The St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) hosted the D.C. Defenders (3-5) on Sunday afternoon in front of 32,403 fans from The Dome at America’s Center. The home crowd watched an entertaining game with the Battlehawks defeating the Defenders by the final score of 26-21 to punch their ticket to the UFL Playoffs.
St. Louis had 235 yards on offense. Quarterback Manny Wilkins completed 9 of 18 passes (50%) for 126 yards, and 12 carries for 79 yards. Running back Wayne Gallman II had 9 carries for 35 yards, two touchdowns, and one catch for 38 yards.
In the third quarter, Gallman II rushed for a seven-yard touchdown to put St. Louis in the lead 17-14, and in the fourth quarter rushed for a one-yard touchdown to make it 26-21 with two minutes left in the game.
Running back Jacob Saylors had 10 carries for 27 yards, one touchdown, and one catch for 14 yards. He scored a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter which made it 9-3 St. Louis with 1:07 left before halftime. The rushers finished the afternoon with 31 carries for 141 yards, and three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Hakeem Butler led the receivers making three catches for 39 yards. The receivers finished the day making 9 catches for 126 yards. Kicker Andre Szmyt made two field goals with a long 37 yards. St. Louis’s defense made 63 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, ten pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
D.C. had 298 yards on offense. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 23 of 40 passes (57%) for 196 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and five carries for 30 yards. In the third quarter, Ta’amu threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alex Ellis to take a 14-9 lead with 10:38 left. In the fourth quarter, Ta’amu found Ty Scott for a 17-yard touchdown for a 21-20 lead with 4:55 left in the game.
Running back Darius Hagans led the rushers with 8 carries for 37 yards and one catch for -4 yards. The rushers had 17 carries for 89 yards. Wide receiver Ty Scott led the receivers making six catches for 69 yards, and one touchdown, while tight end Alex Ellis made four catches for 58 yards, and one touchdown.
Kicker Matthew McCrane made two field goals with a long of 49 yards. D.C.’s defense made 64 tackles, three tackles for loss, four sacks, and three pass breakups.
Next Saturday, the St. Louis Battlehawks visit the Arlington Renegades at 12 pm on ABC, while the D.C. Defenders visit the Memphis Showboats on Sunday at 2:30 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.
