Three up, three down for UFL week nine

My “Three up, three down” column appears weekly on UFL Board during the season, taking note of positives or things that are happening often (“up”) as well as negatives or rarities (“down”). 

Up: Defensive points on PATs

A quirk in the point after touchdown rule is that a defensive team may score as well – if a loose ball (fumble or interception) is returned all the way to the opposite end zone. The defensive team is awarded the number of points that the try was worth. That led to a rather unique situation in the St. Louis vs. Arlington game. Battlehawks CB Keylon Kennedy picked off a pass at the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a score. Because the Renegades were going for one point from the two-yard line, all of that effort was worth just one point. It was the first PAT return by a defense this season and made for a strange line score where the Battlehawks were credited with just one point in the fourth quarter.

Down: Wing-T Success

One of the signature plays of the 2024 UFL season has been the variation of the Wing-T formation used by the Birmingham Stallions in short-yardage situations. Just like the Stallions themselves, that play had been undefeated for a long time. As Birmingham’s 15-game winning streak came to a close in week nine, so too did their success in using that play. In what ended up being a sign of things to come, the San Antonio Brahmas halted Birmingham on 3rd-and-short in the first quarter with the Stallions using their version of the Wing-T. There was still a long way to go in the game at that point, but the feeling was if that play could be stopped, perhaps Birmingham’s magic had run out.

Up: Brahmas home-field advantage

San Antonio’s final regular season game produced arguably their best atmosphere of the year. The Alamo Dome was packed with the second-largest crowd of the season, behind only the home opener, with many decked out in yellow. The team had been pushing a “yellow out” to honor the military for their “Hats off to Heroes” promotion. Players wore their yellow away jerseys for the occasion. The stadium was loud all game, with Stallions QB Adrian Martinez remarking to his coach at one point that it was too loud for him to hear anything on the field. No doubt that crowd noise contributed, in some way, to San Antonio upsetting Birmingham and handing them their first loss of the season.

Down: Kenny Robinson

No one play cost the Stallions the game against San Antonio, but one that may have tilted the game the most was a personal foul penalty on S Kenny Robinson. After a 3rd-and-26 – 26! – incompletion, Robinson threw a punch at the helmet of WR Landen Akers while both were still on the ground. That drew a personal foul penalty – an automatic first down – and San Antonio capped off the drive with a touchdown. If you believe in momentum, that had to play a part. While that was the most costly, it wasn’t Robinson’s first personal foul of the game. In the first quarter, a Robinson hit knocked Brahmas TE Cody Latimer out of the game. Robinson was flagged for the hit, setting San Antonio up in field goal range. On the very next play, the Brahmas ran a double-pass, and WR Jontre Kirklin found WR Justin Smith for the first score of the game.

Up: Heat

All across the country, summer is arriving. The heat is being turned up as the calendar turns from May to June. In week nine, players really felt that temperature increase on the field. It was a factor in the St. Louis vs. Arlington game on Saturday, as well as the Michigan vs. Houston and D.C. vs. Memphis games on Sunday. In Houston, players on the sideline were getting sponged down and treated with bags of ice. In Arlington and Memphis, it got up into the mid-80s. In Houston, it topped out at 90 degrees, with the field temperature even hotter. Players were frequently cramping during these games. As the UFL considers its regular season timeline in 2025, it should consider the heat that will affect the players at this time of year.

Down: RB health

We’ve seen quarterbacks go through spurts where injuries seem to pile up at the position across the league. This week, running backs were in the cross-hairs. Notably, backs on playoff teams were the victims of bumps and bruises – and more. The Brahmas were down the second-leading rusher in the UFL in John Lovett against Birmingham. During the game, Anthony McFarland and Morgan Ellison both missed time getting nicked up, but both did return. Their health status for this week and beyond will be paramount for a team that has put more of a premium on running the ball recently than it has all season. Darius Victor limped off at one point in the Memphis game against D.C. In Houston, RB TJ Pledger had to be carted to the locker room and his season appears to be over. Even a 10-game season can be a long one for running backs, whose bodies can wear down with the beating they take.