Week four of the UFL continues on Saturday, with the Arlington Renegades hosting the St. Louis Battlehawks in what is a pivotal XFL Conference matchup.
Heading into this affair, both St. Louis and Arlington were reeling from their first losses of the young UFL season. The Battlehawks fell to the DC Defenders at home, in a game where they were outmatched and outplayed from the start.
On the other hand, the Arlington Renegades dominated Birmingham – but failed to close things out. Settling for field goals, turning the ball over, and then a wild penalty resulted in the Stallions sneaking out with a last second victory.
With both of these teams at 2-1 on the year, this game is extremely important. DC is 3-0, and considering they’re hosting San Antonio on Sunday, it’s more than likely that they come out of week four at 4-0. Whoever wins this game will sit at 3-1 with the second seed, while the loser will drop to 2-2.
Let’s take a look at the key factors ahead of this Choctaw Stadium showdown.
Quarterback Play
Let’s face it: Luis Perez hasn’t exactly had the start to the year that many expected. Arlington’s offense has been stuck in a rut the last two weeks, as Perez & Co. haven’t found much to work with across that span. Luis has been efficient with the football, but his inability to consistently escape pressure has put a strain on what this offense can do. This was evident against Birmingham, as Perez took a couple of sacks that killed drives that could have resulted in touchdowns.
With that in mind, Luis Perez is “The Spring King” for a reason. He’s had tremendous success over the past few years – including against these Battlehawks. St. Louis has struggled to slow him down lately, with Luis throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 win last season. If Perez can see solid protection from his O-Line, he should be in store for a bounce back game.
Manny Wilkins, on the other hand, has been hit or miss for St. Louis. He was cruising through the first two games, playing defenses that rank in the lower half of the UFL (Houston, San Antonio). Manny’s ability to run with the ball makes him tough to scheme against – but DC seemed to crack the code. They brought pressure early and often, rattling Wilkins, which led to poor decision making on his end. Wilkins turned the ball over four times in the loss to DC.
Arlington’s defense has been playing at a high level, and their pass rush has been elite with Chris Odom and Willie Taylor leading the way. Manny will have to clean up those mistakes in order for the Battlehawks to have the edge in this one.
Standout Playmakers
The Battlehawks have no shortage of talent offensively. Jacob Saylors is once again a front runner for All-UFL honors, and is even in league MVP conversations as he’s been a weapon both on the ground, and through the air. Saylors was held to only one rushing yard a week ago, but contributed with seven receptions for 91 yards coming out of the backfield.
Hakeem Butler is inactive once again, meaning that we should see Frank Darby, Gary Jennings, and Jahcour Pearson be the go-to targets for Wilkins. Darby has been making his presence known as a wideout and on special teams.
Arlington’s wide receivers have been playing physical football to begin the year. Isaiah Winstead highlights that unit, as he’s been ferociously attacking DB’s all season long. Winstead was underutilized a season ago, but with a year under his belt in the UFL, has been showcasing what he’s capable of as of late.
RB’s Kalen Ballage and Dae Dae Hunter continue to impress as a one-two combo in the backfield for the Renegades. Ballage has slowed down a bit, but Hunter has shown why his explosiveness is of such value to Chuck Long’s offense. Hunter’s bound to break a big one sooner than later.
Depth Chart
Quick notes from the depth chart:
- Hakeem Butler is still inactive, meaning Denzel Mims will get the start. Look for a healthy dose of Frank Darby and Gary Jennings once again
- Brandon Sebastian is on IR, meaning that Myles Jones will be starting at CB for STL
- Despite being signed just a day ago, Taco Charlton will be active at EDGE for Arlington
Across the board, mostly everything is the same for both of these teams from week three to week four. It isn’t surprising, as Anthony Becht and Bob Stoops both typically look to keep things from being too dramatically shifted from week to week.
Looking At Last Year
The Battlehawks and Renegades played twice a season ago, with both being in the XFL Conference. The first matchup was a down to the wire affair, with the Battlehawks walking it off at The Dome with a last second Andre Szmyt field goal.
In that affair, some of the noticeable trends included the fact that Arlington couldn’t get out of their own way. A missed field goal late, plus a DPI penalty on Ajene Harris, gave St. Louis an opportunity – which they capitalized on.
However, looking at week nine’s showdown is a bit more accurate as to what we can expect. Manny Wilkins got the start in that one, and originally had the Battlehawks in a position to come away with a win on the road. His mobility was proving to be an issue for Arlington’s defense, rushing for a score to put St. Louis in front early in the third quarter.
In the second half, though, Arlington shifted the momentum back in their direction – applying pressure on Wilkins which led to some poor decision making. Manny ended up turning the ball over three times down the stretch, which resulted in the Renegades running away with a 36-22 victory.
When Wilkins has to purely pass the ball, he tends to make mistakes. This was evident last weekend against DC, where he also threw three interceptions. If Arlington can apply pressure like they have through these first couple of weeks, it could spell trouble for Manny and this offense.
That said, Jacob Saylors had quite a bit of success against this defensive unit a year ago – and he’s one of the top backs in the UFL right now. St. Louis will need to get him going early, to provide Wilkins with some support in the ground game.
Coaching Matchup
Arlington Renegades | Bob Stoops: Stoops has his Renegades looking the best that they have in a while to begin the year. There’s still plenty to clean up offensively, but this unit has done a better job overall, especially when it comes to execution. Last week was a step backwards in that regard in a late game scenario – which has to be corrected this week. In his XFL/UFL career, Stoops is 1-2 against Anthony Becht all-time.
St. Louis Battlehawks | Anthony Becht: Coach Becht took full responsibility for the loss this past weekend, and is more than ready to try and get this group back on the right track. Arlington’s a tough adversary, but St. Louis has gotten the best of them twice already under Becht’s regime. St. Louis’ culture is at the top of the UFL, largely due to what Becht brings to the table as a player’s coach. Anthony has never lost two games in a row as a professional head coach.
Coach Stoops commented this week on how important it will be
“Probably the biggest thing is to, you know, they’re number one in the league in rushing the football. They’ve been really good with it. We’re number one in the league in rush defense, though, and we’re number two in rushing offense. We’re not too far off. To me, a big part of this game will be who can be great in running the football, or defending the run. Getting the other team into predictable passing situations. And of course, like any other game, the turnover margin is a huge deal.”
Final Thoughts
It’s difficult to say with certainty who is the favorite in this one. Arlington has the edge when it comes to home field advantage, and they recently beat St. Louis at home in a similar scenario. That said, Coach Becht hasn’t lost two games in a row throughout his XFL/UFL career, and odds are that won’t change now.
The action all kicks off on ABC at 12:30pm ET this Saturday, with the game hosted at Choctaw Stadium.
Full Roster Breakdowns: Arlington, St. Louis
What are your thoughts on this upcoming game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Arlington Renegades? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
