The opening weekend of the new UFL, created by the merger of two competing spring pro football leagues, the USFL and the XFL, featured some eye-opening moments across its four games.
But did the timing of the league's first week of play hinder the opportunity to build momentum heading into the 10-game regular season?
Three former USFL teams won: the Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, and Memphis Showboats. The San Antonio Brahmas had a salvaged weekend for the XFL, which wasn't without a win in Week 1.
The league has some rules that NFL and college football fans may be unfamiliar with. For example, there are 1 point, 2 point, and 3 point conversions. There are also a lot of familiar faces in the league.
Here are the winners and losers for Week 1 of the 2024 UFL season.
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winner
USFL
It was one of the most famous upsets in pro football, the famous 1950 NFL season opener in which the defending AAFC champions routed the post-merger defending NFL champions, when the Cleveland Browns were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't like a victory or a world-changing result. However, the 2023 USFL Champion Birmingham Stallions defeated the 2023 XFL Champion Arlington Renegades 27-14 in the 2024 UFL opener. This win gave the USFL some bragging rights.
scooby light
Scooby Wright made the most of his USFL bragging rights. Wright spent two seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and then bounced around the spring Pro Football League circuit, first with the AAF's Arizona Hotshots in 2018, then with the XFL's DC Defenders in 2020, and finally in 2022. In 2014, he was traded to the Birmingham Stallions. . he made the play that won the game The Stallions won the USFL Championship Game in 2022 and seem to have feelings about which league was better. After Birmingham's win in the UFL opener, Wright interviewed XFL co-owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a sports commentator (formerly He left a message for NFL punter Pat McAfee.
Light posted on Xpreviously posted on Twitter after Saturday's win: “Hey @PatMcAfeeShow usfl is better…hey jaboroni.”
Jake Bates
Maybe there's something about Ford Field and the field goal record.
Jake Bates was a kickoff specialist in college before being called up by the Michigan Panthers when the team needed a game-winning field goal in the season opener against the St. Louis BattleHawks. Bates made a 64-yard field goal in the final seconds and the Panthers won 18-16.
Bates' 64-yard game-winning goal occurred in the same stadium (and from the same uprights) as Justin Tucker's 68-yard field goal of the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
Bates' kick tied for the second-longest field goal in NFL history. Matt Prater's 64-yard field goal in 2013 broke Tom Dempsey's 43-year-old record of 63 yards.
Tricklation leads to sick six
Take a bow, Brad Wing and Alex Mollet.
The San Antonio Brahmas punter and center made some of the wildest plays of the weekend…which is saying something considering the aforementioned 64-yard field goal.
The punter's wing became the quarterback on a fake punt play, and Mullett lined up as an eligible receiver on the play. After some scrambling, the wing found Mullet wide open, and Mullet reeled in the pass at the 15-yard line, carrying the ball into the end zone for a thrilling touchdown play against the DC Defenders.
“It wasn't supposed to happen,” the winger said during the game. ESPN sideline interview.
Moret admitted he wasn't the primary receiver on the play.
Head Coach Bramas: “It didn't go the way I wanted it to'' wade phillips said. “The punter never went to third lead.”
loser
traditional kickoff
As part of the merger agreement, the UFL eschewed the XFL's innovative kickoff format in favor of a traditional kickoff format that required the kicker to kick off from the 20-yard line. Of course, the NFL just adopted a version of the XFL's kickoff rules, where the kicker kicks off from his own 35-yard line and the rest of the coverage team lines up from the opposing team's 40-yard line without running. The length of the field when the ball is kicked.
That makes the UFL's decision even more interesting in hindsight. While the XFL pioneered this kickoff procedure, the UFL has not adopted the original concept of a startup league and appears to be taking a step backwards in terms of innovation in football.
However, the deeper kickoff spot allows for more room for returns.
Season kickoff weekend timing
There were likely many logistical considerations to start the UFL's first season post-merger, but this weekend featured MLB Opening Day, the women's and men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, and Elite Eight games. It was a very crowded sports weekend. Additionally, NBA, MLS, NWSL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA Golf, Major League Rugby, and more all take place over Easter weekend. It's a fierce competition for attention.
The 2020 XFL season opened the weekend after Super Bowl 54. The reborn 2023 XFL opened its season the weekend after Super Bowl 57. Meanwhile, the USFL opted to open its 2023 season on April 15 while the XFL season ends.
Kickoff immediately after the Super Bowl allows the league to gain some momentum before the NFL scouting combine, free agency and draft begin to dominate the football conversation. Perhaps the UFL season kickoff date will be adjusted in a future season.
