Manny Wilkins will start at quarterback for the second straight week for the St. Louis Battlehawks. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
St. Louis Battlehawks – Gameday Info
Game No. 9 — St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) at Arlington Renegades (1-7)
Date/Time – May 25, 2024 – 11 am
Location – Choctaw Stadium — Arlington, TX
Broadcast – ABC Sports/ESPN+
Radio – ESPN Xtra on Sirius XM
Live Stats – UFL Stats Broadcast
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, TX — Quarterback A.J. McCarron will be back in uniform but not necessarily back on the field for the St. Louis Battlehawks this week when they take on the Arlington Renegades in the final road game of the regular season.
The former All-XFL star and potential United Football League MVP candidate missed the Battlehawks’ previous game because of an ankle injury. On Thursday, St. Louis coach Anthony Becht said McCarron would return for Saturday’s game, as the backup for Manny Wilkins, who started and played well in last week’s 26-21 win over the DC Defenders.
Wilkins completed 9-of-18 passes for 126 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 80 yards on 12 carries.
Becht praised Wilkins for using his mobility to help St. Louis clinch a spot in the United Football League playoffs with its victory.
“Manny did a great job, I thought, his first game,” Becht said. “Clearly, there’s some things you can clean up. But for a guy to step in, be ready for his moment, have the calmness to use his legs as a positive and all those things were a dimension that helped us and gave us a slight advantage is the fact that was something defenses had to worry about.”
McCarron sustained an ankle injury in the Battlehawks’ 30-26 loss to the Birmingham Stallions on May 11, although he did not miss a snap in that game.
“He ran some drills,” Becht said of McCarron this week. “He’s back in the mix. Working on some tape jobs. He’ll be the two this week, so progression is great. He’s tough.
“Listen, these are the moments where your mind kind of gets a little bit stronger in these situations. He’s a veteran guy that understands that, so he’s working diligently every day to find whatever he can to get it feeling its best. He’ll be the two this week for sure.”
In his second season as St. Louis’ quarterback, McCarron has completed 154-of-231 passes for 1,467 yards with a UFL-leading 14 touchdown passes and just three interceptions in seven games.
The Battlehawks play the Renegades at 11 a.m., Saturday at Choctaw Stadium. ABC will televise the game.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, St. Louis is tied with the San Antonio Brahmas for the lead in the XFL Conference with 6-2 records. San Antonio plays the undefeated Birmingham Stallions on Saturday. The Renegades have a 1-7 record.
The Brahmas and the Battlehawks will square off for the second time in 2024 in the regular-season finale on June 1 in St. Louis, then play again in the UFL playoff semifinals on June 9. The Battlehawks defeated San Antonio 31-24 on April 14.
The team that finishes first in the UFL Conference will host the June 9 playoff game, with the winner advancing to the UFL Championship Game on June 16, which will be played at The Dome at America’s Center.