Former Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers is a champion after the Louisville Kings won the UFL Championship Game, the United Bowl, 27-20.

The United Football League season has come to a close as the Louisville Kings knocked off the defending champion, DC Defenders, by a score of 27-20 in the United Bowl.

Both offenses stalled in this one for much of the opening quarter. Defenders’ kicker Matt McCrane finally broke the spell with a field goal to put DC ahead 3-0. The Louisville defense started the second quarter off in a big way, forcing a turnover on downs on the very first play of the quarter.

Louisville could not capitalize as DC’s Kai Gray grabbed his first interception of the game just a few plays later. When it seemed like the turnover party was over, Defenders’ wideout Ty Scott fumbled the ball on a pass, and Louisville’s Eric Garror ran it in for the score, giving the Kings a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.

The Defenders responded as the offense began to gain momentum under backup quarterback Jason Bean. DC’s running back Xazavian Valladay finished the drive with a 51-yard touchdown run to give DC a lead by a score of 10-7.

Offenses continued to stall for much of the second quarter until the Defenders’ kicker, Matt McCrane, kicked a field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the half to give DC a 13-7 advantage.

This wouldn’t be all for the Defenders as Kai Gray grabbed his second interception of the game and set up McCrane for another field goal to close the half, giving DC a 16-7 lead at halftime.

The Kings responded to start the third quarter, finishing the opening drive with a field goal to cut the lead to 16-10. The Defenders struggled to withstand the pressure from Louisville on their opening drive.

After losing starting quarterback Jordan Ta’amu earlier in the season, backup quarterback Jason Bean would end up leaving the game due to a shoulder injury. The Kings continued to battle as quarterback Chandler Rogers found wideout Tarik Black for a 40-yard gain.

Kicker Tanner Brown finished the drive with a field goal, putting Louisville within 3 by a score of 16-13. Defenders quarterback EJ Perry entered the game for the injured Bean, and the Defenders would go on to punt to end the third quarter.

Kings’ running back Ian Wheeler started the fourth quarter off with a 45-yard touchdown run to put Louisville ahead by a score of 20-16. Pressure started to build on EJ Perry and the Defenders, and it turned bad when Perry threw an interception, giving the ball back to Louisville. The Kings’ offense would shine once again as running James Robinson burst through for a 16-yard touchdown, giving Louisville a 27-16 lead.

The Defenders’ offense marched right down the field following the score, and kicker Matt McCrane put a 60-yard kick through for 4 points, putting the Defenders within 7. After a defensive stop, DC would get the ball back and attempt to find the endzone one last time.

The Defenders would ultimately fall short, turning the ball over on downs and sealing the win for the Kings. Former Buckeyes linebacker Steele Chambers picked up his first UFL championship victory. Gareon Conley and the DC Defenders fell short of a repeat at home.