Buzzer Beater: Indy’s Improvement [UFA Week 11 2026]

Is the AlleyCats’s plan actually working?

July 6, 2026 by Alex Rubin in Rankings, Recap

If you have questions about the UFA, you can also write in to [email protected], and some weeks I will feature a reader question in this column. Subscribers can also DM me in the Ultiworld Discord or post questions in the UFA channel so others can chime in.

A Quick Apology

I’m sorry that I was not able to publish a column last week. I do my best to reliably publish something each week, but a combination of external factors led to an unexpected week off. I’m happy to be back on a regular writing schedule now, and I appreciate your understanding after last week.

AlleyCats’ Ascent

The clear winners of the offseason were the Indianapolis AlleyCats. The team assembled their best collection of talent since their 2019 run to Championship Weekend and seemed poised to compete at a higher level than any of their post-COVID seasons. And yet, they started this year 1-4, including two one-goal losses to the Madison Radicals. Through the end of June, the only team that Indianapolis beat was the last place Chicago Union.

And yet, the ‘Cats kept trucking along in the Crossroads of America. On the road in Madison and Chicago this weekend, Indianapolis beat the Radicals and the Union by multiple goals apiece. Their win over Madison appears to be their first-ever road game scoring 30+ points against anyone other than Detroit.¹ As the new look ‘Cats play together more and more, they seem to get better and better. Closing out Madison this weekend on the road with an 8-2 run is quite impressive for any team, let alone a team that fumbled end of game situations to this same opponent twice already this season.

The introduction of Sofiène Bontemps and Elliot Hawkins to the offense mid-season revitalized the AlleyCats attack. Hawkins leads the team in scores per game, assists per game, and yards per game, while Bontemps is third in scores per game and first in goals per game. Despite playing in just six of the team’s nine games, Hawkins leads the team in Shown Space’s contribution statistic, which attempts to measure how much a player’s offensive impact contributes to team success. Bontemps is sixth on the team despite playing in just five games.

Beyond just their added talent, the addition of Hawkins and Bontemps changes the shape of the AlleyCats offense. Both are clear hybrid talents who start downfield but have the throwing chops to deliver downfield blows that earn chunks of yards. Playing with throwers who can do that from the backfield and from motion spreads out the defense as they need to cover every inch of the wide UFA field and therefore creates even more open looks for others.

The other knock-on effect is that William Wettengel can spend more time on defense. Wettengel started the season playing with the O-line in that hybrid role. His seven assists during week one proved that he can handle a bigger spotlight, but his strongest strengths remain defensive. With his hole in the offense filled, Wettengel is now free to roam around on the D-line, wrecking havoc on opponents and deterring hucks with his size, speed, and reading ability. Playing 29 defensive points against Madison, Wettengel churned out seven blocks, just one off the single-game record. With this performance, he joins a rare group of players who have recorded both seven assists in a game and seven blocks in a game (the others are Jay Drescher in 2015, Jonathan Helton in 2014, and Mark Lloyd across 2013 and 2014).

The AlleyCats have three games left this season: two against Pittsburgh and one against eliminated Toronto. Two more wins out of those three games should put them in the playoffs, where they are likely to face off against the same Madison team that they just comfortably beat. Despite a slow start, this team has a clear path to the division final, and appears to be putting the pieces of the puzzle together at just the right time.

News and Notes

• In a rare weekday game, the New York Empire crushed the Philadelphia Phoenix 28-17. The stellar offensive effort from the Empire produced just seven total turnovers. Daan De Marrée’s six goals led the way.
• The DC Breeze kept pace in the East by also beating the Phoenix, 21-17, on Friday. Coby Loveranes powered the Breeze offense with three goals and two assists on 457 total yards. Couper Kerns also added three blocks.
• The Minnesota Wind Chill won every quarter as they took down the Chicago Union 25-16. In his first game playing primarily offense, Zach Morton tallied six goals.
• Morton tallied another six goals as the Wind Chill went on to beat the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds as well. Will Brandt added five assists in the 26-19 win.
• Despite an 0-3 record against them so far, the Indianapolis AlleyCats reversed their fortunes and crushed the Madison Radicals 31-18 to race back into the playoff picture. Elliot Hawkins put up another video game stat line: nine assists, four goals, and 749 total yards split fairly evenly between throwing and receiving. William Wettengel is credited with seven blocks.
• Three assists and five goals from Sofiene Bontemps helped Indy cruise to a 24-20 win over Chicago. The AlleyCats converted ten of their twelve break chances.
• The Seattle Cascades knocked off the Colorado Apex 18-11, clinching their spot in the playoffs.
• In overtime, the Cascades then beat the Salt Lake Shred 23-22, giving them a clear path to the two-seed in the West Division and a home playoff game.
• Jonathan Lyle’s four-goal, four-assist game helped the San Diego Growlers beat the Vegas Bighorns 28-18 to stay in playoff position in the South Division.
• In a back-and-forth affair in which the lead was never greater than two, the Montreal Royal defeated the Toronto Rush 18-17, knocking Toronto out of the playoff picture.

UFA Power Rankings

• Indy moves up after two convincing wins this weekend.
• Toronto slides after being eliminated from playoff contention.

1. Shoutout to Chris Ginet in the Ultiworld Discord for pointing this out ↩