AJ Mccarron #10 of the St. Louis Battlehawks scores a touchdown against the San Antonio Brahmas during the first quarter in the game at Alamodome on April 14, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Brien Aho/UFL/Getty Images)
St. Louis Battlehawks (1-1) at San Antonio Brahmas (2-0)
Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2:00PM CT (3:00PM ET)
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 11,790
Network: ABC
Announcers: Drew Carter (Play-by-Play), Sam Acho (Analyst), Cole Cubelic (Sideline Reporter), Stormy Buonantony (Sideline Reporter).
The St. Louis Battlehawks and the San Antonio Brahmas faced each other for the second time in history. The two squads last met in the opening week of the 2023 XFL season, with the Battlehawks coming out on top 18-15 after erasing a 15-3 deficit in the final three minutes of the contest. These two teams will meet again on June 1, 2024, in St. Louis.
Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht and Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips met for the second time as head coaches. Phillips was the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks in 2023, and Becht’s Battlehawks beat the XFL South Division-champion Roughnecks, 24-15, when they met in Houston for a Week 7 matchup. Becht also previously played in two NFL games against a team led by Phillips. Becht was a rookie tight end for the New York Jets in 2000 when they beat the Phillips-coached Buffalo Bills, 27-14, in Week 3.
San Antonio was seeking to extend their winning streak while the Battlehawks were looking to extend bring the Brahmas down to the same record as themselves.
Andre Szmyt kicked off 69 yards and Brycen Alleyne returned the kickoff to the San Antonio 33-yard line. St. Louis’s Feeney was called for a 5-yard neutral zone infraction, and then San Antonio quarterback Chase Garber passed 9-yards to Anthony McFarland for a first down. A handoff to McFarland gained 3 yards, and then a pass to Jontre Kirklin was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty gave the Brahmas a first down.
A handoff to John Lovett gained 11 yards, and then a run by Lovett was good for 1 yard more. Garbers passed 7 yards to Kirklin, and then handed to Lovett for a 3-yard gain and another first down. Garbers passes fell incomplete twice, followed by a 6-yard completion to Kirklin, and the Brahmas settled for a Ryan Santoso 35-yard field goal to make the score 3-0 for San Antonio.
The Santoso kickoff went 74 yards and was returned by Darrius Shepherd to the St. Louis 36-yard line. McCarron handed to Durant for an 8-yard gain, and then passed to Marcell Ateman for a 3-yard gain and a first down. A handoff to Durant gained 1 yard, and then a 13-yard pass to Shepherd moved the markers again.
A pass to Hakeem Butler was good for a 17-yard gain to the San Antonio 27, and then Jacob Saylors ran for a 5-yard gain. A pass to Butler down field drew a defensive pass interference call for a 15-yard penalty. A pass to Durant lost 2 yards, and then a pass to Ateman in the end zone was incomplete. On 3rd and goal, A.J. McCarron was flushed out of the pocket and ran 10 yards for the Battlehawks touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 6-3 for St. Louis.
Brycen Alleyne returned the Szmyt kickoff to the San Antonio 25-yard line. Garbers handed to McFarlane for no gain, and then passed incomplete to Kirklin. On third and 10, a pass to Smith fell incomplete and the Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Brad Wing punt traveled 50 yards and was returned to the St. Louis 25-yard line by Shepherd. McCarron handed to Durant who made no gain, and then handed to Durant again for 3 yards. On third and 7, McCarron connected a pass to Butler for an 11-yard gain. A pass to Shepherd made no gain as the first quarter ended.
McCarron passed 8 yards to Ja’Marcus Bradley, and then passed 15 yards to Kemari Averett for a first down. A short pass to Butler gained 1 yard, and then McCarron’s pass to Butler fell incomplete. A short pass to Durant gained 7 yards, and then on fourth and 2 a handoff to Durant was just enough for the first down on the San Antonio 20-yard line.
McCarron passed 20 yards to Hakeem Butler for the St. Louis touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was made on a 5-yard shovel pass to Jake Sutherland, making the score 14-3 for St. Louis.
Marquez Stevenson returned the Szmyt kick to the San Antonio 35 yard-line. Garbers passed 5 yards to Cody Latimer, and then passed incomplete to Kirklin. On third down, a pass to McFarland was good for 4 yards leaving the Brahmas one yard short of the first down. Upon review, the first down was granted.
McFarland rushed for 5 yards, and then a pass to Stevenson lost a yard. Then, a pass to Latimer was good for 8 yards and a first down. Garbers passed 5 yards to Kirklin, and then passed again to Kirklin for 4 more yards. A handoff to Lovett made 7 yards and a first down on the St. Louis 27-yard line.
Garbers passed to Stevenson for a 7-yard gain, and then ran the ball for 2 yards. On third down, a 1-yard pass to Stevenson was just short of the first down marker. On fourth down, Garbers rushed left for 3 yards and a first down on the St. Louis 15-yard line. A handoff to McFarland gained 11 yards, and then a Lovett rush gained 1 yard. A handoff to Lovett was stopped after only a 1-yard gain as the two minute warning was announced.
John Lovett rushed 2 yards up the middle for a San Antonio touchdown. The two-point conversion failed when Garbers was sacked. The score was now 14-9 for St. Louis.
Shepherd returned the Santoso kickoff to the San Antonio 45-yard line. McCarron handed to Saylors for a 6-yard run, and then handed to Saylors again for 2 yards more. On third down, McCarron passed to Saylors for an 11-yard gain and a first down on the San Antonio 26-yard line.
McCarron’s pass to Shepherd fell incomplete and then a pass to Durant gained no yards. With time running down, Andre Szmyt kicked a 44-yard field goal to make the score 17-9 for St. Louis at the end of the first half.
To start the second half, San Antonio’s Santoso kicked off 72 yards and Shepherd returned the ball to the St. Louis 38-yard line. A McCarron pass to Bradley was caught, but fumbled, and recovered by the Brahma’s Darius Phillips.
Garbers passed incomplete to Kirklin and then passed short right to Smith for a 4-yard loss. Garbers kept the ball and scrambled to the sideline for no gain, but a hit out of bounds drew a 15-yard personal foul penalty, granting the Brahmas a first down.
Garbers handed to McFarland for a 5-yard gain and then passed incomplete to Latimer. On third down, a pass to McFarland was incomplete and the Brahmas settled for a 32-yard Santoso field goal to make the score 17-12 for St. Louis.
Shepherd returned the Santoso kickoff to the St. Louis 36-yard line. McCarron handed to Durant for a 6-yard gain, and then scrambled for 6 yards to move the chains. McCarron faked a handoff to Durant and ran for a 7-yard gain, and then handed to Saylors for 3 yards and another first down. McCarron’s pass to Blake Jackson fell incomplete, and then he passed to Shepherd for a 6-yard gain. On third and 4, McCarron’s pass to Marcell Ateman fell incomplete. St. Louis settled for a 54-yard Andre Szmyt field goal to make the score 20-12 for St. Louis.
The kickoff was returned to the San Antonio 34-yard line. Garbers handed to McFarland for a 7-yard run, and then passed to Smith for a gain of 11. Another handoff to McFarland gained 4 yards, and then Garbers went back to McFarland for 2 more yards. A 6-yard pass to Stevenson moved the markers to the St. Louis 36.
Garbers completed a 2-yard pass to Lovett, and then passed incomplete to Kirklin. A 15-yard roughing the passer penalty moved the chains to the St. Louis 19. Garbers handed to Lovett for 2 yards, and then completed a 10-yard pass to Latimer. A handoff to McFarland was good for an 8-yard run and a San Antonio touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 20-18 for St. Louis.
The Santoso kickoff went in to the end zone for a touchback. From his own 25-yard line, McCarron was sacked for an 8-yard loss. Then, a pass to Ateman fell incomplete, and then on third down, McCarron passed deep 32-yards to Hakeem Butler as the third quarter ended.
A handoff to Jacob Saylors was good for a lengthy 25-yard run, and then a pass to Sutherland only made 1 yard. Then, McCarron was pressured and sacked for a 5-yard loss. On 3rd and 14, McCarron was pressured again, and passed incomplete.The Battlehawks settled for a 46-yard Szmyt field goal, making the score 23-18 for St. Louis.
McFarland returned the kickoff to the San Antonio 26-yard line. Garbers passed to Smith but lost a yard, and then passed to Latimer for 4 yards. A pass to Alleyne gained no yards, and the Brahmas were forced to punt.
Darrius Shepherd returned the Brad Wing punt to the San Antonio 39-yard line. McCarron handed to Durant for a 10 yard rush and then passed to Butler for another 10 yards. A handoff to Saylors was good for a 19-yard run into the end zone for a St. Louis touchdown. The two-point conversion pass to Saylors was caught, to make the score 31-18 for St. Louis.
The Szmyt kickoff was returned by Stevenson to the San Antonio 40-yard line. A handoff to Alleyne made 6 yards, and then a handoff to McFarland was good for 6 yards and a first down. Lovett ran for 1 yard, and then a 12-yard pass to Kirklin moved the markers to the St. Louis 35. A handoff to Alleyne lost 1 yard, and then Garbers passed to Latimer for 8 yards. On third down, a handoff to Lovett made 2 yards, and on fourth down, another handoff to Lovett was good for 4 yards and a first down.
Garbers connected a 15-yard pass to Kirklin on the St. Louis 8-yard line, and then passed incomplete to Alize Mack in the end zone. On second and 8, Alleyne rushed for 6 yards, and then Garbers floated a pass to Mack for a Brahmas touchdown. The one-point conversion failed, making the score 31-24 for St. Louis.
Santoso kicked off, and Shepherd returned the ball to the St. Louis 37. McCarron passed complete to Averett for a 4-yard gain. Upon review, there was one second remaining before the two-minute warning, and McCarron handed to Durant for no gain.
On third and 5, McCarron passed incomplete and the Battlehawks were forced to punt. The Hofrichter punt was nearly blocked. Garbers started a drive on this own 29-yard line and passed to Latimer for an 8-yard gain. On second down, the pass was incomplete, and then a handoff to Alleyne was 1 yard short of the first down marker. On fourth and 1, Lovett ran for 6 yards to move the markers.
With 1:04 remaining, Garbers passed 8 yards to Kirklin on the San Antonio 44-yard line, and then passed incomplete to Latimer. Then, a 6-yard pass to Kirklin was followed by an incomplete pass to stop the clock. With 0:28 remaining, Garbers was pressured and scrambled, only to fumble the ball forward out of bounds. After review, it was judged as an incomplete pass. On fourth and 4, Garbers passed incomplete on a pass intended for Jontre Kirklin.
The Brahmas turned over the ball on downs and the Battlehawks ran out the clock.
The final score was St Louis Battlehawks 31, San Antonio Brahmas 24.
Box Scores
Score by Quarter
TEAM 1 2 3 4 T
STL 6 11 3 11 31
SAN 3 6 9 6 24
ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS
St. Louis Battlehawks Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
10 A.McCarron 19-27 152 1 0 70 129.9
St. Louis Battlehawks Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
15 J.Saylors 7 62 1 25 8.9
21 M.Durant 8 30 0 10 3.8
10 A.McCarron 4 21 1 10 5.3
St. Louis Battlehawks Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
88 H.Butler 6 87 1 33 8 49
11 D.Shepherd 3 19 0 13 4 9
21 M.Durant 3 5 0 7 3 10
80 K.Averett 2 19 0 15 2 22
18 J.Bradley 2 7 0 8 2 0
15 J.Saylors 1 11 0 11 2 10
03 M.Ateman 1 3 0 3 4 0
84 J.Sutherland 1 1 0 1 1 3
08 B.Jackson 0 0 0 0 1 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
59 C.O'Reilly 12 6 0 0 0 0 0
51 W.Harvey (LB) 12 4 0 0 0 1 0
04 T.Harris 7 6 0 0 0 0 0
56 T.Feeney (DE) 6 3 0 1 0 0 0
23 K.Kelly 6 4 0 0 0 1 0
09 C.Payton-Jones (CB) 5 4 0 2 0 0 0
06 L.Williams (LB) 5 2 0 0 0 0 0
29 D.Askew-Henry 4 1 0 0 0 0 0
24 L.Hill (CB) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
32 Q.Cole (FS) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
96 K.Smith (DT) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
07 P.Taumoepenu (DE) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
52 A.Jackson 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
48 C.Garrett 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
08 B.Jackson 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
38 B.Sebastian (CB) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
93 T.Pesefea 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
85 J.Kapp 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
26 C.Wells 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
11 D.Shepherd 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
99 A.Faoliu (DT) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 B.DeLuca (FS) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
St. Louis Battlehawks All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
D.Shepherd 205 0 19 149 37 0 0
H.Butler 87 0 87 0 0 0 1
J.Saylors 73 62 11 0 0 0 1
St. Louis Battlehawks Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
S.Hofrichter 1 37 37.0 37 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
D.Shepherd 5 149 30 43 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
D.Shepherd 2 37 19 32 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Andre Szmyt 2nd-00:00 44 GOOD
Andre Szmyt 3rd-6:59 54 GOOD
Andre Szmyt 4th-12:06 46 GOOD
TOTAL 3-3 LONG OF 54
SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS
San Antonio Brahmas Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
14 C.Garbers 27-41 143 1 0 66 103.2
13 J.Kirklin 1-1 15 0 0 100 226
San Antonio Brahmas Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
07 J.Lovett 12 41 1 11 3.4
41 A.McFarland 9 39 1 8 4.3
26 B.Alleyne 4 12 0 6 3
14 C.Garbers 3 10 0 5 3.3
San Antonio Brahmas Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
13 J.Kirklin 8 52 0 10 14 20
03 C.Latimer 7 58 0 15 9 23
05 M.Stevenson 4 13 0 7 4 3
41 A.McFarland 3 24 0 10 4 34
10 J.Smith 3 7 0 12 4 4
07 J.Lovett 1 2 0 2 2 8
88 A.Mack 1 2 1 2 3 1
26 B.Alleyne 1 0 0 0 1 6
San Antonio Brahmas Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
15 J.Williams (MLB) 9 4 0 0 0 0 0
11 T.Beckett (LB) 7 4 0 1 0 0 0
23 J.Mosley (SAF) 7 3 0 0 0 0 0
28 C.Mayfield (CB) 5 5 0 0 0 0 0
22 T.Tabor (CB) 5 4 0 0 0 0 0
95 T.Vincent 4 1 0 0 0 0 0
02 D.Phillips (CB) 3 3 0 0 0 0 1
52 J.Iyiegbuniwe 3 2 0 0 0 0 0
25 K.Anyalebechi 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
99 C.Patton (DT) 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
21 S.Nelson 2 0 0 0 0 1 0
93 J.Sykes 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
04 B.Wing 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
08 T.Ward 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
94 J.Dalton 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
29 A.Hendy (DB) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
09 W.Ray (OLB) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
07 J.Lovett 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
98 P.Emili (DT) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 R.Barnes 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
88 A.Mack 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
44 J.Jones (OLB) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
San Antonio Brahmas All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
A.McFarland 74 39 24 11 0 0 1
B.Alleyne 74 12 0 62 0 0 0
C.Latimer 58 0 58 0 0 0 0
San Antonio Brahmas Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
B.Wing 2 92 46.0 50 0
San Antonio Brahmas Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
B.Alleyne 3 62 21 22 0
M.Stevenson 2 42 21 23 0
A.McFarland 1 11 11 11 0
San Antonio Brahmas Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
San Antonio Brahmas Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Ryan Santoso 1st-10:22 35 GOOD
Ryan Santoso 3rd-11:34 32 GOOD
TOTAL 2-2 LONG OF 35
GAME COMPARISON
STAT STL SAN
Total Yds 253 260
Pass Yds 140 158
Rush Yds 113 102
Penalties 4-40 1-15
1st Downs 18 23
3rd Downs 5-9 9-16
4th Downs 1-1 3-4
Total Plays 48 70
Avg Yds/Play 5.3 3.7
Avg Yds/Completion 7.4 5.6
Avg Yds/Rush 5.9 3.6
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) 125 (7.4) 102 (3.6)
Red Zone 2-2 3-5
Time of Poss 26:00 33:44
Turnovers (Def Pts Off) 1 (3) 0 (0)
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Sacks (Def Yds) 0.0 (0.0) 2.0 (12.0)
TFL (Def Yds) 4 (7.0) 3 (14.0)
