THIS GIVEN SUNDAY – UFL WK5: DALLAS FALL AGAIN
Week 5 of the United Football League season pivoted on one major result, but everything else across the weekend fed off the same theme of volatility.
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Louisville Kings 47 @ 25 Dallas Renegades
Louisville didn’t just edge Dallas, they ‘ripped the game script apart’ as they confirmed that, despite opening with three successive defeats, there was little to separate them from the more established UFL operations.
The Kings arrived in Texas as a sub-.500 side, but on the back of a maiden win in Week 4, and left having dismantled the Renegades 47–25 in the most emphatic road win of the UFL campaign to date following a game of defensive opportunism and ruthless conversion of mistakes that accounted for 27 of their points.
Dallas receiver Tyler Vaughns, who was leading the UFL in receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards was limited to just one catch for nine yards, while quarterback Austin Reed threw four interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns, in a collapse that flipped a 3–0 arm-wrestle into a blowout within minutes. The Kings were clinical in turning short fields and sudden changes of possession into points, establishing a 16–0 cushion before the Renegades had time to regain their composure.
Rogers settled quickly on debut, hitting Tarik Black early before Tanner Brown opened the scoring from 38 yards. Dallas stalled through drops and a turnover on downs, and Louisville seized control when Bryce Hall returned Reed’s first interception 83 yards for a touchdown. That was followed immediately by a second pick, this time from Corey Mayfield Jr, allowing Ian Wheeler to punch in from a yard out to make it 16–0.
Dallas responded through Ellis Merriweather, but Brown added a 19-yard field goal for a 19–7 half-time lead. Reed found Curtis Hodges for 25 yards after the break, only for Wheeler to answer from seven yards — the first of three second-half scores. Mayfield Jr added a second interception, Wheeler struck again from 12 yards, and Antonio Grier returned another pick 46 yards for a touchdown. Merriweather added a late second, but Wheeler’s fourth rushing score — a UFL single-game record — capped a 150-yard team effort on the ground.
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DC Defenders 45 @ 28 Birmingham Stallions
The DC Defenders continue to look like the league’s most complete operation, after dispatching the Birmingham Stallions 45–28 on the road.
Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, MVP of last season’s championship game, orchestrated the DC performance with four touchdown passes and 275 yards through the air, repeatedly punishing Birmingham turnovers and short fields.
The Stallions threatened early in the second half, briefly narrowing the deficit to two points, but turnovers, notably interceptions and failed fourth downs, killed any sustained effort to get back on level terms.
DC’s ability to stack scores after opposition errors is becoming a defining trait of their championship defence, and already hints at a potential return to the season finale.
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St Louis Battlehawks 25 @ 17 Orlando Storm
The St. Louis Battlehawks handed the Orlando Storm their first loss of the season, 25–17, in another game dictated by defensive control and field position.
The visitors built a 15–0 half-time lead while Orlando stumbled through a series of stalled possessions, turning the ball over on downs and a fumble as St Louis built their advantage. Harrison Frost’s opening drive was sparked by a deep strike to Tyler Neville, setting up Kylin James for a one-yard touchdown. Frost then found James Bostic III for a leaping endzone score as the dominant defensive stretch kept Orlando scoreless.
With kicker duties handed to Ryan Sanborn, St. Louis added field goals from 36 and 40 yards for an 18–0 half-time lead. The Battlehawks extended that margin to 25–0 in the third when Jarveon Howard broke off a 31-yard run, before Frost added a four-yard rushing touchdown.
Orlando finally responded through Jack Plummer, who led an 80-yard drive capped by a four-yard pass to Elijhah Badger, before a blocked punt set up Elijah Dotson for a one-yard score. Michael Lantz added a 26-yard field goal as part of a late push, but St. Louis were able to withstand the onslaught and closed out the win, with Jordan Williams (six tackles) anchoring a defence that forced the decisive late turnover on downs.
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Columbus Aviators 13 @ 17 Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers added a second win of the season to move above both Birmingham and weekend visitors Columbus in what was probably the least glamorous, but perhaps most telling, game of the weekend.
The only home side to win across the weekend, Houston controlled the early flow with a time-consuming 85-yard opening drive and built a 14–0 lead, but then allowed the Aviators to claw themselves back to within one point before half-time.
From there, execution — or lack of it — defined the outcome. Columbus missed a short field goal, then fumbled twice in key moments, including once in the final minute. As a result, Houston won but didn’t dominate, relying on making fewer critical errors than their opponents.
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Five weeks into the new UFL season, the Defenders and Storm continue to hold sway, although Orlando’s first defeat ensured that they remain level with the reigning champions rather than out in front. The Renegades, having now lost back-to-back games to new-for-2026 teams share third spot with a St Louis team still to find consistency, while Louisville and Houston edged ahead of the bottom pair with valuable weekend wins. For Birmingham, meanwhile, dreams of returning to the top of the pile look to be on hold after a disastrous start that leaves them rooted to the foot of the table beneath Columbus.