Jacob Saylors #15 of the St. Louis Battlehawks runs with the ball during the first half against the Memphis Showboats at The Dome at America’s Center on April 20, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/UFL/Getty Images)
Memphis Showboats (1-2) at St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1)
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 11:30PM CT (12:30PM ET)
The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, MO
Attendance: 31,757
Network: ABC
Announcers: Lowell Galindo (Play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (Analyst), Kayla Burton (Field Reporter), Harry Douglas (Field Reporter)
The St. Louis Battlehawks welcomed the USFL Conference Memphis Showboats to The Dome at America’s Center for their first ever matchup. This was the second interconference matchup of the season for Memphis, the first being a game where the Showboats fell to San Antonio in Week 2. It will be the second USFL Conference foe for St. Louis after losing its opener to Michigan. One team will leave this game with their first win over a team from the opposite conference.
The Showboats were coming off a 33-14 loss in Week 3 at Birmingham, while St. Louis traveled to San Antonio to beat the Brahmas, 31-24.
This was the second home game for the Battlehawks, the first being an April 6 meeting with the Arlington Renegades, where 40,317 Battlehawks fans produced the largest crowd for a modern professional spring football league game. A similar turnout was anticipated for this matchup, but St. Louis fell short with 31,757 in attendance. Regardless, the fan noise was palpable and served to give the visiting team fits at times.
Memphis kicker Matt Coghlin kicked off 64 yards to the St. Louis 16, and Darrius Shepherd returned the ball to his own 38-yard line. St. Louis quarterback A.J. McCarron passed to Shepherd for 6 yards, and then went to Jahcour Pearson for 4 yards and a first down. McCarron connected with Mataeo Durant for a gain of 9 yards, and then back to Pearson for 7 yards and another first down.
A pass to Marcell Ateman was incomplete, and then a Jacob Saylors run picked up 4 yards. On third down, McCarron passed to Pearson but he lost two yards. The Memphis stop on third down led to a 54-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt to make the score 3-0 for St. Louis.
Szmyt kicked off 64 yards to Vinny Papale who returned the ball all the way to the St. Louis 43-yard line. Memphis quarterback Case Cookus handed to Darius Victor for a 6-yard run, and then Cookus passed to Victor for 10 yards and a first down. An 11-yard pass to Daewood Davis moved the markers to the St. Louis 17-yard line, and then a 17-yard pass to Papale scored a Showboat’s touchdown. The one-point conversion was no good, making the score 6-3 for Memphis.
Darrius Shepherd returned the Coughlin kickoff all the way to the Memphis 19-yard line. McCarron passed to Shepherd in the end zone and the ball fell incomplete, and then he handed to Saylors for an 8-yard gain. On third down, McCarron handed to Saylors and he ran 11 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed on a pass to Pearson, making the score 9-6 for St. Louis.
The Szmyt kickoff went 55 yards and was returned by Jonathan Adams to the St. Louis 45. On first down, a Case Cookus pass was picked off by Lavert Hill and returned to the Memphis 41-yard line.
McCarron passed to Pearson for a 5-yard gain, and then passed to Hakeem Butler for 11 yards and a first down on the Memphis 25. A defensive offside penalty gave the Battlehawks 5 yards, and then a handoff to Kemari Averett lost 2 yards. A 3-yard pass to Butler made it third and 4, and then McCarron passed 7 yards to Butler to move the sticks to the Memphis 12-yard line.
McCarron handed to Saylors for one yard, and then passed to Pearson for 6 yards, but a face mask penalty against Memphis gave St. Louis a first down. McCarron handed to Wayne Gallman and he rushed 2-yards for the touchdown. A two-point conversion was good on a pass to Ateman, making the score 17-6 for St. Louis.
Titus Swen returned the Szmyt kickoff to his own 30-yard line. Cookus passed 3 yards to Sage Surratt and then handed to Victor for a 5-yard gain. A false start penalty set the Showboats back 5 yards, and then Cookus could not complete a pass on third down as the crowd noise hit a major crescendo.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Shepherd returned the Matt White punt to the St. Louis 39. McCarron passed 6 yards to Ateman, and then passed to Pearson for a gain of zero yards. An 8-yard pass to Shepherd moved the chains to the Memphis 40. McCarron handed to Saylors for a 7-yard gain and then passed to Blake Jackson for a 2-yard loss. On third and 6, McCarron scrambled 9 yards for a first down.
McCarron passed 4 yards to Butler, and then handed to Saylors for a 3-yard gain. On third down, a pass to Jackson fell incomplete and the Battlehawks attempted a 45-yard Szmyt field goal which was no good.
Cookus handed to Victor for an 11-yard run, and then passed deep to Davis, but the ball fell incomplete. A defensive holding penalty gave Memphis 5 yards. Another handoff to Victor gained 17 yards, and then a handoff to Swen made 7-yards. A 5-yard pass to Papale moved the sticks to the St. Louis 19.
A pass to Adams in the end zone drew a 15-yard defensive pass interference penalty, and then a handoff to Darius Victor led to a 6-yard run and a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good on a 5-yard pass to Surratt, making the score 17-14 for St. Louis.
Shepherd returned the Coughlin kickoff to the St. Louis 41. A pass to Saylors gained 3 yards, and then another pass to Saylors fell incomplete. A 12-yard pass to Ateman moved the chains. McCarron handed to Gallman for 5 yards, and then an offensive holding call penalized the Battlehawks 10 yards. On 2nd and 15, McCarron was picked off by Quenton Meeks and he ran the ball back to the St. Louis 13.
Cookus handed to Victor for a 4-yard gain, and then was pressured and had to throw the ball away. As the crowd noise rose, the two-minute warning was announced.
Cookus passed 5 yards to Davis, but just short of the first down. On 4th and 1, the Memphis offensive line moved, and were called on a 5-yard false start penalty. Memphis opted for a 28-yard Matt Coughlin field goal to make the score tied 17-17.
Shepherd returned the Coughlin kickoff to the St. Louis 35. McCarron passed to Butler for a 7-yard gain, and then passed to Saylors for 5 yards and a first down. A deep pass to Pearson was caught for a 24-yard gain, and then McCarron spiked the ball. An incomplete passed to Saylors was followed by an incomplete pass to Butler. The Battlehawks settled for a 47-yard Szmyt field goal to make the score 20-17 for St. Louis at half time.
To begin the second half, Szmyt kicked off 67 yards and Swen returned the ball to the Memphis 43-yard line. On first down, Cookus was sacked for a 6-yard loss, and then he passed 7 yards to Victor. On third and 9, Cookus passed incomplete to Papale and the Showboats were forced to punt.
Shepherd returned the punt to his own 15-yard line. McCarron completed a 6-yard pass to Averett, and then passed 5 yards to Butler to move the markers. A pass to Saylors gained 2 yards, and then a handoff to Saylors gained 6 more yards. On 3rd and 2, McCarron passed 5-yards to Ateman on the St. Louis 39-yard line.
A pass to Pearson was tackled for only a 2-yard gain, and then a handoff to Saylors gained 6 yards. On 3rd and 2, a handoff to Jackson lost 4 yards, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Sterling Hofrichter punt went 38 yards and was returned to the Memphis 23 by Jarey Elder. Cookus handed to Victor for a 2-yard gain, and then passed to Victor, but he lost a yard. On third down, Case Cookus was strip sacked and the ball was recovered by Memphis’s Jared Thomas. Cookus was injured on the play.
On 4th and 13, Memphis punted. The punt went out of bounds, giving the Battlehawks the ball on the Memphis 47-yard line. McCarron passed to Butler for 4 yards and then a catch by Saylors was nullified by a 10-yard offensive holding call. A 14-yard pass to Shepherd made it third and 2 and McCarron tossed a pass to Jake Sutherland for a 3-yard gain and a first down on the Memphis 36.
McCarron threw a screen pass to Gallman and he ran for a long gain, but it was nullified when St. Louis’s Steven Gonzalez was called for an illegal block below the waist and penalized 15-yards. On first down, McCarron’s pass was batted down, and then a handoff to Saylors made 10-yards. A 20-yard pass to Butler moved the markers to the Memphis 15, and then McCarron kept the ball and ran for 7 yards as the third quarter ended.
A.J. McCarron rushed for 2 yards, and then passed 7 yards to Jake Sutherland for a touchdown. The one-point conversion was no good on a McCarron quarterback sneak that was stopped just short of the end zone, making the score 26-17 for St. Louis.
Adams returned the Szmyt kickoff to the Memphis 45. Troy Williams entered the game at quarterback, and threw incomplete to Papale, and then an 11-yard pass to Surratt moved the markers. Williams handed to Victor for a 3-yard run, and then handed again to Victor but he lost 3 yards. On 3rd and 10, Williams was flushed out of the pocket and had to scramble for 3 yards.
On 4th and 7, crowd noise caused Williams to take a delay of game penalty. Afterward, Williams was sacked for a 12-yard loss, and the ball was turned over on downs.
From the Memphis 49-yard line, McCarron passed incomplete, and then handed to Saylors for a 1-yard gain. On third and 9, a pass to Pearson gained enough for a first down. Upon review, the ball was deemed to have been fumbled and recovered by Memphis’s Lamont McPhatter on his own 33-yard line.
Williams handed to Victor for a 4 yard gain, and then handed to Victor again for 3 more yards. On third down, Williams could not complete a pass to Surratt, and then on fourth and 3 the Showboats punted.
Pearson returned the punt to the St. Louis 35. McCarron handed to Saylors for 2 yards, and then handed to Saylors again who broke it open for a 57-yard run to the Memphis 8-yard line.
On first down, Saylors was handed the ball but gained zero yards, and then McCarron passed 8-yards to Jahcour Pearson in the corner of the end zone for a Battlehawks touchdown. The one-point conversion failed, making the score 32-17 for St. Louis.
Adams returned the Szmyt kickoff to the Memphis 40. Williams passed to Surratt for 6 yards, and then a pass downfield to Surratt was well defended and fell incomplete. On 3rd and 4, Williams passed to Surratt for 5 yards and a first down.
Travis Feeney sacked Williams for a 9-yard loss, and then Williams passed incomplete to Dee Anderson. Another pass to Anderson was caught for a 14-yard gain, and then on fourth and 3, a false start infraction was credited to crowd noise. Now on fourth and 8, Williams was pressured and threw incomplete to Papale. The Showboats turned over the ball on downs as the two minute warning was announced.
Starting on his own 48-yard line, McCarron handed to Saylors but he lost 2 yards. Another handoff to Saylors gained zero yards, and then McCarron kept the ball and scrambled for 6 yards. Afterward, St. Louis was able to run out the remainder of time on the clock.
The final score was St. Louis Battlehawks 32, Memphis Showboats 17.
Box Scores
Score by Quarter
TEAM 1 2 3 4 T
MEM 6 11 0 0 17
STL 17 3 0 12 32
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS
Memphis Showboats Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
10 Cookus, Case 8-12 55 1 1 67 116
11 Williams, Troy 4-9 37 0 0 44 79
Memphis Showboats Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
27 Victor, Darius 11 58 1 17 5.3
08 Swen, Titus 1 7 0 7 7
11 Williams, Troy 1 3 0 3 3
10 Cookus, Case 1 -1 0 -1 -1
Memphis Showboats Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
83 Surratt, Sage 4 24 0 11 6 3
27 Victor, Darius 3 16 0 10 3 19
13 Papale, Vinny 2 21 1 17 5 18
02 Davis, Daewood 2 16 0 11 2 5
04 Anderson, Dee 1 15 0 15 2 3
06 Habibi-Likio, Cyrus 0 0 0 0 1 0
84 Morris, Lee 0 0 0 0 1 0
Memphis Showboats Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
23 McPhatter, Lamont (SAF) 11 9 0 0 0 0 1
28 Woods, Kyree (CB) 7 4 0 1 0 0 0
24 Elder, Jarey (SAF) 7 7 0 2 0 0 0
21 Abrams, Delrick (CB) 6 3 0 0 0 0 0
94 Mack, Daylon (DL) 5 4 0 0 0 0 0
07 Meeks, Quenton (SAF) 5 4 0 0 1 1 0
45 Lawal, Malik (LB) 5 3 0 0 0 0 0
20 Diggs, Vontae 4 4 0 0 0 0 0
42 Ferguson, Jordan (OLB) 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
03 McFarland, Christia (SAF) 4 3 0 0 0 0 0
92 Hall, P.J. 3 3 0 1 0 0 0
06 Habibi-Likio, Cyrus 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
88 Jay Wilson, Jay 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
90 Faamatau, Dillon 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
09 Roberts, Maximilian 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
41 Reaves, Greg (OLB) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
77 Jones, Jarron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
02 Davis, Daewood 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
32 Shelton, Nehemiah 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
91 Bronson, Josiah 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
05 Neal, T.J. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Memphis Showboats All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
Swen, Titus 104 7 0 97 0 0 0
Victor, Darius 74 58 16 0 0 0 1
Papale, Vinny 61 0 21 40 0 0 1
Memphis Showboats Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
White, Matt 4 160 40.0 53 1
Memphis Showboats Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Swen, Titus 4 97 24 30 0
Adams, Jonathan 2 40 20 30 0
Papale, Vinny 1 40 40 40 0
Memphis Showboats Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Elder, Jarey 1 -1 -01 -1 0
Memphis Showboats Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Coghlin, Matt 2nd-1:14 28 GOOD
TOTAL 1-1 LONG OF 28
ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS
St. Louis Battlehawks Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
10 McCarron, AJ 35-45 222 3 1 78 136.8
St. Louis Battlehawks Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
15 Saylors, Jacob 15 103 0 57 6.9
10 McCarron, AJ 4 23 0 9 5.8
30 Gallman II, Wayne 2 7 1 5 3.5
St. Louis Battlehawks Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
01 Pearson, Jahcour 10 70 1 24 10 33
88 Butler, Hakeem 8 61 0 20 9 19
11 Shepherd, Darrius 3 27 0 13 4 13
03 Ateman, Marcell 3 23 0 12 5 8
15 Saylors, Jacob 3 19 1 11 5 19
84 Sutherland, Jake 2 10 1 7 2 4
80 Averett, Kemari 2 4 0 6 2 5
08 Jackson, Blake 2 -6 0 -2 4 1
21 Durant, Mataeo 1 8 0 8 1 7
30 Gallman II, Wayne 1 6 0 6 1 9
St. Louis Battlehawks Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
23 Kelly, Kameron (DB) 7 2 0 0 0 0 0
48 Garrett, Chris 6 3 1 0 0 0 1
32 Cole, Qwynnterrio (FS) 6 3 0 1 0 1 0
29 Askew-Henry, Dravon 5 1 0 0 0 0 0
56 Feeney, Travis (DE) 5 2 1.5 1 0 0 0
51 Harvey, Willie (LB) 5 4 0 0 0 0 0
27 Rose, Mike (MLB) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 Hill, Lavert (CB) 4 2 0 0 1 1 0
09 Payton-Jones, Chris (CB) 4 2 0 0 0 1 0
06 Williams, Lakiem 3 1 0 1 0 0 0
98 Akinmoladun, Freedo 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
85 Kapp, Jerome 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
38 Sebastian, Brandon (CB) 2 1 0 0 0 2 0
52 Jackson, Antwuan 1 0 0.5 0 0 0 0
11 Shepherd, Darrius 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
59 O'Reilly, Callahan 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
26 Wells, Carson (OLB) 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
08 Jackson, Blake 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
01 Pearson, Jahcour 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
St. Louis Battlehawks All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
Shepherd, Darrius 173 0 27 128 18 0 0
Saylors, Jacob 122 103 19 0 0 0 1
Pearson, Jahcour 86 0 70 0 16 0 1
St. Louis Battlehawks Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
Hofrichter, Sterling 1 38 38.0 38 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Shepherd, Darrius 4 128 32 60 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Shepherd, Darrius 2 18 09 10 0
Pearson, Jahcour 1 16 16 16 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Szmyt, Andre 1st-10:38 54 GOOD
Szmyt, Andre 2nd-9:08 45 MISS
Szmyt, Andre 2nd-00:21 47 GOOD
TOTAL 2-3 LONG OF 54
GAME COMPARISON
STAT MEM STL
Total Yds 127 355
Pass Yds 60 222
Rush Yds 67 133
Penalties 5-23 6-59
1st Downs 11 19
3rd Downs 1-8 9-15
4th Downs 0-2 0-0
Total Plays 39 66
Avg Yds/Play 3.3 5.4
Avg Yds/Completion 5 6.3
Avg Yds/Rush 4.8 6.3
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) 99 (9.9) 133 (6.3)
Red Zone 2-3 4-4
Time of Poss 21:29 38:31
Turnovers (Def Pts Off) 1 (8) 2 (3)
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Sacks (Def Yds) 0.0 (0.0) 4.0 (32.0)
TFL (Def Yds) 4 (12.0) 4 (20.0)
Alt. Kickoffs 0-0 0-0
