Battlehawks QB A.J. McCarron scores a touchdown in the team’s first meeting against San Antonio earlier this season. (Photo courtesy: TheUFL.com)
St. Louis Battlehawks – Gameday Info
Game No. 10 — San Antonio Brahmas (7-2) at St. Louis Battlehawks (6-3)
Date/Time – June 1, 2024 – 3 pm
Location – The Dome at America’s Center — St. Louis, MO
Broadcast – FOX Sports
Radio — FOX Sports on Sirius XM
Live Stats – UFL Stats Broadcast
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — The final regular season game of the 2024 United Football League season will be the most important game of the regular season for the St. Louis Battlehawks, who will host the San Antonio Brahmas, Saturday afternoon at The Dome at America’s Center.
The winner of the game will earn home-field advantage when the teams meet again next week in the XFL Conference championship game, which will decide which team will represent the XFL Conference in the UFL championship game, which will be played in St. Louis on June 16.
San Antonio currently holds first place with a 7-2 record, while St. Louis is right behind at 6-3. The Battlehawks defeated the Brahmas earlier this season, which is why Saturday’s game is so important.
If St. Louis wins again, the teams will have identical records, but the Battlehawks will own the tiebreaker by having beaten the Brahmas twice. If San Antonio wins on Saturday, it will finish at 8-2 and own first place all by itself.
If the Battlehawks indeed make it though to the championship game, it could mean the largest crowd for a spring football game. The Battlehawks average 34,362 per game, compared to the rest of the league at 9,834. The Battlehawks are 4-0 at home and were 2-3 on the road, including their last two games.
Players to Watch: The biggest question heading into the game is whether starting quarterback A.J. McCarron will return too his starting role. He has missed the past two games because of an ankle injury. Backup quarterback Manny Wilkins led the team to 26-21 victory over the D.C. Defenders May 19.
Wilkins was also the quarterback in last week’s 36-22 loss to the Arlington Renegades last Saturday.
Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht was quiet all week about if McCarron would play this week. But on Friday, the team announced that not only would McCarron be active for Saturday’s game, but that he would also start.
“We’re playing to win,” Becht said. “They gotta stop us, we gotta stop them…there’s no secrets at this point, right? It’s about execution. It’s about winning your one-on-one matchups.
“I think all that stuff–we can overthink that. But for us, we’re trying to win this game. We’re not worried about what we’re doing or what we’re showing. We’re trying to get our guys prepared so we can get in that groove heading into the playoffs.”
In St. Louis’ win earlier this season over San Antonio, McCarron completed 19-of-27 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. He also ran four times for 21 yards and scored a touchdown.
The Brahmas come into the game on the heels of an 18-9 victory over Birmingham, which was the previously undefeated Stallions’ first loss of the season.
San Antonio has the UFL’s top defense and its most fierce pass rush. The Battlehawks are the only team that has scored more than 19 points in a game this season against the Brahmas.
The Brahmas backfield will look different this week, with Morgan Ellison getting the start and return specialist Pooka Williams Jr. as his backup. Quarterback Chase Garbers will get his first official start with San Antonio since the first half of the season.
Up Next: The Battlehawks and Brahmas will meet again next week in the XFL Conference championship game.
We already know the game will be played next Sunday, June 9, at 6 p.m., on FOX. The only question is will the game be played at The Dome in St. Louis or The Alamodome in San Antonio.
The winner will play the USFL Conference champion in the UFL championship game on June 16.