Each week during the season, Parks’s Pulse will present a smattering of thoughts on the previous weekend’s games.
Ranking the games
1) Panthers 25, Renegades 24: What a finish. With Bryce Perkins at QB, Michigan is never out of it. Arlington’s struggles in one-score games continue.
2) Stallions 33, Roughnecks 25: A costly loss for Houston in a game that could’ve put them right in the playoff conversation. Instead, it’s a game that shows that they’ve made gains, but not enough to catch the top two teams in the conference
3) Defenders 32, Brahmas 24: San Antonio continues to grab defeat from the jaws of victory. The good news: Kevin Hogan seemed more comfortable as QB1. They’ll try to play spoiler from here on out.
4) Battlehawks 19, Showboats 9: This had the feel of the Battlehawks playing with their food a bit. While they’re in a good position for the playoffs, there’s work to be done to play at home in the championship.
Copycat league
In a league like the UFL, plays that work for teams are ripe to be “borrowed” by other teams, even with a lack of practice time to install new plays. Michigan has found a lot of success with their RPO-style passes where QB Bryce Perkins has the option to hand the ball off, run with it, or scamper out to find the tight end. D.C. lost to Michigan last week but this week seemed to install that very play. Jordan Ta’amu found Briley Moore in the flat for a big gain in the first quarter. Could that have been in D.C.’s playbook from the beginning? Sure. But it does make one wonder.
All-access moment of the week, part one
D.C. interim head coach Shannon Harris was upset when his super challenge was denied by Dean Blandino in the Command Center. He wanted a holding call on one of his receivers running down the field. It was deemed that Ta’amu was running with the ball and not looking downfield. “Holding is holding!” Harris shouted at the refs when his request to overturn the play was refused. Holding indeed IS holding…except when it’s not. Perhaps Blandino can expect a call from Harris for clarification this week.
Mother’s Day
It was Mother’s Day weekend and there were a lot of shout-outs to moms during the games. After big plays or touchdowns, when sideline reporters would seek out players, they often mentioned their moms. ESPN had a montage on Sunday of moms with the on-air and behind-the-scenes talent. Showboats QB Dresser Winn had his mom and gran in attendance in Memphis, and they were interviewed in-game. It was a warm-and-fuzzy celebration for football moms; they are indeed a special breed.
McClendon’s TD for Mom
Perhaps the best “mom moment” of the weekend was Houston QB Jalan McClendon, interviewed before a play by Sam Acho. He was asked by Acho if he was going to score a TD for his mom. McClendon, who acknowledged his mom may not be watching yet because she could be at church, said he would. The next play was a quarterback keeper that gained a minimal amount of yardage. But a few plays later, McClendon did cash in his vow, finding WR Keke Chism for 11 yards and a score to put Houston up 24-6.
Stalions QB carousel continues
By all rights, Birmingham should’ve been left for dead weeks ago. They were without their top two quarterbacks, down to their third string. Their offensive line wasn’t as strong as in years past, their run game was not as consistent and they were turning the ball over and committing penalties at a rate not seen under Skip Holtz. All the Stallions have done since then – now on their FIFTH quarterback – is keep winning. Perhaps their capstone came on Saturday when they roared back from a 25-6 deficit to defeat the Roughnecks and keep pace with the Michigan Panthers (who had won on Saturday) atop the USFL Conference standings.
All-access moment of the week, part two
After scoring his second touchdown of the game, Houston RB ZaQuandre White was fired up. Even in an interview with Acho, White was all focus. Acho asked a unique question (he’s become one of the better sideline reporters after being in the booth last season): What did you say to your defense after that score? White’s response: “I don’t even want to tell you what I told them. Do your job, man, that’s all we gotta do.” Unfortunately for Houston, it did not appear as if that message was received by the defense, which collapsed down the stretch and allowed Birmingham to erase a 19-point deficit for the win.
