UFL St. Louis Battlehawks

Week 3: St. Louis at San Antonio Game Notes

Published on April 10, 2024 under United Football League (UFL)
Last updated: April 10, 2024
Source: St. Louis Battlehawks News Release


Series Notes: The St. Louis Battlehawks will face an XFL Conference opponent for the second consecutive week when they clash with the San Antonio Brahmas for the second time in franchise history. The two squads met in the opening week of the 2023 XFL season, with the Battlehawks winning, 18-15. St. Louis erased a 15-3 deficit in the final three minutes of the contest to spoil the first game in Brahmas team history.

Former NFL Head Coach Wade Phillips moved to coach the Brahmas in 2024 after he served as the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks during the 2023 XFL season, leading the Roughnecks to a 7-3 record and the XFL South Division title.

ANOTHER GAME, ANOTHER DOME

The Battlehawks will return to the road for their second game of the season and final indoor road game of the regular season when they take on the San Antonio Brahmas at 2 p.m. CT in the Alamodome on ABC and ESPN Xtra on SiriusXM Radio. St. Louis began its season under the roof at Ford Field in Detroit, but its final three road contests will all be played outdoors. St. Louis will have played each of its first four games indoors before going on the road to face the D.C. Defenders at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The Battlehawks were 4-2 in indoor games a year ago, including an 18-15 Week 1 win at The Alamodome.

The Battlehawks will next play in front of their home fans at The Dome at America's Center on Saturday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m. CT when they take on the USFL Conference's Memphis Showboats in a Week 4 matchup. The game will be televised on ABC and simulcast via ESPN Xtra on SiriusXM Radio.

FAMILIAR FACES

- Battlehawks Head Coach Anthony Becht played for the St. Louis Rams in 2008.

- Offensive Coordinator Bruce Gradkowski (2008), Defensive Line Coach La'Roi Glover (2006-08), Linebackers Coach Chris Claiborne, (2005), General Manager Dave Boller (2004-07), Equipment Manager Todd Hewitt (1995-2011), and Vice President of Team Business and Event Operations Brandon Williams (2007) were also part of the St. Louis Rams organization.

- Wide Receiver Darrius Shepherd (Blue Springs) and Defensive Lineman Freedom Akinmoladun (Grandview) are both from western Missouri.

KARDIAC KAWS RETURN HOME

The Battlehawks treated a record 40,317 fans in attendance for their home opener Saturday at The Dome at America's Center to a last-second, 27-24, victory over the 2023 XFL Champion Arlington Renegades.

The Battlehawks offense took possession of the ball with 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the game and drove 59 yards in 7 plays, thanks in large part to a 41-yard rush by RB Mataeo Durant, to put K Andre Szmyt in position to kick the game-winning, 22-yard field goal as time expired to give St. Louis its first victory of the season.

Szmyt had also drilled a 47-yard field goal on the Battlehawks' previous drive, which tied the game, 24-24, with 6:52 to play. The Renegades had taken a 24-21 lead nearly four minutes earlier by going 82 yards in eight plays for its third touchdown of the game.

After the Renegades had scored a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead with 28 seconds left in the third quarter, St. Louis WR Marcell Ateman hauled in a 53-yard touchdown reception from QB A.J. McCarron for his second score of the game. WR Darrius Shepherd put the Battlehawks in position for that quick strike with a 31-yard kickoff return.

Durant scored his first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard rush with 1:56 left in the second quarter to put St. Louis in front, 14-8, and Ateman's first touchdown of the night was a 24-yard reception with 10:29 to play in the second quarter. Shepherd finished that scoring drive with 5-yard reception on the two-point conversion attempt to give the Battlehawks an 8-0 advantage.

HEAD COACHES HISTORY

Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht and Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips will face each other as head coaches for the second time. Phillips was the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks in 2023, and Becht's Battlehawks beat the XFL South Division-champion Roughnecks, 24-15, when they met in Houston for a Week 7 matchup.

Becht also previously played in two NFL games against a team led by Phillips. Becht was a rookie tight end for the New York Jets in 2000 when they beat the Phillips-coached Buffalo Bills, 27-14, in Week 3. Becht did not face a team with Phillips at the helm again until 2008 when St. Louis defeated Phillips' Dallas Cowboys, 34-14.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

The Battlehawks will play their first game of the season in Texas when they travel from the UFL hub in Arlington, Texas, to The Alamodome in San Antonio to face the Brahmas.

St. Louis won both of its games in the Lone Star State in 2023. The Battlehawks defeated San Antonio, 18-15, in Week 1 at The Alamodome and took down the Houston Roughnecks, 24-15, in Week 7 at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Battlehawks were 1-1 in Texas-based games during the 2020 season. They beat the Arlington Renegades at Choctaw Stadium, 15-9, in Week 1 and fell to the Roughnecks, 28-24, in Week 2 at TDECU Stadium.

ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS BY THE NUMBERS

40,317 Attendance for St. Louis' home opener on April 6 vs. ARL, setting a record for modern professional spring football.

346 UFL-leading all-purpose yards for WR Darrius Shepherd, who is also second in the league with 10 receptions.

41 Different colleges and universities represented as the most recent alma mater for players on the Battlehawks active roster

174 Receiving yards for WR Marcell Ateman, which lead all UFL receivers.

244 Combined games of NFL experience on the Battlehawks active roster

104 Rushing yards by RB Mataeo Durant in Week 2 vs. Arlington, setting the Battlehawks single- game rushing record.

THE MAIN ATTRACTION

Battlehawks fans topped their own record Saturday with a crowd of 40,317 Saturday at The Dome at America's Center for St. Louis' 2024 home- opening, 27-24 victory against the Arlington Renegades. The attendance mark set the record for a modern professional spring football game, topping the 38,310 fans the Battlehawks drew for their 2023 home opener on March 12, 2023, in a 24-11 Week 4 win over Arlington.

St. Louis holds the top six attendance marks in a modern professional spring football league:

- 40,317 - April 6, 2024, Week 2 vs. Arlington

- 38,310 - March 12, 2023, Week 4 vs. Arlington

- 35,868 - March 18, 2023, Week 5 vs. D.C.

- 35,167 - April 8, 2023, Week 8 vs. Vegas

- 33,142 - April 16, 2023, Week 9 vs. Seattle

- 33,034 - April 22, 2023, Week 10 vs. Orlando

The Battlehawks averaged a league-best 35,104 fans for their five home contests in 2023 and accounted for 30.4 percent of the total regular- season attendance across the XFL.

BATTLEHAWKS CAPTAINS

Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht named five team captains for the 2024 season: QB A.J. McCarron, WR Darrius Shepherd, OG Steven Gonzalez, ILB Willie Harvey and OLB Pita Taumoepenu.

McCarron, Shepherd (2023 XFL Special Teams Player of the Year), Gonzalez (2023 All-XFL) and Harvey were all members of the 2023 Battlehawks team that went 7-3 and tied for the second-best record in the XFL. Taumoepenu played for the XFL's Vegas Vipers in 2023 and was named the XFL Defensive Player of the year.

THE GREAT ATEMAN

WR Marcell Ateman led the Battlehawks in receiving yards for the second consecutive week in what was the most productive single-game performance by a UFL receiver through the first two weeks of the season.

Ateman made four catches for a career- high 114 receiving yards and a career-high two touchdowns Saturday vs. Arlington, including a 53-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that gave St. Louis a 20-17 lead. That marked the longest reception of his Battlehawks career and the team's longest play from scrimmage of the season. He also led St. Louis with six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 loss at Michigan.

His 114 receiving yards were the most by a UFL receiving in a single game this season, and he is the only UFL player to catch multiple touchdown passes in a game.

The 29-year-old native of the Dallas suburb of Wylie, Texas, leads the UFL with 174 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. He ranks fifth in the league with 10 receptions and fourth with 17.4 yards-per-catch (min. five receptions).

A 7th round pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2018 who has played in 19 NFL games, Ateman played for the Battlehawks in 2023 and was second on the team with 13.6 yards-per-reception, third with 259 receiving yards and third with five catches of at least 20 yards.

MCCARRON MAGIC

QB A.J. McCarron delivered another two-touchdown, zero-interception performance in a Week 2 win vs. Arlington after doing the same in a Week 1 loss at Michigan.

McCarron was 19-for-29 with a season-high 248 passing yards against the Renegades after going 24-for-37 for 216 yards in Week 1. He now leads all UFL quarterbacks with 464 passing yards. His four touchdowns rank second in the league, behind only San Antonio's Chase Garbers, who has five. McCarron also ranks second behind Garbers with 43 completions and is fourth in the league with a 65. 5 percent completion percentage among quarterbacks who have attempted more than one pass.

McCarron is one of three quarterbacks in the UFL who is yet to throw an interception (min. 3 attempts), along with Houston teammates Reid Sinnett and Jarrett Guarantano, but he is the only UFL quarterback to throw multiple touchdown passes without an interception this season. McCarron has gone interception-free in seven of his 11 career games with the Battlehawks and has thrown multiple touchdowns in nine of those games.

McCarron is back with the Battlehawks this season after he set the XFL record for touchdown passes with 24 in 2023. He then signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, joining the practice squad Sept. 23 and reaching the active roster on Dec. 4. He played in two games for the Bengals, going a combined 4-for-5 for 19 yards to finish of victories in Week 14 vs. Indianapolis and Week 18 vs. Cleveland.

As the Battlehawks' starting QB in 2023, McCarron played in nine games.

He finished the season with an XFL-best 68.8 percent completion rate and 24-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also led the league with 25 total touchdowns. McCarron ranked second with 203 completions and 2,150 passing yards despite missing Week 8 because of an injury.

DANGEROUS DARRIUS

WR Darrius Shepherd, the 2023 XFL Special Teams Player of the Year, added 83 kick-return yards to his UFL-leading 346 all-purpose yards for the season. A 31-yard return, his longest of the night, in the third quarter Saturday gave the Battlehawks offense possession at its own 47 yard line, and QB A.J. McCarron hit WR Marcell Ateman for a 53-yard touchdown pass on the next play to put the Battlehawks back in front, 20-17 with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

Shepherd also did damage from the line of scrimmage Saturday with a career-high nine receptions for 82 yards, including a 32-yard catch in the second quarter that brought the Battlehawks to Arlington's 1 yard line and set up RB Mataeo Durant's 1-yard rush that gave St. Louis a 14-8 lead.

Shepherd also caught a two-point conversion pass on the Battlehawks' first touchdown of the game.

Shepherd ranks second in the UFL with 14 receptions, fifth with 116 receiving yards, second with 185 kick return yards, fourth with 45 punt return yards and his 48-yard kick return in Week 1 at Michigan still stands as the longest return of any kind in the league this season.

MARVELOUS MATAEO

RB Mataeo Durant set a franchise record with 104 rushing yards Saturday against Arlington, becoming the first Battlehawks player to eclipse the 100- yard rushing mark in a single game.

The former Duke Blue Devil also scored the first touchdown of his Battlehawks career on a 1-yard rush with 1:56 to play in the second quarter.

He then added a one-point conversion rush after a 53-yard touchdown reception by WR Marcell Ateman to put St. Louis in front, 21-17, with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

He also had a 41-yard rush with 1:43 left in the game that set up K Andre Szmyt's game-winning, 22-yard field goal as time expired. It was also the longest rushing play in the UFL this season.

Durant ranks third in the league with 104 rushing yards for the season and second with a 7.4 yards-per-rush average (min. 3 rushing attempts).

DON'T GIVE IT AWAY

The Battlehawks are the only team in the UFL yet to commit a turnover this season, as each of the other seven teams in the league has at least two giveaways after the first two weeks of the 2024 campaign.

The Battlehawks and Renegades played a turnover-free game in Week 2 at The Dome at America's Center, but St. Louis won the turnover battle in Week 1 at Michigan with a pair of interceptions, including one from MLB Mike Rose and one by FS Qwynnterrio Cole.

SPEAKING DEFENSIVELY

FS Qwynnterrio Cole led the Battlehawks defense with nine tackles (5 solo) in Week 2 vs. Arlington with nine tackles, which was one shy of his career- high 10 in 2023 XFL Week 5 vs. Houston while playing for the Seattle Sea Dragons. ILB Callahan O'Reilly also had five solo tackles (7 total) with his first career sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.

OLB Pita Taumoepenu stood out in the first half against the Renegades with a team-leading five tackles (4 solo), 2.0 sacks and one tackle for loss in the 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year's first home Battlehawks game. ILB Willie Harvey had another six tackles in Week 2 after his team-high seven tackles in Week 1 at Michigan. He ranks T-9th in the UFL with 19 tackles on the season.

The Battlehawks collectively are T-2nd in the the UFL with nine pass breakups.

OLB Travis Feeney registered a sack for the second straight game.

The Battlehawks' 2023 sack leader with 5.0 sacks is tied with OLB Pita Taumoepenu with 2.0 sacks for the team lead in 2024.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Battlehawks will travel to San Antonio for their second road game of the season on Sunday. They dropped their initial away game, 18-16, to the Michigan Panthers in Week 1 on March 30 at Ford Field in Detroit, but St.

Louis is 5-3 all-time in road contests.

The Battlehawks won four of their five road contests in 2023, which tied for the best road record in the XFL. St. Louis outscored its opponents 119-88 in those games after it dropped two of its three road games in the 2020 XFL season.

The Battlehawks may be on the road, but St. Louis fans can still gather to celebrate on gamedays to watch all of the Battlehawks action on giant big screens, and enjoy food and drink specials at the Battlehawks official watch party locations: Ballpark Village 601 Clark Ave, St. Louis, MO 63102 Hotshots Nine locations throughout the St. Louis area:

OFFICIAL BATTLEHAWKS WATCH PARTIES

- Arnold

- Bridgeton

- Edwardsville

- Fenton

- O'Fallon, IL

- South County

- St. Charles

- Webster Groves

- Wentzville

Check out the St. Louis Battlehawks Statistics

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United Football League Stories from April 10, 2024


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