XFL Dallas Renegades

Arlington Renegades Game Notes - XFL Championship Game

Published on May 5, 2023 under XFL (XFL)
Dallas Renegades News Release


SERIES NOTES: The XFL Championship Game will mark the 2nd-ever matchup between the Renegades and Defenders, as D.C. was a 28-26 overtime victor in Week 9 of this season at Audi Field in front of a sellout crowd of 18,684. The teams were also scheduled to meet at Audi Field during Week 6 of the 2020 XFL season, but that campaign was halted after Week 5 due to the pandemic.

THE ROAD ENDS HERE

The Arlington Renegades will meet the D.C. Defenders in the XFL Championship Game on Saturday, May 13 at The Alamodome in San Antonio, marking the 43rd and final game of the 2023 XFL season. Following a 10-week regular season, the underdog Renegades earned a spot in the XFL Championship Game by dominating the Houston Roughnecks, 26-11, in the South Division Championship Game on April 29 in Houston. The Defenders, who posted an league-best 9-1 record during the regular season, cruised to a 37-21 win over the Seattle Sea Dragons in the North Division Championship Game on April 30 to punch their ticket to San Antonio.

The Championship Game will be broadcast on ABC with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Cole Cubelic and Katie George (sideline), as well as on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. It will mark the first time for a professional football team from DFW to play for a league championship since 1995-96, when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP

The Renegades played their most complete game of the season in the 26-11 victory over Houston on April 29, earning their largest margin of victory in any win in 2023. The team posted a season high-tying 26 points -- including 23 points in the first half -- and 419 yards of offense to mark their 2nd-highest total of the season behind only Week 9 at D.C. (434). QB Luis Perez finished 19-for-27 passing with 289 yards and 3 touchdowns.

His leading receiver was WR JaVonta Payton with 5 catches for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns, the most receiving yards by a Renegade this season. RB De'Veon Smith had 24 carries for 94 yards on the ground, also the most for an Arlington player in 2023 and nearly twice as many rushing yards as any other RB in the divisional round. The Arlington defense continued its strong play by holding a high-powered Houston offense to a season-low 11 points while earning a takeaway for an 11th straight game.

BIG GAME BOB

Arlington Renegades head coach Bob Stoops led his team to a decisive victory in the Divisional Round to earn a spot in the XFL Championship Game, which will mark his 6th all-time appearance (5th as head coach) in a Championship Game since beginning his career as a college coach. The College Football Hall of Famer led the Oklahoma Sooners to four Championship Game appearances (including one National Title) during his tenure in Norman, and he also won a National Championship as defensive coordinator on head coach Steve Spurrier's staff at Florida. Stoops' lone National Title came alongside two of his current Renegades assistants, co-offensive coordinators Jonathan Hayes and Chuck Long. Stoops' Championship Game appearances:

- 2008-09: Oklahoma vs. Florida (24-14 loss)

- 2004-05: Oklahoma vs. USC (55-19 loss)

- 2003-04: Oklahoma vs. LSU (21-14 loss)

- 2000-01: Oklahoma vs. Florida State (13-2 win)

- 1996-97: Florida vs. Florida State (52-20 win)

Taking into account an NFL angle, it is worth noting that there are three coaches who have won both a college national championship and a Super Bowl: Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks / LSU), Jimmy Johnson (Dallas Cowboys / Miami), and Barry Switzer (Dallas Cowboys / Oklahoma).

REMEMBER THE ALAMO-DOME

The Renegades travel to The Alamodome for the XFL Championship Game, which will mark the team's second game in the venue this season after defeating the hometown Brahmas, 12-10, back in Week 5. Bob Stoops is 3-0 all-time as a head coach in The Alamodome. The Week 5 win marked his first game in the venue since coming out of retirement in an interim capacity to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to a 47-32 win over the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29, 2021. In that game, Oklahoma QB Caleb Williams threw for 3 touchdowns, RB Kennedy Brooks (142 yards, 3 TDs) was named game MVP, and Stoops' son Drake caught a touchdown pass. In addition to the Alamo Bowl win, Stoops' #9 Sooners defeated #1 Missouri by a 38-17 margin in the 2007 Big 12 Football Championship played in San Antonio.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST D.C.

The Renegades will face the D.C. Defenders for the 2nd time in a span of a month, as Arlington overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit before suffering a 28-26 overtime loss in Week 9 at Audi Field on April 16. Arlington utilized the unique 4th-and-15 try for the first time, and was successful on a miraculous throw by QB Luis Perez late in the 4th to retain possession and set up a game-tying FG by K Taylor Russolino. Perez put forth one of the best performances by an XFL quarterback this season, completing 31 of 41 passes for 335 yards with one TD and one INT. Those represented the highest marks by an Arlington QB in 2023. The loss marked the first overtime game in Renegades franchise history. Arlington tied its season high with 26 points, but also allowed a season-high 28 points.

PUTTING THE 'D' IN DEFENSE

The Renegades have had one of the XFL's top defensive units this season, and carried that performance into the postseason by holding Houston to a season-low 11 points in the XFL South Division Championship Game. CB De'Vante Bausby picked off Houston QB Cole McDonald late in the contest, giving Arlington at least one takeaway in all 11 games this season. The Renegades have 9 takeaways in their last 4 games -- including a seasonhigh 5 takeaways on April 8 at Orlando. Below are some regular-season defense notes:

- Arlington had an XFL-best 22 takeaways during the 10-week regular season.

- Arlington led the XFL with 13 INT and ranked T2nd with 9 fumble recoveries.

- The Renegades scored 77 of their 146 points (52.7 percent) off turnovers.

- The Renegades allowed 19.4 points per game, the 4th-best mark in the XFL.

STEADY AS HE GOES

The Arlington offense has been steadied by QB Luis Perez since he was installed as the starter for Week 8 after being acquired in a trade with the Vegas Vipers. In 4 games with his new team (3 reg. season + 1 postseason), Perez has completed 88 of 129 passes (68%) for 1,019 yards with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Arlington has averaged 19.6 points per game since Perez took over as starter, a much higher figure than they were posting before his arrival.

- Perez is looking to add a professional chamipionship to his resume after winning a Division II national title at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2017. He also won the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II MVP that season.

ALL ABOARD THE PAYNE TRAIN

Arlington Renegades LB Donald Payne returned to the team's lineup in impressive fashion for the XFL South Division Championship, racking up a game-high 10 tackles (7 solo) in the upset win. The linebacker was activated from Injured Reserve prior to the contest after missing the previous 2 games due to a high ankle sprain. Despite missing 2 games, Payne finished the regular season as the XFL's 5th-leading tackler with 61 stops, which was well clear of the next-closest Renegade, S Will Hill (48 tackles).

- Payne came to the XFL after leading the USFL with 117 tackles for Houston in 2022.

- A three-time All-American at Stetson, Payne finished his college career as the third-leading tackler in Division I (FCS/FBS) history with 538 tackles.

FINDING PAYDIRT

Arlington RB De'Veon Smith had a breakout game in the XFL South Division Championship Game, carrying the ball 24 times for 94 yards to mark the most rushing yards for an Arlington player in 2023 and nearly twice as many rushing yards as any other RB in the Divisional Round. Smith finished the regular season tied with D.C. RB Abram Smith for the XFL lead with 7 rushing touchdowns, as he had 7 scores in his final 6 games and had 7 of the team's 12 offensive TDs during the 2023 regular season. In addition to TDs, he ranked among XFL ball carriers in attempts (T2nd, 115) & yards (4th, 365) during the reg. season.

- After averaging under 3 yards per carry through the season's first 5 weeks, Smith has carried the ball 71 times for 284 yards (4.0 yards per carry) over his last 5 games.

- As a team, Arlington has averaged more than 100 rushing yards over the last 5 games. The team's season-high 137 rushing yards were most of any team during the Divisional Round.

CANNELLA LEADS THE WAY

TE Sal Cannella has been the Renegades' top receiver this season, leading the squad with 42 catches (6th in XFL) for 415 yards during the 10-week regular season. His 42 catches were 11 more than the next-closest Renegade (31-WR Tyler Vaughns), and 415 yards were 113 more than the next-closest (302-also Vaughns). Cannella had 7 catches for 92 yards in Week 9 at D.C. -- including a clutch grab to convert a late 4th-and-15 attempt.

BIG WILLIE STYLE

Arlington LB Willie Taylor has been a key contributor on the defensive side of the ball, finishing the regular season among team leaders in tackles for loss (8) and sacks (4 - tied with LB Will Clarke). One of the youngest players in the league at just 23 years old, Taylor was one of just three XFL players that were eligible for the NFL Draft (along with Seattle QB Harrison Frost and San Antonio DB Marco Domio). Taylor played in college at Washington State and Eastern Kentucky, and finished up his college career last Fall before jumping straight to the XFL. In doing so, he has established a precedent for college players looking to increase their stock by playing professionally in the XFL immediately after school.

SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS

The Renegades employ one of the top special teams units in the league with K Taylor Russolino and former NFL All-Pro P Marquette King leading the charge.

Russolino hit on both of his FG attempts in the South Division Championship, and has been successful on each of his last 9 FG tries. He is also 10-for-11 in FGs over his last 5 games, with multiple makes in 4 straight contests. He finished the regular season 16-for-19 on FG attempts, the 2nd-most successful tries in the league behind only San Antonio's Parker Romo (17 of 19). Including his time spent with St. Louis in 2020 - when he went 9-for-10 in FG attempts - Russolino has now converted 27 of 31 (87.1%) of FG attempts in the XFL.

King has found plenty of success in the punting game for the Renegades. The former NFL All-Pro had 40 punts (4th in XFL) for 1,858 yards (2nd in XFL) in the regular season, good for an average of 46.5 yards/punt. That reg. season average ranked 2nd in the league behind San Antonio's Brad Wing (47.8 yds/punt).

SOME EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

As with all XFL teams, the Arlington Renegades roster consists of players with extensive professional experience, including time spent at the sport's highest level in the NFL. Of the 51 players on the team's season-opening roster, 25 had appeared in at least one NFL game. Those 25 players have a total of 506 games of NFL experience. Leading the way for Arlington is former All-Pro P Marquette King with 84 games of NFL experience, while LB Will Clarke (53), CB Cre'von LeBlanc (52), and DB Will Hill (50) have each eclipsed the half-century mark in games played at the NFL level.

ST. LOUIS SOUTH

The 2023 Arlington Renegades have a number of connections to the 2020 St. Louis Battlehawks from XFL 2.0. Members of the current coaching staff that worked for St. Louis in 2020, with their former role listed in parenthesis: co-offensive coordinator Jonathan Hayes (head coach), co-offensive coordinator Chuck Long (offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach), co-defensive coordinator Jay Hayes (defensive coordinator), codefensive coordinator Tim Lewis (defensive backs coach), quality control coach Michael George (asst. to head coach / asst. defensive line coach). Current Renegades players that played for St. Louis in 2020: DL Will Clarke, OL Brian Folkerts (St. Louis-area native & graduate of Hazelwood Central HS), DB Will Hill, P Marquette King, DL Davonte Lambert, DB Joe Powell, and K Taylor Russolino.

- Jonathan Hayes and Chuck Long's starting QB for that 2020 St. Louis team?: current D.C. Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu.

THE BAND IS BACK TOGETHER

Arlington Renegades head coach Bob Stoops and co-offensive coordinators Jonathan Hayes and Chuck Long all played college football together in 1982 at the University of Iowa under legendary head coach Hayden Fry. The trio were teammates on the Hawkeyes' 1982 Rose Bowl team, and Stoops was later part of the Iowa coaching staff while Hayes concluded his playing career. Hayes served as the tight ends/special teams coach for Stoops at OU from 1999-2002. Long was a coach for the Sooners from 2000-05, as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

RENEGADES IN THE COMMUNITY

The Renegades are committed to being a positive force and constant presence in the community. Below are some of the recent community events and appearances:

- Jan. 14: Girl Scouts of Texas and Oklahoma - Cookie Distribution Event

- Jan. 16: MLK Day / National Day of Service - Volunteering at Mission Arlington (players), meal delivery to needy families in partnership with Prince Lebanese Grill and Park Place Mercedes (Bob Stoops)

- Jan. 28: Renegades Open Practice / Bob Stoops Q&A / Player Autograph Session

- Feb. 11: "Meet the Team" fan event at The Parks Mall in Arlington

- Feb. 17: Scottish Rite for Children hospital visit; Bob Stoops Ticketstock appearance

- March 4: Player Engagement Event at Main Event Entertainment in Grand Prairie, TX

- March 25: Player Appearance at Athletes Unlimited Women's Basketball Game

- March 30: Player Appearance at Texas Rangers Opening Day Tailgate

- April 18: Bob Stoops represents XFL for Resolution at Texas State C

Check out the Dallas Renegades Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



XFL Stories from May 5, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central