Arlington Renegades Game Notes

March 28, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
Arlington Renegades News Release

SERIES NOTES: Friday will mark the 2nd-ever meeting between Arlington and Seattle, as the then-Dallas Renegades defeated the then-Seattle Dragons by a 24-12 score on Feb. 22, 2020 in Seattle. That win improved the Renegades to 2-1 and marked the team's final win during the shortened 2020 campaign.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

Seattle Sea Dragons at Arlington Renegades - 6 pm CT (FX / ESPN+)

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

San Antonio Brahmas at Vegas Vipers - 2 pm CT (ESPN2 / ESPN+)

D.C. Defenders at Orlando Guardians - 5 pm CT (ESPN / ESPN+)

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

St. Louis Battlehawks at Houston Roughnecks - 1 pm CT (ESPN / ESPN+)

NARROW HOME LOSS

In a matchup featuring two of the top-three scoring defenses in the XFL, both teams were held under 250 yards as San Antonio (2-4) handed Arlington (3-3) a 15-9 loss on Sunday at Choctaw Stadium, the team's first defeat on home turf in 2023. The Renegades' only touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from QB Drew Plitt to WR LuJuan Winningham, who acrobatically stretched back across his body to pull in his team-leading second receiving TD of the season at 8:39 of the 3rd quarter. The teams remained tied into the 4th quarter before San Antonio re-gained a three-point edge, 12-9, on a 45-yard field goal from K Parker Romo with 8:56 to play. Later in the 4th, K Taylor Russolino's right-footed kick from the right hash sailed right of the goal post from 36 yards which would have re-knotted the game with 4:05 showing. Additional notes:

¬Â¢ Arlington posted 249 yards, while holding San Antonio to just 162.

¬Â¢ Despite the loss, Arlington remains in 2nd place in the XFL South division, one game ahead of San Antonio with four regular-season contests remaining. The top two teams in each division advance to the XFL Semifinals.

¬Â¢ The attendance was a season-high 12,368 at Choctaw Stadium.

¬Â¢ The Renegades held San Antonio to just 51 passing yards; Arlington's previous season low for an opponent through the air was 173 at Houston on Feb. 26.

PUTTING THE 'D' IN DEFENSE

The Renegades defense has forced a turnover in all 6 games this season, this after LB Donald Payne picked off San Antonio QB Kurt Benkert in the 3rd quarter on Sunday, which led to the team's only touchdown 4 plays later. Arlington has allowed just 25 points in the last 2 games (both against San Antonio) after allowing a season-high 24 points on March 12 at St. Louis.

¬Â¢ Arlington's 13 forced turnovers rank T2nd in the XFL: STL (14), ARL (13), D.C. (13), HOU (13).

¬Â¢ The Renegades have now forced a turnover in all six games this season, and 48 of their 78 points this year (62 percent) have come off opponent giveaways.

¬Â¢ The Renegades are allowing 16.8 points per game, the 2nd-best mark in XFL behind San Antonio (14.7 ppg).

¬Â¢ DB Joe Powell has picked off a pass in 2 of the team's last 3 games - including back-to-back games Week 4 at St. Louis and Week 5 at San Antonio. He is one of 8 XFL players with multiple interceptions this season.

HOUSE OF PAYNE

Arlington Renegades LB Donald Payne (48 tackles) is the XFL's second-leading tackler through 6 weeks, trailing only San Antonio LB Jordan Williams (54). Rounding out the top 5 are Houston LB Emmanuel Ellerbee (45), St. Louis LB Willie Harvey (36), and Vegas DB Deontay Anderson (34). Payne racked up 12 tackles on March 12 at St. Louis, most by any Renegade in a single game this season.

¬Â¢ Payne's 48 tackles are far clear of the next-closest Renegade, S Will Hill (29 tackles).

¬Â¢ Payne continues to be one of the top tacklers in spring football of late, as he came to the XFL after leading the USFL with 117 tackles for the Houston Gamblers in 2022.

¬Â¢ 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.

THE WORLDWIDE LEADER On May 17, 2022, the XFL announced a multi-year broadcast agreement with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. This season, all 43 games (40 regular season games, two playoffs, one championship) will be featured on a combination of ABC, ESPN networks, and FX. All XFL games will be streamed on ESPN+. ¬Â¢ Friday's game will air on FX with the announcing team of Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (booth analyst), Eric MacLain and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporters). QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL The Renegades have seen a lot of movement at the quarterback position this week, as the team released QB Kyle Sloter on Monday and acquired QB Luis Perez from the Vegas Vipers on Tuesday in exchange for LB Ryan Mueller. Perez, 28, has appeared in 5 games for the Vipers this season, completing 79 of 121 passes for 901 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He ranks among XFL leaders (min. 100 attempts) in yards per attempt (1st, 7.4), completion percentage (2nd, 65.3%), passing yards (4th, 901), and touchdowns (4th, 8). A spring football veteran, Perez played locally at Division II Texas A&M-Commerce, where he won a Division II national title and Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II MVP in 2017. CANNELLA LEADS THE WAY Arlington TE Sal Cannella has been the team's top target during the 2023 season, hauling in 28 catches for 218 yards through 6 weeks. Cannella enters Week 7 among XFL leaders in receptions (5th) and targets (5th, 41). Among tight ends, he is among the league leaders in catches (2nd), receiving yards (2nd), and targets (2nd). The only TE currently edging him out is Orlando's Cody Latimer (33 rec., 395 yds., 44 targets). ¬Â¢ Cannella has carried a heavy receiving load for Arlington through 6 games, accounting for 28 of the team's 105 catches (26.7%) and 218 of 954 receiving yards (22.9%). ¬Â¢ Cannella joined the XFL this season after playing for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL. He was named to the All-USFL team after leading all tight ends in receiving yards. BIG WILLIE STYLE Arlington LB Willie Taylor has been a force on defense in his first professional season, leading the team in sacks (3) and tackles for loss (6) through Week 6. One of the youngest players in the league at just 23 years old, Taylor is one of just two XFL players that are eligible for the NFL Draft (along with Seattle QB Harrison Frost). He played in college at Washington State and Eastern Kentucky, and finished up his college career last Fall before jumping straight to the XFL. THE KICK IS GOOD After going 1-for-2 on on Sunday vs. San Antonio, Arlington K Taylor Russolino is 8-for-10 on field goal attempts this season, ranking 4th in the XFL in successful field goals. Including his time spent with St. Louis in 2020 - when he went 9-for-10 in FG attempts - Russolino has now converted 17 of 20 (85.0%) of his FG attempts in the XFL. EXTRA SPECIAL TEAMS In addition to Russolino on the kicking side, Arlington P Marquette King has found plenty of success in the punting game for the Renegades. The former NFL All-Pro has had 30 punts (T-most in XFL) for 1,331 yards (2nd in XFL) through 6 games, good for an average of 44.4 yards/punt. That average ranks T3rd in the league behind San Antonio's Brad Wing (46.8 yds/punt) and Orlando's Mac Brown (45.8 yds/punt). In addition to his punting prowess, King continues to pursue his musical interests off the field. His newest single, "Grind, ¬Â was recently released. DALLAS HONORED BY SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL Dallas was honored last week by the Sports Business Journal in the publication's first annual ranking of the best cities for sports business. Dallas took the top spot among the top 50 cities that were ranked by the Sports Business Journal, which analyzed 377 markets that are home to at least one professional or Division I college athletic program, or a permanent event. The rankings are based on a combination of more than 400,000 data points and input from nearly 100 executives from across sports business through the end of 2022. Rounding out the top 5 were New York, Charlotte, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. 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), co- defensive 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.

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.

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.

LET ME CHECK MY SCHEDULE

The Arlington Renegades will play 10 regular season games during the 2023 XFL season. The team will play six games against division foes - Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio (one home, one road) - and four games against non-division opponents - D.C., St. Louis, Seattle, and Vegas. Below are a few scheduling nuggets:

¬Â¢ Arlington will take part in home openers during Week 1 (at home) and Week 4 (at St. Louis)

¬Â¢ Seven of the team's 10 games will be played in Texas (5 home, 2 road)

¬Â¢ Each of the team's 10 games will played in the Central or Eastern time zones

¬Â¢ Arlington will travel outside of the state of Texas just once (Week 4 at St. Louis) in the season's first seven weeks

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 that the team has taken part in:

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

¬Â¢ 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)

¬Â¢ Jan. 28: Renegades Open Practice / Bob Stoops Q&A / Player Autograph Session - 1,000+ fans in attendance

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

¬Â¢ Feb. 17: Scottish Rite for Children hospital visit; Bob Stoops Ticketstock appearance

¬Â¢ March 4: Player Engagement Event at Main Event Entertainment in Grand Prairie, TX

¬Â¢ March 25: Player Appearance at Athletes Unlimited Women's Basketball Game

WELCOME TO ARLINGTON - THE HUB CITY

On July 25, 2022, the XFL announced the selection of the City of Arlington, Texas as its new football operations Hub, signing a three-year agreement that provides a centralized performance facility and multiple practice venues for preseason and in-week training for

the League's eight teams. This hybrid Hub model provides players access to full-time, on- site support from coaches and athletic training staff, while still developing team affinity and

community relations within their local markets. The Hub also serve as a content creation center, giving the league, its teams and its players an opportunity to build personal brands and engage with fans through social media, in-person events and other media platforms, tapping into the worldwide expertise and reach of XFL Owners, Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and RedBird Capital Partners.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Texas Rangers and Choctaw Casinos & Resorts announced a multi-year naming rights partnership for the former Globe Life Park in Arlington in Aug. 2021, re-naming the venue Choctaw Stadium. In addition to hosting the Renegades, Choctaw Stadium is home to the Dallas Jackals (Major League Rugby) and North Texas Soccer Club (MLS Next Pro), while also hosting multiple high school and college football games each year.

To be ready for the 2020 XFL season, Choctaw Stadium underwent a $10 million renovation completed by Manhattan Construction in 115 days. The renovation included the following:

¬Â¢ A new seating structure was added in what was formerly left field to accomodate 4,000 more fans and create a more intimate atmosphere

¬Â¢ 18 rows of seats and the dugout along what used to be the third base line were demolished

¬Â¢ A new network television broadcast booth, plus coaches' booths for the home and visiting teams were added at the 50-yard line

¬Â¢ Seating in corners of each end zone were reconfigured to accomodate marching bands

¬Â¢ Over 200 sports light fixtures were relocated/re-aimed to be accomodate football and soccer play and broadcast quality

¬Â¢ Two new locker rooms in what were previously batting cages were added to accomodate multiple events on the same day

¬Â¢ More than 90,000 square feet of grass and dirt were removed

¬Â¢ An unmarked, synthetic grass by Shaw Sports Turf was added

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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.

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