On Sunday, May 11th, the Memphis Showboats will host the 4-2 St. Louis Battlehawks. One of the UFL’s top teams, St. Louis is a half game behind division leader, the D.C. Defenders. With the Championship Game to be played in St. Louis, the Battlehawks are motivated to secure a playoff appearance and represent the XFL division in the final.
A BETTER TEAM THAN THEIR RECORD REFLECTS
But first, they have to get by Memphis on Sunday. Despite a hard fought 21-20 loss last week to the Houston Roughnecks, the Showboats are much better than their 1-5 record would indicate.
After a chaotic, topsy-turvy start to the season, this team has shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. Interim head coach Jim Turner is proud of his players and how the team has responded. There is no lack of motivation or effort. In several of the contests, the Showboats were ahead until the final seconds. Several of the games were extremely close and two of the five losses were decided by one point.
THE LATEST ROSTER MOVES
Over the past few weeks, GM Jim Monos has aggressively negotiated trades to shore up any roster weaknesses and this week was no exception. In a surprise move, the Showboats traded Dee Anderson, one of their top receivers, to the San Antonio Brahmas in exchange for cornerback Darius Phillips.
Just two weeks Anderson caught this season’s longest touchdown pass, a stunning 78 yard bomb. But with the return of last year’s All-UFL Team wide receiver Daewood Davis this week and one of the strongest receiving corps in the UFL, Anderson was traded to San Antonio in a move designed to strengthen the Showboats defense.
Although DC Jarren Horton has done a terrific job reshaping and improving the Memphis defense, the cornerback position remained a weakness. It’s hoped that Phillips’s presence will strengthen that position. Unfortunately, due to a quad injury, Phillips didn’t practice this week and is questionable for Sunday’s game.
Just as the return of Hakeem Butler did for the Battlehawks a few weeks ago, Memphis is counting on Davis’ return to provide an added boost to the Showboats offense. Butler has a total of 154 yards and three touchdowns this season. In a critical game against the Michigan Panthers in Week 5, Butler’s outstanding performance sparked a 32-27 win. He caught a 67-yard touchdown from Max Duggan and another 57-yard score from fellow receiver Blake Jackson.
Backup Quarterbacks To The Rescue
Three weeks ago, Duggan took over as Battlehawks’ quarterback in place of the injured Manny Wilkins. As starter, Duggan has a 2-1 record, passing for 295 yards with two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has been very productive on the ground, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Duggan has the benefit of an incredible receiving corps consisting primarily of Butler, Jahcour Pearson, and ALL-UFL Team running back Jacob Saylors.
Rookie quarterback Dresser Winn was named the starting quarterback for Memphis two weeks ago, earning a 1-1 record. But even in defeat, Winn has been productive, passing for over 200-yards in each game with two touchdowns and one interception. He added another 30 yards rushing with one touchdown. Winn has looked impressive with OC Noel Mazzone’s play calling. He shows solid instincts, scrambling out of the path of defenders and making good throws on the run. Now, with a much improved Showboats offensive line this year, Winn can look forward to the added benefit of a healthy Davis on the field.
Mazzone has put together a solid ground game with Deneric Prince and the addition of former Michigan Panthers star, Wes Hills. In his debut last week, Hills was the RB1 with 13 carries for 47 yards and three receptions for 28 yards.
In addition to his prowess as a receiver for the Battlehawks, Saylors has 80 carries for 334 yards with four touchdowns. Once again, Saylors leads the league in rushing and only Arlington Renegades running back Kalen Ballage is within striking distance with 65 rushes for 328 yards with two touchdowns.
MEMPHIS DEFENSE
Jarren Horton’s defense continues to make things happen with LB Steele Chambers and safety Eli Walker leading the team. Last week’s addition of former NFL veteran linebacker Andrew Dowell produced dividends. He led the team with 8 tackles (1 TFL), and one sack. Josiah Bronson was second with 7 tackles.
ST. LOUIS DEFENSE
The dangerous Battlehawks defense is led by Willie Harvey and Qwynnterrio Cole. Pita Taumoepenu leads the team in sacks with 5.5. Kameron Kelly and Chris Payton-Jones each have two interceptions while Harvey, Cole and Lukas Denis have one apiece. Unfortunately, the one area where the Memphis defense lags behind the rest of the league is in takeaways and that remains a crucial area of needed improvement for Horton to address.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Showboats wide receiver and special-teams return specialist Isiah Hennie is one of the more explosive and exciting players on the field. When an opportunity for a huge return is there, Hennie is the one to make it happen.
If the game comes down to special teams play, St. Louis may have won the prize in kicker fandom with Rodrigo Blankenship’s “Rod Squad” but don’t count Showboats kicker Matthew Coghlin out. Both kickers have similarly impressive stats with Coghlin 10/12 with a longest of 52-yards and Blankenship a perfect 14 / 14 with a longest of 56- yards.
While the Battlehawks are one of the stronger teams that Memphis has faced this season, with the offense continuing to show improvement, the team is poised for a breakout game.
The action begins at 2:00 CDT when the Memphis Showboats on Sunday, May 11th at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN. Tickets are still available.
