Reed Finishes Strong, Dallas Defense Dominates in Season Finale Victory
UFL Houston Gamblers

Reed Finishes Strong, Dallas Defense Dominates in Season Finale Victory

Published on May 29, 2026 under United Football League (UFL)
Houston Gamblers News Release


DALLAS, TX - In their final game of the 2026 season, Austin Reed and the Dallas defense put together one of their best performances of the year in the Battledome. Reed threw three touchdown passes, while the Renegades defense forced three turnovers and piled up a season-high seven sacks.

The matchup marked Luis Perez's first start against his former team, and it proved to be a difficult night.

The UFL's top-ranked defense set the tone early in its final regular season tune-up. Pita Taumoepenu dropped Reed for his seventh sack of the season, helping St. Louis open the game with momentum.

The Battlehawks struck first on a 45-yard field goal from Ramiz Ahmed.

One of the biggest storylines entering the game was whether Dallas could create takeaways and generate short fields. They did exactly that in the opening quarter when Ajene Harris ripped the ball away from Blake Jackson, and Kevin Strong recovered in plus territory.

This time, the Renegades capitalized.

Facing third-and-ten, Reed escaped pressure and delivered a strike to Emanuel Butler for a 17-yard touchdown. The score was Butler's 12th reception and sixth touchdown of the season, giving Dallas a 7-3 lead.

Perez answered quickly by getting Hakeem Butler involved. He connected with his top target for a 56-yard gain, but the drive stalled inside the red zone and Ahmed knocked through a short field goal to cut the deficit to 7-6.

Perez then sparked another promising drive with a deep connection to Steven McBride for 52 yards. Once again, the Battlehawks moved into scoring territory but came away empty when Ahmed missed from 40 yards.

The teams then traded takeaways.

First, Steve Linton strip-sacked Reed and recovered the loose ball himself. One play later, Perez was intercepted by Kalen DeLoach, giving Dallas possession right back.

Reed responded with one of his best drives of the night. Despite taking pressure throughout the half, he delivered a 22-yard conversion to Seth Green on third-and-long. Three plays later, he dropped a perfect pass to Greg Ward Jr. for 27 yards to set Dallas up inside the five.

Reed finished the drive with a strike to Tyler Vaughns, who made a leaping grab in one-on-one coverage for the score. After catching three touchdowns against St. Louis back in Week Three, Vaughns found the end zone again. It was his seventh touchdown reception of the season, tying the UFL single-season record.

Dallas carried a 13-6 lead into halftime after missing the extra point.

The Battlehawks had an opportunity to answer late in the second quarter, but Perez's second interception of the half ended the threat.

Both offenses opened the second half with punts before St. Louis finally broke through.

Perez engineered a nine-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in his first touchdown against his former team. James Bostic was the catalyst, picking up 21 yards on a tight end screen before hauling in a quick pass on third-and-goal and rumbling into the end zone for the tying score.

The Battlehawks defense looked ready to seize control when it stuffed Dallas on fourth-and-one, but the Renegades defense answered right back.

Siaki Ika sacked Perez on third down, and Dallas followed with a fourth-down stop to regain possession. The game entered the fourth quarter tied at 13.

Dallas was denied on fourth-and-one for a second time when Keylon Kennedy made a tremendous open-field tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

The pressure continued on both sides. Demarcus Mitchell recorded Dallas' fifth sack of the night, forcing a Battlehawks punt and eventually leading to another scoring opportunity. Ahmed connected from 46 yards out to give St. Louis a 16-13 lead.

With under ten minutes remaining in Dallas' season, Reed delivered.

The drive was sparked by a tremendous catch from Vaughns. Reed rolled right and found him for 21 yards along the sideline. An unnecessary roughness penalty moved Dallas inside the five, and Reed capped the possession with a perfect throw to the back corner of the end zone for Butler and the go-ahead touchdown. Butler joined Vaughns in the record books with his seventh touchdown of the season.

The 11-play, 69-yard drive consumed 6:28 of game clock and gave Dallas a 20-16 advantage with 3:26 remaining.

The Dallas defense slammed the door from there.

The Renegades sacked Perez twice on the ensuing possession, including Mitchell's second sack of the game. Their sixth and seventh sacks forced St. Louis to punt with just over two minutes to play.

Dallas then put the game away with its biggest offensive play of the night. Facing fourth down, the Renegades dialed up a jet sweep to Vaughns, who picked up the first down and effectively sealed the victory. Final score: Dallas 20, St. Louis 16

Dallas' defense was the difference-maker all night long, finishing with seven sacks, ten tackles for loss, and three takeaways. Mitchell and Kevin Strong each recorded two sacks. The seven sacks tied the UFL season-high set earlier this year by St. Louis against DC in Week One.

Reed closed his season on a high note with three touchdown passes.

With the victory, Dallas finished the 2026 season with a 4-6 record.

DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS GAME NOTES

ST. LOUIS

QB Luis Perez finished the game going 18-of-29 for 272 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

WR Steven McBride led the team in receiving yards and receptions, recording four receptions for 79 yards.

WR Hakeem Butler would finish the game recording three receptions for 73 yards.

DT Neil Farrell would be a sparkplug for St. Louis' defense, leading the team in tackles with seven, including six solo tackles, one sack. and a tackle for loss.

St. Louis Defense would total four sacks, six tackles for loss, and a force fumble.

DALLAS

QB Austin Reed finished 15-of-26 for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Additionally, he also recorded seven rushes for 14 yards.

WR Emmanuel Butler would play a huge part in the offense, recording three catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns, the second two-touchdown game for him this season.

WR Tyler Vaughns recorded three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, while also recording one 23-yard rush.

CB Ajene Harris and LB Kalen DeLoach would be all over the field, with both recording an interception each.

Five Renegade Players would record at least one sack, with DT's DaMarcus Mitchell and Kevin Strong recording a pair each.

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United Football League Stories from May 29, 2026


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