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The Louisville Kings clinched the No. 3 seed in the United Football League playoffs before Sunday's regular-season finale against the Columbus Aviators kicked off at Historic Crew Stadium.
There was no letup in Chris Redman's team, which improved to 6-4 with a 42-27 victory — their fourth in a row.
Up next for the Kings: a 6 p.m. kickoff June 7 inside The Dome at America's Center against the last team to beat them, the No. 2-seeded St. Louis Battlehawks, with a spot in the UFL's championship game (the United Bowl) on the line.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday's win:
[IMG alt="Louisville Kings’ Ian Wheeler scores a touchdown against Dallas Renegades at Lynn Family Stadium.
May 24, 2926"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-courier-journal/9118a947d007a9320c1da83b469736db[/IMG]
With the playoffs looming, Redman opted to bench starting quarterback Chandler Rogers after his 16-yard touchdown run with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter. N'Kosi Perry was handed the reins of the offense for the remainder of the first half, then third-stringer Mike DiLiello took over after the opening drive of the second half.
The backups didn't have to do much through the air on a night that saw the Kings rack up 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 32 attempts.
Ian Wheeler led the way with 99 yards and one score on 14 carries. Jaden Shirden was the difference-maker during the second half, scoring twice in the fourth quarter after the Aviators pulled within a point, 28-27, at the 4:01 mark of the third.
Louisville went 5 for 5 in the red zone Sunday.
Kings cornerback Eric Garror started this one with a bang — picking off Jalen Morton on the first snap from scrimmage and scampering 28 yards for a touchdown.
That was the best moment of the night for coordinator Jamie Sharper's unit, which gave up 217 yards through the air (15.5 per completion) and 96 yards on the ground. But that didn't matter much in the end; Louisville held Columbus to only six points during the second half.
The Kings sacked Morton three times for a net loss of 32 yards.
The most important thing to know about the St. Louis Battlehawks is that they've got the stingiest defense in the UFL. Entering the final week of the regular season, coach Ricky Proehl's team allowed the fewest yards per game (246.2) and the second-fewest points per game (19.6) in the league.
The Kings learned this the hard way during a 16-3 loss April 30 at Lynn Family Stadium, when they were held to only six first downs and 166 yards of total offense — 154 through the air, 12 on the ground.
"That's the best team we’ve played this year," Redman said afterward.
The Dallas Renegades, a team Louisville swept, took down St. Louis by a score of 20-16 on Friday. Here's how they did it: force three turnovers, capitalize on optimal field position and sack quarterback Luis Perez seven times.
Perez, who has 1,016 yards and four touchdowns through the air on the season, accounted for 235 of the Battlehawks' 293 yards of total offense against the Renegades. His team netted only 58 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
St. Louis entered the final week of the regular season ranked second to last in the UFL with 89.2 rushing yards per game.
"We just have to execute and not shoot ourselves in the foot," Redman told FOX's Jake Butt during the fourth quarter Sunday. "If we can do that — and not go backwards — this team's got a lot, a lot of potential; we really haven't even reached it yet. I'm really, really excited about where this team's going and the opportunity we have in front of us."
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Kings beat Columbus Aviators, UFL playoff schedule up next
Continue reading...
There was no letup in Chris Redman's team, which improved to 6-4 with a 42-27 victory — their fourth in a row.
Up next for the Kings: a 6 p.m. kickoff June 7 inside The Dome at America's Center against the last team to beat them, the No. 2-seeded St. Louis Battlehawks, with a spot in the UFL's championship game (the United Bowl) on the line.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday's win:
The Louisville Kings' ground game got the job done
[IMG alt="Louisville Kings’ Ian Wheeler scores a touchdown against Dallas Renegades at Lynn Family Stadium.
May 24, 2926"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-courier-journal/9118a947d007a9320c1da83b469736db[/IMG]
With the playoffs looming, Redman opted to bench starting quarterback Chandler Rogers after his 16-yard touchdown run with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter. N'Kosi Perry was handed the reins of the offense for the remainder of the first half, then third-stringer Mike DiLiello took over after the opening drive of the second half.
The backups didn't have to do much through the air on a night that saw the Kings rack up 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 32 attempts.
Ian Wheeler led the way with 99 yards and one score on 14 carries. Jaden Shirden was the difference-maker during the second half, scoring twice in the fourth quarter after the Aviators pulled within a point, 28-27, at the 4:01 mark of the third.
Louisville went 5 for 5 in the red zone Sunday.
The Louisville Kings' defense made some big plays
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Kings cornerback Eric Garror started this one with a bang — picking off Jalen Morton on the first snap from scrimmage and scampering 28 yards for a touchdown.
That was the best moment of the night for coordinator Jamie Sharper's unit, which gave up 217 yards through the air (15.5 per completion) and 96 yards on the ground. But that didn't matter much in the end; Louisville held Columbus to only six points during the second half.
The Kings sacked Morton three times for a net loss of 32 yards.
Early scouting report: St. Louis Battlehawks
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The most important thing to know about the St. Louis Battlehawks is that they've got the stingiest defense in the UFL. Entering the final week of the regular season, coach Ricky Proehl's team allowed the fewest yards per game (246.2) and the second-fewest points per game (19.6) in the league.
The Kings learned this the hard way during a 16-3 loss April 30 at Lynn Family Stadium, when they were held to only six first downs and 166 yards of total offense — 154 through the air, 12 on the ground.
"That's the best team we’ve played this year," Redman said afterward.
The Dallas Renegades, a team Louisville swept, took down St. Louis by a score of 20-16 on Friday. Here's how they did it: force three turnovers, capitalize on optimal field position and sack quarterback Luis Perez seven times.
Perez, who has 1,016 yards and four touchdowns through the air on the season, accounted for 235 of the Battlehawks' 293 yards of total offense against the Renegades. His team netted only 58 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
St. Louis entered the final week of the regular season ranked second to last in the UFL with 89.2 rushing yards per game.
"We just have to execute and not shoot ourselves in the foot," Redman told FOX's Jake Butt during the fourth quarter Sunday. "If we can do that — and not go backwards — this team's got a lot, a lot of potential; we really haven't even reached it yet. I'm really, really excited about where this team's going and the opportunity we have in front of us."
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Kings beat Columbus Aviators, UFL playoff schedule up next
Continue reading...
