The 2024 UFL season is in full swing, and Week 2 featured a couple of dramatic comeback wins across the league.
The San Antonio Brahmas won a last-second thriller against the Memphis Showboats to remain undefeated on the season, while the St. Louis Battlehawks pulled one over on the reigning XFL champion Arlington Renegades, which fell to 0-2.
The two-time defending USFL champion Birmingham Stallions took down the Michigan Panthers, and the DC Defenders earned their first win of the season after topping the Houston Roughnecks at home.
Here are the four players who stood out in Week 2 for the MVP race.
1. Chase Garbers, QB, San Antonio Brahmas
Week 2 result: Defeated Memphis Showboats, 20-19
Week 2 stats: 29 of 40 (72.5%) for 287 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception
Garbers finished with 300-plus all-purpose yards in the Brahmas’ win and tossed two touchdowns in the final minute to overcome a late 11-point deficit and give his team the road win. The Cal product has been responsible for a league-high six touchdowns and just one turnover through two weeks.
2. AJ McCarron, QB, St. Louis Battlehawks
Week 2 result: Defeated Arlington Renegades, 27-24
Week 2 stats: 19 of 29 (65.5%) for 248 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions
McCarron ranks second in the league behind Garbers in touchdowns responsible for (four). He has passed for at least 200 yards in both games so far this season and leads the UFL in passing yards per game (232). He ranks second in the league in total completions with 66.
McCarron, who did the majority of his damage in the second half, credited A.J. Smith’s offense with finding its rhythm as a unit. “We were shooting ourselves in the foot in the first half offensively,” he said. “We had a fumble in the first half and a bunch of three-and-outs. We came [out] in the second half and things started clicking. We were moving the ball, getting ahead of the sticks and … becoming more effective on offense.”
McCarron led the XFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passer rating in 2023. A BCS national champion and 2013 All-American at Alabama, he spent the 2023 fall season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.
UFL MVP Power Rankings: San Antonio Brahmas QB Chase Garbers at No. 1
3. Mataeo Durant, RB, St. Louis Battlehawks
Week 2 result: Defeated Arlington Renegades, 27-24
Week 2 stats: 104 rushing yards on 14 attempts (7.4 yards per carry) and one touchdown
Durant became the UFL’s first player to rush for 100 yards or more in a single game with 104 on 14 carries in Week 2.
On a team that was desperate to get its rushing attack going, Durant feels like one of the skill players with the best chance to break through to an NFL training camp after this season. He was previously signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Durant averaged 5.24 yards per rush at Duke, where he still holds the single-season rushing record (1,221 yards in 2021).
4. Luis Perez, QB, Arlington Renegades
Week 2 result: Lost to St. Louis Battlehawks, 27-24
Week 2 stats: 21 of 29 (72.4%) for 233 passing yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions
Perez ranks second in the UFL in passing yards per game (221) and first in average yardage per completion (7.8). Only Perez and Garber have completed more than 70% of their passes with a minimum of 50 attempts.
Perez, who was named XFL Championship Game MVP in 2023, has continued to show why he’s been called the “King of Spring” with stints in all four major spring leagues since 2019.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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