The Louisville Kings (2-3) visited Toyota Stadium on Sunday afternoon to close out Week 5 against the Dallas Renegades (4-2).
In the first quarter, Louisville had the ball on the 48-yard line after its defense stopped Dallas on fourth down. During the drive, quarterback Chandler Rogers threw two passes for 18 yards, and James Robinson had four carries for 12 yards to lead the offense to the 20-yard line. Kicker Tanner Brown made a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead that took seven plays for 32 yards.
For the rest of the first quarter, both offenses would move the ball past the 50-yard line. In the UFL, punts are not allowed once the offense crosses the 50-yard line. When Dallas had the ball on fourth down, Austin Reed threw an incomplete pass, and Louisville quarterback Chandler Rodgers was sacked on fourth down by Willie Taylor III. The Kings led the Renegades 3-0 to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Dallas moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On the next play, the Renegades were set up in a screen play. Louisville defensive back Bryce Hall recognized the play and made the interception for a pick-six 83-yard touchdown for a 10-0 lead. In the next series, Dallas quarterback Austin Reed’s pass was intercepted by Corey Mayfield Jr. on the 40-yard line.
Quarterback Chandler Rodgers threw two passes for 24 yards and scrambled for a two-yard run. The Kings moved the ball to the one-yard line, where running back Ian Wheeler scored the touchdown. Kicker Tanner Brown missed the extra point. The Kings extended their lead to 16-0, which took eight plays for 40 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Dallas began their drive from the 32-yard line. They went 14 plays for 68 yards that ended when running back Ellis Merriweather scored a one-yard touchdown. The Renegades trailed the Kings 16-7. Louisville got the ball on the 40-yard line. They went seven plays for 59 yards before kicker Tanner Brown made a 19-yard field goal. The Kings led the Renegades 19-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Dallas had the ball on the 43-yard line. They moved the ball to the 20-yard line before a false start penalty backed them up five yards. On the next play, quarterback Austin Reed threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Hodges. They did not get the two-point conversion. The Renegades trailed the Kings 19-13 to conclude an eight-play drive for 48 yards.
Louisville answered back by moving the ball to the seven-yard line, followed by running back Ian Wheeler scoring the touchdown for a 26-13 lead. The drive went nine plays for 76 yards. Just before the third quarter ended, Dallas quarterback Austin Reed’s pass was intercepted by Corey Mayfield Jr. The Kings led the Renegades 26-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Louisville running back Ian Wheeler rushed for a 10-yard touchdown. It was his third rushing touchdown of the game. The Kings extended their lead to 32-13 to conclude a six-play drive for 17 yards. Later, Dallas quarterback Austin Reed’s pass was intercepted by Antonio Grier Jr. for a pick-six 47-yard touchdown for a 40-13 lead.
Later, Dallas went on a seven-play drive for 75 yards that ended with running back Ellis Merriweather scoring a one-yard touchdown. They attempted a three-point conversion and did not get it. The Renegades trailed the Kings 40-19.
Dallas went for a 4th and 12 play and did not get it. Louisville’s offense moved the ball to the two-yard line, where running back Ian Wheeler scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the game for a 47-19 lead. The drive took five plays for 28 yards.
Greg Ward, a former quarterback at the University of Houston turned wide receiver, was the new quarterback for Dallas to finish the game. Ward led the team to the 27-yard line, where he threw a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Butler to end the game. The drive went 11 plays for 75 yards. The Louisville Kings defeated the Dallas Renegades by the final score of 47-25 for their second consecutive win, while Dallas has now lost two straight.
Louisville’s offense had 280 yards (150 passing yards, 147 rushing yards), 20 first downs, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times. Quarterback Chandler Rogers completed 13 of 18 passes (72.2%) for 150 yards and three carries for 22 yards. Running back Ian Wheeler had 13 carries for 62 yards and four rushing touchdowns, while James Robinson had 13 carries for 63 yards.
Wide receiver Tarik Black made five catches for 59 yards, while Lucky Jackson made three catches for 33 yards. The defense made 65 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions, two touchdowns, and seven pass breakups.
Dallas had 365 yards on offense (269 passing yards, 104 rushing yards), 21 first downs, 3 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 14 of 28 passes (50%) for 195 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions.
Quarterback/Wide receiver Greg Ward completed 5 of 6 passes (83.3%) for 56 yards, one touchdown, and made one catch for five yards. Running back Ellis Merriweather had 18 carries for 55 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Curtis Hodges made two catches for 88 yards and one touchdown, while Emmanuel Butler made two catches for 35 yards and one touchdown, and Drake Stoops made four catches for 47 yards. The defense made 51 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Next Thursday, the Louisville Kings host the St. Louis Battlehawks at 8 pm on FS1, while the Dallas Renegades visit the D.C. Defenders on Saturday at 12 pm on ABC.
