By RJ “The Bullish Brahma” Reid
Introduction
It is Week 8 of the United Football League (UFL) and the road weary San Antonio Brahmas (5-2) finally return home to play their penultimate home game as they host to the Arlington Renegades (2-5). Here’s what you need to know:
When?
Sunday, May 19, 2024 @ 3:00pm CT.
Where?
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas.
Gameday Weather
This being a home game, it is obviously being played indoors, but for those who are going to tailgate, it will be a hot one, so make sure you have cover and plenty of sunscreen. The forecast calls for 97 degrees, sunny skies, an 8% chance of rain with 10 mile per hour winds.
History
The Brahmas lead the series 2-1, having won the previous two games. Additionally, the road team has been victorious every time.
Keys to Victory
The most obviously and glaring issues that the Brahmas have is at quarterback and who is going to play that position. Since the Michigan game, Quinten Dormady has regressed the past 3 weeks and was pulled in favor of Kevin Hogan. To be fair, not all the issues fall on Dormady’s lap, as several balls were dropped in the Roughnecks game, but he was extremely inaccurate, and only completed 1 of his last 10 throws before throwing an interception and eventually being pulled. To put things in perspective, since Dormady took over, he is 68 for 117 with 654 yards, a 58% completion, 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while Chase Garbers, before he was injured, was 75 for 106 with 586 yards, a 70.8% completion, 6 touchdowns and one interception. After Hogan came in, the offense looked crisper, sharper, and more invigorated. Was that a flash in the pan, or a portent of things to come?
To counteract the shaky quarterback play, the Brahmas need to lean on the running game. This will allow Hogan, if he is indeed named the starting quarterback, to ease into the game and not having to be pressured to be the entire offense. The last time the Brahmas played the Renegades, in Arlington, San Antonio had their best rushing performance of the season to that point, and John Lovett almost ran for 100 yards. That began a two-game rushing renaissance for the Brahmas that continued in DC. Against Houston, however, the run game was stuffed and held in check. The Brahmas can look to return to the rushing well against Arlington, as they have the second worst run defense in the league, giving up an average of 115.3 yards per game. Lovett is second in the league in rushing with 385 rush yards, just two behind Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Very similar to what I mentioned in my previous Brahmas/Renegades preview article, the Brahmas will need to slow Luis Perez down. He remains at the top in the league in total passing yards, passing completion percentage, and passing yards per game. The Brahmas defense was the reason why they were able to stay in the Houston game, and they continue to shine all year long. They are second in the league in pass defense, and second in scoring defense. They now have the most sacks in the league after recording six against the Roughnecks. If they can continue that pressure and get to Perez early and often, they can make him uncomfortable and force him to throw earlier than he wants to. This will play right into the Brahmas hands.
Predictions
Let’s look at how my predictions from last week fared:
San Antonio will hold Houston to under 250 of total offense.
Correct. Houston had 185 yards of total offense.
Ryan Santoso will not miss a field goal.
Correct. He was 2 for 2, including the game winning 51-yard field goal.
Justin Smith will have at least 50 yards of receiving.
Incorrect. He did not have a catch at all.
Jordan Williams will have at least 10 tackles.
Incorrect. He had 7 tackles.
Week 7 results: 2-2.
Overall results: 8-21.
And now my predictions for this week. I hope I won’t “steer” you wrong:
Kevin Hogan will start and throw for at least 2 touchdowns.
John Lovett will rush for over 100 yards.
The Brahmas will record at least three sacks.
The Brahmas will force at least one turnover.
Final Thoughts
The Brahmas are currently tied with Saint Louis for the XFL Conference lead, but the Battlehawks have the tiebreaker with their victory over San Antonio earlier in the season. The Renegades, on the other hand, have been eliminated from playoff contention, despite blowing out the Memphis Showboats in their last game. A win over the Renegades, coupled with a Battlehawks victory over the DC Defenders, will clinch a playoff spot for the Brahmas. Not to settle, the Brahmas are still in the running for the XFL Conference title, but they will most likely need to win out. The Renegades are looking to play the spoiler in this game and with nothing else to play for but pride, they will be a dangerous team. Luis Perez and the rest of the Renegades looked fantastic their last game, while Quinten Dormady and the Brahmas looked out of sorts, and frustrated. Perhaps a change at quarterback will provide the spark that will light the fire that will blaze the path to playoff glory. The stakes are getting high, and every play is crucial from this point forward. Pack the ‘Dome, San Antonio, the team needs all of us to cheer them on. Horns Forward!