UFL Notebook: Playoff Recap

Well, the UFL playoffs didn’t look anything like the regular season. For ten games, the D.C. Defenders were a fairly pedestrian squad, easily inferior to St. Louis, Birmingham, and Michigan, who joined them in the four-team postseason. Then, for the last two weeks, the Defenders looked completely unstoppable. They went to St. Louis and beat the league’s best team 36-18. Then D.C. returned to St. Louis last night for a neutral-site championship game and hammered Michigan 58-34 to win the title.

Not only was the champion unexpected, but even the flow of play was different from the regular season. Low-scoring games are common in this league, but D.C.’s two wins were both marked by offensive dominance. The same was true of Michigan’s 44-29 dismantling of Birmingham—a surprise result in its own right—in the other semifinal.

Jordan Ta’amu, who quarterbacked Ole Miss seven years ago, had his moment in the spotlight. He went 18/26 for 204 yards against St. Louis in the semis. Last night was even better—a surreal 21/28 for 390 yards, and no interceptions. Some of the throws down the field were positively gorgeous.

He got plenty of help in the running game. Deon Jackson set the tone for the D.C. rush attack against St. Louis with 110 yards. Abram Smith was consistent throughout the two-week run, going for 60-plus yards in both games.

This run will ultimately be marked by the second quarter of the championship game. Michigan had scored first and led 13-9 after a quarter. With their own quarterback, Bryce Perkins, continuing his strong play from the semifinals, the Panthers looked in good shape.

Then D.C. and Ta’amu unloaded. They dropped 31 points in the second quarter alone. By halftime, it was 40-19 and the second half was one long party for however many D.C. fans were among the 14,000-plus in attendance.

Perkins should get his due for a strong playoff. The regular season MVP went 20/25 for 238 yards in ending Birmingham’s reign atop the league and still threw for 338 yards in the title game. Malik Turner had a fantastic championship game, catching 10 passes for 168 yards and doing all he could to keep his team in it. But the Panther defense just couldn’t stop D.C.

I hope this league can make it. Given the love for football in America, it would seem like there’s a niceh for a spring product. Nobody is overpaid, so the league isn’t overextended. Getting over 14,000 people into the seats at a neutral site isn’t bad. Hopefully everyone’s expectations on the financial return stay reasonable and the UFL can find its own space on the American sports landscape.