UFL WEEK 4 RECAP

LOUISVILLE AT HOUSTON

 

Houston and Louisville exchanged long field goals on their opening drives, both cautiously moving the ball. On Louisville’s second drive, Jason Bean connected with Lucky Jackson for a 41 yard deep strike, setting Louisville up in the red zone. Former Jacksonville Jaguars star James Robinson just barely got the nose of the ball over the goal line and Louisville took a 10-3 lead into the second quarter. 

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The Kings hit two field goals and Houston put up a field goal of their own, making the game 16-6 going into halftime. Early in the second quarter, Gambler’s QB Nolan Henderson seemed to hurt his finger, limiting Houston’s ability to take deep shots down field. 

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Coming out of halftime, Houston pivoted to Taulia Tagovailoa at QB, but it was the running game that took over. Marcus Yarns hit a big play right out of the gate, breaking loose for a 68 yard touchdown on the opening play of the half. The Gamblers then went to a no-huddle approach that Louisville had no answer for. Houston was able to score twice more and take a 22-16 lead into the 4th quarter.

 

The kicking game continued to impress as the Kings tied the game with a couple of field goals early in the 4th quarter, setting up a dramatic end to the game. With 57 seconds left, John Hoyland ‘missed’ his first kick of the year and Louisville was able to come away with an overtime victory when Kings TE McKitty came down with the grab to win 24-22.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

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Houston has been outscored 74-24 in the first half this year. Their QB’s have been plagued by injuries, but they need to find a way to get out to better starts, otherwise they will finish this year at the bottom of the league. In all fairness, it really looked like Hoyland’s 4th quarter kick went over the top of the goal post, which should have counted and would have won the game for Houston. 

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Louisville’s offense became stale and predictable, but DE Cam Gill finally slowed down the Houston offense and gave his team a chance to come back in the end. A shakeup to their offense is needed, but this Kings defense is for real.

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Both kickers in this game, Tanner Brown and John Hoyland, could easily be playing in the NFL next season. They had six 50 yard field goals between them in this game.

 

 DALLAS AT COLUMBUS 

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An opening seven play drive ended in a touchdown for Dallas when Austin Reed threw his 10th touchdown of the season, connecting with Drake Stoops. Columbus was able to respond early in the second quarter, after a wild punt return gave the Aviators great field position. The Aviators leaned on their solid run game to tie the game up, as Zaquandre White dove over his offensive line to cross the goal line. 

Midway through the second quarter, Dallas was able to regain the lead when Reed threw his second touchdown of the game, a back shoulder dime to Emmanuel Butler. Columbus remained undeterred, though. They put together a long, sustained drive (aided with a successful super challenge by Ted Ginn) capped off with a circus catch by Keke Chism to head into halftime tied 14-14.

The Aviators kept their momentum rolling as their first drive of the second half ended in a wild play where Jalen McClendon fumbled the ball at the goal line, but TE Alaze Mack jumped on it in the end zone for the touchdown, and just like that the Aviators had a 21-14 lead.

Finding themselves with the lead in the back half of the game, Columbus did what they were built to do, run the ball over and over and over again. The Renegades defensive line was totally gassed and had no answer for the three-headed monster that was the Aviators running backs. Toa Taua scored, capping a 16 play drive that saw just one pass, and a late interception sealed the game as Columbus picked up their first victory as a franchise, 28-14.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

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Worse than the loss for Dallas was the fact that so many of their players went out with injuries. A few seemed like they might even be season ending, which could totally derail the Renegades’ success. 

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Columbus was finally able to stay in the game long enough to keep running the ball, and it paid off. This is why it is crucial for Columbus to never fall behind by more than one score. If they can avoid “must pass” scenarios in their games, they can grind down any defensive line and take over the game late. DC still has the best rushing game in the league, but Columbus is closing that gap. 

 

ST LOUIS AT DC 

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Out of the gate, neither team was able to establish themselves offensively. Outside of a 75 yard catch and run by Hakeem Butler, the St Louis offense was nearly non-existent. Harrison Frost went a paltry 4-14 on passes, and they only rushed for 33 yards. 

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On the other side, the Defenders, whose run game has dominated the past 2 weeks, had 53 yards in the first half, but nearly all of that was from Jordan Ta’amu’s scrambling. Instead, Ta’amu made clutch connections to his receivers and found the end zone twice. Despite neither team excelling in their usual areas, both squads found ways to get yards and put points on the board. Heading into the half, DC was up 17-12. 

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The Defenders came out hot in the second half. A field goal by Matt McCrane and then a safety boosted DC’s lead to 10 heading into the fourth quarter. After DC put up another field goal, the Battlehawks finally found the end zone when RB Kevon Latulas delivered a nasty stiff arm on his way into the end zone. 

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Despite their struggles offensively, St. Louis found themselves right back in the game with less than 10 minutes to go. After the teams exchanged field goals, the Battlehawks had one last chance to win the game. Taking over in positive territory with 1:23 to go, Harrison Frost tried to lead the comeback, but an interception finished the game. Defenders win 28-22.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

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While he has shown moments of brilliance, Harrison Frost is not the answer St Louis needs. Neither is Brandon Silvers. If they can trade for Perez, this would be a complete team. The run game is solid, the defense is stout, they’re just missing one final piece. 

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This was a great win for DC. Their running backs were non-existent, but their ability to throw in bunches, and attack the opposing QB with just their front four, showed they have multiple ways to win any game. This was the performance DC fans were waiting for, to prove they can get the victory in many different ways. 

 

ORLANDO AT BIRMINGHAM 

Both teams struggled at the start, exchanging punts as the offenses tried to find their rhythm. Near the end of the first quarter, Orland finally found their groove, orchestrating a long touchdown drive when Jack Plummer connected with Cam Camper for a short touchdown. 

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The Storm continued to roll in the second quarter when Plummer scrambled for a 34 yard run all the way down to the three yard line. Birmingham’s defense toughened up and held Orlando to a short field goal, extending their lead 10-0. At the end of the half, Orlando was able to kick another field goal after Birmingham missed their field goal attempt. The Storm took a 13-0 lead going into the half. 

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In the second half, Birmingham switched to QB Michael Hiers but the results were largely the same. Miscues, penalties, and backwards plays plagued the Stallions all game long. Orlando’s offense also stalled, though they seemed quite content to just kill the clock as much as they could, and lean on their defense to continue dominating the game. 

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An early 4th quarter field goal extended Orlando’s lead 16-0 and that was all the scoring they needed to remain undefeated on the season. 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

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Birmingham needs to be in full panic mode now. This offense is a shell of what they once were. The defense has played 4 solid games, but they’ve been let down by their offense time and time again. 

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Cam Camper is a dangerous addition to an already potent Orlando offense. Also, while Birmingham’s offensive struggles are real, that shouldn’t take away from what this Orlando defense was able to do. The first shutout in UFL history is something that should not be ignored. If Orlando’s defense can keep this up moving forward, they might be joining Dallas and DC in that “championship contender” conversation. 

 

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE:

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DC Defenders @ Birmingham Stallions, Friday 4/24 @ 8 PM EST on FOX

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St. Louis Battlehawks @ Orlando Storm, Saturday 4/25 @ 7 PM EST on ESPN 

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Columbus Aviators @ Houston Gamblers, Sunday 4/26 @ 12 PM EST on ABC

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Louisville Kings @ Dallas Renegades, Sunday 4/26 @ 3 PM EST on ABC