UFL Week 5 By The Numbers: Battlehawks, Defenders put on a show
Every team that lost last week — the Memphis Showboats, St. Louis Battlehawks, DC Defenders and Houston Roughnecks — turned things around and were victorious in Week 5, while all of Week 4's winners — the Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, Arlington Renegades and San Antonio Brahmas — came up short this time around.
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League]
Here are the numbers to know after Week 5.
1: Memphis picked up its first win of the season in dramatic fashion on Friday night, beating defending champion Birmingham in the first overtime game in UFL history. After the Stallions forced OT in the final minute of regulation, the game was decided in a best-of-three shootout-style format with alternating plays from the 5-yard line. Memphis was able to score on two of its three tries for the eventual 24-20 win.
2: After missing the last three games with a hamstring injury, reigning UFL Offensive Player of the Year Hakeem Butler returned for the Battlehawks this week. He only caught two passes, but they went for a combined 124 yards and both ended in touchdowns. Butler caught two go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter — the first for 67 yards and the second for 57 yards on a trick play in St. Louis' 32-27 win over Michigan.
[MORE: Isiah Hennie's kick-six, Battlehawks' trick play top best plays from UFL Week 5]
3: Houston's defense completely locked up San Antonio's offense in Week 5, holding the Brahmas to just 118 total yards en route to an easy 27-3 win. Houston QB Jalen McClendon got his first win as the Roughnecks' starter and led the offense to points on their first four drives of the game.
4: QB Jordan Ta'amu had four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in the Defenders' comeback win over the Renegades. Ta'amu had 345 total yards and now looks like the front-runner for UFL MVP at the halfway point of the regular season, as DC's 4-1 record is the best in the league. Ta'amu also leads the league in total yards (268 per game) and touchdowns (11).
[MORE: Jordan Ta'amu's 300-yard performance highlights UFL Week 5 storylines]
70: DC and Arlington combined for the highest scoring game of the season and tied for the most points in a game in UFL history in Sunday's game that ended with the Defenders coming out on top, 37-33. Arlington was also involved in the UFL's other 70-point game, which came in their 47-23 win over Memphis last year.
78: Memphis WR Dee Anderson's 78-yard touchdown reception against Birmingham was the longest play from scrimmage in UFL history. He was on the end of a deep pass from QB Dresser Winn, who was making his first start of the season.
108: In addition to Anderson's long score vs. Birmingham, the Showboats also scored on a 108-yard kick-six by Isiah Hennie off a missed field goal by the Stallions at the end of the first half. It's the longest play in UFL history.
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New York Times
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