St. Louis Battlehawks beat the D.C. Defenders, Recap, Notes, Photos and Postgame Press Conference

The St. Louis Battlehawks ran their winning streak to a franchise-best four games Sunday with a 45-12 win over the XFL Conference-rival D.C. Defenders in front of 16,058 fans at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The St. Louis (4-1) defense and special teams gave the offense possession inside Defenders (2-3) territory for seven of its nine scoring drives in a 33-point victory that was the largest margin in team history. The win also keeps the Battlehawks tied atop the conference with the San Antonio Brahmas (4-1) halfway through the regular season.

The Battlehawks defense delivered a second-half shutout for the second consecutive week, while the offense netted a franchise-record 25 points in the fourth quarter. RBs Wayne Gallman II and Jacob Saylors each had their team-leading second rushing touchdowns of the season, and QB Manny Wilkins scored his first rushing touchdown of the year. QB A.J. McCarron also hit WR Hakeem Butler on an 80-yard touchdown pass that was the longest passing play in team history and longest play of any kind in the UFL this season. He also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring with 8:07 left in the first quarter. Butler finished with 147 receiving yards, the most by a Battlehawks player this season.

K Andre Szmyt contributed with a franchise-record four made field goals. He produced the first points of the second half on a 39-yard field goal with 1:20 left in the third quarter that ran the Battlehawks advantage to 20-12.

The Battlehawks defense had a season-high 59:03 scoreless streak dating back to Week 4 vs. Memphis snapped when Defenders RB Cam’Ron Harris scored on a 1-yard rush with 1:14 left in the first half that cut the St. Louis lead to 17-6. D.C. scored again with 7 seconds left in the half on a 15-yard touchdown catch by Kelvin Harmon from QB Jordan Ta’amu that narrowed the Battlehawks’ lead to five points.

St. Louis had initially built a 17-0 lead with Butler’s first touchdown and three field goals by Szmyt, including a game-high, 51-yarder that gave the Battlehawks a 14-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

In total, the Battlehawks made three interceptions, two blocked punts, recovered a fumble and had two turnovers on downs. The defensive unit held D.C. to 163 total yards, the Defenders’ fewest of the season.

The Battlehawks will return home for Week 6 to face the Houston Roughnecks of the USFL Conference at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 4 at The Dome at America’s Center. The contest will be televised on FOX and simulcast on FOX Sports on SiriusXM Radio.

Postgame Notes

The Battlehawks won by a team-record 33 points, ahead of a 25-point victory, 53-28, in 2023 Week 10 vs. Orlando.
St. Louis scored a franchise-record 25 points in the fourth quarter, their most in any single quarter, ahead of 22 points in the 2nd quarter of 2023 Week 10 vs. Orlando.
QB A.J. McCarron went 14-for-24 with 213 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a 10-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season.
WR Hakeem Butler made a career-high, 80-yard touchdown reception with 9:00 left in thefourth quarter, for the longest passing play in team history and longest play of any kind in the UFL this season. He finished with a season-high two touchdowns and 147 receiving yards, the most by a Battlehawks player this season.
LB Pita Taumoepenu registered 2.0 sacks, matching his most in a game this season (Also: Week 2 vs. ARL), including a strip sack on the first play of the fourth quarter. He leads the team with 4.0 sacks for the season.
LB Mike Rose intercepted his team-leading second pass of the season (Also: Week 1 at Michigan) with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter.
FS Nico Bolden blocked the first punt for St. Louis of the season with 5:54 left in the first quarter of his Battlehawks’ debut. St. Louis signed Bolden as a free agent on Monday.
LB Chris Garrett blocked his first punt of the season and had a season-high four solo tackles.
SS Kameron Kelly recorded his first pick of the season with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
CB Brandon Sebastian made his first interception of the season to end D.C.’s first offensive drive. He led the Battlehawks with three interceptions in 2023.
K Andre Szmyt set a career high and franchise single-game record with four field goals, surpassing his previous high of three in Week 3 at San Antonio.
WR Blake Jackson returned his first kick of the season 58 yards on the first play of the game. It was the second-longest kick return by a Battlehawks player this season, behind only a 60-yard return by WR Darrius Shepherd in Week 4 vs. Memphis.