The Louisville Kings (6-4) visited Historic Crew Stadium on Sunday night to conclude the final game of the 2026 UFL regular season against the Columbus Aviators (3-7). After Birmingham was eliminated on Saturday, the Kings had already clinched a playoff spot.
In the first quarter, Columbus had the ball on the 28-yard line. On the first play of the game, Columbus quarterback Jalen Morton’s pass was intercepted by Louisville defensive back Eric Garror for a pick-six touchdown to give the Kings a 7-0 lead. Columbus had the ball on the 34-yard line. They moved the ball to the 40-yard line, where kicker Jonah Dalmas made a 58-yard field goal. The Aviators trailed the Kings 7-3.
On the kickoff, Xavier Benson stripped the ball away from Tyler Hudson, and Columbus recovered it on the 25-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Jalen Morton threw a 23-yard touchdown to Keke Chism to give the Aviators a 10-3 lead that took three plays for 25 yards.
Later, Louisville moved the ball to the 16-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Chandler Rogers scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown. The Kings took a 14-10 lead that concluded a seven-play drive for 42 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Columbus moved the ball to the 43-yard line. Kicker Jonah Dalmas made a 61-yard field goal for four points to tie the game 14-14 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, N’Kosi Perry was the new quarterback for Louisville. With 8:11 left before halftime, Perry threw a 15-yard pass to Tre’ McKitty to the 24-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the four-yard line, where running back Ian Wheeler scored the touchdown. The Kings extended their lead to 21-14, which took 12 plays for 51 yards.
Columbus had the ball on the 28-yard line. On the third play, Jalen Morton threw a 17-yard pass to John Lovett to the 48-yard line. After Toa Taua rushed for two yards, Jalen Morton threw two passes for 44 yards to the two-yard line. Taua finished the drive off with a touchdown. The game was tied 21-21 to conclude an eight-play drive for 72 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Louisville moved the ball to the 14-yard line. Quarterback N’Kosi Perry threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Winstead for a 28-21 lead at halftime that took six plays for 73 yards.
In the third quarter, Mike DiLiello was the new quarterback for Louisville as the Kings made more changes to give their backups a chance to play. Columbus kicker Jonah Dalmas made a 49-yard field goal and a 51-yard field goal as the Aviators trailed the Kings 28-27.
Louisville had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. Running back Ian Wheeler rushed for two yards, and quarterback Mike DiLiello scrambled for seven yards to the 39-yard line. The Kings led the Aviators 28-27 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Louisville reached the 47-yard line, but was unable to convert a fourth-down play. Columbus moved the ball to the 42-yard line. Kicker Jonah Dalmas attempted a 60-yard field goal, but he missed it, and the Kings maintained a 28-27 lead.
Louisville had the ball on the 50-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Mike DiLiello threw a short pass to Kaden Prather for 18 yards to the 30-yard line. Four plays later, running back Jaden Shirden bulldozed his way to score a 17-yard touchdown for a 35-27 lead to conclude a six-play drive for 50 yards.
Columbus had the ball on the 32-yard line. On the third play, quarterback Jalen Morton threw a 28-yard pass to Tay Martin to the 36-yard line. Columbus moved the ball to the 25-yard line before the drive stalled, and they failed to convert on fourth down.
Louisville running back Ian Wheeler broke out for a 61-yard run to the 14-yard line. Three plays later, running back Jaden Shirden scored a four-yard touchdown to put the game away. The Kings defeated the Aviators 42-27. The drive took four plays for 75 yards. The Kings have now won four straight games and six of their last seven games.
Louisville’s offense had 320 yards (147 passing yards, 205 rushing yards), 19 first downs, 5 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time. Quarterback Chandler Rogers had one carry for 16 yards and one rushing touchdown. N’Kosi Perry completed 8 of 13 passes (61.5%) for 89 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 27 yards, and Mike DiLiello completed 6 of 8 passes (75%) for 58 yards, and two carries for 10 yards.
Running back Ian Wheeler had 14 carries for 99 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Jaden Shirden had 12 carries for 53 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Isaiah Winstead made three catches for 65 yards and one touchdown, while Lucky Jackson made four catches for 20 yards. The defense had 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one touchdown, and six pass breakups.
Columbus had 313 yards of offense (221 passing yards, 96 rushing yards), 17 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times. Quarterback Jalen Morton completed 14 of 38 passes (36.8%) for 221 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and six carries for 15 yards. Running back Toa Taua had 13 carries for 70 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. made three catches for 51 yards, while Keke Chism made three catches for 44 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 55 sacks, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups.
The Louisville Kings will play the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL playoffs next Sunday at 6 pm on Fox.
