Game Summary: D.C. Defenders at San Antonio Brahmas, Sunday March 31, 2024

• D.C. Defenders at San Antonio Brahma
• Sunday March 31, at 11:00 AM Central (12:00 ET)
• Alamodome, San Antonio, TX.
• Attendance: 13,164
• Broadcaster: ESPN
• Announcers: Mike Manaco (Play-by-Play), Sam Acho (Analyst), Cole Cubelic (Area Analyst), Stormy Buonantony (Sideline)

The Brahmas and the Defenders opened up their 2024 UFL season with a street matchup within the Alamodome, a spot the place each groups’ 2023 XFL seasons ended. The Brahmas misplaced at house of their regular-season finale to the Defenders, 29-28, whereas D.C. fell to the Arlington Renegades, 35-26, within the neutral-site XFL Championship performed in San Antonio.

Each groups have been hoping for a win on this divisional matchup, nonetheless the oddsmakers gave a big edge to D.C. Would they prevail of their second sttraight go to to the Alamadome?

Mike McCrane kicked off for D.C and Anthony McFarland returned the ball to the San Antonio 41-yard line.

Brahmas quarterback Chase Garbers handed to Marquez Stevenson for 8 yards after which handed incomplete to Jontre Kirklin. Garbers then handed to McFarland for a brief pickup after which ran it himself for 1 yard and a primary down.

Garbers handed quick to Smith for 14 yards, after which handed deep to Kirklin for a landing. Sadly, an unlawful use of fingers penalty introduced the landing again.

Garbers handed the ball to John Lovett for a 2 yard loss, after which tried a go to Lovett that was incomplete. One other quick go to Lovett was good for 9 yards after which Garbers handed to Stevenson for the primary down.

A go to Kirklin noticed the ball on the D.C. 28-yard line, after which a go to McFarland was made, and McFarland scampered the remainder of the way in which into the top zone for a landing. The one-point conversion was made with a 2-yard run by Lovett. The rating was now 7-0 for San Antonio.

Donald De La Haye kicked off 79 yards to the D.C. 1 and Pooka Williams returned the kickoff to the Defenders 40. Jordan Ta’amu handed to Keke Coutee for 4 yards, after which Cam’Ron Harris rushed for five extra yards. The Defenders’ drive stalled and so they have been pressured to punt.

San Antonio began on their very own 12-yard line. Garbers handed to McFarland for 1 yard after which handed to Kirklin for 14 yards and a primary down. After a penalty, the Brahmas confronted first and 15. Garbers handed to McFarland for 3 yards after which handed incomplete to McFarland. On third down, Garbers was pressured by Davin Bellamy and needed to throw the ball away. The Brahmas punted.

Pooka Williams returned the punt previous midfield to the Brahmas 45-yard line. Ta’amu slung a go out to Harris who gained 4 yards. Then, a handoff to Harris gained zero yards, however a go to Kelvin Harman moved the chains. A go to Ellis was good for 7 yards after which Ta’amu handed 27 yards to Coutee for a landing. Sadly, the Defenders have been referred to as for an unlawful downfield go and the landing was negated.

Ta’amu couldn’t transfer the ball and the Defenders settled for a 50-yard Matt McCrane discipline aim, which was drilled down the center of the uprights, making the rating 7-3 for San Antonio.

To start out off the second quarter Garbers handed 16 yards to Jontre Kirklin, after which accomplished a 7-yard go to Latimer. A catch by Stevenson was good for 8 yards extra, and a primary down on the D.C 17-yard line.

Garbers handed to Lovett for five yards after which to Stevenson for 9 extra yards. On first and aim from the D.C. 4-yard line, a handoff to Lovett was stuffed for a 1-yard loss, after which Garbers handed to Kirklin who ran it into the top zone. The one-point conversion go to Justin Smith was good to make the rating 14-3 for San Antonio.

Ta’amu began on the D.C. 16 and handed to Smith for 13 yards, after which to Briley Moore-McKinney for 12 extra yards. The Brahmas protection began to stress Ta’amu with a sack, which was referred to as again due to a defensive offside penalty, after which sacked him once more on the very subsequent play. Then, an offensive holding name gave D.C. third and 20. Ta’amu unloaded and handed 23 yards to Ty Scott to the Brahmas 26-yard line.

A handoff to Harris was solely good for one yard, after which a go to Moore was good for 4 extra yards. On third down, Ta’amu rushed 4 yards and was 14 inches wanting the primary down. The Defenders selected to kick a discipline aim and McCrane was good on a 34-yard try. The rating was now 14-6 for San Antonio.

Brooks kicked off 75 yards and Alleyne returned the ball to the San Antonio 29. Garbers handed to Kirklin for 4 yards, after which accomplished one other go to Kirklin that was fumbled when D.J. Swearinger made the deal with. The Defenders recovered the ball on the D.C. 44.

Ta’amu was pressured and managed to go the ball to Ellis for a 5-yard achieve. A go to Coutee was good for 1 yard, after which a go to Ellis was incomplete. A roughing the passer name gave the Defenders a primary down on the San Antonio 35. The Brahmas protection got here up sturdy and Ta’amu couldn’t get one other first down. The Defenders Matt McCrane kicked a 48-yard discipline aim to make the rating 14-9 for San Antonio.

After the 2 minute warning, D.C. kicked off to Brycen Alleyne who returned the ball to the San Antonio 30-yard line. Garbers handed to McFarland who ran for 4 yards, after which handed to Stevenson for 7 yards and a primary down. Garbers handed to McFarland on a draw play and he broke the run into the secondary for 20 yards. A go to Stevenson was incomplete, a go to Smith misplaced 1 yard, and a go to Kirklin was dropped.

With 0:14 on the clock, De La Haye was introduced in to try a 58-yard discipline aim, and the Defenders iced him with a day trip. Afterward, the Brahmas modified their play and introduced in punter Brad Wing who faked the punt and handed deep to Alex Mollette for a landing. The 2-point conversion failed, making the rating 20-9 for San Antonio.

On the kickoff, Pooka Williams was wrapped up deep within the D.C. finish which ran out the clock. The halftime rating was San Antonio 20, D.C. Defenders 9.

To start out the second half De La Haye kicked off 73 yards and Pooka Williams returned the ball to the D.C. 27-yard line. A ten-yard offensive holding penalty introduced the ball again.

Ta’amu handed 7 yards quick left to Smith to the DC 24, after which handed 4 yards to Moore-McKinney to maneuver the chains. Ta’amu handed incomplete, after which a false begin penalty set the Defenders again. Ta’amu couldn’t get a drive going and D.C. punted.

Taking on on his personal 35-yard line, Chase Garbers handed to McFarland who rushed for five yards, after which handed to Kirklin for 8 yards and a primary down. A McFarland rush made 8 extra yards and a Lovett run was good for 1 extra. After one other Lovett rush was stuffed for zero yards, the Brahmas have been pressured to punt.

Jordan Ta’amu took over on his personal 43-yard line. A go to Scott gained 14-yards and an unlawful use of fingers penalty towards the Brahmas tacked on 15-yards.  Ta’amu linked to Ellis with a 17-yard go after which Williams rushed for 8 yards to the San Antonio 18.

The Defenders misplaced 5 yards on a delay of recreation penalty after which gained it again when the Brahmas have been referred to as on a impartial zone infraction. On third and one, Harris rushed for a primary down. A handoff to Harris resulted in a 5-yard achieve after he broke a deal with. Ta’amu handed incomplete, and on third down the go was ricocheted off Ellis and practically intercepted. Matt McCrane kicked a 28-yard discipline aim to make the rating 20-12 for San Antonio.

Brooks kicked the ball 68 yards, and Alleyne returned the kickoff to the San Antonio 26. On first down, Garbers was pressured and sacked for a 3-yard loss. He handed to Stevenson on second down, who gained 12 yards. Lovett rushed 1 yard for the primary down. The play was reviewed, and it was dominated Lovett had his knee down early making it 4th and inches. The Brahmas selected to punt.

The punt was returned to the D.C. 10 yard line, giving the Defenders poor discipline place. Ta’amu was sacked by Tim Ward on the 6-yard line, after which a handoff to Harris solely made 2 yards. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty towards the Brahmas gave D.C. a primary down.

Initially of the fourth quarter Ta’amu was sacked for a loss, after which he threw downfield 43 yards to Ty Scott on the San Antonio 35-yard line. Ta’amu went to Scott once more, however was incomplete, after which handed to Harmon for a 12-yard achieve.

Ta’amu rushed for 1 yard after which handed to Coutee for 13 yards and a primary down on the San Antonio 8-yard line. A go to Ellis was deemed to be incomplete, after which, after a timeout, a go to Coutee ultimately zone was caught for a landing. After the play, D.C.’s Jean Delance was ejected from the sport for spitting on San Antonio’s Delontae Scott. The 15-yard penalty was to be added to the convert, nonetheless coach Wade Phillips immediately determined to problem the landing play for a false begin on D.C., and he was profitable, including one other 5-yard penalty to D.C.

The landing was negated and the ball was noticed on the San Antonio 28-yard line.

Ta’amu was pressured and fumbled. He picked up the fumble and managed to try a go to Briley-Moore. After the play, Ta’amu lay on the sphere injured. San Antonio was given a 15-yard penalty and Ta’amu walked off the sphere.

Deondre Francois got here in as a backup for Ta’amu. From the San Antonio 14-yard line, Francois handed to Harris for 3 yards, after which he was pressured and sacked for a two-yard loss. Ta’amu got here again in to the sport and threw an interception to Darius Phillips that he ran again 89 yards to the D.C. 5-yard line.

Garbers handed to Lovett for 1 yard after which handed to Alize Mack for no achieve. After a timeout, Chase Garbers stored the ball and bumped into the top zone for a Brahmas landing. The one-point conversion try was good with a John Lovett run, making the rating 27-12 for San Antonio.

De La Haye kicked off 75 yards and Pooka Williams returned the ball to the D.C. 33. Ta’amu handed incomplete to Williams after which was sacked on his personal 23-yard line. On third and 21, Ta’amu handed down discipline however was incomplete. The Defenders had no selection however to punt. D.C. was referred to as for a false begin on the punt and needed to re-punt. Marquez Stevenson returned the ball to the San Antonio 45-yard line.

With 5:32 on the clock, Chase Garbers handed to McFarland for 3 yards, after which handed to McFarland once more who broke open a future. Nevertheless, flags flew and the Brahmas have been referred to as for holding and have been penalized 10 yards. Now second and 15, Garbers handed to Lovett and he discovered 7 yards, after which he threw incomplete to McFarland. The Brahmas have been pressured to punt.

The Brahmas had good punt protection and tackled Williams on his personal 11-yard line. Ta’amu accomplished a 9-yard go to Scott after which ran simply previous the primary down marker to maneuver the sticks. Ta’amu handed incomplete down discipline as the 2 minute warning arrived.

Ta’amu linked a 12-yard go to Smith for a primary down on the D.C. 36. Then, Ta’amu threw two incomplete passes earlier than nearly finishing a go to Ellis over the center. On fourth down, Ta’amu put the ball within the fingers of Ty Scott however the protection got here up large and compelled the go to be dropped.

With 1:19 remaining, the Brahmas took over and have been capable of run out the clock.

The ultimate rating was San Antonio Brahmas 27, D.C. Defenders 12.

Field Rating

Rating by Quarter
TEAM	1	2	3	4	T
SAN	7	13	0	7	27
DC	3	6	3	0	12



DC DEFENDERS


DC Defenders Passing
#	PLAYER		C-A	YDS	TD	I	C%	RTG
10	J.Ta'amu	25-45	235	0	1	56	95
	
DC Defenders Speeding
#	PLAYER		ATT	YDS	TD	LNG	AVG
03	C.Harris	8	21	0	5	2.6
10	J.Ta'amu	3	10	0	5	3.3
01	P.Williams	1	9	0	9	9
81	Ok.Coutee	1	4	0	4	4

DC Defenders Receiving
#	PLAYER		NO	YDS	TD	LNG	TGT	YAC
19	T.Scott		4	87	0	43	6	22
02	B.Smith		4	47	0	15	7	4
88	Moore-McKinney	4	28	0	12	4	13
81	Ok.Coutee	4	14	0	13	4	12
18	A.Ellis		3	28	0	17	6	4
13	Ok.Harmon	3	27	0	12	6	13
01	P.Williams	2	0	0	6	3	10
03	C.Harris	1	4	0	4	2	9
12	C.Rowland	0	0	0	0	3	0

DC Defenders Protection
#	Participant (Starter)	TotTk	Solo	Sack	TFL	Int	BrUp	FF
32	I.Johnson (CB)		7	6	0	1	0	0	1
57	A.Hines (LB)		7	2	0	0	0	0	0
92	M.Fisher (DE)		7	4	1	2	0	1	0
15	M.Joseph (CB)		7	7	0	1	0	0	0
36	D.Swearinger (SAF)	5	4	0	0	0	0	0
72	T.Barnes (DT)		4	1	0	0	0	0	0
99	J.Wallace (DT)		4	1	0	0	0	0	0
39	S.Ramirez (SAF)		4	1	0	0	0	0	0
43	F.Bernard (LB)		3	2	0	0	0	0	0
06	F.Gardner (LB)		3	1	0	0	0	0	0
05	R.Northrup (LB)		2	1	0	0	0	0	0
33	T.Harris (DE)		2	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	D.Roberson (DE)		1	1	0	0	0	0	0
24	A.Kelly (CB)		1	1	0	1	0	0	0
25	D.Baker (CB)		1	1	0	0	0	0	0
09	D.Anderson (SAF)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	N.Rouse (CB)		0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Ok.Harmon		0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	T.Scott		0		0	0	0	0	0	0
21	M.Nicholson (SAF)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

DC Defenders All Function Yards
Participant		Tot	Rush	Rec	KOR	PR	IR-FR	TDs
P.Williams	166	9	0	122	35	0	0
T.Scott		87	0	87	0	0	0	0
B.Smith		47	0	47	0	0	0	0

DC Defenders Punting
Punter		NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	I20
P.Brooks	3	117	39.0	47	1

DC Defenders Kick Returns
Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
P.Williams	5	122	24	38	0

DC Defenders Punt Returns
Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
P.Williams	3	35	12	29	0

DC Defenders Area Targets
Kicker		Time		Dist	Outcome
Matthew McCrane	1st-00:22	50	GOOD
Matthew McCrane	2nd-6:16	34	GOOD
Matthew McCrane	2nd-2:00	48	GOOD
Matthew McCrane	Third-2:54	28	GOOD




SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS

San Antonio Brahmas Passing
#	PLAYER		C-A	YDS	TD	I	C%	RTG
14	C.Garbers	19-25	158	2	0	76	155.5
04	B.Wing		1-1	40	1	0	100	766
13	J.Kirklin	0-1	0	0	0	0	0
	
San Antonio Brahmas Speeding
#	PLAYER		ATT	YDS	TD	LNG	AVG
41	A.McFarland	9	47	0	20	5.2
07	J.Lovett	10	13	0	7	1.3
05	M.Stevenson	1	9	0	9	9
14	C.Garbers	3	6	1	5	2

San Antonio Brahmas Receiving
#	PLAYER		NO	YDS	TD	LNG	AVG	TGT	C%	YAC
13	J.Kirklin	8	61	1	17	7.6	9	89	45
05	M.Stevenson	5	40	0	12	8	6	83	24
10	J.Smith		2	13	0	14	6.5	3	67	7
55	A.Mollette	1	40	1	40	40	1	100	15
41	A.McFarland	1	28	1	28	28	3	33	34
07	J.Lovett	1	9	0	9	9	2	50	11
03	C.Latimer	1	7	0	7	7	1	100	10
88	A.Mack		1	0	0	0	0	1	100	2

San Antonio Brahmas Protection
#	Participant (Starter)	TotTk	Solo	Sack	TFL	Int	BrUp	FF
15	J.Williams (MLB)	10	3	0	0	0	0	0
23	J.Mosley (SAF)		8	4	0	0	0	0	0
11	T.Beckett (LB)		7	4	0	0	0	0	0
22	T.Tabor (CB)		7	5	0	0	0	1	0
02	D.Phillips (CB)		6	3	0	1	1	1	0
29	A.Hendy (DB)		6	4	0	1	0	1	0
45	D.Scott (OLB)		3	1	0.5	0	0	0	0
31	N.Wieland (LB)		2	1	0	0	0	1	0
09	W.Ray (OLB)		2	1	1.5	1	0	0	0
94	J.Dalton (DT)		2	1	0	0	0	0	0
28	C.Mayfield (CB)		2	2	0	0	0	0	0
01	B.Thompson (CB)		2	1	0	0	0	0	0
99	C.Patton (DT)		2	0	0.5	0	0	0	0
98	P.Emili (DT)		1	0	0.5	0	0	0	0
91	G.Nelson (OLB)		1	0	0	0	0	0	0
95	T.Vincent (DT)		1	1	0	0	0	0	0
08	T.Ward (DE)		1	1	1	1	0	0	0
52	J.Iyiegbuniwe (LB)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	J.Smith			0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	S.Nelson (SAF)		0	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	R.Barnes (LB)		0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	R.Sunahara		0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	B.Alleyne		0	0	0	0	0	0	0

San Antonio Brahmas All Function Yards
Participant		Tot	Rush	Rec	KOR	PR	IR-FR	TDs
A.McFarland	127	47	28	52	0	0	1
D.Phillips	88	0	0	0	0	88	0
J.Kirklin	61	0	61	0	0	0	1

San Antonio Brahmas Punting
Punter	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	I20
B.Wing	3	153	51.0	53	2

San Antonio Brahmas Kick Returns
Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
B.Alleyne	3	53	18	21	0
A.McFarland	2	52	26	28	0


San Antonio Brahmas Punt Returns
Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
M.Stevenson	2	8	04	9	0

San Antonio Brahmas Area Targets
Kicker	Time	Dist	Outcome



TEAM COMPARISON

Sport Comparability
STAT			DC		SAN		
Complete Yds		253		270
Go Yds		209		195
Rush Yds		44		75
Penalties		9-66		7-70
1st Downs		16		14
Third Downs		5-14		1-8
4th Downs		0-1		3-4
Complete Performs		62		51
Avg Yds/Play		4.1		5.3
Avg Yds/Completion	8.4		9.8
Avg Yds/Rush		3.4		3.3
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)	70 (7.8)	78 (3.5)
Crimson Zone		0-3		2-2
Time of Poss		32:30		27:30
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)	1 (8)		1 (3)
Fumbles-Misplaced		1-0		1-1
Sacks (Def Yds)		1.0 (3.0)	4.0 (26.0)
TFL (Def Yds)		5 (11.0)	4 (28.0)