Battlehawks Beat Defenders 45-12

The St. Louis Battlehawks ran their winning streak to a franchise-best four games Sunday with a 45-12 win over the XFL Conference-rival D.C. Defenders in front of 16,058 fans at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The victory also ended the Defenders undefeated streak at home.

The St. Louis (4-1) defense and special teams gave the offense possession inside Defenders (2-3) territory for seven of its nine scoring drives in a 33-point victory that was the largest margin in team history. The win also keeps the Battlehawks tied atop the conference with the San Antonio Brahmas (4-1) halfway through the regular season.

The Battlehawks defense delivered a second-half shutout for the second consecutive week, while the offense netted a franchise-record 25 points in the fourth quarter. RBs Wayne Gallman II and Jacob Saylors each had their team-leading second rushing touchdowns of the season, and QB Manny Wilkins scored his first rushing touchdown of the year. QB A.J. McCarron also hit WR Hakeem Butler on an 80-yard touchdown pass that was the longest passing play in team history and longest play of any kind in the UFL this season. He also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring with 8:07 left in the first quarter. Butler finished with 147 receiving yards, the most by a Battlehawks player this season.

K Andre Szmyt contributed with a franchise-record four made field goals. He produced the first points of the second half on a 39-yard field goal with 1:20 left in the third quarter that ran the Battlehawks advantage to 20-12.

The Battlehawks defense had a season-high 59:03 scoreless streak dating back to Week 4 vs. Memphis snapped when Defenders RB Cam’Ron Harris scored on a 1-yard rush with 1:14 left in the first half that cut the St. Louis lead to 17-6. D.C. scored again with 7 seconds left in the half on a 15-yard touchdown catch by Kelvin Harmon from QB Jordan Ta’amu that narrowed the Battlehawks’ lead to five points.

St. Louis had initially built a 17-0 lead with Butler’s first touchdown and three field goals by Szmyt, including a game-high, 51-yarder that gave the Battlehawks a 14-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter. 

In total, the Battlehawks made three interceptions, two blocked punts, recovered a fumble and had two turnovers on downs. The defensive unit held D.C. to 163 total yards, the Defenders’ fewest of the season.

The Battlehawks will return home for Week 6 to face the Houston Roughnecks of the USFL Conference at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 4 at The Dome at America’s Center. The contest will be televised on FOX and simulcast on FOX Sports on SiriusXM Radio.

• The Battlehawks won by a team-record 33 points, ahead of a 25-point victory, 53-28, in 2023 Week 10 vs. Orlando.
• St. Louis scored a franchise-record 25 points in the fourth quarter, their most in any single quarter, ahead of 22 points in the 2nd quarter of 2023 Week 10 vs. Orlando.
• QB A.J. McCarron went 14-for-24 with 213 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a 10-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season.
• WR Hakeem Butler made a career-high, 80-yard touchdown reception with 9:00 left in the fourth quarter, for the longest passing play in team history and longest play of any kind in the UFL this season. He finished with a season-high two touchdowns and 147 receiving yards, the most by a Battlehawks player this season.
• LB Pita Taumoepenu registered 2.0 sacks, matching his most in a game this season (Also: Week 2 vs. ARL), including a strip sack on the first play of the fourth quarter. He leads the team with 4.0 sacks for the season.
• LB Mike Rose intercepted his team-leading second pass of the season (Also: Week 1 at Michigan) with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter.
• FS Nico Bolden blocked the first punt for St. Louis of the season with 5:54 left in the first quarter of his Battlehawks’ debut. St. Louis signed Bolden as a free agent on Monday.
• LB Chris Garrett blocked his first punt of the season and had a season-high four solo tackles.
• SS Kameron Kelly recorded his first pick of the season with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
• CB Brandon Sebastian made his first interception of the season to end D.C.’s first offensive drive. He led the Battlehawks with three interceptions in 2023.
• K Andre Szmyt set a career high and franchise single-game record with four field goals, surpassing his previous high of three in Week 3 at San Antonio.
• WR Blake Jackson returned his first kick of the season 58 yards on the first play of the game. It was the second-longest kick return by a Battlehawks player this season, behind only a 60-yard return by WR Darrius Shepherd in Week 4 vs. Memphis.