The D.C. Defenders (4-5) visited the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon against the Memphis Showboats (1-8) in front of 6,387 fans. D.C. dominated the first half and went on to beat the Showboats by the final score of 36-21.
D.C. had 431 yards on offense. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 20 of 34 passes (83%) for 237 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, four carries for 38 yards, and one touchdown. In the first quarter, Ta’amu threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Chris Rowland for a 6-0 lead with 8:16 left.
In the second quarter, Ta’amu threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alex Ellis for a 22-7 lead with 14 seconds left before halftime. In the third quarter, Ta’amu rushed for a one-yard touchdown which made it 30-7 with 10:19 left.
Backup quarterback Jalan McClendon completed 3 of 6 passes (50%) for 40 yards, five carries for 14 yards, and one touchdown. In the fourth quarter, McClendon rushed for a four-yard touchdown for a 36-13 lead with 7:20 left in the game.
Running back Darius Hagans led the rushers with 11 carries for 46 yards. The rushers finished the afternoon with 38 carries for 168 yards, and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Brandon Smith led the receivers making six catches for 52 yards while Chris Rowland made three catches for 49 yards and one touchdown.
The receivers finished the day making 23 catches for 277 yards, and three touchdowns. There were no field goals for D.C. D.C.’s defense made 50 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
Memphis had 231 yards on offense. Quarterback Josh Love completed 9 of 14 passes (64%) for 105 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, two carries for nine yards, and one touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Love threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vinny Papale cutting D.C.’s lead down to 30-13 with 7:20 left in the game.
Then, Love rushed for a one-yard touchdown which made it 36-21 with 3:59 left in the game. Quarterback Troy Williams completed 4 of 7 passes (57%) for 15 yards.
Running back Darius Victor led the rushers with 14 carries for 98 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for three yards. In the second quarter, Victor rushed for a six-yard touchdown cutting D.C.’s lead down to 14-7 with two minutes left before halftime. The rushers finished the afternoon with 20 carries for 126 yards, and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Jonathan Adams led the receivers making five catches for 73 yards while Vinnie Papale made three catches for 26 yards, and one touchdown. The receivers finished the day making 13 catches for 120 yards, and one touchdown.
Memphis did not attempt a field goal. Memphis’s defense made 76 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, and three pass breakups.
Next Sunday, the D.C. Defenders host the Arlington Renegades at 12 pm on ABC, followed by the Memphis Showboats hosting the Houston Roughnecks at 7 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.
