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Week 8 of the UFL season got off to a fast start on Friday night as the Orlando Storm took home their sixth straight win, defeating the Dallas Renegades on the road.
The action continued Saturday as the Louisville Kings beat the DC Defenders in a close one, and then the Houston Gamblers upset the St. Louis Battlehawks in the final game of the day.
Here’s a look at what’s still to come this weekend in the UFL:
- Columbus Aviators at Birmingham Stallions (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX)
Here are the results from week 8:
Key players: Storm QB Jack Plummer (24-for-36 for 238 yards, two rushing touchdowns), WR Chris Rowland (nine receptions for 91 yards); Renegades QB Austin Reed (12-for-23 for 134 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), RB Ellis Merriweather (12 carries for 75 yards)
Summary of the game: The Orlando Storm defeated Dallas on the road 31-24 for their sixth straight win and have officially clinched their playoff spot. Led by quarterback Jack Plummer, the Storm accumulated 367 total offensive yards in the victory. The first quarter started scoreless for Orlando, and they missed both field goal opportunities. Dallas hit the scoreboard first with its field goal in the first quarter, as well as a touchdown in the second when quarterback Austin Reed found WR Emmanuel Butler for a 3-yard touchdown. Plummer also found the end zone for a 1-yard rushing touchdown to tie the score 10-10 heading into the half.
The second half was when both offenses took off. Plummer added another groundout to make it 17-10. Dallas answered back soon after when Reed found tight end Seth Green for another touchdown through the air to tie things up. But Storm RB Jashaun Corbin answered and rushed for a touchdown for Orlando to take a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Both Orlando and Dallas traded a touchdown each until the final three minutes, when a crucial interception by Dallas on fourth down sealed their loss and took them out of the playoffs. The Storm sit perfectly in the playoffs after their sixth straight win.
Next: Orlando will host the DC Defenders for a Friday night on FOX. Dallas will hit the road to face the Louisville Kings on Saturday afternoon on FOX.
Key players: Kings QB Chandler Rogers (11-of-20 for 143 yards, one passing touchdown); WR Isaiah Winstead (five receptions for 92 yards, one touchdown); Defensive backs RB Xazavian Valladay (13 carries for 107 yards, one touchdown); RB Abram Smith (eight carries for 56 yards, one touchdown)
Summary of the game: This one was a back and forth battle.
On the first play from scrimmage, DC quarterback Jordan Ta’amu connected with wide receiver Ty Scott for a 41-yard touchdown, but Tyler Hudson returned the ensuing kickoff for a Louisville touchdown. The two teams would eventually play to a 17-17 halftime tie, with the Kings getting three field goals from kicker Tanner Brown and the defense getting a field goal and a 21-yard rushing touchdown from Smith.
Louisville opened the second half with a field goal, which DC answered with a seven-play scoring drive that was capped by Valladay rushing for a 13-yard touchdown. Then the Kings put together back-to-back touchdown drives: a rushing score from James Robinson and a 24-yard pass from Rogers to Winstead. DC got a touchdown in the final seconds and had a chance to tie the game, but it failed a three-point conversion attempt and didn’t convert a fourth-and-12 alternative kickoff to keep possession; Louisville took a knee to end the match.
Next: Louisville will host the Dallas Renegades in a Sunday afternoon game on FOX. DC travels to face the Orlando Storm in a showdown Friday night on FOX.
Key players: Gamblers QB Hunter Dekkers (15-for-22 for 155 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), WR Lawrence Keys III (three receptions for 60 yards, one touchdown); Battlehawks QB Luis Perez (26-for-47 for 308 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions), RB Steven McBride (eight carries for 116 yards)
Summary of the game: The Houston Gamblers took home a massive road win, defeating the St. Louis Battlehawks by 23-16. St. Louis now fell to 5-3 on the season, but still sits in good shape ahead of the playoffs. The Gamblers hit the ground running on offense as quarterback Hunter Dekkers found WR Jontre Kirklin for a touchdown and Kary Vincent Jr. added another with a pick-six in the first quarter. With another touchdown from WR Lawrence Keys III in the second quarter, the Gamblers went into halftime with a commanding 20-9 lead.
The Battlehawks struggled throughout the first half, and their pick-six and zero touchdowns set them back. But their defense stepped in and made big plays to hold the Gamblers to just one field goal the rest of the game. Despite QB Luis Perez’s pair of interceptions, he found WR Tyler Neville for a touchdown to narrow the lead to 23-16, but it wasn’t enough to top the Gamblers.
Next: The Battlehawks and the Gamblers rematch in Week 9, hosting Houston on Sunday, May 24 on ESPN2.
