UFL Week 3: Two-score comeback in the final 48 seconds
A United Football League team has rallied in the final minute using the onside-kick alternative for the second week in a row.
Last week, the San Antonio Brahmas defeated the Memphis Showboats 20-19 thanks to two touchdown passes from quarterback Chase Garbers in the last 48 seconds.
The D.C. Defenders defeated the Arlington Renegades 29-28 on Saturday thanks to a touchdown and a field goal in the last 48 seconds.
In the other Week 3 games in the UFL:
The Birmingham Stallions maintained their perfect record on Saturday night, defeating the Showboats 33-14 thanks to the performance of quarterback Adrian Martinez, who ran for 44 yards and one touchdown in addition to throwing for 344 yards and two touchdowns.
· The Panthers defeated the Houston Roughnecks 34–20 on Sunday. Jake Bates gave Michigan a one-point lead with a 55-yard field goal to end the first half, and quarterback E.J. Perry found wide receiver Marcus Simms for a 66-yard touchdown pass 23 seconds into the second half.
With 16 seconds left, St. Louis halted a fourth-down play at its 44-yard line, allowing the Battlehawks to defeat the Brahmas 31-24 on Sunday. With 2:10 left, San Antonio scored a touchdown to take back control.
The Defenders had 259 yards to the Renegades’ 419, but in the last two minutes, wide receiver Chris Rowland’s 57-yard kickoff return ignited D.C.’s rally. The Defenders closed the gap to two points with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Cam’Ron Harris and a 2-point conversion run by quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
After D.C. decided to go for a fourth-and-12 onside kick at the 28-yard line, Ta’amu found wide receiver Ty Scott for a 19-yard pass. The following play resulted in a 26-yard completion that set up Matthew McCrane for the game-winning 49-yard field goal on the last play.
The United Football League rosters of twenty-one players from Alabama’s high schools and colleges include players from the Panthers’ 34-20 victory over the Houston Roughnecks on Sunday.
· Saint Louis
· Defensive tackle by defenders Enterprise’s T.J. Barnes made three tackles.
· Defenders tight end/long snapper For two punts and three field goals, Trae Barry (Spanish Fort, Jacksonville State) handled the snaps.
· Rebels’ close end Auburn’s Sal Cannella caught four passes for 48 yards, including one for 32 yards.
· Due to a calf injury, Renegades defensive lineman Davonte Lambert (Auburn) was unable to play.
· Chris Owens, an Alabama guard for the Renegades, was forced to miss the game due to a knee injury.
· Alabama A&M wide receiver Dee Anderson, a showboat, made a tackle on special teams in addition to recording two receptions for 27 yards.
· Austin, Alabama-born Birmingham guard Deonte Brown is not permitted to play due to an injury and is on injured reserve.
· Jacksonville State’s showboat defensive tackle Connor Christian did not log any stats.
· T.J. Green, a showboat cornerback from Sylacauga, made two tackles.
· Showboats’ TJ Neal, an Auburn linebacker, made five tackles.
· Punks with tight ends Due to an ankle injury, Wes Saxton Jr. (Hueytown, South Alabama) was unable to play in the game.
· With two seconds remaining in the first quarter, Stallions wide receiver Marlon Williams (McGill-Toolen) scored a touchdown with a 41-yard reception, giving Birmingham a 12-6 lead. Williams’ 41-yard touchdown reception in the Stallions’ 33-30 victory over the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL Championship Game on July 3, 2022, was his first touchdown reception. Williams missed the remainder of the 2023 season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in Birmingham’s opening game.
· Punks with tight ends Auburn’s Jay Jay Wilson did not keep any stats.
· Tight end roughnecks South Alabama’s Braedon Bowman caught two passes for eight yards.
· Cam Carter (Minor) began the Roughnecks’ game at left offensive tackle.
De’Gabriel Floyd, an Alabama A&M linebacker for the Panthers, did not record any statistics.
Reuben Foster, a linebacker for the Roughnecks from Auburn High, Alabama, recorded five tackles.
· Defense tackle for the Panthers Three tackles were made by Garrett Marino (UAB), with one tackle for loss.
· St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama native quarterback AJ McCarron of the Battlehawks ran for 21 yards and one touchdown on four carries in addition to completing 19 of 27 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. With 4:33 remaining in the first quarter, McCarron scored the game’s first touchdown on an 11-yard scramble. Ten minutes later, with wide receiver Hakeem Butler in tow, McCarron connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
· Troy, Georgia native Brandon Silvers, a quarterback for the Battlehawks, was not in action.
· Homewood native John Yarbrough, an offensive lineman for the Brahmas, was not in action.
In the games of Week 4:
· On Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CDT, the Showboats (1-2) and the Battlehawks (2-1) square off at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The game will air on ABC.
· The game takes place at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. between the Defenders (2-1) and the Stallions (3-0). The game will be televised locally by FOX.
· The Panthers (2-1) and Brahmas (2-1) square off at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised locally by FOX.
· Sunday’s game between the Renegades (0-3) and Roughnecks (0-3) takes place at Rice Stadium in Houston at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
