Jordan Ta’amu (10) of the DC Defenders - Matthew Stockman/UFL/Getty Images
Week nine of the UFL featured a big win by the D.C. Defenders against the Memphis Showboats. The game ended with D.C. winning, 36-21. Although D.C.’s season will end next week, they did not let it stop them from trying their best this week. Here is a look at the game, the MVP, and what is next for these two teams.
Slow First Quarter
The Memphis Showboats start off the game with the ball, but that ends quickly. They are able to run a couple of plays, but end up having to punt. On the Defenders’ possession, they are able to get the passing game going, including a nice pass to Ty Scott as the Memphis defense went to defend the run. Memphis had a big sack to slow down the Defenders which was heavily needed. To get the yards back, quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu took the ball himself. Opening up the game, Ta’amu did well passing the ball. D.C. went for it on fourth down, and not only did they get the conversion, wide receiver, Chris Rowland made it into the end zone. The Defenders are the first on the board with that touchdown. They went for the two-point conversion but did not get it. The score is 6-0, Defenders with 8:16 left in the first quarter.
The possession for Memphis did not last long, giving the ball right back to D.C. The run game for D.C. got better on this drive. They were able to get down the field with some bigger runs, including a big run by Ta’amu, bringing D.C. to about the Memphis 15. This is where the first quarter ended.
Second Quarter Picks up the Pace
Less than a minute into the second quarter, D.C. wide receiver, Keke Coutee scored a rushing touchdown for the Defenders to extend their lead. The wide receivers in this play did well blocking the defense to get Coutee into the endzone. The Defenders then earned the two-point conversion, making the score 14-0.
The D.C. Defense did well stepping up again, putting the Memphis quarterback under pressure. Memphis ran a play on a third and three, but the quarterback was once again sacked. This results in a turnover on downs. Memphis once again had to punt. On the punt, Rowland had a huge return into Memphis territory.
On the D.C. possession, they continued to push the ball downfield. Right when it looked like the Memphis defense could not stop D.C., Ta’amu threw his first interception of the game. Luckily for D.C., the Memphis offense did not last long on the field
The Memphis Showboats defense did well stepping up again, not letting the D.C. offense get anywhere. The Showboats offense did make a couple of plays on this drive to get downfield. As of this point, this drive has been their best drive of the game. With 2:01 left in the half, Memphis running back Darius Victor scores the touchdown. The Showboats are finally on the board, also getting the one-point conversion. The score stands at 14-7, Defenders.
D.C.’s offense utilizes the time left on the board to get downfield, playing the clock and working on ball security. With 14 seconds left in the half, Ta’amu makes the touchdown pass to tight end, Alex Ellis to extend the lead. D.C. went for the two-point conversion and got it easily. The score at halftime is 22-7, Defenders still in the lead.
D.C. Extends Lead in the Third Quarter
D.C. starts with the ball in the second half. Ta’amu connects well with his receivers to start. The Memphis defense gives the Defenders too much space, giving Ta’amu open targets. This causes D.C. to move downfield at ease and helps get the run game going. Ta’amu ends up running the ball into the end zone to extend the D.C. lead. They then get the two-point conversion to make the score 30-7 with the majority of the second half still to go.
Even with the score difference, there is a lot of time left and D.C. does not take their foot off the pedal. Their defense stands strong and on their next possession, they move downfield at ease. Despite starting off well, Ta’amu ends up throwing the ball right to the Showboats defender for his second interception of the game.
The Showboats offense gets some momentum going. They did not get to score before the third quarter ended but maintained possession.
Defenders Earn Win
The Showboats offense is still on the field to start the final quarter of the game. Not long into the fourth quarter, Memphis scores a touchdown, with the reception by wide receiver, Vinny Papale. This makes the score 30-13, with no conversion. Given how scoring works in the UFL with conversions, this does keep Memphis in the game.
D.C. continues to do well on their drive running the ball. This was still early in the fourth quarter, so they could not yet focus on just running down the clock. D.C. ended up putting in quarterback Jalan McClendon, who also did well running the ball. McClendon earned a rushing touchdown to just about seal the game for the Defenders. After not getting the one-point conversion, the score stands at 36-13 with 7:20 left in the game.
Memphis ends up having a big kick return to get them on D.C.’s side of the field. Their offense moves down the field well, but then D.C. ends up forcing an interception after the Showboats attempted a pass downfield. D.C. focused on ball security and running the clock on their drive and had to punt.
When Memphis gets the ball again, they make a great play downfield. Johnathan Adams ends up making a big play downfield between getting open down the middle, and then extending the play. Memphis ends up scoring a rushing touchdown by quarterback, Josh Love. They then got the two-point conversion to make the score 36-21. Though this touchdown did give Memphis some hope, they did not get the fourth down conversion to retain possession. This ended the game with a D.C. Defenders win 36-21.
With one more week of the UFL season to go, the D.C. Defenders now have a 4-5 record. The Memphis Showboats have a 1-8 record.
MVP of the Game
The MVP of this week’s game is the D.C. Defenders wide receiver Chris Rowland. In the game, he had just three receptions but for 49 yards and one touchdown, according to Fox Sports. He also rushed the ball two times for ten yards. In addition to that, his role on special teams is what makes him the MVP this week. Rowland returned two punts for 53 yards, one of them being a 45-long return. He also had three kick returns for 97 yards. Special teams matter, and Rowland helped the Defenders get the win this week.
What’s Next?
The D.C. Defenders will face the Arlington Renegades on Sunday, June 2nd at 12 P.M. Eastern.
The Memphis Showboats will face the Houston Roughnecks on Sunday, June 2nd at 7 P.M. Eastern.
This will be the final week of the 2024 UFL regular season.
