Brandon Silvers added the United Football League to the spring circuits in which he’s thrown a touchdown pass during the St. Louis Battlehawks’ 39-13 victory over the San Antonio Brahmas on Friday night.
St. Louis’ victory kicked off Week 9 of the UFL’s 2025 season. In the other Week 9 games:
- J’Mar Smith threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in the Birmingham Stallions’ 26-22 victory over the Michigan Panthers on Saturday. Smith’s second 19-yard touchdown pass of the game to wide receiver Deon Cain with 2:22 gave Birmingham the lead for the second time in the fourth quarter. Michigan reached the Stallions 9-yard line with 21 seconds to play, but three passes into the end zone failed to produce the needed touchdown.
- The Arlington Renegades scored the final 18 points to defeat the Memphis Showboats 30-12 on Saturday. In a game delayed about three hours by bad weather, Memphis tied the score at 12-12 with 5:12 left in the third quarter. After that, Arlington quarterback Luis Perez completed 7-of-8 passes for 104 yards with two touchdowns while Memphis threw an interception, got stopped on downs twice and recorded two first downs.
- The Houston Roughnecks stopped a 3-point conversion pass with three seconds to play to hang on to a 24-21 upset of the DC Defenders on Sunday. DC quarterback Mike DiLiello threw a 5-yard pass to Cornell Powell for the Defenders’ second TD of the final 5:16 to set up the dramatic ending. Powell had a caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Ta’amu for the first points of the game, but with its spot in the playoffs secured, DC played its regular QB only for the first half. Houston quarterback Jalan McClendon completed 21-of-30 passes for 232 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Both touchdowns went to Keke Chism.
Signed by St. Louis when starting quarterback Manny Wilkins went down last month, Silvers made his first appearance of the season in the second half against San Antonio.
With a 21-10 halftime lead and their spot in the XFL Conference Championship Game already secured, the Battlehawks pulled starter Max Duggan. Silvers completed 7-of-10 passes for 100 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
St. Louis scored on three of its four possessions before Silvers kneeled out the final 78 seconds of the game. The non-scoring possession ended with a lost fumble at the San Antonio 33-yard line.
The former Gulf Shores High School and Troy standout threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Butler on the first play of the fourth quarter and a 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Jahcour Pearson as the Battlehawks took a 32-13 lead.
After throwing for 71 touchdowns at Troy, Silvers had TD passes for the AAF’s Memphis Express in 2019, XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in 2020, Spring League’s Conquerors in 2021 and XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2023. Last season, he backed up former St. Paul’s Episcopal and Alabama standout AJ McCarron in St. Louis in the UFL’s inaugural season, but he did not throw a pass in 2024.
The Week 9 results allowed St. Louis to take a one-game lead on DC in the XFL Conference standings with one weekend remaining in the regular season. The Defenders defeated the Battlehawks 27-15 on April 13, and the teams square off in their regular-season finale on Friday night.
In the USFL Conference, Birmingham and Michigan are tied for the top spot at 6-3, and the Stallions swept the season series with the Panthers.
Normally, homefield advantage would be at stake in Week 10. But because of scheduling conflicts at Ford Field in Detroit and Audi Field in Washington, the UFL already has assigned the USFL Conference Championship Game to Birmingham and the XFL Conference Championship Game to St. Louis.
The Panthers and Stallions will meet at 2 p.m. CDT June 8 at Protective Stadium in the USFL half of the United Football League playoffs. ABC will televise the game.
The Defenders and Battlehawks will square off at 5 p.m. June 8 at the Dome at America’s Center for the XFL Conference’s spot in the UFL Championship Game. FOX will televise the contest.
Nineteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the UFL’s Week 9 games:
St. Louis Battlehawks 39, San Antonio Brahmas 13
Dee Anderson (Alabama A&M) started at wide receiver for the Brahmas. He had two receptions for 12 yards.
Brahmas defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive after a calf injury prevented him from practicing during the week.
Battlehawks quarterback Brandon Silvers (Gulf Shores, Troy) completed 7-of-10 passes for 100 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in his first action of the season.
Birmingham Stallions 26, Michigan Panthers 22
Deonte Brown (Austin, Alabama) started at right guard for the Stallions.
Panthers offensive tackle Cam Carter (Minor) did not record any stats.
Stallions cornerback Shyheim Carter (Alabama) made six tackles and knocked down a Michigan pass in the end zone on the final play of the game.
Panthers outside linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd (Alabama A&M) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Garrett Marino (UAB) started at defensive tackle for the Panthers. Marino made one tackle.
Stallions long snapper William Mote (Spain Park) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Stallions guard Lachavious Simmons (Selma) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Panthers defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth (Murphy) made one tackle.
Stallions wide receiver Marlon Williams (McGill-Toolen) had a 10-yard reception.
Arlington Renegades 30, Memphis Showboats 12
Sal Cannella (Auburn) started at tight end for the Renegades. Cannella had three receptions for 25 yards.
Eric Garror (McGill-Toolen) started at cornerback for the Showboats. Garror made two tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and returned three kickoffs for 69 yards.
Showboats wide receiver Eli Stove (Auburn) had a 49-yard reception for the longest play of the game.
Showboats tight end Jay Jay Wilson (Auburn) made one tackle.
Houston Roughnecks 24, DC Defenders 21
Roughnecks defensive end Christopher Allen (Alabama) made two tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
Defenders long snapper/tight end Trae Barry (Spanish Fort, Jacksonville State) handled the snaps for three punts and two field-goal attempts.
Defenders offensive tackle Gunner Britton (Auburn) did not record any stats.
Tykeem Doss (Aliceville) started at left guard for the Defenders.
Roughnecks cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) was designated as a game-day inactive as he missed his second straight game because of an injury.
Roughnecks center Avery Jones (Auburn) did not record any stats.
Roughnecks punter Mike Rivers (Troy) averaged 49.2 yards on five punts. Rivers had a 48-yard punt returned 16 yards to the DC 41-yard line, a 44-yarder returned 18 yards to the DC 28, a 55-yarder returned for 10 yards to the DC 25, a 49-yarder that was muffed and recovered by DC at its 31 and a 50-yarder returned 10 yards to the DC 15.
Defenders wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant, Auburn) had four receptions for 22 yards in his UFL debut.
In the final weekend of the regular season (all times Central):
- The Battlehawks (7-2) and Defenders (6-3) play at 7 p.m. Friday at Audi Field in Washington. FOX will televise the game.
- The Roughnecks (4-5) and Panthers (6-3) play at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit. ESPN will televise the game.
- The Renegades (4-5) and Brahmas (1-8) play at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. ABC will televise the game.
- The Stallions (6-3) and Showboats (2-7) play at 2 p.m. Sunday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. FOX will televise the game.
