One final game determined who would punch their ticket to the UFL’s United Bowl in 2026. The St. Louis Battlehawks (6-4) hosted the Louisville Kings (6-4), as the two dueled it out at The Dome at America’s Center for the remaining berth in the Championship.
Heading into this affair, Louisville was red hot. They were winners of four straight, defying the odds en route to clinching a playoff spot. Meanwhile, St. Louis was hoping to get back on track, after a loss to Dallas to close out the year.
When these two teams faced off in week six, St. Louis got the best of the Kings in Louisville. They won 16-3, the lowest scoring game of the season for Louisville. Let’s take a look at what went down this time around.
First Quarter
The Battlehawks opened up the game with possession, but went absolutely nowhere. They punted it away, and Louisville quickly grabbed momentum. James Robinson burst out for a 53 yard touchdown run, putting the Kings in front early.
Sal Cannella made his presence known early for the Battlehawks offense. He hauled in a couple of receptions to keep their next series moving, and it ended with a 37 yard field goal, courtesy of Ramiz Ahmed.
While Louisville stalled out on their next series, they still put points on the board. Thanks to the big leg of Tanner Brown, he knocked through a 60 yard field goal, which counted for four points. Louisville held an 11-3 lead.
Second Quarter
Luis Perez and the Battlehawks would have an answer. A methodical drive from A.J. Smith’s playcalling set them up inside the red zone, and they finished it off with a Jarveon Howard rushing touchdown – his first TD of the year.
The pendulum was swinging in St. Louis’ favor. As the Battlehawks began to march, though, penalties piled up – and a sack from LaRon Stokes and Daniel Grzesiak resulted in a punt.
Defensively, Corey Chamblin’s group took strides forward in the second quarter. Two sacks on Chandler Rogers, including one from Travis Feeney on fourth down, gave St. Louis excellent field position.
St. Louis took advantage. Just a couple of moments later, Luis Perez connected with Blake Jackson for a score, sending The Dome into a frenzy as the Battlehawks gained a playoff lead for the first time in franchise history.
With one half of action down, St. Louis held a 17-11 lead. Louisville was in scoring position, but a botched trick play resulted in an interception from Myles Sims.
Third Quarter
Opening up the second half, neither offense had much going for them, trading punts. Sal Cannella was called for a rather odd unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which stifled what appeared to be a promising drive.
The trend for Isaiah Winstead the last couple of weeks: one series where he simply dominates. Winstead caught a short slant that he took for over 50 yards, setting up the Kings in excellent field position. Two plays later, Rogers went right back to Winstead in the end zone, and Louisville led 18-17.
The Battlehawks would respond. Jarveon Howard was a focal point for their offense, picking up chunk yardage. Ramiz Ahmed hit a 45 yard field goal. With fifteen minutes left to play, St. Louis led 20-18.
Fourth Quarter
Similar to the third quarter, both teams traded punts to begin the fourth. While the ground game had been contained by St. Louis’ defense since James Robinson’s 53 yard score, Ian Wheeler would strike next. He rushed for a 51 yard touchdown, which was upheld despite a super challenge thrown by Ricky Proehl.
At this point in the game, the Battlehawks struggled to get out of their own way. Sal Cannella came down with a huge reception, but a super challenge from Chris Redman was successful, with offensive holding called on STL. They would instead end up turning it over on downs, at 4th and 26.
While the Kings weren’t able to move the ball much, because of the advantageous field position, they scored anyway. Tanner Brown smashed a 63 yard kick, for his second four pointer of the day – and the Kings led 29-20.
St. Louis had one more chance, and for a moment, it appeared like something could happen. Completions to Steven McBride and Jarveon Howard set them up in the red zone. However, a pass lofted to the end zone for Hakeem Butler would come up short, and Steele Chambers picked it off – ending the game.
Louisville held on for the thrilling 29-20 win on the road, knocking off St. Louis to advance to the United Bowl.
Standout Playmakers
RB’s James Robinson & Ian Wheeler: These two studs were clutch for the Kings, both breaking off 50+ yard touchdown runs against the UFL’s top rushing defense. They were responsible for 150 rushing yards and a couple of scores.
WR Isaiah Winstead: Once again, Winstead showed out in a big way for the Kings when they needed him most. Isaiah had three receptions for 66 yards in the win.
DE Cam Gill: Gill, who is up for the MVP conversation, racked up six tackles and a late sack to help put Louisville into the Championship game.
LB Steele Chambers: Chambers has been one of the league’s more underrated linebackers throughout this season. He totaled five tackles on the night, along with excellent coverage on Hakeem Butler on that final play to send Louisville to the final dance.
St. Louis
RB Jarveon Howard: Howard finished his UFL season on a high note, after leading the league in rushing yards. He had 70 yards on the ground and a touchdown, and also brought in six receptions for 50 yards.
Major Takeaways
The Louisville Kings are one of the most resilient groups in the UFL this season. They were saved by their explosives in this game, as the Kings only had 11 first downs offensively, to go with just 42 plays and 19:58 time of possession. Despite such contrast with St. Louis, who ran 75 plays and held the ball for over 40 minutes, they scored nine more points on the night.
Defensively, Jamie Sharper’s group made second half adjustments that won them the game. The Battlehawks were only able to score three points in the final two quarters, as Louisville mounted a comeback – taking a nine point lead and never letting it go late.
St. Louis couldn’t get out of their own way in some of the biggest moments. Penalties were a major issue, with eight of them for 83 yards. A couple of those reared their ugly heads in positions where they desperately needed points. On top of that, they were just 4-for-15 on third downs.
It didn’t help that starting center Mike Panasiuk, who earned All-UFL honors for a fourth straight year, went down in pre-game warmups. Luis Perez felt pressure and heat all night long, as the Battlehawks struggled to protect for him consistently. Mobility is not Luis’ strong suit, as it led to four sacks for 24 total yards from Louisville.
Final Thoughts
The Louisville Kings are one of the best storylines to come out of Mike Repole’s UFL this year. After an 0-3 start, they’ve completely turned things around, and have now won five in a row. Louisville will now face off against DC in the Championship “United Bowl” game.
Meanwhile, St. Louis’ frustrations in the playoffs continue to haunt this group. They are now 0-3 at The Dome in the postseason, even with a complete regime change with Ricky Proehl at the helm. This is a team that has plenty of potential moving forward, but may have more questions than answers at the QB position currently.
What are your thoughts on this game between the Louisville Kings and St. Louis Battlehawks? Are you excited for the United Bowl? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
