Category: XFL

WATCH! Battlehawks’ Pierson-El dedicates TD to late grandmother

De’Mornay Pierson-El scored a TD for St. Louis and dedicated it to his late grandmother.

De’Mornay Pierson-El of the St. Louis Battlehawks scored a touchdown in the third quarter Sunday at Houston against the Roughnecks.

The wideout from Nebraska said after the TD it had special meaning. His grandmother passed away recently and his grandfather had asked Pierson-El to score a touchdown in St. Louis’ opener. That didn’t happen, but he did find the end zone in Houston.

After the TD, Pierson-El took the ball and gave it to his sister in the stands. He said they would give it to their grandfather when they traveled to Virginia this week.

An emotional weekend for XFL wideouts as Eli Rogers of the DC Defenders played Saturday while his family was at his grandmother’s funeral service.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

WATCH! P.J. Walker is the most exciting player in the XFL

Houston’s P.J. Walker is adding to his resume of exciting plays as Week 2 of the XFL continues.

Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker has picked up where he started in Week 1.

After throwing four TD passes against Los Angeles, Walker is putting on a show against the St. Louis Battlehawks in a Week 2 game Sunday.

Watch the electrifying former Temple star take off on an 11-yard run. Hate to say it again, but he is in Houston, home of the Texans’ Deshaun Watson, who has made some plays of this ilk.

Walker then broke contain and found Cam Phillips in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to make it 21-6 with less than two minutes to go in the first half in Houston.

Phillips did make a mistake after the TD, taking off his helmet. In the XFL, that is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty enforced on the PAT. So, the one-point extra point from the 17 failed.

Oh, and the league knows how dominant Walker has been through six quarters.

He also knows how to go sidearm, a la Patrick Mahomes. At the half, he’s completed 13-of-21 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

PJ Walker’s beautiful, Patrick Mahomes-like TD pass had football fans in awe

What. A. Throw.

The XFL is a good place for players to show off some talents and make plays that could end up impressing NFL teams to look at them more closely or just add them right to their team.

Well, Houston Roughnecks QB PJ Walker did just that during Sunday’s game against the St. Louis BattleHawks as his sidearm touchdown pass, which looked like something Patrick Mahomes would pull off, had everyone gushing over his throw and his future.

Walker, who played his college ball at Temple and has been on the Colts practice squad since going undrafted in 2017, made this TD pass look so darn easy:

He also broke off this sweet run:

Twitter rightly loved that TD pass and think he should be playing in the NFL next season:

WATCH! Cody Brown 50-yard interception return sets up Roughnecks’ TD

Cody Brown was in the right place to pick off a St. Louis pass.

Houston’s Cody Brown was in the right place when St. Louis QB Jordan Ta’amu tried to find a Battlehawks receiver in the second quarter Sunday. The Roughnecks’ safety picked off the pass and set up a touchdown for Houston.

James Butler fought his way in from the one and Houston was off and winging.

 

 

WATCH! St. Louis’ Jordan Ta’amu and Matt Jones execute perfect screen pass for TD

Jordan Ta’amu found Matt Jones, who wound up in the end zone 25 yards later on the screen pass.

Former Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta’amu was a perfect 3-for-3 passing halfway through the first quarter and found Matt Jones for the first touchdown of the game to give St. Louis the lead over Houston Sunday.

Check out the 25-yard play that found paydirt.

Bob Stoops avoids 0-2 start as Renegades rush past Wildcats

The Dallas Renegades’ offense got in gear in the second half and downed the Los Angeles Wildcats.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was pretty ugly. The Dallas Renegades’ offense found itself in the second half Sunday and they downed the Los Angeles Wildcats, 25-18.

The victory was the first for Dallas and dropped LA to 0-2. Renegades coach Bob Stoops was never 0-2 in his 18 years at Oklahoma. He was 1-2 with the Sooners in 2005 and ’16. The Renegades will look to avoid that happen in the XFL when they visit Seattle in Week 3.

Dallas outgained LA, 444-256. A big chunk of the yardage came from Cameron Artis-Payne, who rushed for 99 yards on 14 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. The second TD run was a 17-yarder that gave Dallas a 25-18 lead with 3:31 left, the final score in the contest.

Landry Jones showed some rust in the first half but rebound after the break and finished 28-of-40 for 305 yards with a TD pass and two picks. Jones becomes the first XFL QB to crack the 300-yard mark.

Thirty-four of the game’s points came in the fourth quarter.

 

Wildcats’ Nelson Spruce catches 2 TD passes after catching praise from Todd Gurley

Nelson Spruce had two TD catches in front of his former Rams teammate Todd Gurley.

The Los Angeles Wildcats fell to 0-2, losing to the Dallas Renegades, 25-18, in LA’s home opener Sunday.

Spruce has some LA history. After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, Spruce signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Ram.  The rookie made a big impression in his first preseason game, catching six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown to help the Rams defeat the Dallas Cowboys 28-24 in the team’s first game back in Los Angeles after relocating from St. Louis. However, Spruce suffered a knee injury on the game-winning play and was out for the remainder of the preseason. 

Spruce had a fan at the game against Dallas: LA Rams RB Todd Gurley.

He signed with the Bears, Chiefs and Chargers but did not stick in the NFL. Spruce then signed with the San Diego Fleet of the AAF. He finished fifth in the defunct league with 426 receiving yards and second in receptions with 38.

In two XFL games, Spruce has 17 catches for 192 yards.

The Saints should be keeping a close eye on Cardale Jones, the face of the XFL

It’s been a while since Cardale Jones won a national title at Ohio State, but the XFL star should draw attention from the New Orleans Saints

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Who’s going to quarterback the New Orleans Saints in 2020? The easy answer would be Drew Brees, assuming he returns for one more year before entering retirement. That’s far from certain with TV networks trying to add him to the broadcast booth. And who’s going to be under center in 2021? Teddy Bridgewater or Taysom Hill, maybe? The future of the most important position in football has never been less certain for New Orleans than right now, but an interesting option could be making a name for himself in the upstart XFL.

D.C. Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones is the biggest name the spring football league has to offer, and he’s lived up to that billing with a 2-0 record and an impressive resume through the first two weeks. Jones has completed 39 of 63 passes (62%) for 511 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception, tacking on 42 rushing yards. His ability to execute plays within structure of the offense while also improvising once things fall apart has to be an intriguing draw for NFL teams, including the Saints.

He’s someone the Saints should be familiar with, having practiced against Jones for a week during the 2019 preseason in joint sessions with the Los Angeles Chargers. They presumably got a good look at him when evaluating his top receiver (Michael Thomas) and the quarterback who somehow started ahead of him (J.T. Barrett) on the Ohio State Buckeyes way back when, during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. But whatever the NFL overlooked in Jones’ college game has clearly translated to the XFL: he’s 13-0 as a starting quarterback between his college, NFL, and XFL experience, leading teams to a 25-1 overall record whenever he steps on the field. That’s what you call a gamer.

But how does Jones compare to Bridgewater and Hill, the heirs-apparent to Brees? He’s 27, a few months younger than Bridgewater, while Hill is several years their senior. Jones is a much better-developed passer than Hill, though he probably doesn’t offer the same running ability or aptitude on special teams. If the Saints aren’t able to retain Bridgewater once he tests free agency, Jones would make more sense as a backup or understudy to Brees than many other journeymen quarterbacks. He won’t be going anywhere until the XFL’s first season concludes, but it’s easy to imagine the Saints giving him a shot in training camp. They’ve added just about every other ex-Buckeyes prospect possible in recent years.

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How to Watch St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Houston Roughnecks, XFL Football Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch St Louis Battlehawks vs Houston Roughnecks Live Online.

The undefeated St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0) head to Houston to take on the Roughnecks who also won their first game of the season. Can the Roughnecks increase their lead in the XFL’s West division with a win at home or will the Battlehawks get their second straight victory? We’ll find out Sunday afternoon at TDECU Stadium in Houston. 

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St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Houston Roughnecks

  • When: Sunday, February 16
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: FS1
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

St. Louis was one of three teams in the XFL East division to come away with a victory in the league’s opener. The Battlehawks edged the Renegades 15-9 in Dallas. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 20 of 27 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown. Ta’Amu, who played collegiately at Ole Miss, also rushed for 77 yards on nine carries. Former Florida running back Matt Jones led the team with 21 carries and 85 yards, while Keith Ford scored the lone rushing touchdown. The Battlehawks defense was also stout, holding the Renegades to just 58 yards rushing. Linebacker Terence Garvin was all over the field with eight total tackles (two of those for a loss) and one sack.

In the XFL West division, Houston sits in first place after a 37-17 trouncing of the visiting Los Angeles Wildcats.  After being down 17-12 late in the third quarter, the Roughnecks took the lead on a 39-yard touchdown pass from quarterback P.J. Walker to wide receiver Sam Mobley. That series was part of a 25-0 run for head coach June Jones. It’s no secret that Jones’ offenses like to air the ball out. Walker finished the day 23 of 38 for 272 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. If St. Louis wants to stay in the game, it starts with limiting Walker and the passing game.

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Eli Rogers’ tweets explain decision to play rather than attend mother’s funeral

Eli Rogers explained his decision to play an XFL game Saturday rather than attend his mom’s funeral service.

The DC Defenders’ Eli Rogers played Saturday in the team’s win over the New York Guardians. Before the game he wrote a series of tweets explaining how he came to the decision to play for the XFL team rather than attend his mother’s funeral service. His mom, Tranae Jackson, died on Feb. 5 at the age of 50.

The truth is grieving is private. No one can tell anyone how to mourn or what to do. All people can and should do is be supportive of the person and their friends and family who have suffered a loss.

Years ago the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explained what it took for Rogers to overcome a challenging youth to become a Steelers’ draft pick.

Rogers’ upbringing was not pretty. His mom, Tranae Jackson, has been living with AIDS since Eli was 8. Brownsville, the suburb of Miami where Rogers was raised, is among the poorest and most dangerous in the country. Money was tight. Meals were missed. To avoid the trappings that surrounded him and attempting to chart a new path, Rogers spent much of high school voluntarily away from home, living with friends and family members and crashing on couches for weeks at a time.

…

Rogers might be tough, but he’s not arrogant or naive. He doesn’t pretend to know what it’s like to be his mom or feel what she feels. He has always admired how she prays every day and expresses gratitude for what she has, even if the situation sometimes looks bleak.

“She always says, ‘Thank you God for waking me up and giving me a breath to breathe,’ ” Rogers said in 2017. “Through what she’s going through, it’s amazing to me to find the strength to wake up every day, in the situation she’s in, and do that.

“I think that really sparked something in me that gave me a drive to always want to keep God first and always want to stay positive and work hard for her to create that change.”