May 19, 2026
By Evan Lepler

Every week in the UFA, we are witnessing moments that feel historic. 

Game-tying and game-winning buzzer-beaters are genuinely rare phenomena, but we’ve seen three of these stunning scores just in the past 10 days. Double overtime drama is not common either, except apparently for the 2026 Atlanta Hustle. And the Oakland Spiders are in the midst of a truly unprecedented opening month, having outscored their overmatched opponents 134-70 over the course of five consecutive double-digit victories. 

It’s not unusual to have an abundance of compelling storylines for a deep Tuesday Toss, but the combination of clutchness, playmaking, desperation, and dominance does indeed feel different. There’s no better time to be a frisbee fan, and Week 4 in the UFA reminded everyone that you never know exactly when an expected result might flip completely upside-down. 

“Something I always try and remember is that the game is never over until the clock strikes zero,” said Atlanta’s Hayden Austin-Knab. 

Not to contradict the Hustle star, but technically, there’s no clock in double overtime. Turns out he can still change the game even after the OT clock has expired too. 

The Full Field Layout

With respect for the frenetic finish and overtime excitement in Montreal, we gotta start with some extended reaction after the unreal turnaround in Atlanta. 

The Hustle trailed by two with less than three minutes left in regulation. They were down two and playing defense with less than three minutes remaining in overtime. And on universe point in double OT, the visiting Flyers were just a couple yards away from the game-sealing break, the disc in the hands of an elite thrower, with a wide open receiver ready in the end zone following a blown switch. 

I still am completely baffled that Atlanta won the game. 

“Saturday was absolutely insane!” said Adam Miller, whose buzzer-beating grab as the fourth quarter clock expired was the first of several game-saving plays for the Hustle. “We knew it was a must-win scenario. The first few weeks showed how deep our division is, and starting out 2-2 has put us basically in playoff mode.”

Seconds away from their third loss by a single score through their first five games, Miller absorbed contact, avoided the sideline, and astounded the home fans by bobbling and then making an improbable contested catch on Austin Taylor’s angled forehand as time expired, tying the game at 20-all with no time left. 

“That last second catch was terrifying,” said Miller. “First off, I probably should’ve caught it the first time. [Taylor] threw me a great ball. Andrew Li did a good job of pressuring it, which I give at least partial credit to me bobbling. In all honesty, I knew I caught it in bounds. I remember distinctly, at the last second, getting my heels down as I stopped rotation. My biggest fear was what the refs were going to do. It all happened so fast.”

After a brief discussion, the officials ruled Miller in bounds, and overtime beckoned. 

“I had no idea if he was in or not and didn’t even know he bobbled it until I watched it back, but was relieved when they called it a score,” said Austin-Knab, who was watching from the other side of the field. “I think one of [Miller's] underrated skills is his soft hands and coordination when making catches through contact or on throws that come in with some pace.”

But two minutes into the five-minute bonus period, the Flyers were up by two again. It was eerily reminiscent of when the Hustle bolted to a two-goal lead early in overtime against the Sol back in Week 1. Perhaps that recent past could have given Atlanta some belief that a comeback was still possible, but Austin-Knab later acknowledged that there was minimal optimism in his mind; in that instant, all he could contemplate was how dire of a situation they were in again.

“I was thinking that the game was probably over,” said Austin-Knab. “They had the disc up two with less than two minutes left. I think that team wins over 90 percent of the time [...] Brett [Hulsmeyer] got a huge block, Dylan [Hawkins] overthrew a long upline, and just like that we were somehow back in it.” 

This time, Miller threw the game-tying score, connecting with Dean Ramsey with 29 seconds left to tie the score at 22-all. Ramsey added a block at the buzzer, denying the Flyers again when one more play could have closed out the Carolina victory. 

Suddenly, the odds shifted in Atlanta’s favor, as the Hustle would receive the pull to start double overtime, needing just one point to cap the unlikely comeback. But simply converting an easy hold on universe point is rarely straightforward. 

“Double OT was probably the peak of my stress,” said Miller. “Next point win is a lot of pressure. I think the whole line was feeling it.” 

Without a clock counting down, the Hustle patiently waited, tossing 16 short completions to open the game’s final point, but then Austin Taylor saw Grady Richman, the team’s teen phenom, bolting deep. Few players in frisbee complete hucks at a higher percentage than Taylor, but this time, his deep shot hung in the air long enough for Carolina’s Drew Swanson to swat it away. 

Again, the Flyers were ready to win the game, and when Christian Belus spectacularly snagged Jacob Fairfax’s huck on the edge of the goal-line, it felt all but over. 

“When that deep shot went up from Fairfax, I honestly thought I had a pretty good shot at it, but unfortunately for me, Christian Belus is just that guy,” said Miller, who was desperately trying to defend and prevent the Flyers’ final score. “I’m really proud of how quickly I got up to put that defensive pressure back on, however the moment he dumped it to Kevin [Pignone], I was in complete panic. I was expecting [Austin-Knab] to switch, so I left Christian wide open. In that moment, I thought the game was over.”

Pignone had played brilliantly since shifting to offense mid-game when Allan Laviolette got hurt, and there’s probably no one that the Flyers would’ve preferred to possess the disc in that climactic moment. But in this crazy game, more madness was imminent. 

“I actually missed a handler switch,” recalled Austin-Knab. “[Miller] wanted me to pick Belus up, but I didn’t realize. I knew Belus was wide open behind me when Kevin got the disc, and I also knew [Pignone] is an aggressive break thrower who throws tough throws with confidence, so I felt pretty confident that when he started his flick motion, he was going to throw. I sold out and got lucky.”

Austin-Knab’s unbelievable layout block canceled the potential game-winning forehand, breathing fresh life into the Hustle’s fading hopes. 

“I was shocked when I felt it hit my hand, then the turf,” said Austin-Knab.

“The sound of the disc hitting his hands was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard,” said Miller.

Obviously, the Flyers were stunned.

“When I see [Belus] free, I am definitely trying to get the disc back to him,” said Pignone. “Think that some combo of [Austin-Knab] staying to double me plus Andrew Thai in my periphery made me hang my pivot for a sec, and [Austin-Knab] makes a good play. At the end of the day, that’s just not the correct choice by me, and doing that in clutch time is letting my teammates down.” 

After a timeout, the Hustle still had to score. Despite pleas for patience, Austin-Knab maintained an attack mentality. 

“If you have any fear of failure in these moments—I certainly have in past games—then you can’t truly play with 100 percent everything you have,” he said. “I thought about going deep for Brett, but also thought if I could win an under and get someone with steps cutting deep that I was 100 percent throwing it. I caught it under, saw Kenni [Taylor] break away, and let it rip.” 

Miller admitted that his ‘heart sank a little’ when he saw the huck go up, understanding the risk involved. Austin-Knab also mentioned that he was uncertain, in that instant, whether or not the throw was perfect. But then Taylor, with several steps between him and the closest Carolina defender, flashed a peace sign in the air as he gracefully pursued the game-clinching catch.

“If he’s doing that, he must’ve been pretty confident that he was gonna catch it,” said Austin-Knab. 

“When I saw the release and [Taylor] dropping the peace sign, I knew it was GGs,” said Miller.

Taylor made the grab, officially capping the absolutely unpredictable Hustle home opener, with Atlanta victorious 23-22 in double overtime.

“It was an incredible moment,” said Austin-Knab, describing the game-sealing score and the home crowd’s euphoric eruption. “Probably one of the coolest moments I have been a part of in my career. After being on the wrong side of these moments so many times, it felt incredible to finally get one to go our way.” 

Even in defeat, Carolina could not help but appreciate the gravity of everything they’d just experienced.

“We’re definitely disappointed with the result,” said Flyers Coach Michael Avila. “But we’re also fortunate to get exposure to that type of atmosphere so early into the season. Opportunities like that really don’t come that often during the regular season, and oftentimes players are having to learn how to understand and manage their feelings in high pressure moments on the fly. Getting those lessons early on, understanding what we want to learn from that, and still having a significant chunk of the season left really is a privilege [...] Tip of the cap to [Austin-Knab] for making an incredible play. Incredibly high effort and IQ play in a tense moment. Although I’m the opposing coach, you can’t help but appreciate moments like that.” 

*****

This recap may seem pretty in-depth, but there are so many other astonishing sequences that haven’t yet even been mentioned.

In no particular order, Fairfax’s pair of first-half buzzer-beaters, Terrence Mitchell’s remarkable full-extension layout score, and Dillon Bruer’s game-tying Callahan late in the third quarter were all incredible moments. 

“The moment we felt comfortable, Fairfax would catch a buzzer-beater,” said Miller. “Dillon Bruer’s Callahan was particularly brutal. Our offense was playing decent defense on the turn, so giving them a ‘free’ point like that hurts in a lot of ways. Christian Belus put on a defensive clinic in that game. I already knew he was an exceptional defender and player, but he was causing havoc all over the field. Overall, the game was all over the place.”

There was also the reality that Carolina played virtually the entire second half without Allan Laviolette and Walker Matthews, who both were dealing with injuries that took them off the field.

And speaking of injuries, how about Brett Hulsmeyer getting an overtime handblock with his cast-covered broken hand?!

“Hurt really bad, but definitely worth it,” said Hulsmeyer.

For the Hustle, it was their fourth win in the last five games against the Flyers, a meaningful result for so many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the teams will see each other again this Saturday and the Saturday after that too. They’ll also meet for a fourth time at the end of June. And who knows, maybe even a fifth time in the playoffs.

For Austin-Knab, who I perhaps foolishly characterized as just a fringe star in a preseason column, it was potentially a transformative experience in his trajectory as a player. 

“I think this Saturday definitely felt a little different for me,” Austin-Knab acknowledged. “I certainly felt the pressure of being 2-2 and knew that winning this game was almost a necessity. My performance the last time Hustle played at home was also some motivation for me. Although we beat San Diego and advanced to Championship Weekend the last time we played here at home, I was not happy with my performance and felt like I let the team down. Definitely remembered those feelings this past Saturday, and I felt like I needed to prove to myself and our home fans that I am better than what I showed during that game.” 

Between the game-saving block and game-sealing score—along with a bunch of other highlight-reel plays throughout the night—Austin-Knab truly elevated his game and met the moment. 

“Hayden has been amazing for so long,” said Hulsmeyer. “He can do everything at such a high level. I think he doesn’t get as much attention because the things he’s best at are really hard but he makes them look so easy. Just watch him play on the flat side. It looks so free, but it’s such high difficulty. This year, he’s been putting together a complete game and I think finally reaching the mindset of attacking where he might make a mistake, but he’s the guy we’re ok with taking risks because we know it’s worth it. Without that self-confidence, I don’t know if he takes that last shot to win the game, and it truly was a perfect throw.” 

Both teams expressed genuine giddiness about having a rematch so soon after this past Saturday’s unforgettable battle. And truthfully, after everything we saw in the first matchup of the season between these long-time South Division rivals, not even the wildest imagination could possibly predict what’s coming next. 

“I believe that we can get to 3-1 this season against the Hustle,” said Pignone, expressing confidence that his Flyers can still win each of the next three meetings against the Hustle. “Avila said pretty much the same, and I think our team feels similarly. Our defense generated a lot of pressure against them. Our offense had two key pieces leave the game and still found a lot of success.”

Meanwhile, the Hustle followed up their unlikely Saturday night triumph with a tough Sunday practice, continuing the team’s tradition that they believe will ultimately prepare them for the daunting back-to-back doubleheader at Championship Weekend. 

On a mission that’s still unfulfilled, Atlanta is trying to do everything it can to be ready when the next big moment arrives.

“Many moments I thought we were going to lose that one,” acknowledged Hulsmeyer. “Long games though, and there’s always some crazy thing happening in these South Division games. We said it on Sunday practice that we would have really wished to play San Diego or Austin the week after those tough losses. So we expect a step up from Carolina.”

By the way, this Memorial Day weekend rematch, despite being on Saturday night, will still be branded as “Friday Night Frisbee”, so it will be free to watch for all fans on UFA YouTube. Even after a win last week, the Hustle still feel a mighty sense of urgency.

“A ton of weight fell off my chest, and we are all able to savor the moment,” said Miller. “That being said, our job is not finished. We have seven more games that are all equally important to our aspirations to make the playoffs. This was an important win to get us back on track, but we know as an organization that we still have a lot more room to improve if we are going to make it to Championship Weekend.” 

Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line,” the champs escape a courageous and chaotic comeback in Montreal, Minnesota and Madison are both undefeated and bracing for a Week 6 showdown, the Spiders are absolutely dominating potential playoff teams, and all the rest of the Week 4 storylines across the UFA.