Week seven in the United Football League (UFL) kicked off tonight. The St. Louis Battlehawks (4-2) hosted the Columbus Aviators (2-4), in a battle between two teams that have had different stories so far this UFL season.
St. Louis is on a hot streak, winning three of their last four. At 4-2, they’ve got the #2 seed in the UFL. Interestingly enough, they are making a quarterback change regardless. Luis Perez will suit up for the first time as the team’s starter.
On the other side, the Columbus Aviators feel like they found something special a week ago. At 2-4, the door is still open for the Aviators to make something happen – if they could get past St. Louis at the Dome.
Let’s take a look at what went down tonight.
First Quarter
Columbus received the opening kickoff, but were handi-capped as Jaylon Moore muffed the kickoff. Starting at their own five yard line, John Lovett ripped off a 33 yard pickup – but the team stalled midfield, and had to punt.
It was an odd drive for the St. Louis Battlehawks. With Luis Perez at the helm, it was Jarveon Howard who sparked the offense – with a huge gain. He fumbled, but Blake Jackson picked it up and ran for extra yardage. After getting inside the red zone, on 4th and goal from the inch yard line, Perez rushed it in himself for an early 7-0 lead.
The Aviators were stuck in the mud offensively, punting again. Perez completed a deep pass to Hakeem Butler, which was underthrown, putting St. Louis deep into Columbus territory. Two plays later, Perez found Steven McBride for the score, putting the Battlehawks on top 14-0 heading into quarter number two.
Second Quarter
Columbus desperately needed to make something happe to get the team into a rhythm, and they got yardage with a penalty from St. Louis. Then, a large chunk play from ZaQuandre White set them up in the red zone.
Todd Haley has used backup QB Jalen Morton in specific packages this year. He interestingly inserted him into the lineup on 3rd and 7, but Jalen showed his playmaking abilities – breaking four tackles en route to the end zone.
St. Louis would respond. A couple of decent-sized completions to Hakeem Butler and Jahcour Pearson put the Battlehawks in field goal range, and Ramiz Ahmed connected from 38 yards out to make it 17-7.
The Aviators would go the wrong direction on their next possession. A huge TFL from Steve Linton put them behind the sticks, and Columbus had to punt.
A.J. Smith and this offense was cooking in this first half. A big completion to Tyler Neville led to a touchdown run from Kylin James – who waltzed into the end zone untouched.
Columbus continued to struggle. On 4th and 2, they crossed the 50 and had to go for it – and McClendon was intercepted by Jordan Mosley.
Heading into the half, St. Louis had a chance to put more points on the board – but failed to do so as Frank Darby didn’t get out of bounds in time.
Third Quarter
Columbus came out with some “juice” in the second half. D.J. Miller Jr. baited Perez into an interception, giving Columbus outstanding field position, along with some momentum.
The Aviators would capitalize. Tay Martin came up with a couple of receptions, one of which resulted in a touchdown to pull within 10 points.
Jarveon Howard and Kylin James were on a tear tonight. The two were a non-stop rushing machine, with Columbus struggling to properly defend the run. James went into the end zone untouched for a second time, and St. Louis took a 31-14 lead.
The Aviators had to punt immediately, unable to move the ball at all. However, a couple of big plays defensively, including a sack from Caeveon Patton, gave possession back to Columbus.
Todd Haley’s offense could not take advantage. ZaQuandre White was stuffed on 4th and 2, unable to get to the line to gain, and the Battlehawks took over. With fifteen minutes to play, they held a commanding 31-14 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Columbus got another crack at it, with a defensive stop. A long drive would result in points, with McClendon finding Keke Chism for a touchdown on 4th and 7. Weirdly enough, they attempted the XP – and Coe missed, keeping it an 11 point ball game.
Clock was not on the side of the Aviators. Two defensive penalties extended the Battlehawks’ drive, and even though they still had to punt, less than three minutes were on the clock when Columbus got the ball back. On 4th and 9 past the 50, Luis Perez threw it out of bounds – which did grant the Aviators a bit of extra field to work with.
St. Louis and their defense would stand strong. Columbus turned it over on downs, and that would seal the deal. The Battlehawks came away with a 31-20 victory at home, improving to 5-2 on the season.
Standout Playmakers
RB Jarveon Howard: Howard has quietly been one of the top running backs in the UFL this season. He’s explosive, with 59 yards on just 12 touches tonight. Jarveon also had three catches for 21 yards.
RB Kylin James: James did his part, filling in for an injured Kevon Latulas. He rushed for two touchdowns and 41 yards on 10 rushes.
“All these guys in our locker room are competitors. Kylin, he’s been the third guy. He hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities. But I really emphasized, seizing your moment when it comes. This is a physical game, guys get hurt. Kylin, he continues to work hard. When his number was called, he made two huge plays. He’s on this football team because he’s talented.” – Ricky Proehl
DT Carlos Davis: The veteran, who has been a part of Corey Chamblin’s defense for a few seasons, had another impactful night. He racked up three tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
S Jordan Mosley: Mosley is well on his way to earning All-UFL honors at the safety position. He led St. Louis tonight with seven tackles, to go with an interception, a sack, and a pass breakup.
Columbus
WR Tay Martin: Martin had another big night for Columbus, with seven receptions for 55 yards and a score. He’s been a bright spot for the Aviators, despite the issues across the board.
Major Takeaways
St. Louis is a brand new football team with Luis Perez at the helm. The scary piece is that they’re only just scratching the surface of what this franchise is capable of achieving. Perez brings a balanced, focused approach to this offense. Even with some sloppy play today, they completely dominated a Columbus defense that was very unprepared for Perez.
“A win is a win. I thought we came out really good, making plays. Defense made some plays, got some stops. From a standpoint of all things defense, doing some really great things. I’m a bit disappointed in the end of the game, offensively, there’s some things to clean up and work on.” – Battlehawks HC Ricky Proehl
The story of this Battlehawks franchise this year, though, is their defense. Corey Chamblin has worked wonders with this unit, as they dominate week in and week out. Columbus was just 1-4 on fourth downs, struggling on third down as well (4-12). St. Louis posted seven TFL’s and three sacks in the win.
Columbus simply cannot compete with the better teams in this league, and that showed tonight. They were penalized 14 times for 115 yards, the most of any team in a single game this year – very undisciplined. There were spurts of offensive highlights here and there, but the inability to convert fourth downs killed momentum.
Speaking of undisciplined play, defensively, Columbus could not generate stops. Captain Munnerlyn calls way too much man coverage, something that has haunted them through multiple games this year. Their run defense, ranked last in the UFL, continued that trend. Their lack of proper gap fitting was on full display on Kylin James’ untouched touchdown scampers.
Coaching decisions also made zero sense. Going for the XP, while down 11 in the fourth quarter, was absurd. Also, Ginn threw a ridiculous super challenge in the 4Q – costing the team a precious timeout. Blunders like this are expected from an inexperienced coaching staff, and it is something that has cost Columbus all year long.
Final Thoughts
One thing was made clear: the St. Louis Battlehawks were the better team tonight. They played a complete game in all three phases, something Columbus can’t exactly say. At 5-2, the Battlehawks control their own destiny – a home playoff game will be theirs if they continue to win.
Week seven in the UFL continues tomorrow afternoon. The DC Defenders will host the Louisville Kings at 1:30pm ET on FOX.
What are your thoughts on this game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Columbus Aviators? Which players impressed you the most? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
