The Louisville Kings made their first trip to the UFL playoffs Sunday, taking on one of the league’s best teams, the St. Louis Battlehawks, a team that’s an annual playoff contender. The Battlehawks won the time of possession, staying on the field for almost 40 of the 60 minutes, but in the end, it was the amazing Kings who walked away with the hard-fought 29-20 victory.
Five Takeaways From The Louisville Kings' First Playoff Victory
After the game, Coach Chris Redman was full of praise for St. Louis.
“That’s a heck of a football team. Give all the credit to Ricky(Proehl) and that team; they’re as good as anybody out there. They’re an incredible team…Give them a lot of credit for how far they went and how hard they played as well. They fought us all the way to the end. But our guys really stepped up, and our defense did an incredible job.”
A Total Team Effort
However, it wasn’t just the Kings’ defense that stepped. It took the combined effort of the entire Louisville team and the coaching staff, managers
As Coach Redman pointed out, “It took every person in this locker room on both sides of the ball to get to where we’re at, and I just want to thank them. It was an emotional locker room after that win, so it was a lot of fun, and I‘ll never forget it.”
Here are five takeaways from the Kings' amazing victory over the Battlehawks.
Coaching and Culture
In putting together a brand new team that was searching for an identity and a leader, Redman and the UFL coaching staff did a sensational job of figuring out what was lacking and finding ways to correct it. It took a quarterback change, a complete overhaul of the offensive line, and replacing the o-line coach before the team began to gel. However, it was more than merely a personnel change. It was establishing a culture of discipline, spirituality, respect for each other and their opponents, and the unwavering belief in their own ability to succeed. In doing so, the Kings created a brotherhood. Together, they forged a resilient team that overcame every obstacle in their path to get to where they are today: one victory away from the UFL Championship Title.
Big Plays Won The Day and The Game
Louisville played as if they were compiling a highlight reel of some of the most explosive big plays of the season -all in one game. The Kings opened the scoring with an explosive 53-yard touchdown run from James Robinson.
There were two four-point 60+ yard field goals in the game.
Chandler Rogers found Isaiah Winstead for a stunning 52-yard pass. Winstead made the catch in the midst of heavy double coverage. One play later, Rogers went back to Winstead, who made a spectacular 9-yard reception in the end zone.
Late in the game, Ian Wheeler put the Kings back on top with a sensational 51-yard touchdown run.
Despite double coverage from the Battlehawks throughout the game, Cam Gill recorded his 11th sack of the season. After a Super Challenge Review on a missed call, Battlehawks tackle Richard Gouraige got flagged for holding late in the game. Gouraige had such a tight grip on Gill’s jersey that he wound up ripping it in half. But somehow, once again, the All-UFL Team and league MVP nominee found a way to get the job done.
Superlative Kicking
If he hasn’t already been contacted by multiple NFL teams, Tanner Brown is set to become the object of an NFL bidding war following the conclusion of the United Bowl. Brown set another UFL league record on Sunday, becoming the first kicker to hit two 60-yard field goals in a single game. In doing so, he just raised the bar for the NFL since no kicker has achieved that either. After kicking his second 60-yard field goal this season in the first quarter, Brown followed that up with a second record-breaking 63-yard field goal.
An Improbable Journey
Early this season, the Kings were given the lowest odds of making the playoffs. They were a brand new expansion team. The team was made up of various veterans from around the league, UFL rookies, and NFL castoffs. The team's head coach had zero previous professional coaching experience. In fact, his only experience came from coaching high school football a year ago.
However, after the most improbable comeback in UFL and spring football history, the Kings continued to work hard and improve throughout the season. As the team kept finding its rhythm and building on what worked, they went from strength to strength, putting up more points than any other team in the league this season.
As improbable as it is, after beating the Battlehawks on the road, the Kings have punched their ticket to the Championship. Louisville is set to take on the reigning UFL Champion D.C. Defenders on their home turf at Audi Field. The famous "Beer Snake" stadium is known for being loud, boisterous, and rowdy. Although the team celebrated yesterday's victory, they are mindful of the short work week, the challenge that remains, and the need to get back to work.
But as coach Redman reminded everyone, "We're not done yet. We got one more to go."