Jake Sutherland #84 of the St. Louis Battlehawks runs past Kiondre Thomas #24 of the Houston Roughnecks and scores a two-point conversion during the second quarter at The Dome at America’s Center on May 04, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/UFL/Getty Images)
Houston Roughnecks (1-4) at St. Louis Battlehawks (4-1)
Saturday, May 4 at 2:00 PM CT (3:00PM ET)
The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, MO
Attendance: 32,969
Network: FOX
Announcers: Kevin Kugler (Play-By-Play), Joel Klatt (Booth Analyst), and Devin Gardner (Sideline Reporter)
The St. Louis Battlehawks welcomed the Houston Roughnecks to The Dome at America’s Center for the first time, after the teams faced each other in Houston while playing the XFL in both the 2020 and 2023 seasons. The Roughnecks took the 2020 matchup, 28-24, and the Battlehawks returned the favor, 24-15, in 2023. The Battlehawks have been undefeated through two games at home this season, and they have won four straight games at The Dome dating back to the 2023 campaign.
As expected, the St. Louis Battlehawks had an impressive home crowd (32,969) on hand to cheer on their efforts.
Houston’s J.J. Molson kicked off 71 yards, and Blake Jackson returned the ball to the St. Louis 41. St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron passed short left to Jachour Pearson for a 7-yard gain. A face-masking penalty gave the Battlehawks a first down, and then McCarron handed to Jacob Saylors, but he gained no yards. A pass to Hakeem Butler fell incomplete, and then McCarron was sacked for a 6-yard loss. St. Louis was forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt was returned to the St. Louis 30-yard line. Houston Roughnecks quarterback Reid Sinnett handed to Mark Thompson, but he was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. Sinnett passed incomplete to Anthony Ratliff-Williams, and then completed a pass to Cyril Grayson, but he lost one yard. The Roughnecks went three-and-out and punted.
The Niswander punt was returned by Jachour Pearson to the St. Louis 33. McCarron handed to Jacob Saylors for a 2-yard run, and then passed to Pearson for 5 more yards. After an incomplete pass intended for Pearson, the Battlehawks also punted.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Hall to the Houston 8. Sinnett handed to Thompson for a 5-yard gain, and then handed again to Thompson who lost 5 yards. A pass to Pledger only gained 6 yards, and the Roughnecks were forced to punt.
The punt was returned to the St. Louis 43. McCarron passed deep to Hakeem Butler for a 26-yard gain. McCarron could not connect a pass to Saylors, and then a pass to Ateman could not be caught. On third and 10, a pass into the end zone was picked off by Markel Roby and returned to the Houston 18.
A pass to Pledger was dropped, and then a pass to Justin Hall gained 10 yards and a first down. Sinnett handed to Pledger for a 7-yard run, and then handed again to Pledger for 2 more yards. On third and 1, a handoff to Thompson gained 10 yards to move the chains.
Sinnett handed to Thompson who lost 3 yards, and then completed a 3-yard pass to Keke Chism. On third down, a pass to Ratliff-Williams fell incomplete, and the Roughnecks were forced to punt as the scoreless first quarter ended.
The Niswander punt went into the end zone for a touchback, giving the Battlehawks the ball on their own 25-yard line. McCarron completed a 6-yard pass to Saylors, and then handed to Saylors who had a big gain, but an offensive holding penalty negated the play. A pass to Darrius Shepherd gained 5 yards, and then a pass to Jachour Pearson was good for 17 yards and a first down on the St. Louis 43.
McCarron passed 4 yards to Marcell Ateman, and then a handoff to Wayne Gallman lost one yard. On third and 7, McCarron was sacked for a loss, but a defensive holding penalty gave St. Louis a first down.
A handoff to Gallman gained 5 yards, and then McCarron passed 2 yards to Butler. On third and 3, a pass to Saylors lost one yard. The Battlehawks gambled on fourth down, and McCarron passed 6 yards to Steven Mitchell for a first down.
McCarron passed to Ateman who lost 2 yards, and then handed to Gallman for a 6-yard gain. On third and 6, McCarron completed a 16-yard pass to Mitchell for another first down on the Houston 17. Then, a pass to Hakeem Butler was caught for a 17-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, to make the score 6-0 for St. Louis.
The Szmyt kickoff was caught out of bounds, giving Houston the ball on the 50-yard line. Sinnett handed to Thompson for a 6-yard run, and then Sinnett fumbled the ball, and recovered the fumble and passed deep to Cyril Grayson who caught the ball out of bounds. On third and 4, Sinnett was sacked for a 1 yard loss. The Roughnecks were forced to punt.
The punt was returned to the St. Louis 18. McCarron was pressured and managed to flip the ball forward to Saylors for a 5-yard gain, and then passed to Blake Jackson for a 4 yard gain. On third and 1, a pass to Ateman was batted down as the two minute warning arrived.
On fourth and 1, the Battlehawks punted and Hall returned the ball to the Houston 32. Sinnett passed to Ratliff-Williams for a 6-yard gain, and then a pass intended for Pledger was low and not caught. On third and 4, Sinnett passed 5 yards to Chism to move the markers.
Sinnett passed 11 yards to Thompson for another first down on the St. Louis 35, and then a catch by Thompson was fumbled and recovered by St. Louis’s Tautala Pesefea. The play was reviewed and confirmed to be a fumble, with the recovery by St. Louis.
With 0:50 remaining, McCarron passed to Saylors for an 8-yard gain. Another pass to Saylors was incomplete, and then on third and 2, a pass to Pearson gained 10 yards and a first down. McCarron passed 29 yards to Butler for a first down on the Houston 15, however Butler landed awkwardly on the catch and appeared to injure himself.
McCarron threw an incomplete pass, and then completed a pass to Saylors who took the ball 11 yards to the 1-yard line. With 0:12 remaining, a pass to Pearson was wide and incomplete, and then McCaron passed incomplete, intended for Ateman. However a defense pass interference penalty was called. A pass to Mitchell in the corner of the end zone was good for a Battlehawks touchdown. The two-point conversion was good on a catch by Jake Sutherland as the half ended.
The score at halftime was St. Louis 14, Houston 0.
The second half began with Roberson returning the Szmyt kickoff to the Houston 35. Sinnett passed 11 yards to Grayson and then handed to Thompson for 6 yards. Another handoff to Thompson made no yards and then a pass to Hall gained 6 yards for a first down. Sinnett passed incomplete, intended for Ratliff-Williams, but an offensive holding penalty gave the Roughnecks a first down. Sinnett handed to Pledger for a 5-yard gain, and then a pass to hall was dropped. A pass to Grayson was incomplete, and the Roughnecks were forced to punt.
The punt was returned by Pearson to the St. Louis 21. McCarron handed to Saylors for an 8-yard gain and then went back to Saylors for 3 more yards and a first down. An 11-yard pass to Mitchell moved the chains again, and then McCarron threw an incompletion. On second down, McCarron scrambled for 3 yards and then could not complete a pass to Mitchell. The Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The punt went into the end zone for a touchback, giving Houston the ball on their own 25-yard line. Sinnett handed to Pledger for a 4-yard run, and then went back to Pledger for 8 more yards and a first down. A 12-yard pass to Emmanuel Butler moved the chains to the Houston 49.
A handoff to Mark Thompson made 1 yard, and then a pass to Thompson was incomplete, but a defensive holding call gave the Roughnecks a first down. Sinnett handed to Thompson who ran 7 yards, and then a pass to Grayson fell incomplete. On third and 3, Sinnett’s pass to Hall was low and fell to the turf. The Roughnecks gambled, and Sinnett completed a 15- yard pass to Justin hall for a first down on the St. Louis 23.
A pass to Ratliff-Williams was incomplete, and then the Roughnecks were called for a false start penalty as the third quarter ended.
A handoff to Thompson gained zero yards, and then on third and 15, the Roughnecks were again called for a false start. Now on third and 20, Sinnett passed 17 yards to Justin Hall on the St. Louis 16. On fourth and 2, Sinnett handed to Mark Thompson who ran 16 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed when Sinnett was sacked, making the score 14-6 for St. Louis.
The J.J. Molson kickoff was returned by Blake Jackson to the St. Louis 40. McCarron handed to Saylors for a 1-yard run, and then McCarron recovered a bad snap and scrambled for 8 yards himself. On third and 1, a pass to Pearson was not caught, and then on fourth down, a handoff to Saylors was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. The Battlehawks turned over the ball on downs.
Starting on the St. Louis 48, the Roughnecks were called for a false start penalty. A pass intended for Braedon Bowman fell incomplete, and then a handoff to Thompson gained only 3 yards. On third and 12, Sinnett was tackled as he passed, and the ball fell to the turf. The Roughnecks were forced to punt.
The Hunter Niswander punt went into the end zone for a touchback, giving St. Louis the ball on their own 25-yard line. McCarron passed to Butler, but the pass was dropped, and then McCarron was sacked for a 2-yard loss. On third down, a handoff to Saylors only gained 2 yards, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt went out of bounds at the Houston 46-yard line giving the Roughnecks good field position. Sinnett handed to T.J. Pledger for a 13-yard run, and then handed to Pledger again for no gain. A pass to Ratliff-Williams gained 4 yards, and then on third and 6, a pass to Butler was nearly picked off. On fourth down, Sinnett completed a pass to Justin Hall for a 5-yard gain, but it was short of the first down.
From his own 33-yard line, McCarron passed complete to Pearson for a 7-yard gain, and then handed to Saylors for 3 more yards and a first down. McCarron completed a 21-yard pass to Hakeem Butler, and then threw deep, again to Butler, for a 36-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good on a short pass to Jacob Saylors, making the score 22-6 for St. Louis.
The Szmyt kickoff was returned by Roberson to the Houston 33-yard line. Sinnett passed 9 yards to Cyril Grayson, and then passed 6 yards to Justin Hall for a first down. A 23-yard pass was caught by Emmanuel Butler on the St. Louis 29 as the two-minute warning arrived.
After review, the Butler catch was overturned as he did not have control and the ball came loose as he hit the turf. Houston head coach Curtis Johnson challenged the play for defensive pass interference and lost the challenge.
On 2nd and 10, Sinnett completed a 5-yard pass to Chism, but Sinnett was pressured and hit and suffered an injury to his hand. With backup quarterback Garrett Guarantano warming up, Sinnett came back into the game. Sinnett threw a completion to Grayson for a 3-yard gain, and then on fourth down he threw incomplete intended for Hall.
With a turnover on downs, the Battlehawks went into victory formation and were just able to run out the 1:27 remaining on the clock, but they had to concede a safety touch on their final down giving the Roughnecks two more points on the scoreboard.
The final score was St. Louis Battlehawks 22, Houston Roughnecks 8.
