Tag: XFL 2023

Battlehawks top Vipers, 21-17, in XFL overtime clash

The Battlehawks won by 4 in XFL overtime against Vegas

Here’s something you don’t see every day — any day? — in a pro football game.

St. Louis Battlehawks 21, Vegas Vipers 17 in overtime.

Yes, the Battlehawks, minus quarterback A.J. McCarron (shoulder) rallied and downed Vegas by 4 points in OT.

How do you get a 4-point difference in a game that went to OT?

The XFL overtime rules feature a three-round shootout, where each team goes for 2-point conversions until the game is decided.

St. Louis was successful Saturday on its first 2-point conversions in OT.

Vegas appeared to have converted on its first try to start the first OT session in XFL 2023 but the replay booth said the player had been stopped short of the goal line.

After St. Louis went up 19-17 on a Nick Triano pass to Hakeem Butler, Vegas was called for offensive pass interference on its apparently successful conversion.

The penalty negated the conversion and gave St. Louis a chance to win the game.

Brian Hill took a handoff and ran into the end zone.

And that’s how you wind up with a 4-point difference in a football game that went to overtime.

Only in the XFL.

The Battlehawks, who specialize in comebacks, got a touchdown on a fake punt.

 

Vegas Vipers’ Rod Smith hurdles way to paydirt

Rod Smith of the Vegas Vipers flew and then had six points

The short pass turned into a highlight-reel play as the Vegas Vipers faced the San Antonio Brahmas in XFL play.

Rod Smith catches the throw and takes off toward the end zone. A defender — not a D.C. Defender — got in his way.

No problem as Smith goes airborne and lands in the end zone.

Vipers outlast Guardians for first XFL 2023 triumph

The Vegas Vipers outscored the Orlando Guardians in a battle of previously winless XFL teams

Rod Woodson and the Vegas Vipers have their first win in XFL play.

Terrell Buckley and the Orlando Guardians are winless through five games.

In a duel between previously winless teams Saturday, the Vipers outlasted the Guardians, 35-32.

The outcome was in doubt until 72 seconds were left. Cody Latimer caught a 45-yard TD pass from Quinten Dormady.

However, a 3-point conversion — from the 10-yard line — failed — and Woodson had his first XFL victory.

The loss spoiled a superb relief effort by Quinten Dormady. He replaced Paxton Lynch and went 22-of-25 for 256 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Luis Perez was 20-of-28 for 269 yards through the air and 3 touchdowns.

Jeff Badet had a pair of TD receptions and Rod Smith rushed for 62 yards and 2 scores.

 

Abram Smith, Defenders stomp Battlehawks in XFL 2023

A 202-yard rushing effort by Abram Smith propelled the D.C. Defenders in XFL 2023 play

When he was a youth, Abram Smith wanted to give up football because getting tackled wasn’t fun.

His mom told Smith that he should be the hammer and not the nail.

Smith went to play at Baylor and now excels for the undefeated D.C. Defenders in the XFL.

On Saturday, Smith kept hammering St. Louis as D.C. won its fifth straight, 28-20.

Smith rushed for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns. Smith had 62- and 5-yard scoring runs in the second quarter as the Defenders built a 14-3 lead.

He added a 70-yarder in the third quarter.

The Defenders went ahead 28-12 in the fourth quarter on a D’Eriq King 10-yard run.

St. Louis cut the deficit to 28-20 on a 50-yard AJ McCarron touchdown pass and 2-point conversion with 4:19 left.

The Battlehawks got a chance to tie — or win — the game with two minutes left.

On a third-and-2, McCarron was sacked and the Battlehawks faced a fourth-and-10 with 1:20 left.

McCarron found Brian Hill by the sideline and the running back ran down the sidelines before stepping out with a first down.

Hill then caught another pass for 11 yards and another first down.

However, the Battlehawks’ comeback died on the next play when Defenders DB Michael Joseph made his fourth interception of the season.

Up next for the undefeated Defenders is a home game a week from Monday against the 4-1 Houston Roughnecks.

 

Seattle Sea Dragons deal Houston Roughnecks first loss in XFL play

The Houston Roughnecks have finally lost in XFL play

It took two incarnations and 10 XFL games but the Houston Roughnecks have finally lost.

The Seattle Sea Dragons overcame multiple turnovers to down Wade Phillips’ team, 21-14 on Thursday.

The Sea Dragons surged to a 15-0 lead at halftime as their defense stymied the Roughnecks in the first 30 minutes.

Houston closed to within 15-6 in the final quarter but Seattle got a rushing TD to build the lead to 21-6.

Houston scored in the final minute of the game on a 47-yard Brandon Silvers pass to Justin Smith.

The Roughnecks went for the make-it-keep-it fourth-and-15 play with 24 seconds left. Silvers found Deontay Burnett for 17 yards and Houston remained alive.

On first down, Seattle was called for pass interference and Houston had the ball at the Sea Dragons’ 27 with 13 seconds left.

On the next play, Niko Lalos intercepted a Silvers pass and Seattle had dealt Houston its first defeat.

Phillips used his challenge, claiming a Seattle defender has used his hands to the face of a Roughnecks lineman.

However, Dean Blandino in the replay center ruled no such infraction happened.

DiNucci threw for a touchdown and rushed for one in the victory as Seattle upped its mark to 3-2.

“We love making these games interesting,” DiNucci said. “I’m a little upset with myself, three interceptions, four turnovers. We have to take better care of the ball.”

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback showed total frustration with the pattern former NFL star Josh Gordon ran after his final interception.

The Roughnecks were 5-0 in XFL II before the league folded due to COVID-19. They won their first 4 games in XFL 2023 before falling in Seattle.

Battlehawks topple Renegades in front of more than 38,000 in St. Louis

The fans turned out in droves to see their St. Louis Battlehawks in the home opener

St. Louis might be a football city, after all.

The Rams bolted for Los Angeles, leaving the fans without pro football until …

Sunday when the XFL debuted with the home-standing Battlehawks facing the Arlington Renegades.

The Battlehawks won, 24-11, but the big winners were St. Louis football fans.

AJ McCarron threw for 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Brian Hill, a running back playing in front of his hometown fans, rushed 6 times for 55 yards.

Kyle Sloter threw 3 picks in the losing cause.

There were 38,310 people in attendance for the home opener and they were a loud and partying crowd.

St. Louis is now 3-1.

 

 

Houston Roughnecks clobber Orlando Guardians in XFL 2023 play

Houston crushed Orlando in XFL 2023 play

A mismatch on paper proved to be exactly that on the field Saturday as the Houston Roughnecks remained perfect, battering the winless Orlando Guardians, 44-16.

The outcome never was in doubt as early as the first quarter when Houston scored 20 straight points.

Brandon Silvers completed 24-of-30 passes for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Roughnecks used the double-forward pass for a touchdown as Jontre Kirklin threw a 49-yard pass to Deontay Burnett.

Dejoun Lee had a pair of rushing TDs for Houston, which had 95 yards on the ground in the second half after going for -1 in the first 30 minutes.

Paxton Lynch threw for 230 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown pass to Charleston Rambo in the mismatch.

Wade Phillips and Houston are 4-0, while Terrell Buckley and Orlando are 0-4.

 

Paxton Lynch backward pass turns into Roughnecks touchdown in XFL 2023

Paxton Lynch threw a backward pass and Houston’s Will Likely turned it into a touchdown

The Orlando Guardians are winless and appear to be going nowhere against the Houston Roughnecks in Week 4 of the XFL season.

Paxton Lynch, once a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, threw a backward pass in the first quarter on Saturday.

Will Likely of the Roughnecks scooped the ball on a bounce and cruised into the end zone.

The pass was clearly backward as was noted by rules official Dean Blandino in the replay command center.

For some reason, Guardians coach Terrell Buckley used his lone challenge of the game on the call.

The call was upheld and the winless Guardians were dealt another blow.

Wade Phillips’ Roughnecks topple Brahmas to remain unbeaten in XFL 2023

The Houston Roughnecks continue to dominate XFL 2023

Week 3 of the XFL season came to a conclusion Sunday and the Houston Roughnecks continue to be perfect.

Wade Phillips’ squad used a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter to thwart the San Antonio Brahmas, 22-13.

The reason the goal-line stand was so critical? Because in the XFL you can go for a 3-point conversion after touchdowns. Yepper, 9-point touchdowns are possible.

The Roughnecks scored all their points in the first half. They only allowed touchdowns to the Brahmas in the first and third quarters.

They were undefeated in incarnation II of the XFL, which was cut after 5 weeks due to COVID-19, and now are 3-0.

Brandon Silvers completed 24 passes and threw for 278 yards with a trio of TDs.

Jontre Kirklin caught a pair of  TD passes and had six grabs for 77 yards.

Houston outgained San Antonio 374 to 162.

Brahmas QB Jack Coan had 8 completions for 64 yards with a TD and a pick.

Jacques Patrick led the paltry San Antonio ground game with 36 yards.

Renegades edge winless Guardians in dreary XFL contest

The Arlington Renegades downed the winless Orlando Renegades in a sleepy XFL contest

After his Arlington Renegades downed the Orlando Guardians, 10-9, Sunday in XFL 2023 play, coach Bob Stoops was asked about the victory.

“Barnburner” the former Oklahoma coach said sarcastically after the low-scoring contest that saw the Renegades improve to 2-1 while the Guardians fell to 0-3.

Stoops wasn’t kidding.

Kyle Sloter threw for 124 yards and a TD in his first start for Arlington. The TD pass to Tyler Vaughns tied the game in the fourth quarter.

Stoops recognized there weren’t going to be many points scored and went for the 1-point conversion. The Renegades ran the ball in — there are no kicking PATs in the XFL — and Arlington held on for the victory.

Paxton Lynch threw for 219 yards and rushed for 43 in the loss as Terrell Buckley has yet to find a winning combination.

A last-ditch deep pass from Lynch to Charleston Rambo was completed but the receiver was unable to get one foot down inbounds.

The XFL plays by college rules and one foot in would have been enough to keep the drive going. It was not to be.