DEFENDERS FALL TO BRAHMAS

On Easter Sunday, The DC Defenders, the last remaining undefeated team in the UFL, would welcome the San Antonio Brahmas. If DC could get by the Brahmas and go 4-0, it would set up a huge week 5 game against  the 3-1 Arlington Renegades. 

 

Unfortunately this was a classic let down game. I spoke about this happening two weeks ago. For whatever reason, you can always count on at least one (or more) upset losses for the Defenders. 

 

They just get caught looking ahead or taking it too easy, then they are forced to play catch up all game. Don’t get me wrong, San Antonio is a very talented team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. 

 

So what took place on Easter Sunday? Let’s start our recap.

 

Aidan Robbins capped an 81-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing score to put San Antonio up 6-0. QB Kellen Mond went 4-for-4 on the drive, including a 30-yard toss to Jacob Harris that flipped the field, setting the Brahmas up in plus territory. 

 

The first quarter was all San Antonio. After the Brahmas' latest defensive stand, the Defenders elected to punt from their own 37-yard line. 

 

WR Max Sexton fielded the punt from the 17-yard line, broke a tackle and ran down the sideline all the way to the end zone. Sexton's punt return for a touchdown gave San Antonio a 12-0 lead. 

 

Thankfully, the Defenders remembered there was a game being played and they decided to finally show up. Jordan Ta’amu got his team on the board to start the second quarter, connecting with TE Briley Moore-McKinney who broke free on a corner route for a 39-yard touchdown, adding some flare by flipping over the pylon and into the end zone.

 

"I jumped and midway through I'm like 'I'm way too high right now.'" - Briley Moore said after his huge TD and celebration. 

 

After the Defenders cut the margin to 12-9 with a 25 yard FG from Matt McCrane, the Brahmas fired back with their third touchdown of the evening. 

 

San Antonio put together a back-breaking drive, going 72 yards on 11 plays to take an 18-9 lead. Bryce Thompson committed an unsportsmanlike penalty that moved the drive into plus territory. Then, Anthony MacFarland rushed for 15 yards, and Kellen Mond connected with Marquez Steveson for another 13, putting San Antonio into the red zone. 

 

The Brahmas benefited from another Defenders' penalty when Kiondre Thomas interfered with WR Greg Ward. That set up a first-and-goal, and Aidan Robbins rushed for his second touchdown a couple of plays later. 

 

Interim head coach Payton Pardee had the Brahmas humming, leading 18-12 at halftime.

 

Coaching football is in Pardee’s blood. Not only did he play Wide Receiver in college at Houston from 215-2018, his grandfather, Jack Pardee, coached the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League in 1984. 

 

He also spent years coaching in the NFL, including time with the Washington Redskins (now the Commanders), the San Diego (now LA) Chargers, the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) and even the Houston Cougars at the collegiate level.

 

The Defenders would make it a game coming out of the half, tying the game at 18-all on their first drive of the 3rd quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run from Jordan Ta’amu. The possession started back at their own 29-yard line. 

 

Abram Smith ran for 16 yards to get into San Antonio territory. Then, Ta'amu had a 12-yard scramble and a 7-yard rush, before hitting WR Jayden Mickens for a 14-yard catch that got the Defenders into the red-zone. 

 

Unfortunately, the good times wouldn’t last for DC.

 

WR Greg Ward and Coach Pardee are back together after playing alongside one another as WRs at Houston. They overlapped in 2015 and 2016 before Ward took his talents to the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017. 

 

Ward caught a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter to break the tie and give San Antonio a 24-18 lead. It was Ward's first touchdown of the season in Pardee's first game as head coach in the UFL.

 

DC had one final opportunity to keep their undefeated streak alive, but sometimes when you mess with the bull you get the horns! 

 

The Brahmas clung to a six-point lead, but the Defenders drove inside the 10-yard line and were threatening to tie late in the game. They had a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 1:36 remaining but had negative rushes on consecutive plays. Then, on third-and-goal from the 9,  Briley Moore couldn't come up with a catch just short of the end zone. On fourth-and-goal, Jordan Ta’amu threw a jump-ball that landed comfortably beyond the end zone. 

 

The incompletion ended the game, marking San Antonio's first win of the season, and the Defenders are unbeaten no more. 

 

DC now sits at 3-1 and are heading for a huge game next week.  Can they get back on the winning track, or does this start a losing streak of their own. We will find out next week in a huge game against the Arlington Renegades.