UFL Kickers Shine in Week 12
Published on November 24, 2025 under United Football League (UFL) News Release
ARLINGTON, TX - Four former United Football League (UFL) kickers shined in Week 12 of the National Football League (NFL) season. Brandon Aubrey, Jake Bates, Andrew Szmyt, and Harrison Mevis all delivered standout performances while helping their teams secure victories on Sunday.
Former Birmingham Stallion Brandon Aubrey capped a 21-point, come-from-behind victory for his Dallas Cowboys over the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys, who had trailed 21-0 late in the first half, stormed back to set up Aubrey for a game-winning 42-yard field goal with no time remaining, giving Dallas a 24-21 victory. Although Aubrey is known for his elite leg strength, his clutch gene was on full display as he split the uprights and completed the thrilling comeback - keeping Dallas' hopes for a division title alive. Aubrey will next kick on Thanksgiving against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sunday also featured a "Game of the Year"-caliber battle between the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions. After trailing by 10 with just under 11 minutes left, Detroit mounted a comeback and set up Jake Bates - formerly of the UFL's Michigan Panthers - for a game-tying attempt, a fitting moment for a kicker with deep Michigan ties. Bates stepped up and drilled an NFL career-long 59-yard field goal as time expired. No stranger to drama - having gone four-for-four on lead-changing kicks in the final two minutes of NFL games in 2024 - Bates sent Ford Field into a frenzy. The Lions went on to win in overtime thanks to his heroics. He finished a perfect day at the office, going two-for-two on field goals and four-for-four on extra points. Bates is next slated for a division battle against the red-hot Packers on Thanksgiving.
During the afternoon slate, Andrew Szmyt continued his breakout season. Just two years removed from hitting 91 percent of his field goal attempts for the St. Louis Battlehawks - and one year on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad - Szmyt has made a name for himself in the NFL. In Cleveland's historic victory - their first win with a debuting quarterback (Shedeur Sanders) since 1995 - Szmyt went three-for-three on extra points and added an NFL career-long 53-yard field goal. The former Battlehawk hasn't just shown he can kick at the highest level - he's shown he can do it consistently. He has connected on 16 of 19 field goals this season, displaying remarkable accuracy for a rookie. Szmyt and the Browns next face the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in Cleveland.
As Sunday wrapped up, another former Birmingham Stallion made his presence felt. Harrison Mevis made his third straight start for the first-place Los Angeles Rams. Under the bright lights of NBC Sunday Night Football, he converted all four extra points and added the first two field goals of his NFL career. The 245-pound kicker, known as "The Thiccer Kicker," connected on a 40-yarder in the first half and a 52-yarder in the second. No stage was too big for the former spring-football star. Mevis and the Rams currently hold the top spot in the NFC and will face the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
In all, 62 players from the modern era of spring football have landed on NFL 53-man rosters or practice squads this season - a testament to how far the spring-league pipeline has come.
United Football League Stories from November 24, 2025
- UFL Kickers Shine in Week 12 - UFL
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