Jordan Ta'amus 300 Yard performance emphasizes UFL Week 5 storylines

At the center of the 2025 UFL Season, DC defender QB Jordan Ta'amu has developed into the best player in the league.

Ta'amu continued his impressive game over the weekend and attributed his team from a deficit in the second half of 15 points to achieve a comeback win with 37: 33 against the Arlington Renegades on Sunday.

[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League]

Ta'amu threw 308 yards for a league and ran for 37 more and a score. With his efforts, Ta'amu helped to lead the defenders to the greatest victory in UFL history. The Ole Miss product leads the league in the yards (1,213) and to touchdowns (nine).

“It's amazing,” said Ta'amu after the game. “I love writing history.”

The defenders recovered from a shocking defeat in the fourth week against the San Antonio Brahmas (1-4) and improved with the victory to a league best with 4: 1 a year. In the meantime, Arlington fell to 3: 2, even if Ajene Harris, the six combined duels, fell and publish a forced fum.

In other actions the Memphis show boat (1-4) in extra time against the defending champion achieved their first victory of the season of 24 to 20 years Birmingham Henungungen (3-2) on Friday. Elsewhere the St. Louis Battlehawks (3-2) narrowly held Michigan Panthers (3-2) on Saturday, 32-27.

Complete things that Houston Rougnecks (2-3) took care of Brahmas (1-4) on Sunday, 27-3.

Here is a look at other action lines from week 5:

Hakeem butler shines in the bounce back for Battlehawks

In his first game in week 1, after he had to deal with a persistent axis problem, Butler showed why he is the reigning UFL offensive player of the year. The big body recipient made two long touchdowns for St. Louis for 67 yards and the other on a reverse pass from Wideout Blake Jackson for 57 Yards-Als the Battlehawks for the 32:27 victory before 30,406 fans in the Dome in America's Center.

“It was fun to just be out there,” said Butler after the game. “I was more enthusiastic about the blocking and I am just out there to hit boys than even catch the ball.”

QB Max Duggan made his first start to the injured Manny Wilkins and went 9: 12 for 124 Passing Yards and a touchdown. Duggan also rumbled after 70 rushing yards and two points.

Michigan ran back, toa Taua, a total of 74 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat, while Panthers QB Bryce Perkins continued his impressive game and completed 21 out of 25 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

Explosive games dominate week 5

Butler's big games were part of a larger trend of UFL crimes that caused explosive pieces over the weekend. The eight teams combined 5 59 games of more than 20 meters in week.

These numbers comprised 10 touchdowns of at least 20 meters.

[MORE: Isiah Hennie’s kick-six, Battlehawks’ trick play top best plays from UFL Week 5]

The gate continues. After an average of 40.5 points in week 4, the games achieved average of 50.8 points per competition in week 5. Criminal offenses seem to have obtained the defense when we enter the second half of the season.

QB Game Winn Leads show boats to win the first win

It took an additional time to do it, but Memphi's interim head coach Jim Turner led his team to their first victory, a 24:20 victory on Friday evening via Birmingham. At his first start, Winn ended 17: 29 for 235 YARDS-HERT by a 78-yard touchdown from Monster to Dee Anderson on the opening drive and without interceptions.

The Big Play for the Showboats was a 108-yard touchdown return for a missed 63-yard field by Birmingham Kicker Harrison Mevis at the end of the first half, which brought Memphis a 17: 3 lead into half-time.

The stallions exceeded the show boats in the second half with 17: 3 to force overtime. However, Birmingham could not convert any of his two-point attempts in the extension, while Memphis had two successful two-point conversions.

QB Case Cookus started its first season for the stallions and completed 15 out of 33 passes for 145 yards, two touchdown passes and intercept.

What's going on with the stallions?

After a winning streak with three games, Birmingham lost the second game of the season against the previously winless show boats this week.

Last season, the stallions lost only one game all year round on the way to a third title in a row. Birmingham had lost only four games in the UFL campaign 2025 in the past three years. However, it looks like other teams have skipped the talent squad chef coach that Skip Holtz has put together.

Injuries and sloppy game also plagued the stallions that are bound to the league leadership in giveaways (nine) and are third place in the league with 38 accepted penalties for 290 yards.

“I think there is a lot more parity, but we also had 10 starters who missed a game,” said Holtz. “We are on our third quarterback after four games. There is no continuity. I have the feeling that we start all over every week. There are all these distractions … My frustration is not that we have lost, do you know what I mean?

“It is not, 'well, everyone caught.' We have to get a certain consistency, and that was probably the difference between this team and the teams in recent years.

Rougneck's roles

Curtis Johnson officially compiled his first two-game winning shop as head coach in the UFL. After the Rougnecks lost 1: 9 last season last season and lost their first three games of this year, they improved to 2: 3 with a convincing street victory over the Brahmas.

Since San Antonios fought off, the local product Kellen Moon was replaced in the third quarter by backup Jarrett Garrettano in the quarterback. Garriage did not go much better and completed 6 out of 15 passes for 29 yards.

Houston QB Jalan McClendon, however, had another solid performance that achieved 22-against-32 passes for 171 yards. The Rougnecks defensively kept the Brahmas on a total of 118 yards at their home start.

“We are at a remarkable distance to achieve our goal,” said Johnson. “And I think we definitely turned some swing (in our team). It is not just winning, but it is how we won it. It was pretty convincing today.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade and about the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, who reports Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him @eric_d_williams.

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