Eric Williams
NFL reporter
To the typical level of 2025 UFL season, DC defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu emerged as the most effective participant of the League.
Ta’amu continued his spectacular sport through the weekend, main his workforce from a deficit of 15 factors of the second half to acquire a 37-33 victory of return to the Arlington Renegades Sunday.
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Ta’amu launched for 308 yard passing within the championship and ran for an additional 37 and a rating. With his effort, Ta’amu contributed to main the defenders to the best victory for the historical past of the UFL. The Ole Miss product leads the League in passing development websites (1,213) and passing landing (9).
“It’s incredible,” Ta’amu mentioned after the sport. “I really like making historical past.”
The defenders are bounced by a defeat for defeat for loss San Antonio Brahmas (1-4) and improved for a greater 4-1 of the 12 months with the victory. In the meantime, Arlington has dropped to 3-2, even together with his defensive again Star Ajene Harris who revealed six mixed contrasts, an interception and compelled fumble.
In different actions, the Memphis Showboats (1-4) He gained their first victory of the season, 24-20, within the extraordinary towards the reigning champion Birmingham Stallions (3-2) Friday. Elsewhere, the St. Louis Battlehawks (3-2) detained the Michigan panther (3-2) Saturday 32-27.
Closing issues, the Houston Roughnecks (2-3) Take care of the enterprise towards the Brahmas (1-4) Sunday 27-3.
Here is a have a look at different plots of week 5:
Hakeem Butler shine by bounce victory for Battlehawks
In his first sport from week 1 after coping with a persistent knee drawback, Butler confirmed why he’s the UFL offensive participant accountable for the 12 months. The massive receiver represented two lengthy landing for St. Louis-one for 67 yard and the opposite on an inverse passage from his colleague Blake Jackson for 57 yard-twenties the Battlehawks resisted for the 32-27 victory in entrance of 30,406 followers to the Central American heart.
“It was enjoyable simply being on the market,” Butler mentioned after the sport. “I used to be extra enthusiastic concerning the block and solely to be on the market to hit the boys quite than to take the ball.”
Making his first begin as a substitute of a wounded Manny Wilkins, QB Max Dugan went 9 out of 12 for 124 YARD passage and a landing. Duggan additionally re -based for 70 racing yards and two scores.
The Michigan who ran to Toa Taua scored 74 IARDE and two landing within the loss, whereas Panthers to style Bryce Perkins continued his nice sport, finishing 21 out of 25 steps for 235 yard and two landing.
Explosive video games dominate the week 5
Butler’s nice reveals had been a part of a wider pattern of UFL offenses that created explosive video games through the weekend. The eight groups have mixed for 59 video games of over 20 yards of over 20 IARDE in week 5.
These numbers included 10 landing of at the very least 20 IARDE.
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The rating additionally continues to climb. After placing 40.5 factors mixed in week 4 on common, the video games in week 5 marked on common a complete mixed of fifty.8 factors per race. The crimes appear to have reached the defenses once we enter the second half of the season.
To style Dresser Winn Guide Showboats for the primary victory
We wanted further time to do it, however the head coach of Memphis Jim Turner led his workforce to their first victory, a 24-20 victory on Birmingham. At his first starting, Winn completed 17 for 29 for 235 yard-evidenced by a landing of 78 yard monsters for Dee Anderson on the opening unit-and no interception.
The nice sport for the Showboats was a 108 yard landing return on a 63 Yard Field Goal lacking from the Birmingham Harrison Mevis participant on the finish of the primary half, which gave Memphis a bonus of 17-3 within the lead.
The stallions exceeded the 17-3 showboats within the second half to power extraordinary. However, Birmingham was unable to transform to any of his makes an attempt of two factors in further time, whereas Memphis had two conversions with two profitable factors of success.
Making its first begin of the season for stallions, QB Case Cookus has accomplished 15 passages out of 33 for 145 yard, two landing passages and an interception.
What’s improper with stallions?
After a collection of victories in three video games, Birmingham has misplaced his second sport of the season this week at house with reveals from present with out victories.
Last season, the stallions misplaced just one sport all 12 months spherical for a 3rd consecutive title of the spring soccer championship. Birmingham had misplaced solely 4 video games within the final three years coming into the UFL marketing campaign of 2025. However, evidently different groups have reached the register filled with Birmingham skills, the pinnacle of coach Skip Holtz has put collectively.
Injuries and Slobbpy Play additionally plagued the stallions, that are linked to the championship in tributes (9) and are third within the league with 38 penalties accepted for 290 yard.
“I believe there’s much more equality, however we additionally had 10 appetizers to lose a sport,” Holtz mentioned. “We are in our third quarterback after 4 video games. There is not any continuity. I really feel like each week we’re beginning once more. There are all these distractions … my frustration isn’t that we’ve misplaced, are you aware what I imply?
“It’s not, ‘Well, everyone seems to be reaching.’ We should go on a sure consistency, and this was in all probability the distinction between this workforce and the groups in previous years.
Roughnecks are rolling
Curtis Johnson has formally put collectively his first collection of victories in two video games as head coach of the UFL. After going 1-9 final season and misplaced the primary three video games this 12 months, the Roughneck improved 2-3 with a convincing victory on the street on Brahmas.
With the offense of San Antonio in issue, the native product Kellen Mondo was changed by the quarterback by the backup Jarrett Warantano within the third quarter. Warantano didn’t go a lot better, finishing 6 out of 15 passages for 29 yard.
However, Houston to style Jalan McClendon had one other strong efficiency, going to 22 to 32 steps for 171 yard. Defensively, the Roughnecks held the Brahmas at 118 Yard whole in opening the home.
“We are highlighted to realize our objective,” mentioned Johnson. “And I believe we positively turned slightly momentum (in our workforce). It’s not simply profitable, however that is how we gained it. It was fairly convincing as we speak.”
Eric D. Williams He reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, overlaying the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Changers for Espn and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him to @eric_d_williams.
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