Four* Takeaways: Aviators fall to Louisville in season finale

Sunday, May 31, 2026
By Ed Francis
efrancis@cbussports.com

UFL end zone pylon at Aviators game

The Columbus Aviators’ inaugural season came to an end Sunday evening with a 42-27 loss to the Louisville Kings at Historic Crew Stadium.

Here are three takeaways — actually, let’s make it four* — from the final game of the UFL’s regular season:

1. MORTON A LITTLE SHAKY IN START #2

After a dominant performance last week in his Columbus debut, quarterback Jalen Morton wasn’t as effective in this game. He threw a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage of the game and finished the day completing just 14 of 38 passes (37%) for 221 yards. He didn’t look overly comfortable in the pocket and missed on several key throws in third-down situations. There’s no doubt what his best play of the day was, though: Morton hit Keke Chism with a 23-yard dart with 8:25 left in the first quarter to give the Aviators what would be their only lead of the day. One of the biggest offseason question marks for Columbus is going to be who plays quarterback next season, with Morton’s two-week audition yielding mixed results.

2. LOUISVILLE’S GROUND GAME RULED THE DAY

The Aviators lost this game because they could not stop the run, something that has been a sore spot for the Columbus defense throughout the season. Louisville piled up 205 rushing yards, including 99 yards on 14 carries from Ian Wheeler and 53 more from Jaden Shirden on 12 carries, with the duo combining for three touchdowns. Led by the ground game, the Kings consistently controlled key situations throughout the game, including scoring touchdowns on all five of their red-zone opportunities and finishing with 42 points despite just 147 yards through the air by Kings’ quarterbacks N’Kosi Perry and Mike DiLiello.

3. A FOUR POINT FIELD GOAL!

Jonas Dalmas has only been with the team for three games, but at this rate, he might find himself kicking in the NFL before much longer. Signed out of Boise State earlier in the month, Dalmas got the Aviators on the board with a career-long 58-yard field goal with 9:56 left in the opening quarter. Before the quarter ended, Dalmas had a new career mark: a 61-yarder in the closing seconds of the first gave the Aviators a rare four-point field goal — the first in Columbus history. Dalmas also hit from 49 and 51 in the third quarter, finishing the day 4-for-5 (he missed a 59-yarder in the fourth) with a total of 219 yards worth of good kicks.

4. WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE

The loss dropped Columbus to 3-7 on the season, putting them in last place in the league. While the record wasn’t what the organization envisioned, it’s worth noting that the Aviators did seem to show general improvement throughout the season despite losses in three of their last four games. One thing also worth noting: this team has plenty of support from the city of Columbus. The games were entertaining, the fans were in it all season, and the UFL has to be happy with Columbus averaging over 10,000 fans per game in the five home contests. If the Avs can give the city a winner, look for the UFL in Columbus to really take off in 2027.