The Columbus Aviators will close out their season at home against the Louisville Kings on Sunday. The Aviators are out of the playoff race, but will look to end the season on a high note with a chance to end the Louisville Kings 3 game win streak. Columbus is coming off a 36-29 victory over Birmingham, while Louisville is coming off a 37-23 win over Dallas.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Sunday, May 31 / Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH
Kickoff Time: 6:00 PM ET, 3:00 PM PT
Channel: FOX
Theme Night: Aviators Kids Takeover | Ted Ginn Jr. Bobblehead Giveaway
First 5,000 fans receive a Ted Ginn Jr. bobblehead (family-focused youth experience)
Odds:
Spread: Columbus +2.5 (-105), Memphis -2.5 (-115)
Moneyline: Columbus +140, Memphis -140
Over/Under: 46.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Columbus Aviators (3-9):
The Aviators will look to improve to 4-1 at home to close out a successful season of defending their home field. Unfortunately, they did go 0-5 on the road this season. The Aviators took the lead last week for the first time that game with just 1:44 left to play on a Keke Chism touchdown pass from Jalan Morton. A couple of plays later, D.J. Miller Jr. picked off Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a pick-six to seal the victory.
Quarterback Jalan Morton scored 4 touchdowns in the game as he completed 14 of his 30 passes for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception while adding 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 rushes. By my count, there were 7 missed tackles on his rushes, 3 of which came on a 10-yard touchdown scramble.
Louisville Kings (5-4):
The Kings were off to a rocky start to begin the year after picking 3 losses over the first 3 games. They are heating up now at the perfect time, coming off a strong performance at home, which saw them put up 470 yards of offense while holding Dallas to just 234. Louisville’s run game has improved dramatically over the year after a rocky beginning on the ground. Last week, they rushed for 205 yards in their win.
Quarterback Chandler Rogers has seemed to improve as he continues to get more starts. Against Dallas last week, he completed 16 of his 21 passes for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown.
Aviators Keys to the Game
Stop the Run
Louisville has been pounding the rock very well lately, and Columbus needs to slow that down.
Get Pressure on Chandler Rogers
Last week, Columbus disrupted Birmingham’s offense often via the pass rush, and they need to do that more this week to disrupt Chandler Rogers’ rhythm.
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Strong Pass Protection
The UFL is full of good edge rushers, and this week, Columbus has a strong test in slowing down defensive end Cam Gill and company.
No Turnovers
Last week, Columbus had 2 turnovers. The Aviators have had too many turnovers over the course of the season, and it would be good to end the season with a game free of turnovers.
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Aviators to Watch
35 RB Toa Taua
Last week, Taua had the best yards per carry out of the running backs as he rushed 5 times for 29 yards (5.8 average). Zaquandre White rushed 8 times for 39 yards (4.9 average), and John Lovett rushed 3 times for 11 yards (3.7 average).
3 WR Keke Chism
Last week, Chism caught 3 passes for 51 yards and had a nice grab for a 2-point conversion.
45 DE Celestin Haba
Haba had a big game last week despite not appearing on the stats sheet, as there were a team-leading 12 plays in which he had pressure generated past a blocker, including a QB hit.
Columbus had a big loss, personnel-wise, when they lost DE Kenny Willekes, who sustained an injury on a sack last week, and Haba stepped up in a big way with increased playing time.
13 CB O’Donnell Fortune
O’Donnell Fortune faced 8 targets coming his way and only allowed 1 completion for 10 yards last week, generating an interception and 3 breakups.
21 CB D.J. Miller Jr.
Miller Jr. is listed as a 2nd string corner this week, possibly to avoid injury if he has some NFL workouts already lined up. He locked it down last week, allowing only 1 completion for 5 yards on 6 targets faced while generating a breakup and a pick-six.
Kings to Watch
33 RB Ian Wheeler
Last week, Wheeler rushed 13 times for 93 yards (7.2 average) and a touchdown. He has rushed 54 times for 271 yards (5.0 average) with 5 touchdowns over 8 games.
30 RB James Robinson
Robinson rushed 22 times last week for 88 yards (4 yards per carry). Robinson has rushed 82 times for 300 yards (3.7 average) with 3 touchdowns over 9 games.
17 WR Tarik Black
Black caught 4 of his 6 targets last week for 82 yards and a touchdown. He has caught 26 passes for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
49 K Tanner Brown
Brown made all 3 of his field goals last week, including a 54-yarder. Brown has been impressive, making 25 of his 28 field goals and has only 1 miss under 50 yards. His longest this season has been from 60. He is playing at a level that will draw some NFL interest.
46 DE Cam Gill
Cam Gill picked up another 2 sacks last week. He leads the league in sacks with 10 over 9 games. He has 38 total tackles, including 12 tackles for a loss, and has a forced fumble.
Depth Charts, Injuries, Inactives
Score Prediction:
I predict Columbus to win 27-24