In week 8, the 6-2 D.C. Defenders’ punched their ticket to the UFL playoffs with a 33-30 victory over their division rival, the Arlington Renegades. Sunday afternoon’s game, televised on ABC, featured a shoot out between the two most prolific passers in the UFL; the Defenders Jordan Ta’amu and Renegdes’ Luis Perez. Ta’amu was quietly efficient, completing 15 out of 26 attempts for 240 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, plus five carries for 26 yards, and a 9-yard touchdown reception from Chris Rowland. His well executed performance earns him the title of “UFL News Hub Player of the Week.”
As expected, the thrilling match went down to the final seconds. Unfortunately, a large portion of the TV viewing audience didn’t get a chance to watch the games’ closing moments thanks to an ignorant ABC network executive who chose to switch ABC’s coverage to an NBA pre-game. While the remainder of the UFL game was available on sister network ESPN2, for those viewers without cable, they were left in the dark. Shame on ABC for interrupting coverage of a thrilling down-to-the-wire finish for a pre-game show.
A Thrilling End
One of the more reliable kickers in the league, Havrisik (17/19) had already converted from 30-yards and 54-yards earlier in the game. The Renegades were well within field goal range with 18 seconds remaining. But Havrisik never got the chance, after an Arlington penalty forced a 10-second run off on the clock.
With no timeouts remaining, the Renegades needed to spike the ball to stop the clock. Instead, Perez chose a fake spike, going for the win by attempting a pass to ace receiver Tyler Vaughns. His pass was intercepted by Deandre Baker. The game ended as Jordan Ta’amu and the Defenders claimed their ticket to the playoffs.
An MVP Caliber Season
It’s been an incredible season for Ta’amu. He currently leads the league with just under 2,000 passing yards (1,990) and a passer rating of 92.2%. Completing 141 of 263 attempts, Ta’amu has 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. He adds another 182 yards rushing on 39 carries with two touchdowns. Catching the touchdown pass from Rowland, Ta’amu became a triple-scoring threat. If he continues to play as well as he has through the first eight weeks of the season, Ta’amu should easily lock up the MVP award.
Honorable Mention -UFL News Hub Player of the Week
UFL News Hub Player Of The Week Honorable Mention awards go to both the Memphis Showboats‘ DT Josiah Bronson and LB Andrew Dowell. The Showboats defense has steadily improved this season under new DC Jarren Horton. Friday night, the Memphis defense put it all together to earn their second overtime victory this season. Bronson was credited with six tackles, (2 TFLs) an interception and a PBU. Dowell had nine tackles, an interception and a PBU.
Upcoming Games
The D.C. Defenders will travel to TDECU Stadium in Texas to take on the Houston Roughnecks in Week 9. The game is scheduled for Sunday, May 25th at 4:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on FOX and tickets are still available.
Next week, the 2-6 Memphis Showboats return home to host the Arlington Renegades on Saturday, May 24, at 11:00 a.m CDT at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC and tickets are still available.
