The UFL week 8 ratings are in and this week’s games provided plenty of excitement as both the St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas claimed the final two playoff spots.
According to Mike Mitchell, @ByMikeMitchell on X, this week’s numbers are terrific news for the league. @ByMikeMitchell
Saturday 5/18
Memphis Showboats V. Michigan Panthers: Averaged 673,000 viewers on FOX
Defeating the Memphis Showboats by a score of 24-18, the 6-2 Michigan Panthers relied on the depth of their bench with a successful two-quarterback tandem that rotated QB Brian Lewerke with QB Bryce Perkins after every series. Each quarterback scored a touchdown as Lewerke and Perkins combined for 188 yards on 13/20 completions with 68 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Running back Matthew Colburn had 93 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns plus one reception for 7 yards. Wide receiver Devin Gray had his best performance of the season with 6 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown.
The Michigan Panthers had just scored on their opening drive when Memphis Showboats quarterback Case Cookus launched a thrilling 65-yard touchdown bomb to Daewood Davis in another hard-fought loss to the Michigan Panthers.
The telecast peaked from 7-7:13 pm with 1.058 million viewers
Attendance: 9,370
Houston Roughnecks v. Birmingham Stallions: Averaged 254,000 viewers on ESPN2
On Saturday evening, fans watched the undefeated Birmingham Stallions defeat the Houston Roughnecks by a score of 35-28. Quarterback Adrian Martinez was superb, scoring a total of five touchdowns. His MVP-caliber performance included three passing touchdowns to Deon Cain, Binjamen Victor, and Amari Rodgers. Martinez had 6 carries for another 44 yards with two more rushing touchdowns.
Houston running back Mark Thompson had his best performance of the season scoring two touchdowns on 11 carries for 54 yards.
Attendance: 10,245
Sunday, 5/12
D.C. Defenders v. St. Louis Battlehawks: Averaged 1.1 million viewers on ABC
Despite playing without their star quarterback A. J. McCarron this week, a two-touchdown performance from Wayne Gallman, II and a strong defensive effort from the Battlehawks was enough to defeat Jordan Ta’amu and the D.C. Defenders 26-21 to reach the playoffs.
With passing touchdowns to Ty Scott and Alex Ellis, Ta’amu is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Despite passing for almost 200 yards, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Battlehawks defense who intercepted him twice.
Attendance: 32,403
Arlington Renegades v. San Antonio Brahmas: Averaged 545,000 viewers on FOX. The Telecast peaked between 7:00-7:10 pm with 803,000 viewers.
Brahmas fans watched as running back Anthony McFarland made the most of a short Quinten Dormady pass and galloped 52 yards for the touchdown. The Brahmas are in the playoffs with the 20-15 victory over the Arlington Renegades.
Despite holding the Brahmas scoreless in the second half, it was another crushing loss for Luis Perez and the 1-7 Renegades. This was the fourth loss by the Renegades with a scoring differential of five points or less. Perez continues to lead the league in passing with 1835 yards (178/263) and a 67.7 completion percentage.
Attendance: 11,395
With the 10-game regular season winding down, these attendance figures are encouraging. This week’s total attendance was 63,413 compared to last week’s total of 40,454, reflecting an increase of 36%.
Perhaps even more important, this figure reflects a significant rise from the presence of Dwayne “The Rock”Johnson and the heavily promoted week one attendance of 45,918. While St. Louis continues to be the strongest market for fan attendance, the other markets remain consistent from week to week.
The Michigan Panthers’ week 8 attendance exceeded their season average and the team came close to matching their largest crowd. With rumors flying that the Panthers might be leaving Ford Field next season in favor of either Ann Arbor or East Lansing, this supports the case for keeping the team in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
Next weekend, tune in to watch the Arlington Renegades host the St. Louis Battlehawks on Saturday, May 25th. The game will be televised on ABC at 12:00 noon EDT.
In the second game on Saturday, May 25th, the San Antonio Brahmas will host the unbeaten Birmingham Stallions. Will the home team atmosphere help the playoff-bound Brahmas shut down Adrian Martinez and the league’s best offense? You can catch the action on ABC at 3:00 pm EDT.
On Sunday, May 26th at 2:30 EDT, FOX will host the remaining two games with regional coverage. Viewers will see either the D.C. Defenders play the Memphis Showboats in their final home game of the season and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium or the Houston Roughnecks host the playoff-bound Michigan Panthers. Check your local listings for details.
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