The St. Louis Battlehawks (4-1) visited the D.C. Defenders (2-3) in an XFL Conference showdown on Sunday afternoon from Audi Field in front of a crowd of 16,058 fans.
The game was close in the first half with the Battlehawks up 17-12, but St. Louis shut out the Defenders in the second half scoring 28 unanswered points to beat D.C. by the final score of 45-12. As a result, the Battlehawks are now tied for first place with the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL Conference.
St. Louis had 280 yards on offense. Quarterback A.J. McCarron completed 14 of 24 passes (58%) for 213 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for one yard. McCarron’s two touchdowns happened in the first and fourth quarters.
In the first quarter, McCarron threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler for an 8-0 lead with 8:07 left. In the fourth quarter, McCarron found Hakeem Butler again for 80 yards making it 32-12 with nine minutes left in the game.
Running backs Jacob Saylors, Wayne Gallman II, and backup quarterback Manny Wilkins combined with 24 carries for 92 yards, and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Hakeem Butler led the receivers making 6 catches for 147 yards, and two touchdowns. The receivers finished the afternoon making 14 catches for 213 yards, and two touchdowns.
Kicker Andre Szmyt made four field goals with a long of 51 yards. St. Louis’s defense made 76 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
D.C. had 163 yards on offense. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 12 of 23 passes (52%) for 101 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and four carries for 26 yards. Ta’amu’s lone touchdown happened in the second quarter to wide receiver Kelvin Harmon for 15 yards cutting St. Louis’s lead down to 17-12 with seven seconds left. Backup quarterback Deondre Francois attempted a couple of passes for no yards.
Running back Zaquandre White led the rushers with 15 carries for 33 yards, and one catch for one yard, while Cam’ron Harris had 11 carries for 25 yards, and one touchdown. The rushers finished the afternoon with 30 carries for 84 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Kelvin Harmon led the receivers making 4 catches for 37 yards, and one touchdown. The receivers finished the day making 12 catches for 101 yards, and one touchdown.
There were no field goal attempts by the Defenders. D.C.’s defense made 66 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next Saturday, the St. Louis Battlehawks host the Houston Roughnecks at 3 pm on FOX, while the D.C. Defenders host the San Antonio Brahmas on Sunday at 4 pm on FOX. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 UFL Season and tickets for the game are available today on StubHub and Viagogo.
