Renegade! (Sam Hodde/UFL/Getty Images).
The UFL is popping with a rousing few weeks of football under their belt. In this article, we will cover the Arlington Renegades & St. Louis Battlehawks game on Saturday, April 6th.
Not up to date with all things with the new spring league? The Forkball’s incredible writer, Jamie Malloy, broke down everything in his article on opening week here.
Get to Know the Teams
The Arlington Renegades hail from Arlington, Texas. They are currently fourth in the ‘XFL’ conference. Although they lost to Birmingham in week one, the pain coming from Alabama is over as they won’t play them again this season. It’s early in the season, and anything can happen at this point.
The St. Louis Battlehawks have some of the best football coming from St. Louis since the Rams left in 2016. They’re sitting two places above the Renegades in the conference, with a rough first-go against the Michigan Panthers in week 1.
For full schedule information for all teams, click here.
USFL Week 2 Game Replay
St. Louis hosted their first game of the season at the Dome at the America’s Center. Fans were excited, and the Battlehawks reaped the benefits of the homefield advantage.
Both teams played their hearts out, and the game was thrilling. There were no clear wins; every play was met by another one. As we say, on any given Saturday…
St. Louis secured the first TD and two-point conversion nearly an hour into the game.
Not 10 minutes later, Arlington also made a TD with a matching two-point conversion, creating a tie in the 2nd quarter.
Mateo Durant secured St. Louis’s second touchdown just before halftime. Taylor Russolino snuck a field goal in as well, with the half ending 14-11 in the Battlehawks favor.
The Renegades gained their first lead at the end of the 3rd quarter, 17-14. This was a significant moment of contention during the game due to a questionable passing interference call that the NFL’s Mike Pereira didn’t like.
It seems as though that was the fuel that St. Louis needed to lead again in just 15 seconds of play time. Marcell Ateman ran 53 yards after catching AJ McCarron‘s on-point pass, making it 21-17.
In a heartwarming moment, Arlington’s De’Veon Smith made a TD that put the Renegades back on top and reminded us that life is more than a game all at once. With Smith’s help, the game went 24-21 into the fourth quarter. Things weren’t looking for St. Louis.
Two back-to-back field goals from the Battlehawks sealed an unlikely win. St. Louis’s kicker, Andre Szmyt, won the game and fans’ hearts with a beautiful kick just in the nick of time.
MVPs of the Game
Arlington Renegades’ De’Veon Smith wins MVP of the game as he played his heart out days after losing his brother. Our thoughts are truly with Smith and his family.
The second and last MVP of the game goes to St. Louis Battlehawks QB AJ McCarron, who was back and better than ever this season of spring ball.
McCarron is currently first in the league for passing yards with 464 passing yards over just two games. He is also second in the league for passing touchdowns, with four in the same amount of time.
Good job, gentlemen. It was a solid second week. The Forkball looks forward to following the UFL all season long.
