BattleHawks Clinch Conference Championship 2024

Week eight of the UFL concludes with a St. Louis BattleHawks win over the D.C. Defenders. The BattleHawks won the game 26-21. This means the D.C. Defenders playoff hopes are now over, with two more weeks left of the regular season. Here is a look at the game, who the MVP is, and what is next for these teams.

Slow First Quarter

Before the game began, it was made clear that St. Louis QB A.J. McCarron was out, putting in Manny Wilkins. Wilkins is from Arizona State and this is his first start in six seasons. The BattleHawks started with the ball, putting Wilkins on the field immediately. His first attempt was a completion to Hakeem Butler. The drive ended on a turnover on downs, but it was still a hopeful start.

The Defenders’ drive relied on the run game with a couple of passes. They made it down the field well on their first drive. D.C. ended up being the first on the board making a 48-yard field goal. 

The DC defense comes out strong on the next drive swarming Wilkins. Arlington is forced to punt facing a 4th and 12. To close out the quarter, D.C. quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw an interception. This was just an inaccurate pass that went right into the hands of the St. Louis defender. 

The Battlehawks ran one play on offense to close out the first quarter. The score stands at 3-0, with D.C. in the lead early on.

BattleHawks take the Lead

St. Louis coach made a good challenge to start the quarter. There was an uncalled defensive pass interference, and upon review, it was a foul. This gave the Battlehawks another shot. Wilkins did well on this drive, using his legs after seeing a hole down the middle of the field.

The D.C. Defense was hit or miss in this game. In some plays, they did excellent attacking Wilkins, in some plays, they left too much room for him. On a fourth down play, Wilkins took it himself and the D.C. defense did well closing in on him, but the quarterback pushed for that first down. Penalties on offense broke up the momentum of this drive. With eight minutes left of the second quarter, the BattleHawks attempt a 26-yard field goal. It is good to tie the game 3-3.

DC attempted a fake punt, and while the pass was completed, the BattleHawks made the tackle before D.C. secured the first down. This resulted in a turnover on downs.

Although DC began doing better at preventing Wilkins from running, penalties by the Defenders helped the Battlehawks offense. The red zone defense for D.C. did well holding off as long as possible. The BattleHawks did end up scoring the touchdown with 1:07 left in the first half with an extra push at the end of the run. It did take a while to confirm the touchdown, so it was a close call, but ultimately, St. Louis was the first to score a touchdown. Not getting the one-point conversion, the score became 9-3 with just over a minute left in the half.

D.C.’s offense made the run down the field with not much time. Ty Scott did well getting open and making clutch passes for Ta’amu on this drive. Although they could not get into the end zone, they were able to get into field goal range. D.C. attempts the 49-yard field goal to close out the half. The kick is good making the score at halftime, 9-8, BattleHawks in the lead.

Third Quarter Back and Forth

D.C. starts with the ball as they look to take back the lead. Austin Faoliu on BattleHawks had to exit the game early in the half. D.C. continued to move down the field until Ta’amu hit a wide-open Alex Ellis for the touchdown to take the lead with 10:38 still to go in the third quarter. The Defenders make the score 14-9.

While the Defenders did well for a bit preventing Wilkins from running, the defense continued to have the same issues they have had all season missing their tackles. Wilkins ended up having a big run for 18 yards getting St. Louis close to the end zone. This helped set up the rushing touchdown by Wayne Gallman to take back the lead. They also secured the two-point conversion making the game 17-14. 

The Defenders tried to take a couple of deep passes but could not connect. The Defenders were forced to punt pretty quickly. 

Penalties pushed the BattleHawks back despite starting the drive pretty well. They also ended up having to punt. D.C. ended the third quarter with possession of the ball. The score at the end of the third remains 17-14, with BattleHawks in the lead.

BattleHawks get the Win

The first play of the quarter is another D.C. Defenders interception, giving the ball right back to St. Louis. Wilkins almost ran it into the end zone on their drive, but there was a holding on the offensive line. It was still a great effort, and he took a decent hit from it. St. Louis ended up having to kick a 37-yard field goal. They extend the lead 20-14.

On DC’s next possession, Ta’amu’s accuracy was better. He was placing the ball where it was needed to go. The Defenders ended up getting the ball downfield. This drive results in D.C. tying the game 20-20 with a touchdown pass to Scott. This play kept hope alive for D.C. with just under five minutes to go. The Defenders then made the one-point conversion, taking the lead 21-20.

The BattleHawks got the ball back with not much time remaining. Gallman got open for Wilkins to pass, then he took that ball and ran down the field with it. This put the BattleHawks all the way down to the red zone. With a penalty against the Defenders, the ball ended up being placed at the two-yard line. With less than two minutes to go, St. Louis had to try to get the lead back but also wanted to run down the clock if they could. St. Louis got the touchdown with two minutes to go in the game to take the lead 26-21. It was once again Gallman who scored. 

D.C. had just two minutes to try to get the lead again, but they could not do it. Something to note is that Ta’amu did go down in the fourth quarter, but was able to walk off the field. Quarterback Jalan McClendon had to of into the game to attempt a fourth down play. The St. Louis defense stood strong, ending the game 26-21. 

MVP

The MVP of this game is running back Wayne Gallman II. The way Gallman constantly pushed for extra yards is a big reason the BattleHawks won. In the game, Gallman rushed the ball nine times for 35 yards and two touchdowns, according to Fox Sports. He also had one reception for 38 yards. This was the play that essentially sealed them the game, aside from the actual game-winning touchdown.

Manny Wilkins, quarterback of the St. Louis BattleHawks also deserves credit for his effort in this game. Wilkins was thrown into a crucial game with McCarron out. He may not have had the best game of the season, but he got the ball where it needed to go and knew when to run the ball for big plays. Credit also needs to go to his receivers, specifically Hakeem Butler, for getting open and making the job easier on a quarterback who has not started in multiple years. In the game, Wilkins only completed nine passes for 126 yards, according to Fox Sports. He was also the team’s leading rusher of the game. He rushed the ball for 79 yards.

What’s Next

The St. Louis BattleHawks will face the Arlington Renegades on Saturday, May 25th at 12 P.M. Eastern.

The D.C. Defenders will face the Memphis Showboats on Sunday, May 26th at 2:30 P.M. Eastern.