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United Football League

Inside the UFL

by Fran Stuchbury
May 23, 2024 - United Football League (UFL)


Week eight of the United Football League season saw the St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas clinch playoff spots in the XFL Division.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, all four UFL playoff spots have been sewn up as the Birmingham Stallions and Michigan Panthers had pulled away in the USFL Division.

With quarterback A.J. McCarron out with an ankle injury, the Battlehawks secured a 26-21 victory over the D.C Defenders. Backup Manny Wilkins, making his first start in a game since 2018 when he was a senior at Arizona State, completed nine of eighteen passes for 126 yards but his mobility proved a difference maker as he finished with 12 carries for 79 yards that included five first downs on the ground.

The St. Louis defense contributed a solid performance with two sacks, two forced fumbles and ten pass breakups.

With the loss, the D.C. Defenders who were 9-1 last season and made it to the XFL Championship Game were eliminated from contention. What hurt the Defenders all season long was their inability to run the football. Through eight game they've managed just 644 rushing yards, averaging 80.5 yards per game. Last season the Defenders led the league with 1,406 yards, a per-game average of 140.8 yards, thanks in large part to Abram Smith who led the league with 788 yards, including a 218-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win against St. Louis.

With defenses no longer keying on the run, the D.C. passing game hasn't been able to pick up the slack, managing just 1,386 yards.

San Antonio also clinched a spot in the postseason by holding off the Arlington Renegades, 20-15. Quinten Dormady, who struggled last week against Houston and got benched in place of Kevin Hogan, bounced back completing 17 of 25 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdown passes went to running back Anthony McFarland who collected three receptions for 118 yards.

Chase Garbers who led the Brahmas to a 2-1 record before suffering a wrist injury earlier in the season might be able to return soon.

With St. Louis and San Antonio tied at 6-2, the right to host the conference championship game could come down to their week 10 matchup at St. Louis.

Last year's XFL champ, the Arlington Renegades, may be 1-7 but four of their losses came by five points or less. They were down 20-3 at halftime and made it a game in the second half to only once again fall short. Quarterback Luis Perez leads the UFL with 1,835 passing yards.

In the USFL division Birmingham and Michigan had already clinched their spots in the USFL Conference Championship on Saturday, June 8th. Both teams managed victories again this week against the teams on the bottom of the division. The Stallions improved to 8-0 with a 35-28 victory over the Houston Roughnecks and have now won 15 consecutive games dating back to last season when they played in the USFL.

The Panthers defeated the Memphis Showboats 24-18 as Matthew Colburn II carried 24 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns. He has 233 rushing yards the past two games, and he'll need to be a factor in the playoffs. Fellow running back Wes Hills suffered a season-ending leg injury. Hills had run for 277 yards and five touchdowns. Kicker Jake Bates finished 10-for-11 when kicking at Ford Field.

UFL Top 10 Plays from Week 8

Best Mic'd Up Moments of Week 8

Week 9 Games

Saturday May 25th

  • St. Louis Battlehawks at Arlington Renegades - 12 pm est. ABC

  • Birmingham Stallions at San Antonio Brahmas - 3 pm est. ABC

Sunday May 26th

  • D.C. Defenders at Memphis Showboats - 2:30 pm est. FOX (regional)

  • Michigan Panthers at Houston Roughnecks - 2:30 pm est. FOX (regional)

EXTRA POINTS

  • Saturday's Memphis Showboats at Michigan Panthers broadcast on FOX drew 673,000 viewers, while the Houston Roughnecks at Birmingham Stallions on ESPN2 totaled 254,000 viewers. Sunday's D.C. Defenders at St. Louis Battehawks on ABC saw a weekend-high 1,100,000 viewers, and the Arlington Renegades at San Antonio Brahmas game on FOX completed the weekend with 545,000 viewers.

  • Attendance at Saturday's Memphis at Michigan game was 9,370, while Houston at Birmingham drew 10,245. Sunday's D.C. at St. Louis game saw 32,043, and Arlington at San Antonio drew 11,395.

  • Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez, St. Louis Battlehawks free safety Qwynnterrio Cole, and St. Louis running back Wayne Gallman were named the OurSports Central United Football League Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for the week eight of the UFL season.

  • Teams went five-of-six on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, four-of-fifteen on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and zero-of-two on three-point conversions from the 10-yard line.

  • Week eight saw the home team win each game.

  • My UFL Best Bet Lock of the Week is the San Antonio Brahmas +8.5 over Birmingham Stallions. With the Stallions already securing home field advantage for the USFL Conference Championship they just want to get through this game without any players getting injured. San Antonio still has a chance to host the XFL Conference Championship. Even if Birmingham wins this game expect this game to come down to the wire.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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