The D.C. Defenders (6-4) visited The Dome at America’s Center on Sunday against the St. Louis Battlehawks (8-2) in the XFL Conference Championship Game where the winner advances to the UFL Championship Game next Saturday.
In the first quarter, D.C. quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Seth Williams for a 6-0 lead with 6:21 left. D.C. led St. Louis 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, D.C. running back Deon Jackson rushed up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw the ball to Cornell Powell for the two-point conversion. D.C. led St. Louis 14-0 with 11:26 left.
Later, St. Louis running back Jacob Saylors had nine carries for 45 yards, and one touchdown to cut the lead to 14-6 with 3:10 left. Late in the second quarter, D.C. kicker Matt McCrane made a 34-yard field goal and a 41-yard field giving the Defenders a 20-6 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, D.C. running back Abram Smith rushed up the middle for a two-yard touchdown for a 26-6 lead with 7:18 left. Brandon Silvers was the new quarterback for St. Louis. He threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler and it was now 26-12 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, D.C. running back Deon Jackson rushed to his right side for a five-yard touchdown. Running back Abram Smith scored the one-point conversion for a 33-12 lead with 14:57 left. Kicker Matt McCrane made a 32-yard field goal for a 36-12 lead with 7:48 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, St. Louis quarterback Max Duggan rushed up the middle for a two-yard touchdown and it was now 36-18. D.C. dominated this game and defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks by the final score of 36-18 to win the XFL Conference.
D.C. had 388 yards of offense led by quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completing 18 of 26 passes (69.2%) for 204 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 13 yards. Running back Deon Jackson led the rushers with 21 carries for 109 yards, and two touchdowns, while Abram Smith had 13 carries for 65 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Seth Williams made two catches for 61 yards, and one touchdown, while Cornell Powell made four catches for 57 yards. Kicker Matt McCrane made three field goals with a long of 41 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
St. Louis had 240 yards of offense led by quarterback Max Duggan completing 7 of 14 passes (50%) for 105 yards, one interception, eight carries for 33 yards, and one touchdown. Backup quarterback Brandon Silvers completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 81 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Jacob Saylors had nine carries for 45 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Frank Darby led the receivers making two catches for 53 yards, while Hakeem Butler made two catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 70 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and four pass breakups.
Next Saturday, the D.C. Defenders battle the Michigan Panthers for the UFL Championship Game in St. Louis at 8 pm on ABC. Purchase UFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
