Orlando Guardians Game Notes at Houston - Week One
Published on February 14, 2023 under XFL (XFL)
Orlando Guardians News Release
ORLANDO GUARDIANS VS HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS
SATURDAY - FEB 18 - 8:30PM ET
ESPN/FX
TDECU STADIUM - HOUSTON, TEXAS
GAME ONE
Head Coach ........................................... Terrell Buckley
XFL Record, Experience ...................................0-0, 1st Year
Coaching Exp. .......................................................14 years
(Asst coach at Akron, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss)
Head Coach ............................................. Wade Phillips
XFL Record, Experience ...................................0-0, 1st Year
NFL Record, Experience ...............................83-69, 12 years
(Coaching experience in HS, NCAA, NFL, XFL)
Series Notes:
- First meeting between Orlando and Houston in XFL play, including 2001 and 2020
- While Wade Phillips and Terrell Buckley have never been on opposing sidelines as coaches, Buckley has plenty of history as a player against Phillips. Buckley has a 9-7 record as an NFL player when facing a team that had Phillips on the sideline as a head coach or assistant coach.
ESPN BROADCAST BOOTH
LOWELL GALINDO - Play-by-play
SAM ACHO - Analyst
TAYLOR MCGREGOR - Field Reporter
IAN FITZSIMMONS - Field Analyst
GUARDIANS BOAST PLENTY OF NFL, XFL EXPERIENCE
The Orlando Guardians have a combined 260 games of NFL experience on their roster. Eleven of the Guardians' 51 players (21.6 percent) have played in at least one NFL game. Nine Guardians players have also seen action in XFL play in 2020, with a combined 38 games of XFL experience. Five members of the Orlando Guardians (Matt Elam, Stansly Maponga, Terrance Plummer, Eli Rogers and Tegray Scales,) have experience in both the NFL and the 2020 version of the XFL.
Orlando Guardians with NFL Experience
No. Name.............................Games ..... Notes
11 Cody Latimer .................. 69 .............. 48 games with Broncos, 21 games with Giants; 3 playoff games
22 Matt Elam ....................... 43 .............. All 43 games with Ravens; 2 playoff games
8 Terrance Smith ............... 36 .............. 33 games with Chiefs, 3 games with Cardinals; 2 playoff games
43 Josh Harvey-Clemons .... 35 .............. All 35 games with Washington
17 Eli Rogers ........................ 34 .............. All 34 games with Steelers; 4 playoff games
56 Stansly Maponga............ 26 .............. 24 games with Falcons, 2 games with Giants
46 Tegray Scales ................. 6 ................ 6 games with Steelers; 1 playoff game
6 Paxton Lynch .................. 5 ................ 5 games with Broncos
44 Terrance Plummer.......... 3 ................ 3 games with Washington
9 Gerald Willis .................... 2 ................ 2 games with Dolphins
2 Javaris Davis .................. 1 ................ 1 game with Dolphins
Orlando Guardians with 2020 XFL Experience
No. Name.............................Games (Team)
16 Dontez Byrd .................... 5 (Seattle Dragons)
64 Fred Lauina ..................... 5 (LA Wildcats)
56 Stansly Maponga............ 5 (Seattle Dragons)
44 Terrance Plummer.......... 5 (Tampa Bay Vipers)
46 Tegray Scales ................. 5 (Dallas Renegades)
24 Roman Tatum ................. 5 (LA Wildcats)
22 Matt Elam ....................... 4 (DC Defenders)
99 Trevon Sanders............... 4 (LA Wildcats)
@ HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS
AT TDECU STADIUM
Sat., Feb. 18, 2023 - 8:30 PM ET
Result:
SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS
AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Sun., Feb. 26, 2023 - 4 PM ET
Result:
@ ARLINGTON RENEGADES
AT CHOCTAW STADIUM
Sun., March 5, 2023 - 4 PM ET
Result:
HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS
AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Sun., March 11, 2023 - 7 PM ET
Result:
@ VEGAS VIPERS
AT CASHMAN FIELD
Sat., March 18, 2023 - 10 PM ET
Result:
SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS
AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Sat., March 25, 2023 - 1:30 PM ET
Result:
D.C. DEFENDERS
AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Sun., April 2, 2023 - 7 PM ET
Result:
ARLINGTON RENEGADES
AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Sat., April 8, 2023 - 4 PM ET
Result:
@ SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS
AT THE ALAMODOME
Sat., April 15, 2023 - 7 PM ET
Result:
@ ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS
AT THE DOME AT AMERICA'S CENTER
Sat., April 22, 2023 - 12 PM ET
ORLANDO GUARDIANS BY THE NUMBERS
9 Number of Orlando Guardians players hail from the State of Florida, with two calling The City Beautiful (Orlando) home.
929 Days since Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners won bid to purchase XFL and Feb. 18, 2023 kickoff.
8 Number of Orlando Guardians who played college football in the State of Florida, including a team-high three from Miami
8 Number of Guardians players who were on a college team with Terrell Buckley on the football staff.
25.7 Average age of Orlando Guardians players. Oldest is 31 (Elam/Maponga). Youngest is 23 (four players).
1
Super Bowl rings owned by Orlando head coach Terrell Buckley. Played on Patriots team that won SB XXXVI.
21 States and territories represented by Guardians players. Eight each from Florida, Texas and Georgia.
BUILDING THE GUARDIANS
Construction of the Orlando Guardians' roster started in mid-November with quarterback assignments and a draft for all other positions. A supplemental draft was held Jan. 1 as well.
From there, the team continued to take shape through free agent signings through the end of training camp.
The following is a look back at the Guardians XFL Draft selections and quarterback assignments. Of the 66 players who were drafted in the initial draft and supplemental draft, 43 made it to the opening week roster of 51.
The following is a look at the Guardians' selections in the draft process:
- Quarterback assignments (Nov. 15) - Quinten Dormady, Deondre Francois
- Offensive Skill (Nov. 16) - 1. WR Charleston Rambo, 2. WR Andrew Jamiel, 3. WR Stephen Guidry, 4. TE Ryan Becker, 5. RB Jah-Maine Martin, 6. WR Dontez Byrd, 7. RB Devin Darrington, 8. WR Octayvius Miles, 9. WR Patrick Smith, 10. WR Dieuly Aristilde, 11. WR Cody Latimer.
-Defensive Backs (Nov. 16) - 1. CB C.J. Holmes, 2. CB Javaris Davis, 3. CB Dee Virgin, 4. CB Mike Lee, 5. CB Antwan Collier, 6. CB Maurice Smitherman, 7. CB Marcus Murphy, 8. CB Roman Tatum, 9. CB Najeem Hosein, 10. DB Shaq Wiggins, 11. CB Matt Elam (11th Round).
- Defensive Front 7 (Nov. 16) - 1. DE Nick Coe, 2. DT Gerald Willis, 3. DL Stansly Maponga, 4. DL Keonte Schad, 5. DL Emmanuel Olenga, 6. LB Terrance Smith, 7. LB Terrance Plummer, 8. DL Caeveon Patton, 9. DL Khristian Tate, 10. DL Jacoby Jones, 11. LB DeCalon Brooks.
- Offensive Line (Nov. 16) - 1. Brandon Murphy, 2. Kamalie Matthews, 3. Ja'Chai Baker, 4. T.J. Bradley, 5. Joshua Frazier, 6. Ze'Veyon Furcron, 7. Jordan Ighofose, 8. Jalen Spady, 9. Shawn Page, 10. Sunday Deng.
- QB Assignment (Nov. 17) - Mitch Kidd
- Specialists (Nov. 17) - 1. PK Jose Borregales, 2. LS Tommy Auger, 3. P Andrew Anckle.
- Open Phase (Nov. 17) - 1. LB Jeremiah Gemmel, 2. LB Lakia Henry, 3. LB Erroll Thompson, 4. OL Abram Holland, 5. TE D'Anfernee McGriff, 6. DB Mark Williams, 7. DB Tyler Williams, 8. DB Lashard Durr, 9. DB Justin Rogers, 10. RB Kelvin Taylor, 11. WR Bruce Thompson
- Supplemental Draft (Jan. 1) - 1. WR Eli Rogers, 2. DL Trevon Sanders, 3. LB Tegray Scales, 4. DB Josh Harvey-Clemons, 5. WR Aaron Dilworth, 6. RB Darius Clark.
GUARDIANS OF FLORIDA
Nine Orlando Guardians players hail from the State of Florida:
- K Jose Borregales - Miami
- CB Javaris Davis - Jacksonville
- S Matt Elam - Riviera Beach
- QB Deondre Francois - Orlando
- DB Najeem Hosein - Orlando
- QB Paxton Lynch - Deland
- LB Terrance Plummer - Jacksonville
- WR Eli Rogers - Miami
- CB Roman Tatum - Winter Garden
Eight Orlando Guardians players' last college was in the State of Florida:
- K Jose Borregales - Miami
- DB Matt Elam - Florida
- LB Terrance Plummer - UCF
- WR Charleston Rambo - Miami
- LB Terrance Smith - Florida State
- OL Jalen Spady - Florida A&M
- P Johnny Townsend - Florida
- DL Gerald Willis - Miami
Four Orlando Guardians coaches list Florida colleges as their alma maters:
- Head Coach Terrell Buckley - Florida State
- Assistant Head Coach Lamar Thomas - Miami
- Defensive Coordinator Tony Carter - Florida State
- Quarterbacks Coach Shane Matthews - Florida
AMERICAN GUARDIANS
As noted above, 21 states or territories are represented in the hometowns of the 2023 Orlando Guardians. The following is a look at the breakdown of where the Guardians come from:
- Florida (9): Jose Borregales, Javaris Davis, Matt Elam, Deondre Francois, Najeem Hosein, Paxton Lynch, Terrance Plummer, Eli Rogers, Roman Tatum
- Georgia (8): Ja'Quain Blakely, Baylen Buchanan, Jeremiah Gemmel, Josh Harvey- Clemons, Lakia Henry, Terrance Smith, Khristian Tate, Shaq Wiggins
- Texas (7): Ryan Becker, Abdul Beecham, Logan Carter, Quinten Dormady, Stansly Maponga, Caeveon Patton, Charleston Rambo
- Louisiana (5): Stephen Guidry, C.J. Holmes, Jacoby Jones, Mike Lee, Gerald Willis
- Alabama (2): Devin Darrington, Erroll Thompson
- Ohio (2): Cody Latimer, Tegray Scales
- South Carolina (2): Jah-Maine Martin,
- Tennessee (2): JaVonta Payton, Deddrick Thomas
- Arizona (1): Jalen Spady
- Arkansas (1): David Moore
- California (1): Justin Rogers
- Illinois (1): Ze'Veyon Furcron
- Iowa (1): Sunday Deng
- Kansas (1): Johnny Townsend
- Kentucky (1): Dontez Byrd
- Massachusetts (1): Andrew Jamiel
- Michigan (1): Jordan Ighofose
- Mississippi (1): Marcus Murphy Jr.
- Nebraska (1): Ja'Chai Baker
- North Carolina (2): Nick Coe, Emmanuel Olenga
- American Samoa (1): Fred Lauina
TRANSACTIONS
DATE POS. PLAYER TRANSACTION
Feb. 9 CB Antwan Collier Waived
Feb. 9 WR Patrick Smith Waived
Feb. 8 WR Dieuly Aristilde Waived
Feb. 8 TE Tommy Auger Waived
Feb. 8 RB Darius Clark Waived
Feb. 6 DE Anthony Knighton Waived
Feb. 6 TE D'Anfernee McGriff Waived
Feb. 6 WR Octayvius Miles Waived
Feb. 6 DT Keonte Schad Waived
Feb. 6 RB Kelvin Taylor Waived
Feb. 5 CB Lashard Durr Waived
Feb. 5 OL Kamalie Matthews Waived
Feb. 5 OL Brandon Murphy Waived
Feb. 5 CB Mark Williams Waived
Feb. 5 WR BoBo Wilson Waived
Feb. 5 DE Emmanuel Olenga Added from Reserve list
Feb. 4 OT Abram Holland Waived
Feb. 4 CB Elhassan Ibrahim Waived
Feb. 3 OL David Moore Signed
Jan. 30 QB Paxton Lynch Signed
Jan. 29 OL Abdul Beecham Signed
Jan. 24 P Andrew Anckle Waived
Jan. 24 DL Anthony Luke Waived
Jan. 24 WR Bruce Thompson Waived
Jan. 24 DL Dalyn Wade-Perry Waived
Jan. 24 TE Tommy Auger Signed
Jan. 24 P Johnny Townsend Signed
Jan. 21 TE Tommy Auger Waived
Jan. 21 WR Aaron Dilworth Waived
Jan. 21 DT Justin Foster Waived
Jan. 21 TE Vincent Hobbs Waived
Jan. 21 QB Mitch Kidd Waived
Jan. 20 WR JaVonta Payton Signed
Jan. 20 OL Shawn Page Reserve/Injured
Jan. 19 OL Fred Lauina Signed
Jan. 18 DT Joshua Frazier Waived
Jan. 14 DT Anthony Luke Signed
Jan. 14 CB Dee Virgin Reserve/Did Not Report
Jan. 13 DE Anthony Knighton Made Active
Jan. 13 CB Dee Virgin Made Active
AQUARIUS QUARTERBACKS
The Orlando Guardians' quarterback room is likely to see its fair share of birthday cake over the next week or so. Signal-callers Deondre Francois and Paxton Lynch, the top two on the depth chart, actually share a birthday and celebrated this past Sunday (Feb. 12). Meanwhile, backup quarterback Quinten Dormady is also an Aquarius. He celebrates his birthday this Sunday (Feb. 19). For those scoring at home: Francois turned 26, Lynch turned 29 and Dormady will turn 27.
MORE GUARDIANS BIRTHDAYS
Including the three quarterbacks all celebrating birthdays during the season, the Guardians have 18 of the current 51 members of the roster who will celebrate a birthday during the course of the XFL season.
February: Deondre Francois (12th), Paxton Lynch (12th), Johnny Townsend (14th), Quinten Dormady (19th), Josh Harvey-Clemons (20th), C.J. Holmes (27th)
March: Caeveon Patton (2nd), Abdul Beecham (5th), Stansly Maponga (5th), Emmanuel Olenga (8th), Sunday Deng (23rd), Stephen Guidry (25th) April: Trevon Sanders (25th), Ze'Veyon Furcron (27th) May: Andrew Jamiel (1st), Terrance Smith (3rd), Tegray Scales (10th), David Moore (12th)
BUCKLEY'S GUARDIANS
As noted above, Orlando Guardians head coach Terrell Buckley has extensive previous experience with eight members of the roster. Those eight each played on a college team where Buckley served on the football staff.
The following is a more detailed look at those connections:
Player School (Years) Buckley's Role
LB Terrance Smith Florida St. (2011) Strength & Conditioning Asst.
DL Josh Harvey-Clemons Louisville (2014) Cornerbacks Coach
WR Eli Rogers Louisville (2014) Cornerbacks Coach
WR Thomas Deddrick Mississippi St. (2016-19) Cornerbacks Coach
WR Stephen Guidry Mississippi St. (2018-19) Cornerbacks Coach
CB Marcus Murphy Jr. Mississippi St. (2018-19) Cornerbacks Coach
LB Erroll Thompson Mississippi St. (2016-19) Cornerbacks Coach
LB Lakia Henry Ole Miss (2020-21) Cornerbacks Coach
HOME OF THE GUARDIANS: CAMPING WORLD STADIUM
Former Names
Orlando Stadium 1936-1946 - Tangerine Bowl 1947-1975 - Citrus Bowl 1976 - Orlando Stadium 1977-1982 - Florida Citrus Bowl 1983-2013 - Orlando Citrus Bowl 2014-2016 - Camping World Stadium 2016-present
Origins
Camping World Stadium, the grandfather of the Orlando Venues facilities, began as a Works Progress Administration project by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. It was named the Orlando Stadium and was built for $115,000. The stadium was renamed the Tangerine Bowl in 1947 with a capacity of 10,000 and the first college football bowl game was played there on January 1, 1947. Catawba College defeated Maryville College 31-6.
In 1952, it was expanded by 2,000 seats. In 1968, the stadium underwent another expansion bringing seating capacity to 17,000 and the first press box was constructed. The Tangerine Bowl underwent expansion from 1974 to 1976, to bring the total seating capacity to 50,000.
Florida Citrus Bowl
In 1983, the Florida Department of Citrus became the title sponsor at a price of $250,000. Beginning in 1989, the stadium, then known as the Florida Citrus Bowl, underwent a $30 million expansion and renovation project to add new upper decks to both sidelines and 30 private suites. The decks wrapped around the existing stands, putting spectators as close to the field as possible.
The stadium has been host to countless high school, collegiate and professional football games. It has been the home field to the Orlando Broncos of the Southern Football League (1962-1963), the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League (1966-1970), the Florida Blazers of the World Football League (1974), UCF (1979-2006), the Orlando Americans of the American Football Association (1981), the Orlando Renegades of the USFL (1985), the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football (1991-1992), the Orlando Sundogs of the A-League (1997), the Orlando Rage of the XFL (2001), the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (2009- 10) and nearby Jones High School. The stadium has also served as host for NFL preseason games and several neutral field, regular season college games. Presently, Camping World Stadium serves as host to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the Cheez-It Bowl (formerly the Camping World Bowl) and the Citrus Bowl (formerly the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl).
The stadium has a storied history with music, too, featuring such performers as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Genesis, Pink Floyd, George Michael, Paul McCartney, Guns'n Roses, Billy Joel, Elton John and Eagles. In October 1981, the stadium became the only venue to feature Van Halen and The Rolling Stones together.
On March 30, 2008, the stadium hosted WrestleMania XXIV and set an attendance record of 74,635 fans.
Orlando Citrus Bowl
Following a massive $207.7 million reconstruction in 2014 that yielded a 90% all-new stadium, the name was changed to the Orlando Citrus Bowl. Among the new amenities and enhancements at the modernized stadium are 41,000 lower bowl seats with armrests, chair backs and six additional inches of legroom, two 360-degree concourses, multiple giant video displays, a 20,000-square-foot plaza deck, an open-air facade and unique indoor & outdoor club spaces.
Camping World Stadium
On April 27, 2016, the venue was renamed Camping World Stadium as part of a multi-year naming rights sponsorship with Camping World, the premier one- stop-shop for recreational vehicles (RVs).
XFL RULES NOTES
The XFL has numerous rules differences from other football leagues. The following is a look at some of the more notable differences:
Extra Possession Rule
A team can choose to onside kick throughout the game. However, in the fourth quarter, a team can choose to attempt to earn an extra possession by converting a 4th-and-15 play from its own 25-yard line.
Double Forward Pass
As long as the first pass does not cross the line of scrimmage, teams may complete a forward pass and then throw a second forward pass.
3-2-1 Points After Touchdown
There are no kicks for an extra point in the XFL. Teams may elect to run a play from the 2-yard line for one point, the 5-yard line for two points or the 10-yard line for three points.
Kicking Rules
Free kicks (kickoffs) must cross the receiving team's 20-yard line in flight. A free kick that hits the ground inside the 20-yard line and goes into the end zone is a touchback and comes out to the 15-yard line. A kick that enters the end zone in flight is a touchback and comes out to the 35-yard line.
If a punt that has not been touched by the receiving team goes out of bounds inside the receiving team's 35-yard line, the ball will be placed at the 35.
Overtime
If a game is tied at the end of regulation, overtime will consist of a priod of three Try attempts from the 5-yard line for each team. The visiting team will go first and the teams will alternate. Each Try is worth two points. If the score is still tied after three attempts, the teams will alternate attempts until there is a winner.
Instant Replay
The XFL is introducing a first-of-its kind, centralized command center for instant replay review. Replay may correct obvious errors on non-reviewable plays, player safty at any point during the game as well as any issue that significantly impacts the outcome of the game in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime. Each head coach is allowed one challenge of any officiating decision once per game, with final ruling made by the officiating department in the command center.
ABOUT THE XFL
The XFL's ownership group, led by Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners, is building a fan-first, fast-paced global professional football league with innovative rules and enhanced 360 game experience. The XFL will bring entertainment to world class football, with the goal of advancing the game of football and expanding player opportunities when it launches on February 18, 2023.
XFL Stories from February 14, 2023
- City-Wide Pep Rally to Welcome "Home" Houston Roughnecks Friday at City Hall - Houston Gamblers
- ESPN Deportes Reveals XFL 2023 Kickoff Season Schedule & Commentator Team - XFL
- Orlando Guardians Game Notes at Houston - Week One - Orlando Guardians
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.
