Week seven in the UFL concluded in Memphis, as the Showboats took on the St. Louis Battlehawks with one last chance to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Heading into this affair, the St. Louis Battlehawks were back on track – winning two in a row. With a 4-2 record, they were looking to keep pace with the DC Defenders in the XFL Conference, and maintain a strong lead on the Arlington Renegades.
Meanwhile, the Showboats could not find ways to close out games late. At 1-5, their record doesn’t exactly reflect just how good the roster is – but execution is not their forte, and that would be on display yet again.
Let’s take a look at what happened at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Sunday – as it turned into a defensive standoff in Memphis.
First Quarter
The Battlehawks received the opening kick, as Memphis looked to take advantage of a strong defensive start, and get the ball to begin the second half. After a decent start for the Battlehawks, the Showboats defense stood strong, and Jaylon Allen sacked Max Duggan on third down to force an early punt.
Outstanding punt coverage from the Battlehawks pinned the Showboats deep at their own three yard line. St. Louis established their defensive presence early, which set the tone for the majority of the game. Pita Taumoepenu sacked Dresser Winn on third down, and Memphis punted it away.
This time, the Battlehawks put it together. Max Duggan was a problem for Memphis early with his legs, rushing for 51 yards in the first quarter alone. His mobility set St. Louis up inside the ten yard line.
Turnovers are not the Showboats’ forte this year, and that trend continued as Steele Chambers dropped an interception right in his lap. The next play, Duggan scrambled into the end zone, and a successful PAT from Jarveon Howard gave the Battlehawks a 7-0 lead.
Memphis wouldn’t help themselves out much on the next drive. From their own 39 yard line, the Showboats ran the ball with Wes Hills on 4th and 1 in a gutsy call from Jim Turner – but the Battlehawks stood them up.
The Showboats would hold up defensively, as St. Louis settled for a field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship. With one quarter down, Anthony Becht’s Battlehawks led 10-0 on the road.
Second Quarter
It looked like the Showboats were finally getting into an offensive rhythm, as Kai Locksley stepped up as someone who had a great day. With Memphis getting deep into enemy territory, they were poised to get on the scoreboard.
Unfortunately, fourth down struggles would continue for Memphis. Down 10-0, they opted to go for it on 4th and 1, and Nate Meadors and Kyler Baugh came up with another big stop for St. Louis’ defense.
After a slower start, the Showboats defense stepped up, forcing a punt. This time, Deneric Prince put the team on his back on the next drive, gashing through the Battlehawks front seven for big gains. Dresser Winn found Jonathan Adams for a touchdown midway through the period, making it a 10-6 ball game.
Max Duggan orchestrated an impressive possession to close out the half for St. Louis. Deep completions to Frank Darby and Gary Jennings put them in scoring position, and he finished it off with a dime to Jahcour Pearson in the back of the end zone.
A discombobulated final drive for Memphis resulted with St. Louis heading into halftime with a 16-6 advantage on the road.
Third Quarter
The Battlehawks defensive line overwhelmed Memphis throughout most of the day, which was evident in the third quarter. Memphis had to punt it away on their opening drive of the second, failing to grab hold of momentum. Even though St. Louis had to send it right back, things wouldn’t work out too smoothly for the Showboats.
Dresser Winn fumbled after taking a hit from Isaiah Mack, and Kyler Baugh recovered for St. Louis – putting them in prime position to extend their lead.
However, Max Duggan would make a mistake, with a ball a bit behind Hakeem Butler that got tipped and intercepted by Kyree Woods.
Jonathan Adams snuck open for a 30 yard gain, and it looked like Memphis was ready to take control. The Battlehawks stook strong in the red zone, though, and the Showboats settled for a chip shot courtesy of Matt Coghlin.
With one quarter left to play, the Battlehawks held a 16-9 lead, and were marching.
Fourth Quarter
Penalties put St. Louis behind the sticks, though, and they had to punt it away. The same story would be told for Memphis, sending it right back to the Battlehawks.
Mark Gilbert stepped up for Memphis’ defense with a PBU on a deep ball intended for Jahcour Pearson, giving the Showboats another crack at it.
Today was simply not the day for the Showboats offensively, as Dresser Winn was under constant pressure. They punted it away again, and that would just about seal the deal. With field position starting on the +44, St. Louis picked up a couple of first downs, and Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 44 yard field goal to make it a 19-9 lead late.
Penalties were a thorn in the Showboats’ side down the stretch, and St. Louis would take over on downs. The Battlehawks held on for a gritty 19-9 win on the road, improving to 5-2 on the season.
Standout Playmakers
QB Max Duggan: Even though it wasn’t his best day, Duggan was efficient with the ball for the most part. He completed 15 of 23 pass attempts for 158 yards, with a touchdown and interception on his resume. His legs were a factor early, with 57 rushing yards and a score on that end as well.
WR Gary Jennings: Jennings made a couple of big plays throughout the day, with three catches for 61 yards – and was the go to guy for Max in clutch moments.
EDGE Travis Feeney: Feeney is once again having a productive year in St. Louis, no surprise. He led the team with seven tackles and a TFL, bringing the energy up front all afternoon long.
DT Isaiah Mack: How about Mack? After being inactive all year, he got an opportunity due to Austin Faoliu’s injury, and he’s been tremendous. Mack had seven tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble – creating havoc in the backfield.
WR’s Kai Locksley & Jonathan Adams: Adams was a key player for Memphis once again, with four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. When they needed a big play, it was Adams or Locksley. Kai was impressive as well, with three catches for 60 yards in his first start.
DB Kyree Woods: Memphis had a lot of defenders who contributed, and Kyree made a big impact with this third quarter takeaway. Woods was active all day long, with three tackles, a PBU, and an interception.
Key Takeaways
This game was ugly, gritty, and the definition of defensive football. St. Louis played a tremendous game, and Donnie Abraham deserves quite a bit of credit for this win on the road. They held Memphis to 0-3 on fourth down attempts, as the Showboats averaged just 4.2 yards per play. Outside a couple of explosive passes, they contained Dresser Winn and this offense – keeping them out of the end zone.
Up front, it was a big day for their defensive line, as the Battlehawks finished the game with six TFL’s and two sacks. Coach Anthony Becht loved what he saw out of that unit, as they continue to get better despite the injuries:
“Collectively, it’s the best unit I’ve seen. Their activity, their passion, we’ve been talking about it since week one. Last night, I put a challenge out to them: we’re not going to win games unless our offensive and defensive line come together and dominate football games. The best part about it is that we’ve got guys like Kyler Baugh stepping up, and Isaiah Mack. Of course, our edge rushers like Carson Wells, Pita, Travis – these guys give great effort, and they feel the moment. In those times in the game, that’s where you have to step up and be their best. A lot of credit has to be given to them to close out the game, it was their turn to do it and they stepped up.”
Offensively, there are plenty of areas with room for improvement. They struggled to put points on the board in the second half, held to just three points in the final two quarters. After Max Duggan crushed Memphis with his legs in the first quarter, Jarren Horton adjusted and allowed just six more rushing yards from him the entire rest of the game.
In fact, it was the Showboats defense that kept this game close in general. They contained the Battlehawks to just 2-10 on their third down attempts (20%), sacking Duggan twice, and posting five TFL’s as a collective unit. Becht commented on Horton’s defense and their performance following the game, highlighting the challenges that group presented, and how they overcame it in the end:
“They did a good job early. We couldn’t find any type of continuity in the first half, I do know one thing though, we’ll run the ball really well. Whether it’s Jacob, Jarveon, our quarterback, we can’t just come out and run it every play. We have playmakers everywhere. We can’t get behind the sticks, that’s something that wasn’t great for us. But when the big plays needed to be made, we made them.”
Memphis just can’t find ways to close out games, or get into a rhythm when they desperately need to. They actually controlled the time of possession in this affair, and outgained St. Louis by a small margin offensively.
When the big plays needed to be made, though, they fell short. Steele Chambers dropping an interception right in his lap in the first quarter was brutal – which resulted in an early seven point swing in the Battlehawks favor.
Offensively, Noel Mazzone never got this team into a groove. It hurt to lose Wes Hills for the entire second half, leaving them with just one running back healthy in Deneric Prince.
“Tough loss, in retrospect you’re going to see that I went for it on 4th and 1 early in the game, and I actually did it twice. Didn’t get them. It hurt us, it hurt our football team. I’m doing that because I didn’t want to go down, and I’m not going to go down because we’re not aggressive. Because we lost a couple of games by one point. I said, we’re losing by a point, so I wanted to throw every punch I got. But it lost us the game, and you can put the loss on me for that reason. Having said that, our defense is playing well. Jarren Horton is a fantastic coach, he’s done a great job. They gave up one long drive. Kyree Woods was on fire, Keaton Ellis was on fire, Jaylon Allen continues to be an absolute stud.” – HC Jim Turner
At the end of the day, the Showboats were just a bit outmanned by St. Louis, who were the favorites heading into this one. As they still attempt to figure it out within Noel Mazzone’s offense, the Battlehawks took advantage – causing some early miscues, and ran with that momentum the rest of the way.
Final Thoughts
With a 5-2 record, the St. Louis Battlehawks are now in a prime position to make a postseason run. Arlington’s last second loss to Michigan has them sitting at 3-4, and the Battlehawks essentially control their playoff fate: all they need to do is win.
For Memphis, this is an “end” to a disappointing, frustrating season. They’ve officially been eliminated from postseason contention, with a 1-6 record. They’ve fought hard this year, and truly are a better group than a season ago, but have not had things go their way in every phase of the game, and it’s cost them.
The St. Louis Battlehawks are now 2-0 all-time over the Showboats. They defeated Memphis at home last year, 32-17.
What are your thoughts on this UFL matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Memphis Showboats? Which players impressed you? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
