In what was one of the more anticipated matchups of the 2026 UFL season, the Battlehawks now head into week three with a 1-1 record. In a matchup that has plenty of postseason implications in an early season, the Battlehawks were outmatched by what appears to be the best team in the UFL through two weeks.
What Went Right:
Kevon Latulas:
In limited opportunities, Latulas continues to make the most of his time with the football. Latulas had 30 All-Purpose yards on five touches, and the Battlehawks offense looked in sync when he was in the game. Unfortunately, he only touched the football five times and the Battlehawks only ran the ball 12 times before the final drive.
Hakeem Butler is still good at football:
Despite missing week one due to injury, Butler had a pretty solid debut all things considered. Butler recorded four receptions for 56 yards, including a two-point conversion. While Butler may be at the end of his pro football career, he still was a giant bright spot for the Battlehawks offense that struggled for most of the game.
Stacking up TFLs:
Despite allowing 31 points, St. Louis did manage to record 8 TFLs, led with Sean Fresch who totaled another 2 TFLs himself. The Battlehawks were able to rally to the football as a unit, however too many big plays negated the good that was done.
What Went Wrong:
Drops x2:
Realistically it's the same story as week one. While I counted less drops this week (5), the Battlehawks receivers are continuing to struggle with seeing the football, in addition to working their way back to it. While Hakeem Butler provides relief, the rest of unit is way behind.
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties:
Despite registering 8 TFLs, and multiple 3rd down stops the Battlehawks had seven accepted penalties four of which allowed Dallas to convert first downs. Carlos Davis was called for two roughing the passer calls both of which led to touchdowns.
Poor Offensive Line:
The Battlehawks running backs struggled to find running lanes, and quarterback Brandon Silvers was on the move for the majority of the game. While Silvers wasn't an elite by any means, the Battlehawks had plenty of issues up front that cracked the foundation of their offensive scheme and negated any possibility of a balanced scheme.
Milestone Watch:
Brandon Silvers has eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in his career. He currently sits at 35 passing touchdowns which is 4th behind Jordan Ta'amu (66), Luis Perez (60), A.J. McCarron (39)/Case Cookus (39).
Pita Taumoepenu is 3.5 sacks away from 25 sacks which would tie him with Chris Odom for the most in the modern era of spring football.
Travis Feeney is 3 sacks away from 20 career sacks. He is also 11 tackles away from 200 career spring football tackles.
With there week three matchup at home in St. Louis the Battlehawks are about 30,000 fans away from surpassing 700,000 in attendance since 2020.
Final Thoughts:
St. Louis will take on the Birmingham Stallions in what will be a highly anticipated matchup with both teams suffering week two losses. Returning to the dome will be A.J. McCarron who was the team's starting quarterback in 2023 and 2024.
Both teams will look to rebound offensively, and off the rip had plenty of opportunities make plays based off their film. For St. Louis on defense the team will obviously look to rebound from mental errors, and missed assignments that allowed Austin Reed to throw for four touchdowns.
St. Louis and Birmingham will play at the "Dome" Sunday, April 12th at 3pm.