Week four of the UFL continued this afternoon, as the St. Louis Battlehawks took on the Arlington Renegades in a key XFL Conference matchup.
Both of these organizations were fresh off of their first losses of the UFL season. Arlington had a brutal last second loss to the Stallions, featuring a penalty that certainly had some folks scratching their heads.
Meanwhile, the Battlehawks got hit in the face by the DC Defenders – not prepared at all for their defensive attack. With both of these teams at 2-1, and DC at 3-0, this game held a lot of weight for two XFL Conference rivals.
Last year, the Renegades and Battlehawks split the season series. Let’s take a look at what went down today at Choctaw Stadium.
First Quarter
It was a brutal start to the game for the Battlehawks. After the offense looked to be in a rhythm, Manny Wilkins went down with an ankle injury – losing the football in the process. Chris Odom picked it up and returned it for the score, and Arlington had a 6-0 lead early.
Luis Perez connected with Isaiah Winstead on the two point attempt, and just like that it was 8-0. Then, we got to see Max Duggan take the field for St. Louis, in his first true snaps at QB. A big return from Blake Jackson put the Battlehawks in scoring position, and they settled for a 55 yarder from Rodrigo Blankenship to make it 8-3.
While the Battlehawks made a defensive stop, it wouldn’t matter. Jahcour Pearson burst for a big return on the punt – but Sal Cannella forced a fumble, and it was recovered by Charlton Johnson for Arlington.
Sal Cannella would strike again, streaking wide open down the middle of the field. A bit of trickery from the Renegades led to another touchdown, with Javonta Payton scampering in.
Arlington’s offense was fighting hard in the first quarter. Tyler Vaughns caught the two point try, using his athleticism to lunge to the end zone to make it 16-3.
Second Quarter
Max Duggan was off to an efficient start, completing his first four passes. However, that would be short-lived. A sack from Charlie Thomas put them in a third and long situation, and then Chris Claybrooks picked Duggan off on an underthrown deep ball, intended for Gary Jennings. Early in the second quarter, St. Louis had turned the ball over three times.
Arlington’s offense stalled out, though, as Isaiah Winstead was called for OPI on what would have been a first down. Bob Stoops tried to super challenge it, but it was unsuccessful.
St. Louis would finally put together a couple of positive plays. On 4th and 1, Jacob Saylors made an incredibly impressive catch and burst down the sidelines to pick up chunk yardage.
The drive would be shut down in the red zone, though. Chris Odom sacked Max Duggan on third and goal, and St. Louis had to settle for a short field goal from Blankenship.
Arlington once again had to settle for nothing, with a ball being batted at the line by OLB Chris Garrett on third down. Marquette King’s punt was another banger, setting Max Duggan & Co. up within their own 15 yard line. St. Louis’ offensive line was having a difficult time protecting for Duggan – and a drop from Jahcour Pearson didn’t help matters much. A sack from Will Clarke forced another punt from STL.
Because of the big punt, plus the sack, the Renegades were set up with outstanding field position when they got the ball back, at the +45. Despite being backed up in a third and long due to a penalty, Luis Perez unleashed a deep ball to Tyler Vaughns, who made an amazing catch with Chris Payton-Jones heavily in coverage.
However, Anthony Becht used his super challenge on a potential hold from Garrett McGhin – and he was successful. It saved the Battlehawks from being down 22-6 or more at halftime, and instead, it remained 16-6.
Third Quarter
Arlington received the second half kickoff, but their offense sputtered again. They didn’t pick up a single first down in the second quarter – and on this drive, they turned the ball over on downs. St. Louis’ defense came up with a big stop, trying to give their offense some momentum.
Chris Odom continued to wreak havoc on the right side of St. Louis’ offensive line, sacking Duggan once again – which resulted in another field goal for the Battlehawks.
The Renegades were having a difficult time running the ball in 3rd and short scenarios, with the Battlehawks forcing another punt. It wouldn’t go much smoother for Duggan and the Battlehawks, as they had to send it right back to Arlington.
Unfortunately for Luis, he would make a critical mistake. He threw an interception right to Willie Harvey, who returned it for a touchdown. Just like that, it was 16-15.
With one quarter left to play, Arlington had a one point lead, and were marching down the field.
Fourth Quarter
One of the things that worked in this game for Arlington: trickery. Javonta Payton took an end around, and with an excellent lead block from Seth Green, rumbled into the red zone. Dae Dae Hunter finished the drive off, somehow managing to maintain his balance and get into the end zone to give the Renegades a 22-15 lead.
The mistakes continued to pile up for the Battlehawks and this offense. Max Duggan took another sack, with Myles Dorn bringing him down for a loss, and the Renegades took the ball back. St. Louis’ defense refused to go down quietly, though, with Freedom Akinmoladun and Pita Taumoepenu combining for a sack on Perez on third down, forcing another punt.
Then, Max Duggan came back into the game, running a bit more of an up tempo offense as the fourth quarter wound down. He used his legs, and had some help from Jacob Saylors who finally came alive – and with two minutes left, it was anyone’s ball game.
Disappointingly for St. Louis, they could not finish things off. After getting inside the five yard line, Max Duggan’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Ajene Harris, and the Renegades held on to win 30-15 at home.
Key Takeaways
The St. Louis Battlehawks need to figure things out offensively. Their offensive line play has been far from what we saw through the first two weeks. Abdul Beecham no longer in action is a tough loss – but there’s still plenty of talent in this unit up front. It’s been strange to watch them struggle so much through weeks three and four, but today was arguably their worst showing.
Arlington had six sacks and seven TFL’s on the day, continuing the trend that was set by the DC Defenders a week ago. Pressuring St. Louis’ quarterbacks lead to them making mistakes, which was on display today from Max Duggan – who never really found a rhythm. It was Duggans first real action of the year, and you could tell that he wasn’t very comfortable dealing with Arlington’s fierce pass rush.
The Renegades aren’t much better on offense, though. Luis Perez’ lack of mobility continues to be a sore spot for Arlington, especially playing against better defensive lines. Austin Faoliu deserves a ton of credit for his efforts this year, as he consistently got pressure on Perez, and was outstanding on rush defense.
Defensively, the Battlehawks did play quite well against the run. If you take away Javonta Payton’s end arounds, they contained Dae Dae Hunter and Kalen Ballage efficiently for most of the day. However, they couldn’t find a way to shut down the trickery, which gave Arlington life when they needed it desperately.
Final Thoughts
This was an ugly game across the board, if we’re being brutally honest. Neither St. Louis or Arlington had much chemistry offensively, as the defenses commanded things from start to finish. Ultimately, it was Arlington’s unit that was able to hang on, after their fast start in the first quarter.
St. Louis has some serious questions they need to answer, losing two in a row for the first time under Head Coach Anthony Becht.
Week four in the UFL continues later tonight, with the Houston Roughnecks hosting the Birmingham Stallions at 7pm ET on FOX.
What are your thoughts on this matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Arlington Renegades? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
