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XFL Arlington Renegades

Inside the XFL

by Fran Stuchbury
May 11, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
Arlington Renegades


Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners purchased the XFL and its assets for roughly $15 million in August 2020, a few months after its previous ownership entity, led by World Wrestling Entertainment founder Vince McMahon, filed for bankruptcy.

They took their time rebuilding the XFL with the intent of making it a long-term, sustainable product.

This Saturday the 2023 XFL season comes to a conclusion in San Antonio with the XFL Championship Game between the North Division champion D.C. Defenders and the South Division winners, the Arlington Renegades. The game will air on ABC at 8 pm est. The Defenders are 6.5 point favorites, with the over - under at 48 points.

TheDefenders won the previous meeting between the teams 28-26 in overtime in week nine of this season at Audi Field in front of a sellout crowd of 18,684 fans.

Head Coaches

Reggie Barlow led the D.C. Defenders to a 9-1 regular season record and first place in the North Division. He compiled a combined 83-58 record at FCS programs Alabama State and Virginia State as a head coach.

Bob Stoops guided the Renegades to a 4-6 regular season record, second place in the South Division. A a six-time Big XII coach of the Year, he held the reins at Oklahoma from 1999 until 2016 and won a National Championship with the school in 2000. In 2021 Stoops stepped in to lead the team to an Alamo Bowl victory after Lincoln Riley departed for USC.

He coached in the XFL in 2020, going 2-3 with the Dallas Renegades before the league canceled the rest of the season due to Covid.

Edge: Arlington

Quarterbacks

D.C.'s Jordan Ta'amu passed for 1,878 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions, and added 301 rushing yards, earning XFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. D'Eriq King has been used in short yardage situations and as a change of pace and has thrown four touchdown passes as well.

Luis Perez joined the Renegades on March 28th after being acquired from the Las Vegas Vipers after playing in several other spring leagues. He engineered the upset victory over the Houston Roughnecks in the South Division Championship by completing 19 of 27 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns . Backup Kelly Bryant has been used in some running formations.

Edge: D.C.

Running Backs

The Defenders' Abram Smith topped the XFL with 788 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Late season addition Cam'Ron Harris added a pair of scores on the ground in their victory over the Seattle Sea Dragons in the North Division Championship.

The Renegades relied on De'Veon Smith who had 365 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He enjoyed a breakout game in the XFL South Division Championship Game, carrying the ball 24 times for 94 yards.

Edge: D.C.

Wide Receivers

D.C.'s stable of receivers includes Lucky Jackson (572 yards and five touchdowns), Chris Blair (584 yards and three touchdowns) and Josh Hammond (331 yards and one touchdown). The trio combined for 95 receptions.

With four different Arlington passers seeing the field over the course of the season, Tyler Vaughns caught 31 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown. JaVonta Parker contributed a huge game in their victory against the Roughnecks, catching five passes for 121 yards and two scores.

Edge: D.C.

Tight End

The Defenders utilize several tight ends in their offense including Briley Moore-McKinney, Alex Ellis and Ethan Wolfe. Moore-McKinney enjoyed his best game in the playoff victory over the Sea Dragons, grabbing four passes for 80 yards.

Veteran Sal Cannella proved to be a steadying force for the Renegades' offense with 42 receptions for 315 yards.

Edge: Arlington

Defense

Defenders linebacker David Bellamy and defensive back Michael Joseph earned All-XFL team honors. Bellamy finished with 5.5 sacks and Joseph contributed four interceptions. The Defenders gave up an average of 24 points per game.

Renegades defensive tackle Davonte Lambert was named to All-XFL team. Linebacker Donald Payne, who led USFL with 117 tackles for Houston in 2022, added 61 total tackles. Joe Powell picked off four passes for a Renegades defense which gave up 19.4 points per game and had their best performance in the postseason, holding the Roughnecks to a season-low 11 points.

Edge: Arlington

Special teams

Defenders kicker Matthew McCrane connected on 12 of 16 field goals with his longest from 50 yards. Punter Dan Whelan, an All XFL Specialist, averaged 45.6 yards per punt, with 11 landing inside the twenty. Pooka Williams averaged 30 yards per kickoff return against Seattle.

Renegades kicker Taylor Russolino made 16 of 19 field goal tries with a long of 56 yards. Marquette King averaged 46.5 yards per punt, while Ranell Hall averaged 18 yards per kickoff return.

Edge: Even

Prediction

The Defenders offense has scored 30 or more points in six games this season. They can move the football through the air or on the ground with Ta'amu.

The Renegades got hot towards the end of the season with the addition of Luis Perez, but the extra week of preparation gives D.C. Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams more time to plan a scheme on defense to slow them down. If Arlington has a chance to win they must run the football well and win the turnover battle.

Look for the Defenders to jump out to an early lead and force Arlington to match them score for score. If their defense earns some early stops the Defenders can utilize the run to maintain control of the football.

Final Score D.C. Defenders 26 Arlington Renegades 14

The D.C. Defenders Top 5 Plays from the XFL 2023 Season:

The Arlington Renegades Top 5 Plays from the XFL 2023 Season:

EXTRA POINTS

  • As of midweek, 54 players on six XFL teams had received invitations to try out at NFL camps this month. D.C. and Arlington players were not yet eligible for invites because their seasons haven't concluded.

  • D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu has been named the 2023 XFL Offensive Player of the Year. Ta'amu helped lead the Defenders to a 9-1 regular season record and a berth in the XFL Championship Game. Ta'amu finished the regular season 143-of-229 passing for 1,894 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

  • Vegas Vipers linebacker Pita Taumoepenu has been named the 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year. Taumoepenu led the XFL in forced fumbles with four. He was also No. 2 in the XFL in sacks, racking up 7.5, including three sacks in a game vs. the Orlando Guardians in a 35-32 Vegas victory. Taumoepenu was tied for No. 6 in the XFL in tackles for loss with eight, while also tallying 26 total tackles throughout the regular season.

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