Ian Wheeler Scores Four Times, Kings Pick Off Reed Four Times in 47-25 Rout of Renegades

FRISCO, Texas — Austin Reed walked into Sunday as the most productive passer in the UFL. He walked out of Toyota Stadium having thrown twice as many interceptions in one afternoon as he had in his first four games combined. The Louisville Kings picked off the Dallas Renegades quarterback four times, returned two of them for touchdowns and rode four rushing scores from Ian Wheeler to a 47-25 win in front of 7,123 fans.

It was the second straight win for a Kings team that had started the season 0-3, and it moved Louisville to 2-3. Dallas, which had opened 3-0 before losing at Columbus in its previous game, dropped its second in a row and fell to 3-2.

Rogers Steady in His First Start

Louisville head coach Chris Redman handed the offense to Chandler Rogers, naming him the starter over newly acquired Mike DiLiello, according to the league's game preview. Rogers' first snap was a 10-yard completion to Tarik Black, and he never gave the ball away. He finished 13 of 18 for 150 yards with no turnovers in his first professional start, and Black caught all five of his targets for 59 yards.

The first quarter was a grind. Dallas turned the ball over on downs on back-to-back drives, according to Fox Sports' recap, and the only points came on a 38-yard field goal by Tanner Brown.

Two Throws That Flipped the Afternoon

The game turned in the second quarter, and it turned fast. With Dallas threatening in the red zone, Reed was intercepted by Bryce Hall, who went 83 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. On the very next Dallas snap, Reed threw another interception, and the Kings converted that one into a 1-yard Wheeler touchdown run to make it 16-0.

Dallas finally answered with a 14-play drive capped by Ellis Merriweather's 1-yard touchdown run late in the half. Brown then drilled a 19-yard field goal with four seconds left, and Louisville carried a 19-7 lead into the break.

Dallas Pushes Back, Wheeler Pushes Harder

The Renegades came out of halftime looking like the team that had led the league in passing. Reed hit tight end Curtis Hodges for a 25-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter, and the gap was down to 19-13. Hodges finished with two catches for 88 yards.

Wheeler made sure the momentum did not last. He scored from 7 yards out late in the third quarter, then from 12 yards early in the fourth to make it 33-13. Seventy-three seconds of game clock later, Antonio Grier stepped in front of a Reed pass and returned it 47 yards for Louisville's second pick-six of the day, and the lead was 40-13. Merriweather punched in another 1-yard run for Dallas, but Wheeler answered with a 2-yard touchdown, his fourth of the game, making him the first player this season to score four touchdowns in a single game.

Dallas got the final points on the last snap, when Greg Ward, taking a turn at quarterback, threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Butler with no time left.

Turnovers Told the Story

American Football International counted four Louisville takeaways and 27 points off them, and the Kings never trailed. Corey Mayfield Jr. had two of the interceptions, with Hall and Grier taking theirs to the end zone. Reed finished 14 of 28 for 195 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Entering the day, the league's preview listed him as the UFL leader with 907 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.

There were bright spots for Dallas in the box score. Merriweather ran 18 times for 55 yards and two touchdowns and, according to D210SPORTS, piled up 188 all-purpose yards, including 100 on returns. Drake Stoops led the Renegades with four catches for 47 yards, linebacker Willie Taylor III recorded two sacks, and defensive backs Ajene Harris and Tra Fluellen had six tackles apiece.

What's Next

Dallas next visits the DC Defenders at Audi Field on Saturday, May 2. Louisville returns to Lynn Family Stadium to host the St. Louis Battlehawks on April 30.

For the Renegades, the lesson is simple and uncomfortable. A defense that ranked third in the league in yards allowed coming into the weekend gave up 47 points, and 14 of them came from players on the other team's defense. Reed has shown he can win games with his arm. On Sunday, Louisville showed what happens when the ball goes the wrong way.

Photo Credit: Cody Grubbs/Undrafted