Inside the UFL

by Fran Stuchbury
May 9, 2024 - United Football League (UFL)

Week seven of the United Football League season features a marquee matchup which could be a preview of the UFL Championship at St. Louis on June 16th as the 5-1 St. Louis Battlehawks travel to Birmingham to face the 6-0 Stallions.

Birmingham has won 13 straight games dating back to last spring in the USFL, while St. Louis has won 5 straight contests after dropping the 2024 opener to the Michigan Panthers, 18-16, on Jake Bates' game-winning 64-yard field goal as time expired.

After losing previous starter Alex McGough to the Green Bay Packers, the Stallions haven't missed a beat at the quarterback position with two options. Adrian Martinez, who has passed for 971 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, and is second in the UFL with 327 rushing yards, is picking up steam, while Matt Corral has been seen some playing time at the position, too. Birmingham is averaging 34.7 points per game when Martinez is the starter.

On thing hasn't changed: Birmingham leads the UFL with 874 rushing yards as a team with Ricky Person Jr. and C.J. Marable contributing the most.

Deon Cain is third in the UFL with 342 receiving yards.

Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron, the returning starter from last year in the XFL, has passed for 1,306 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns. This is a homecoming for McCarron who played college football at Alabama where he was 20-3 as a starting quarterback in the state of Alabama. His favorite target is Hakeem Butler who leads the UFL with 478 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions.

Butler has been on fire the past two games with a combined 12 receptions for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

Jacob Saylor leads the St. Louis ground game with 242 yards.

Defensively, the Stallions has surrendered just 89 points compared to the Battlehawks who have given up 103. Birmingham's pass rush has been a force with 21 sacks, topped by league-leader Carlos Davis's six, while St. Louis has sacked opposing passers 11 times, with newcomer Pita Taumoepenu leading the way with four.

Each team has grabbed a half-dozen interceptions.

Weather should not have much of an impact as the forecast calls for high of 77 on Saturday with no rain on the horizon.

UFL Top 10 Plays from Week 6

Week 7 Games

Saturday May 11th

• Memphis Showboats at Arlington Renegades - 1 pm est. ESPN

• St. Louis Battlehawks at Birmingham Stallions - 4 pm est. FOX

Sunday May 12th

• Michigan Panthers at D.C. Defenders - 12 pm est. ESPN

• San Antonio Brahmas at Houston Roughnecks - 3 pm est. ESPN

  EXTRA POINTS

  • Saturday's Birmingham Stallions at Memphis Showboats telecast on ABC had 956,000 viewers, and the Houston Roughnecks at St. Louis Battlehawks contest on FOX totaled 829,000 viewers. Sunday's Arlington Renegades vs. Michigan Panthers battle on FOX saw 929,000 viewers, and the San Antonio Brahmas at D.C. Defenders game on FOX completed the weekend with 1,222,000 viewers.

  • Attendance at Saturday's Birmingham at Memphis game was 5,609, while Houston at St. Louis drew 32,969. Sunday's Arlington at Michigan game saw 7,428 in the building, and San Antonio at D.C. drew 14,303.

  • Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez, D.C. Defenders cornerback Michael Joseph and Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates were named the OurSports Central United Football League Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for the week six of the UFL season.

  • Teams went two-of-five on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, six-of-thirteen on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and one-of-one on the lone three-point conversion attempt from the 10-yard line.

  • Home teams won three of four last week.

  • My UFL Best Bet Lock of the Week is the D.C. Defenders +1 over the Michigan Panthers. After having their 10-game home winning streak snapped when they lost to St. Louis, the Defenders got back to their winning ways when they defeated San Antonio last week 18-12. Look for them to continue winning against a Michigan team that has two of their four victories on last second kicks at home.
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  • Inside the UFL - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
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