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Week 8 of the UFL season got off to a fast start Friday night, as the Orlando Storm took home their sixth straight victory, defeating the Dallas Renegades on the road.
The action continued on Saturday when the Louisville Kings beat the DC Defenders in a close one, and then the Houston Gamblers upset the St. Louis Battlehawks in the last 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)
Game recap: The Orlando Storm defeated Dallas on the road 31-24 for their sixth straight victory and have officially clinched their playoff spot. Led by quarterback Jack Plummer, the storm accumulated 367 total offensive yards in the win. The first quarter started off scoreless for Orlando, missing both field goal opportunities. Dallas hit the scoreboard first with its first-quarter field goal, 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 even the score at 10-10 heading into the half.
The second half was when both offenses took off. Plummer added another score on the ground to make it 17-10. Dallas answered back shortly 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 in a touchdown for Orlando to take a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Both Orlando and Dallas exchanged a touchdown each until the final three minutes, when a pivotal interception by Dallas on fourth down sealed their loss, and took them out of playoff contention. The Storm sit perfectly in playoff position after their sixth straight victory.
Up next: Orlando will host the DC Defenders for a Friday night match-up 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); Defenders RB Xazavian Valladay (13 carries for 107 yards, one touchdown); RB Abram Smith (eight carries for 56 yards, one touchdown)
Game recap: This one was a back-and-forth bout.
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 ran the ensuing kickoff back for a Louisville touchdown. The two teams would ultimately play to a 17-17 halftime tie, with the Kings getting three field goals from kicker Tanner Brown and the Defenders 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 off by Valladay rushing for a 13-yard touchdown. Then, the Kings put together back-to-back touchdown drives: a goal-line rushing score from James Robinson and a 24-yard passing strike from Rogers to Winstead. DC got a touchdown in the closing 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 retain possession; Louisville took a knee to end the game.
Up next: Louisville will host the Dallas Renegades in a Sunday afternoon game on FOX. DC will travel to face the Orlando Storm in a Friday night showdown 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)
Game recap: The Houston Gamblers took home a massive road win, defeating the St. Louis Battlehawks 23-16. St. Louis now dropped to 5-3 on the season but still sits in good standing ahead of the playoffs. The Gamblers hit the ground running on offense, when 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 convincing 20-9 lead.
The Battlehawks struggled through the entire first half, with their pick-six and zero touchdowns setting them back. However, their defense stepped in and made huge plays to hold the Gamblers to just a field goal for 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 was not enough to top the Gamblers.
Up next: The Battlehawks and the Gamblers will play a rematch in Week 9, with Houston hosting on Sunday, May 24 on ESPN2.
