Motivated Defenders No Match for Vipers
March 1, 2020 - XFL (XFL)
Tampa Bay Vipers News Release
TAMPA, Fla. - Sunday night marked the second straight week that the DC Defenders fell to a winless team.
This time, the beneficiary was the Tampa Bay Vipers (1-3), who controlled the pace with a suffocating rushing attack during a 25-0 home win at Raymond James Stadium.
De'Von Smith notched the first 100-yard rushing game in XFL history with his 103-yard performance on 21 carries (4.9 average). Jacques Patrick had 94 yards, playing with a heavy heart after the recent passing of his father.
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius rarely missed a bit, going 24-for-31 for 211 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing score. He's found a groove with offensive coordinator and play-caller Jaime Elizondo the past two weeks.
On DC's side in that same window, Cardale Jones has averaged 87.5 passing yards and struggled to a 0:5 TD:INT.
VIPERS COMMENT ON WIN
"I'm just happy for our players and our coaches. They are resilient bunch. Our players have a sense of how good we can be. We said it all along, there's a sign of a good team in there. We are going to enjoy the win, but there's a lot of different ways we can get better. We know that."
Vipers head coach Marc Trestman
"Glad to get the first win. We put a lot of work in. It's finally good to see the results show on the scoreboard."
Vipers RB Jacques Patrick
PEAK PERFORMANCES
DEFENDERS
Safety Rahim Moore registered his second interception of the season, in one of the rare bright spots of the night for the visitors.
Fellow safety Matt Elam and linebacker Jonathan Celestin gathered 12 combined tackles (nine solo for Elam, seven for Celestin).
VIPERS
Smith, Patrick and Cornelius churned out the win, but wideout Dan Williams also bullied DC's secondary with a seven-catch, 72-yard day on 11 targets, including a 38-yard play.
Defenders discuss defeat
"We have to tackle and we have to stop the run. They did a really good job of running the football, and they did it well all game."
Defenders head coach Pep Hamilton
"They played their game. We missed on opportunities that we wanted to exploit. We just missed it. They played a great game overall, but not anything we weren't ready for."
Defenders QB Cardale Jones
XFL Stories from March 1, 2020
- Motivated Defenders No Match for Vipers - Tampa Bay Vipers
- Renegades' Jones Comments on Week 4 Injury - Dallas Renegades
- Dallas Renegades Game Notes for March 1 vs. Houston Roughnecks - Dallas Renegades
- Roughnecks Use Turnovers to Defeat Dallas, 27-10 - Houston Roughnecks
- Roughnecks Hold on to Defeat Dallas 27-20 - Houston Roughnecks
- Week 4 Preview: DC Defenders at Tampa Bay Vipers - XFL
- Week 4 Preview: Houston Roughnecks at Dallas Renegades - XFL
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.
