Jacob Saylors scored three touchdowns to lead the St. Louis Battlehawks to a win over the San Antonio Brahmas, Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| United Football League | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Brahmas (0-2) | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks (2-0) | 3 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 26 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — Jacob Saylors scored three touchdowns and his teammates on defense delivered their second straight dominant performance on Sunday, as the St. Louis Battlehawks overpowered the San Antonio Brahmas for a 26-9 win in a United Football League game at The Dome at America’s Center.
A raucous crowd of 32,115 fans enjoyed the Battlehawks 2025 UFL home opener, as St. Louis won its second straight game to move to 2-0 and allowed fewer than 10 points for the second straight week.
With the win, the Battlehawks were able to avenge last year’s XFL Conference Championship loss to San Antonio, a defeat that cost them a shot at the UFL title on their home turf.
St. Louis thrived behind a well-balanced offensive attack on offense, finishing with 320 all-purpose yards, while the defense also delivered with several key turnovers and shutdown drives.
“An unbelievable team win today,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. “We talk about sustaining the energy, sustaining the want to go out and play a back-to-back really good game. It’s very hard in this league. A lot of players get on these highs and we preach all the way trying to keep them composed… My staff did a helluva job and the guys were prepared. They just have to execute, go out there and do it. It’s really on them, they did it, and I’m proud.”
Battlehawks RB Jacob Saylors breaks free for a large gain during Sunday’s win over the San Antonio Brahmas. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Saylors set the single-game team record and tied the UFL record with three rushing touchdowns, rushing for 46 yards over 11 attempts.
The Battlehawks controlled the first half of play behind a pair of rushing touchdowns by Saylors while outgaining the Brahmas (0-2) in the first 30 minutes of play 192-135. Saylors delivered the Battlehawks’ first touchdown of the game on a 20-yard rush with 11:04 to play before halftime to complete a seven-play drive that covered 61 yards. He also rumbled five yards into the end zone for the ensuing two-point conversion to give St. Louis an 11-0 lead.
“I think a lot of it has to do with coaching and our offensive line,” Saylors said. “They’re menaces. I feel bad for every team on our schedule because they got to go up against them. They’re a collective unit. And the running backs, quarterbacks, tight ends, they all go hand-in-hand with that. It’s the identity of this team. It’s a collective effort.”
Receiver Gary Jennings Jr. hauled in the longest pass play of the season for St. Louis on a 58-yard reception from QB Manny Wilkins with 7:32 left in the second quarter. Saylors then found the end zone again on a 1-yard rush with 3:21 left in the second quarter to run the Battlehawks’ advantage to 17-0. The Battlehawks entered halftime with a 17-3 lead, following a successful field goal by Brahmas K Donald De La Haye as time expired on the first half.
In the 3rd quarter, Saylors went on to record his 3rd rushing touchdown of the contest with a 5-yard run to give the Battlehawks a 23-3 lead with 7:41 left in the third quarter. Saylors has scored a touchdown in five of his last six regular-season games played dating back to 2024 Week 7 at Birmingham. Saylors has four touchdowns this season and led the UFL with eight total touchdowns in 2024.
Battlehawks defender Drew Lewis (33) and a teammate bring down San Antonio’s Jontre Kirklin during Sunday’s UFL game at The Dome at America’s Center. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
The team recorded 4.0 sacks to tie the franchise single-game record. Linebackers Travis Feeney and Pita Taumoepenu each tallied their first sack of the season, after tying for the team lead with 5.0 sacks in 2024. Taumoepenu leads the Battlehawks with 3.0 sacks on the season. Defensive end Austin Faoliu and free safety Nate Meadors each notched the first sacks of their Battlehawks careers, as well.
The Battlehawks extended their regular-season home winning streak to seven games dating back to 2023 XFL Week 9 vs. Seattle and are 11-2 all-time in regular-season play at the Dome.
“The fanbase was incredible today,” Becht said. “Really thankful that they came out. As long as we keep winning, hopefully we can continue to grow the fans and bring more fans out. It’s always special coming here. We’re back here next week, so we got a full week to prepare for D.C. Hopefully, I always say, bring a friend, and we’ll have 30-40,000 in this place.”
St. Louis will look to continue that streak next week, when it hosts the DC Defenders in a game on Sunday. Kickoff at the Dome is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Scoring Summary
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | 1 | 1:49 | FIELD GOAL – Rodrigo Blankenship 45 yard FG | 0-3 |
| STL | 2 | 11:10 | TOUCHDOWN – Jacob Saylors 20 yard run | 0-9 |
| STL | 2 | 11:04 | TWO-PT CONVERSION – Jacob Saylors 2 pt run | 0-11 |
| STL | 2 | 3:24 | TOUCHDOWN – Jacob Saylors 1 yard run (2-pt conversion attempt failed) | 0-17 |
| SA | 2 | 00:04 | FIELD GOAL – DeAndre De La Haye 31 yard FG | 3-17 |
| STL | 3 | 7:47 | TOUCHDOWN – Jacob Saylors 5 yard run (1-pt conversion attempt failed) | 3-23 |
| SA | 3 | 4:32 | TOUCHDOWN – Jashaun Corbin 1 yard run (2-pt conversion attempt failed) | 9-23 |
| STL | 4 | 10:07 | FIELD GOAL – Rodrigo Blankenship 22 yard FG | 9-26 |
2025 ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Houston Roughnecks | TDECU Stadium |  | W 31-6 (1-0) |
| April 6, 2025 (Sunday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | San Antonio Brahmas | The Dome at America’s Center |  | W 26-9 (2-0) |
| April 13, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | DC Defenders | The Dome at America’s Center |  | |
| April 19, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Arlington Renegades | Choctaw Stadium | | |
| April 26, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Michigan Panthers | The Dome at America’s Center |  | |
| May 2, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Arlington Renegades | The Dome at America’s Center | | |
| May 11, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Memphis Showboats | Liberty Stadium | | |
| May 17, 2025 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Birmingham Stallions | The Dome at America’s Center | | |
| May 23, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | San Antonio Brahmas | The Dome at America’s Center | | |
| May 30, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | DC Defenders | Audi Field | |