The St. Louis Battlehawks got their 2025 campaign off to a hot start, outscoring their opponents 57-15 to go undefeated in their first two weeks of play. The Battlehawks started the season in Texas, taking on the Houston Roughnecks, where they controlled the game throughout and won 31-6. They then had their home opener at The Dome where they took on the San Antonio Brahmas who beat them in the conference championship last season, getting revenge with a 26-9 victory.
Quarterback decision works out well
Prior to this season, questions arose about who the starting quarterback would be after quarterback Max Duggan was signed. This question was finally answered on March 28 in Houston when Manny Wilkins got the start.
Wilkins, who had served as backup to former quarterback A.J. McCarron last season, came into the game and immediately triumphed. In game one, Wilkins went 17-for-22 for 189 yards through the air as well as making an impact on the ground with eight rushes for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
He followed this performance up with another solid performance against the Brahmas, throwing 12-for-16 for 162 yards while leading the team in rushing with 58 yards off of nine carries. Thanks to these performances, Wilkins has the Battlehawks at the best completion percentage in the league at 74.4%.
Firing on all cylinders
Wilkins wasn’t the only one to make an impact through the first two games of the season, as running back Jacob Saylors rushed for 144 yards on 27 carries with four touchdowns. Three of these touchdowns came in week two, which tied for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game in UFL history. Fellow running back Jarveon Howard rushed a total of 19 times for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Due to this trio, St. Louis had three of the top five leading rushers in the league through the first two weeks. The Battlehawks lead the league as a team in rushing yards with 437 yards on the ground, along with the most rushing touchdowns at seven. They also have the second-best yards per rush at 5.5 yards per carry, just 0.1 behind the Brahmas.
The receivers also had solid showings. Wide receiver Jahcour Pearson had the biggest performance of the season so far in game one, racking up six catches for 83 yards. Saylors added to his rushing total with the second-most receiving yards on the season of anybody, pulling in seven balls for 72 yards.
The Battlehawks lead the league in total offense, all-purpose yards, scoring, touchdowns, first downs, third-down conversions and time of possession through two weeks.
One unfortunate occurrence from the first two weeks was the injury to the reigning UFL Offensive Player of the Year, wide receiver Hakeem Butler. Butler sustained a hamstring injury which kept him out of the game against San Antonio. As a result, he did not play in the Battlehawk’s next game against the DC Defenders.
Defense could win a championship
While the offense went crazy, the defense also looked very promising, allowing a league-best of 15 points so far on the season. The Battlehawks also rank No. 1 in the league in total defense, all-purpose yards, touchdowns and first downs allowed.
This is mainly thanks to the Battlehawks’ high-flying secondary who have locked down quarterbacks so far this season. Through two games, St. Louis has allowed a league-best 187 yards through the air on a league-best 44.6% completion percentage. They have also led the league with the least amount of receptions allowed at 25 and least amount of yards per reception at 8.7 yards.
Despite these incredible team feats, no individual Battlehawk defender ranks in the top five for any major statistical category, besides Pita Taumoepenu with the most sacks and tackles for loss at three in both. This illustrates an incredible team effort by the defense and a great job by head coach Anthony Becht and the rest of the coaching staff.
Next week
The Battlehawks stayed home for their next matchup against the DC Defenders, losing 27-15 before traveling to Arlington where they lost to the Arlington Renegades 30-15. Their next matchup will be on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on April 26 against the Michigan Panthers in St. Louis.
Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Ella McGuire and Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com
