Jordan Ta’amu #10 of the DC Defenders carries the ball past Max Roberts #9 of the Memphis Showboats during the second quarter at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on May 26, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew A. Smith/UFL/Getty Images)
For the first time ever, the Memphis Showboats and D.C. Defenders squared off in a game that meant nothing to either team because they were both out of playoff contention.
Both teams have lost plenty of games lately. The Defenders have lost four of their last five games, while Memphis has suffered seven consecutive losses. For each of these teams, a win today would help them begin a season-ending winning streak. For Memphis, a win in this game would also give them a win at home in front of their faithful fans.
For this game, the Showboats honored educators, healthcare professionals, first responders, and veterans with a “Hats Off to Heroes” theme, and were donating $5 from every ticket sold to the aforementioned groups.
D.C.’s Paxton Brooks kicked off 80 yards for a touchback. Starting at his own 25-yard line, Memphis quarterback Troy Williams handed to Darius Victor for an 8-yard gain, and then went back to Victor for one more yard. On third down Victor rushed 3 yards for a first down. Williams passed to Sage Surratt but the ball fell incomplete, and then handed to Titus Swen for a 3-yard gain. On third down, a pass intended for Vinny Papale was not caught and the Showboats were forced to punt.
The Matt White punt was returned to the D.C. 23. D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu handed to Darius Hagans who rushed for 4 yards, and then passed to Brandon Smith for a 8-yard gain and a first down. Ta’amu passed to Ty Scott for a 22-yard pickup, and then was sacked for a 7-yard loss. Ta’amu kept the ball and gained 7 yards, and then passed to Smith for an 8-yard gain. On fourth and 2, Ta’amu passed short right to Chris Rowland who turned it up field 35 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making it 6-0 for D.C.
The Brooks kickoff was returned by Swen to the Memphis 24. Williams passed incomplete to Jonathan Adams, and then a short pass to Daewood Davis picked up 3 yards. Another pass to Adams picked up only 3 yards and the Showboats were forced to punt.
The punt was downed on the D.C. 11. Ta’amu passed to Smith for an 11-yard gain, and then handed to Cam’Ron Harris for a 5-yard rush. A pass to Keke Coutee gained 3 yards, and then a handoff to Coutee gained 7 more yards to move the markers. A handoff to Chris Rowland picked up 9 yards, and then a handoff to Hagans was stuffed for a one-yard loss. On third down, a handoff to Hagans picked up 5 yards for another first down.
Ta’amu went back to Hagans for a 9-yard rush, and then passed 5 yards to Alex Ellis up to the Memphis 36. A handoff to Harris lost a yard, and then Ta’amu scrambled for a 22-yard gain to the Memphis 15. A 5-yard Harris run ended the first quarter.
Coutee rushed for a 4-yard gain, and then Ta’amu handed to Coutee for a 6-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion succeeded on a 5-yard catch by Smith, to make the score 14-0 for D.C.
Swen returned the kickoff to the Memphis 31. Williams handed to Victor for a 6-yard gain, and then went back to Victor for 32 more yards. On third and 2, Williams was sacked, but a D.C. defensive holding penalty negated the sack and gave the Showboats a first down. Williams passed to Papale for a 3-yard gain, and then handed to Swen for an 8-yard run, which was negated by a 10-yard Memphis illegal block penalty. Williams passed to Adams for a 6-yard gain, and then was sacked for a 9-yard loss. The Showboats were forced to punt.
Ta’amu handed to Hagans for a 40-yard rush, and then went back to Hagans for an 8-yard gain. Then, A deep pass by Ta’amu was intercepted in the Memphis end zone by D.J. Daniel.
Starting on the Memphis 25, Josh Love handed to Victor twice for short gains, and then could not connect a pass to Papale. The Showboats went three and out and punted.
Chris Rowland returned the Matt White punt to the D.C. 31. Ta’amu handed to Harris twice for a 5-yard loss and a 2-yard gain. On third down, Ta’amu was sacked for a 2-yard loss, and the Defenders had to punt.
The Brooks punt went out of bounds at the Memphis 46. Josh Love passed incomplete to Surratt, and then passed incomplete to Papale. A handoff to Swen gained 8-yards, and then Victor rushed 26 yards to the D.C. 15. A pass to Adams gained 9 yards, and then a 6-yard Darius Victor run scored a Showboats touchdown. The one-point conversion was good on a 5-yard pass to Adams, to make the score 14-7 for D.C.
After the two-minute warning, the Coughlin kickoff was returned by Rowland to the D.C. 42. Ta’amu passed 3 yards to Rowland, and then delivered a 12-yard pass to Smith. Ta’amu kept the ball and scrambled for 8 yards to the Memphis 38, and then threw an incomplete pass. A throw to Coutee resulted in an 18-yard gain, and then Ta’amu passed 15-yards to Ellis in the end zone. The two-point conversion was good on a Ta’amu 5-yard rush, making the score 22-7 for D.C.
After the kickoff, Memphis ran out the clock until half time.
The second half began with a 69 yard Coughlin kickoff that was returned by Rowland to the D.C. 37. Jordan Ta’amu handed to Hagans for a 1-yard run, and then passed to Brandon Smith for a 14-yard gain. Another pass to Smith gained 5 yards and then a pass to Ty Scott was good for 8 yards and a first down at the Memphis 35.
Ta’amu passed short left to Smith for a11-yard gain, and then threw to Coutee for a 16-yard gain on the Memphis 8. Ta’amu handed to Harris twice before he rushed 1-yard for a D.C. touchdown. The two-point conversion was good on a 5-yard Smith catch to make the score 30-7 for D.C.
The Brooks kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback. From his own 25-yard line, Josh Love handed to Victor for a 3-yard loss, and then was sacked for a 6-yard loss. A pass to Jay Jay Wilson gained 11 yards, but not enough for a first down. The Showboats were forced to punt.
The Matt White punt went out of bounds at the D.C. 44-yard line. Ta’amu handed to Hagans for a 2-yard rush, and then passed to Scott for a gain of 22 yards. Ta’amu passed incomplete short right, intended for Smith, and then passed to Rowland for a gain of 11 yards and a first down on the Memphis 20. A handoff to Hagans gained 7 yards, and then another Hagans run gained 6 yards to the Memphis 8.
Ta’amu was sacked for a 5-yard loss, and then passed 5-yards to Moore-McKinney. On third and 8, Ta’amu was intercepted by Delrick Abrams who returned the ball to the Memphis 8.
Love handed to Victor who lost a yard, and then could not complete a pass to Davis. On third down, a pass to Adams fell incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty granted Memphis a first down. The D.C. head coach challenged the infraction, and his challenge failed.
On first and 10 from the Memphis 24, Love handed to Victor for a 22-yard run, and then passed to Papale for a 9-yard gain as the third quarter ended.
Love scrambled for a 8-yard gain, and then handed to Victor who broke open a run for a 19-yard gain to the D.C. 18-yard line. A handoff to Swen was stuffed for no gain, and then a pass to Surratt gained 4 yards. On third and 6, Love passed 14 yards to Papale for a Memphis touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 30-13 for D.C.
The Coghlin kickoff was returned by Rowland to the D.C. 48. Backup quarterback Jalen McClendon handed to Harris for a 12-yard rush, and then handed to Harris for another 12 yards at the Memphis 28. An 8-yard pass to Ellis, was followed by a handoff to Hagans that lost 2 yards. McClendon kept the ball and rushed 13 yards for another D.C. first down.
A handoff to Harris gained 3 yards, and then another handoff to Harris gained 2 more yards to the Memphis 4. McClendon kept the ball and scrambled 4 yards for a Defenders touchdown. The one-point conversion failed, making the score 36-13 for D.C.
Swen returned the kickoff to the D.C. 48. A handoff to Victor gained 4 yards, and then a pass to Adams gained 7 yards and a first down. Love passed deep, but was intercepted by Gareon Conley at the D.C. 6.
McClendon handed to Rowland for a 1 yard gain, and then handed to Harris who also gained a yard. On third and 8, McClendon’s pass intended for Scott fell incomplete, and the Defenders were forced to punt.
The Brooks punt was returned by Papale to the Memphis 41. Love passed deep to Adams for a 48-yard gain to the D.C. 5-yard line. A handoff to Victor gained 4 yards, and then Love rushed one-yard for the Memphis touchdown. The two-point conversion succeeded on a 5-yard pass to Adams, to make the score 36-21 for D.C.
With 3:59 remaining, Memphis opted for a 4th and 12 play from their own 28-yard line instead of an onside kickoff. However, Love’s pass was intercepted by Montae Nicholson at the D.C. 44-yard line.
McClendon passed incomplete short left intended for Smith, and then another pass intended for Smith fell incomplete. On third and 10, a pass to Coutee gained 20 yards. A handoff to Hagans gained 3 yards, and then another handoff to Hagans gained 4 yards as the two-minute warning was announced.
A 12-yard pass to Coutee was good enough to move the markers, and with a first down the Defenders went into victory formation and ran out the clock.
The final score was D.C. Defenders 36, Memphis Showboats 21.
