | Ford Field | Recap |
| 5 | May 13 | 4:00 p.m. | at Birmingham Stallions | W 27–20 | 3–2 | Fox | Protective Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | May 21 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. New Jersey Generals | W 16–10 | 4–2 | Fox | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | May 28 | 3:00 p.m. | at Memphis Showboats | L 20–23 | 4–3 | USA | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | June 3 | 12:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh Maulers | W 20–19 | 5–3 | USA | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | June 11 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Birmingham Stallions | L 15–38 | 5–4 | NBC, Peacock | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | June 18 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. New Orleans Breakers | L 10–17 | 5–5 | FS1 | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
Bold indicates divisional opponent.

#### Week 1: vs. Michigan Panthers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 6 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 29 |
| Gamblers | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
* Date: April 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Referee: Derek Anderson
* TV announcers (NBC): Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), and Corey Robinson (sideline reporter)
Game information :
First quarter
MICH – Marcus Baugh 22-yard pass from Josh Love (Cole Murphy kick no good), 7:55. Panthers 6–0 Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 3:19.
HOU – T.J. Pledger 2-yard run (Nick Vogel kick no good), 0:41. Tied 6–6 Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 7:11.
Second quarter
MICH – Cole Murphy 35-yard field goal, 12:31. Panthers 9–6 Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 2:51.
HOU – T.J. Pledger 2-yard run (Nick Vogel kick good), 8:56. Gamblers 13–9 Drive: 3 plays, 17 yards, 1:32.
Third quarter
MICH – Stevie Scott 1-yard run (Cole Murphy kick good), 10:28. Panthers 16–13 Drive 2 plays, 2 yards, 1:11.
Fourth quarter
MICH – Trey Quinn 24-yard pass from Josh Love (Cole Murphy kick no good), 8:46. Panthers 22–13 Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 6:03.
MICH – Joe Walker 34-yard pass from Josh Love (Cole Murphy kick good), 1:44. Panthers 29–13 Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:05.
Top passers
MICH – Josh Love – 18/20, 215 yards, 3 TD
HOU – Kenji Bahar – 13/22, 109 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
MICH – Stevie Scott – 12 rushes, 61 yards, 1 TD
HOU – T.J. Pledger – 16 rushes, 41 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
MICH – Joe Walker – 6 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD
HOU – Josh Pederson – 2 receptions, 23 yards :
The Gamblers hosted the Michigan Panthers for their season opener. The Panthers began the scoring with a Marcus Baugh 22-yard reception from Josh Love. The Gamblers responded with a long drive capped off with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from T.J. Pledger to tie the game at 6–6. The Panthers extended their lead with a 35-yard field goal from Cole Murphy before the Gamblers answered with a T.J. Pledger 2-yard rushing touchdown on the back of a muffed punt by the Panthers, closing out the first half with Houston up 13–9. The second half began with a Panthers punt before Panthers cornerback William Saba intercepted Kenji Bahar to set the Panthers up 2-yards to score, which they capitalized off of with a Stevie Scott 2-yard run to put them in lead 16–13. The third quarter ended with a Houston fumble and a Michigan punt. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers drove the ball down the field, ending with a Trey Quinn 24-yard reception to put the Panthers ahead by 22–13. With Panthers defensive end Breeland Speaks forcing a fumble in the redzone, the Panthers quickly drove 82 yards down the field to score on a Joe Walker 34-yard reception to extend the Panthers' lead to 29–13, which would be the final score.

## Standings

South Division :
| # | viewtalkedit | W | L | PCT | GB | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| 1 | (y) Birmingham Stallions | 8 | 2 | .800 | - | 4–2 | 287 | 196 | W5 |
| 2 | (x) New Orleans Breakers | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 4–2 | 237 | 184 | W3 |
| 3 | (e) Houston Gamblers | 5 | 5 | .500 | 3 | 2–4 | 223 | 236 | L2 |
| 4 | (e) Memphis Showboats | 5 | 5 | .500 | 3 | 2–4 | 190 | 213 | L2 |
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention ||||||||||