Week 5 UFL Report: Birmingham Wins 12th Straight Game; DC Home Win Streak Ends at 10

News/Commentary

Week 5 UFL Report: Birmingham Wins 12th Straight Game; DC Home Win Streak Ends at 10

April 30, 2024 by Staff

St. Louis remains tied with San Antonio for the USFL Conference lead, while Birmingham remains in command of the XFL Conference with the UFL's only unblemished record. Meanwhile, DC is no longer undefeated at home, and attendance rose at two venues for the first time this year.

XFL teams played just 5 games in 2020 after the Covid pandemic cut the season short and the Defenders went 3-0 at Audi Field. Last year, the XFL played 10 regular season games and the Dragons went 5-0 and added a playoff win to make it 9 straight victories in their home stadium. Earlier this year, DC notched its 10th in-a-row with a victory over Houston in week 2.

By contrast, the NFL Washington Commanders (formerly Redskins) franchise won 11 straight home games in a two-season span from 1990 to 1991, but the longest home winning streak since then is 5 games in 2015. The Commanders were 4-12 a year ago and used their No. 2 NFL pick to select LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels whom they hope will bring consistency to an offense that hasn't had the same 4-year starter since Joe Theismann last played in 1985.

Sunday's 45-12 loss by the UFL's Defenders to St. Louis drew an announced crowd of 16,058 (20,000 capacity) and became the second team to see an increase in attendance over earlier weeks. Arlington was the first to do so on Saturday,

Here is how attendance broke down at the other three venues:

- Memphis attracted 7,640 for its 35-18 loss to Michigan, representing a drop from 8.791 for its only other home game in week 2.
- Houston's crowd was 6,285 for a 32-9 loss to Birmingham after drawing 7,189 in week 4 and 9,157 in week 1.
- Arlington had 10,283 for a 25-15 loss to San Antonio after dropping to 8,411 in week 2 from its opening day mark of 14,153.

It won't help attendance that every home team lost this week, but the whitewash for home teams came on the heels of a 4-0 home mark a week ago.

Week 5 Recaps

(Sunday at DC) St. Louis 45, DC 12 -The St. Louis (4-1) defense and special teams gave the offense possession inside Defenders (2-3) territory for seven of its nine scoring drives in a 33-point victory that was the largest margin in team history.

The Battlehawks defense delivered a second-half shutout for the second consecutive week, while the offense netted a franchise-record 25 points in the fourth quarter. RBs Wayne Gallman II and Jacob Saylors each had their team-leading second rushing touchdowns of the season, and QB Manny Wilkins scored his first rushing touchdown of the year.

The Battlehawks defense had a season-high 59:03 scoreless streak dating back to Week 4 vs. Memphis snapped when Defenders RB Cam’Ron Harris scored on a 1-yard rush with 1:14 left in the first half that cut the St. Louis lead to 17-6. D.C. scored again with 7 seconds left in the half on a 15-yard touchdown catch by Kelvin Harmon from QB Jordan Ta’amu that narrowed the Battlehawks’ lead to five points.

St. Louis had initially built a 17-0 lead with Butler’s first touchdown and three field goals by Szmyt, including a game-high, 51-yarder that gave the Battlehawks a 14-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

In total, the Battlehawks made three interceptions, two blocked punts, recovered a fumble and had two turnovers on downs. The defensive unit held D.C. to 163 total yards, the Defenders’ fewest of the season.

SEE: Battlehawks Beat Defenders 45-12

(Sunday at Memphis) Michigan 35, Michigan 18 - A heavy rain shower, two first-quarter Michigan Panthers touchdowns and a Memphis turnover all put a damper on the start of Sunday’s game for the Showboats, who dropped a 35-18 decision.

Memphis (1-4) fell behind 13-0 after one quarter on a pair of rushing touchdowns, sandwiched around a fumble on a strip sack of quarterback Troy Williams. Michigan (3-2) extended its lead to 19-0 with 2:42 remaining in the first half after an 81-yard fumble recovery by the Panthers’ Noah Dawkins, which set the Panthers up at the Memphis 5-yard line.

The lone first half highlight for the Showboats came on the first play of the ensuing possession and seemed to breathe some life into Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Williams found a streaking Daewood Davis, who had just fumbled the previous possession, streaking down the left sideline. Davis flew past the Panthers defense for an 82-yard scoring strike, the longest of the season so far in the UFL.

Michigan opened the second half with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Danny Etling to make it 25-6. But Memphis wouldn’t go away quietly. The Showboats recovered a muffed punt at the Panthers’ 7-yard line, leading to a Williams-Jonathan Adams touchdown pass to make it 25-12. On the next Memphis possession, the Showboats drove 75 yards in 10 plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Williams to tight end Sage Surratt. It was a one-possession game heading into the fourth quarter, with Michigan leading 25-18.

But the Panthers answered on the first possession of the final frame. Wes Hills rushed for a 14-yard touchdown to give his team a 32-18 edge. Jake Bates added a 30-yard field goal with five minutes remaining to account for the final tally.

Michigan out-gained Memphis 311-248. The Panthers rushed for 160 yards, compared to just 41 for the Showboats. Williams was 19-of-37 for 248 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for Memphis. He was also the Showboats’ leading rusher with two carries for 24 yards. Hills and Matthew Colburn II combined for 31 carries and 150 yards rushing to pace the Panthers.

SEE: Showboats Fall Behind Early, Drop 35-18 Decision to Panthers

(Saturday at Houston) Birmingham 32, Houston 9 - Birmingham quarterback Adrian Martinezwent 11-for-20 for 155 yards while his 138 on the ground set a new league record for rushing in a single game. Larry Rountree III made an impressive debut as a Stallion, rushing for 50 yards with one touchdown, including a 30-yard run on his first play from scrimmage.

Tight end Jace Sternberger led the Stallions' receiving corps with 46 yards and one touchdown. Deon Cain followed with 33 receiving yards, and Marlon Williams rounded out the leaderboard with 22 receiving yards.

The Stallions' defense remained the league's top drive-stopping force. Mark Gilbert led the defense with 11 tackles. Veteran DeMarquis Gates ended the game with seven tackles. Kenny Robinson Jr. recorded six tackles, one for loss, and two passes defended. The Stallions' defense still holds the league record for sacks with 18.

SEE: Stallions Dominate Roughnecks 32-9

(Saturday at Arlington) San Antonio 25, Arlington 15 - Arlington remains winless and San Antonio stays tied with St. Louis in the XFL Conference after the Brahmas win on Saturday. Running backs John Lovett and Morgan Ellison combined for 179 of San Antonio’s 190 rushing yards in the victory.

The Brahmas got out to a quick start once again, getting into the redzone just four plays into the game. Lovett got them there with a 36-yard run up the middle, his longest run of the season. The drive ended with a 43-yard Ryan Santoso field goal to put San Antonio up 3-0 early. The defense came out firing as well, holding Arlington to no points on their first possession. Linebacker Delontae Scott, who missed the last two games, tallied his first sack of the season on a key third down to force a Renegades punt.

SEE: San Antonio’s’ Rushing Attack Carries Brahmas to 25-15 win over the Renegades

UFL Standings

Here is how the league breaks down, and the standings after Week 5:

XFL Conference

Team	Won	Lost	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Road	Conf.	Streak
St. Louis Battlehawks	4	1	.800	151	95	2-0	2-1	3-0	W4
San Antonio Brahmas	4	1	.800	115	86	2-1	2-0	2-1	W2
DC Defenders	2	3	.400	94	138	1-1	1-2	1-2	L2
Arlington Renegades	0	5	.000	90	125	0-3	0-2	0-3	L5

USFL Conference

Team	Won	Lost	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Road	Conf.	Streak
Birmingham Stallions	5	0	1.000	132	68	2-0	3-0	3-0	W5
Michigan Panthers	3	2	.600	109	93	2-1	1-1	2-1	W1
Memphis Showboats	1	4	.200	86	132	0-2	1-2	1-2	L4
Houston Roughnecks	1	4	.200	76	116	1-2	0-2	0-3	L1

Week 5 Results (Home Team in BOLD):

Saturday
San Antonio 25, Arlington 15
Birmingham 32, Houston 9

Sunday
St. Louis 45, DC 12
Michigan 35, Memphis 18

Week 6 Games

*Check local listings for market regionalization

News/Commentary

Week 5 UFL Report: Birmingham Wins 12th Straight Game; DC Home Win Streak Ends at 10

April 30, 2024 by Staff

Week 5 Recaps

UFL Standings

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