St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Arlington Renegades | Week 6 Preview

Just two weeks later, the St. Louis Battlehawks and Arlington Renegades are facing off once again. This time, they’ll be going at it at The Dome, with 30k+ rowdy fans pulling for the Battlehawks.

Both of these teams head into week six with a lot at stake. They’re both 3-2 in the standings, with the Renegades having the edge as they took down the Battlehawks back in week four.

Let’s take a look at what we can expect in this matchup, as it’s bound to be entertaining in primetime.

Quarterback Play

The St. Louis Battlehawks saw much better play from Max Duggan this past weekend, which was to be expected as he had a full week of practice under his belt, taking starting reps. Duggan’s skillset was put on full display, as he weaved his way through Michigan’s defense with his legs, which led to a more efficient day through the air – completing 9 of his 12 pass attempts, with zero turnovers.

When these two teams faced off in week four, it was Duggan’s first true snaps of the year with Manny Wilkins going down. That game, Max looked like a quarterback who hadn’t played for a while. He was uncomfortable in the pocket, but that drastically changed against Michigan. As long as Duggan can get into a rhythm early on, the Battlehawks offense should be in good shape with him at the helm.

“Huge strides forward. I thought his eyes were in the right place almost every pass. He’s only going to get better, and this is a confidence business. The more snaps, the more reps, the better he’s going to get. He’s a competitor, and we’ve got all the faith in the world with him. We love what he brings to the table with his legs.” – HC Anthony Becht

For the Renegades, we know what Luis Perez is capable of. He had a bit of an off day against this St. Louis defense two weeks ago, but bounced back in a big way against DC, throwing for 268 yards and a touchdown as the Renegades posted 33 points in a tough loss.

What has hampered Luis this season even more so is his lack of mobility. Perez has been sacked 13 times, more than any other quarterback in the UFL. The offensive line hasn’t been playing awful, either, it’s just been that Luis has not been able to escape pressure as often as other QB’s in this league can. Perez will need to get the ball out of his hands quickly against a stout defensive unit in St. Louis.

Standout Playmakers

Well, Hakeem Butler is back. He made everyone remember his name this Saturday night, with two receptions in the fourth quarter that went for 124 yards and two touchdowns. His presence within that offense makes life so much easier for the rest of the team, as it opens things up for other playmakers to see even more action. Look for Hakeem the Dream to make a difference against those stout Arlington DB’s.

Jacob Saylors is playing at an All-UFL level once again, currently second in the league in rushing yards (251) and also leading all RB’s with 202 receiving yards. He’s such a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands, and should see more success than he did two weeks ago as the Battlehawks’ offense has had more time to gel with Max Duggan.

For the Renegades, Isaiah Winstead is someone who’s really stood out at WR. Between Winstead, Tyler Vaughns, Deontay Burnett, and Javonta Payton, Luis Perez has no shortage of physical, speedy wideouts to throw to. Not to mention, Sal Cannella is one of the best tight ends in the UFL across the board – and still hasn’t caught a touchdown yet this year. He’s due for one – and has had a history of TD’s scored at The Dome.

St. Louis’ defensive backs will have to be prepared to play a physical game of football. They’re missing Brandon Sebastian this time around, but will hope to see Myles Jones and Myles Simms step up, as they did a week ago. Chris Payton-Jones continues to be one of the top corners in the UFL, with five PBU’s on the year so far.

Depth Chart

Some quick notes from the depth chart:

• Battlehawks missing Austin Faoliu at DT, who’s playing at an All-UFL level. Phil Hoskins will start in his place
• St. Louis also missing Juwann Bushell-Beatty as their starting RT, Bradley Ashmore takes over like he did in the second half last week
• Arlington moves Matt Farniok to starting center, with Jacob Johanning inactive this week
• Dae Dae Hunter will take kick returner snaps for the Renegades for the first time this season

One of the big moves for Arlington is that they now have a new center. Jacob Johanning had a rough outing this week with some inaccurate snaps, and it looks like they’re now looking to try something new and different with Farniok instead.

St. Louis is down a couple of key playmakers, but do have the depth to make up for it. If Isaiah Mack can get some reps at DT, look out – he’s got legitimate NFL experience under his belt.

Renegades RB’s vs. Battlehawks Defense

One of the key matchups heading into this game, how will the Renegades fare on the ground? They struggled quite a bit in week four against St. Louis, despite having some of the most dynamic backs in the UFL.

As it stands right now, Arlington has the second best rushing grades in the UFL via PFF (74.0), while the Battlehawks have the top rushing defense (89.0). Kalen Ballage and Dae Dae Hunter have been an excellent one-two punch, bouncing back against DC this past weekend where Ballage had an efficient day.

That said, the Battlehawks did an excellent job slowing them down just two weeks ago. Unfortunately for St. Louis, though, they will be without Austin Faoliu – who’s arguably the top DT in the league right now, and has been the best run stopper according to PFF.

Whoever ends up winning this battle will probably win the game. If Arlington can’t get the ground game going, Luis Perez is put in a much more difficult position. When Perez has all the pressure on his shoulders to perform, a fierce pass rush like the Battlehawks’ will certainly give him headaches.

Looking At Week Four

Two weeks ago when these teams played, the Arlington Renegades came away with a 30-15 win – but it was a bit closer than one would think.

The Renegades burst out of the gate with a 16-3 lead, largely due to the Battlehawks self-inflicted wounds. Wilkins went down with a torn achilles which led to a Chris Odom fumble return for a TD to begin the game. Jahcour Pearson fumbled the ball on a punt, which led to another Renegades touchdown.

In the second half, the Battlehawks’ defense saw quite a bit of improvement. They rattled Perez in the pocket, and Willie Harvey came up with a huge pick six to pull the game close.

The biggest difference in this matchup was the play of Max Duggan. In his first snaps of the season (that didn’t come in garbage time), Max looked shaky. Arlington applied pressure, and he folded. Max primarily just ran the football, but had a difficult time going through his progressions and making the right reads. He looked a bit better towards the end of the game in an up-tempo setting, but even then, ended up throwing the game-sealing pick six to Ajene Harris. Expect to see a different version of Duggan this time around, though, as he’s got much more practice under his belt.

In week four, neither team was efficient on third down, and they both struggled to be consistent offensively. St. Louis had just 157 total yards of offense, while Arlington had 209. The big factor for St. Louis – their offensive line was overwhelmed by Chris Odom, Willie Taylor, and that defensive front seven – allowing six sacks as Duggan continued to hold the ball for too long in the pocket. Not to mention, the Battlehawks turned it over four times. You can’t win football games when you make that many mistakes. Arlington scored 16 points off of those turnovers…and St. Louis lost by 15.

Coaching Matchup

Arlington Renegades | Bob Stoops: Bob Stoops got the best of Anthony Becht in week four, but has yet to get a win at The Dome. Arlington is 0-2 on the road against St. Louis, falling just short a year ago in week two with a last second field goal from Andre Szmyt. Stoops’ Renegades have been one of the best teams this season, but have struggled to close out big games – blowing a 15 point lead to DC in week five.

St. Louis Battlehawks | Anthony Becht: Becht avoided losing three straight against Michigan, getting out of it by the skin of his teeth. Still, it was a win that was much needed at home, and it showed the trust and confidence he has in Max Duggan. Becht is currently 2-2 in his career against Bob Stoops, and will now look to break that tie at home to improve to 3-0.

Coach Becht spoke about what he’s expecting in this outing, playing Arlington for a second time this year:

“I don’t think there aren’t many challenges…they are what they are, we are what we are. We’re not changing anything. We’re gonna go back and watch their film, and they’re going to watch ours. They were on the higher side of execution compared to us the last time – but we’re coming off of a win, and they’re coming off of a loss. I’m sure Stoops got in their butts this week, after the game, as they let a game slip away when they had the lead. We’ve been in that situation, we came off of two losses – we know the feeling of wanting to bounce back. So we have to handle that. Both of these teams are desperate for a win.”

Final Thoughts

Without a doubt, this game is bound to be an electrifying showdown at The Dome. Two of the XFL’s best face off in what is a crucial conference matchup, as the two organizations desperately need a win, as Coach Becht said. Whoever wins this game will more comfortably sit in the second seed. For the Battlehawks, it’s a must-win. They cannot afford to lose twice to the Renegades, as that would almost guarantee that they remain the third seed, unless Arlington loses 3-4 of their next games.

It all takes place at The Dome, on Friday night at 8pm ET – airing on FOX.

What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Arlington Renegades? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!