Orlando Guardians Game Notes vs. Seattle
Published on March 21, 2023 under XFL (XFL)
Orlando Guardians News Release
ORLANDO-SEATTLE PREVIEW
Saturday afternoon's contest at Camping World Stadium will be the first of three straight home games for the Guardians and is the middle of three straight against opponents from the XFL North Division.
Orlando will be looking for its first victory, while Seattle is riding high coming off a win over previously-unbeaten Houston. Seattle is tied for second in the North with St. Louis, which is also 3-2.
Seattle ranks No. 5 in the XFL in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game. The Sea Dragons' defense is No. 5 as well, allowing just 17.4 points per game.
The ground game may prove to be important in this game. Seattle and Orlando are No. 2 and 3, respectively, in rushing yards per game. Seattle averages 98.4 ypg, while Orlando is at 92.0. Seattle is also the top passing team in the league at 273.0 ypg. Orlando threw for 278 last week at Vegas.
Saturday's game is slated for a 1 p.m. p.m. ET kickoff and willl be broadcast on ABC.
LAST TIME OUT
LAS VEGAS -- The Guardians erupted for a season-best 32-point output against Vegas. But it wasn't quite enough as the Vipers outscored Orlando 35-32.
Quinten Dormady came off the bench to spark the Guardians' offense, passing for 256 yards and two scores with an incredible 88 percent completion rate (22-of-25). Cody Latimer hauled in eight receptions for an XFL-best 124 yards and a score.
Orlando just couldn't keep Vegas out of the end zone. The Vipers rolled up 392 yards of offense and five touchdowns.
Orlando trailed by 10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 29-19, and trailed by nine, 35-26, late in the game. Dormady hooked up with Latimer for a 45-yard TD to make it 35-32 with 1:12 remaining. But a 3-yard conversion pass was incomplete.
Vegas held on Orlando's first 4th-and-15 attempt of the season. The Guardians got the ball back with 45 seconds left, but could not take advantage of the final possession.
SCORING EXPLOSION
Last week's game at Vegas saw the most combined points in an XFL game so far this season. The Vipers' 35-32 wins accounted for 67 points, which is five more than the previous high, a 34-28 win for the DC Defenders over the St. Louis Battlehawks.
The only other game this season to break 60 points was Houston's 44-16 win (60 total) over Orlando in Week 4.
The highest point total in the 2020 version of the XFL came in the final game played that season, when the Los Angeles Wildcats topped the Tampa Bay Vipers 41-34 for a total of 71.
Orlando's 32-point total last week was more than it scored in the first three games combined this season (31).
LONGEST PLAY OF THE SEASON
Paxton Lynch's 81-yard scoring strike to Charleston Rambo in last week's game vs. Houston was the longest play in the XFL so far this season.
It's tied for the third-longest play from scrimmage in any iteration of the XFL.
The overall XFL record is a 92-yard scoring strike for the Birmingham Thunderbolts as Jay Barker passed to Stepfret Williams against the San Francisco Demons on March 3, 2001.
Longest plays from scrimmage (XFL history, including 2001, 2020 and 2023)
1. 92 yards - Jay Barker to Stepfret Williams (Birmingham Thunderbolts) vs. San Francisco Demons - March 3, 2001 - San Francisco, Calif.
2. 84 yards - P.J. Walker to Cam Phillips (Houston Roughnecks) vs. Tampa Bay Vipers - Feb. 22, 2020 - Tampa, Fla.
3. 81 yards - Paxton Lynch to Charleston Rambo (Orlando Guardians) vs. Houston Roughnecks - March 11, 2023 - Orlando, Fla.
3. 81 yards - Brian Kuklick to Dialleo Burks (Orlando Rage) vs. Memphis Maniax - March 4, 2001 - Memphis, Tenn.
SPREADING IT AROUND
Orlando quarterbacks spread the wealth when it comes to number of receivers to catch a pass. For the first four weeks of the season, Orlando led the league in different players to record a reception.
Orlando completed passes to 10 different receivers in Week One and followed that up with 8 different pass-catchers in Week Two. In Week Three, both Houston and Orlando had nine players haul in an aerial. In Week Four, four different teams (including Orlando) had nine receivers with a catch.
Last week, Vegas took the title with 10 different receivers to haul in an aerial. Orlando has four receivers with at least one reception in all each game -- Cody Latimer, Eli Rogers, Charleston Rambo and Logan Carter.
FLAG ON THE PLAY
One of Orlando's biggest issues through the first five games is penalties.
The Guardians were only flagged three times in Week One. But the laundry load has picked up since then. Orlando has the highest total of flags thrown against it this season, with 38, averaging 7.6 flags per game. The last three games have seen double-digit penalties against the Guardians.
QUARTERBACK NOTEBOOK
- Quinten Dormady returned to the team and came off the bench last week at Vegas to lead Orlando to its best offensive performance of the season. The Guardian scored 32 points (25 of which came with Dormady at the helm). Dormady was 22-of-25 for a red-hot 88 percent completion rate, throwing for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- Paxton Lynch has started contests red hot in four of five games. He led scoring drives in each game but Week 3 at Arlington. In the first possession of the game, Lynch was 17-of-20 for 143 yards and two TDs.
- Deondre Francois passed for a TD in Week Two. He led a drive for a field goal in Week Four, as well as passing for a 1-point conversion.
RUNNING BACK NOTEBOOK
- Jah-Maine Martin averages 4.0 yards per carry. He scored his first TD of the season last week at Vegas.
- Martin's 38-yard run vs. San Antonio is the 4th-longest in the XFL this season.
- Devin Darrington returned from the Reserve/Injured list for Week Four. He made the most of his return, leading the team with 40 yards rushing on 12 carries, including a long run of 14 yards. Darrington added his first touchdown of the season against Vegas in Week Five.
WIDE RECEIVER NOTEBOOK
- Charleston Rambo's 81-yard reception from Paxton Lynch in Week Four is the longest play from scrimmage this season in the XFL. Boosted by that long touchdown, Rambo is now averaging 14.2 yards per catch.
- Eight different Guardians wide receivers have tallied receptions this season. Andrew Jamiel, Charleston Rambo, Eli Rogers, Dontez Byrd, Stephen Guidry, Deddrick Thomas, JaVonta Payton and Lance Lenoir have all reached the box score.
- Three of the eight receivers mentioned above are no longer with the team. The Guardians waived Guidry and Byrd and signed Lenoir prior to Week 3 action. Prior to Week 4 games, Orlando traded Payton as part of a three-team deal.
TIGHT END NOTEBOOK
- Cody Latimer is proving to be a matchup nightmare for defenses. The former NFL wide receiver is now playing tight end and is tied for No. 2 among all XFL receivers with 28 receptions. His 124-yard outing vs. Vegas is best in the XFL.
- Jaylen Smith made an immediate impact for the Guardians. In his first game with the team, he caught a pass for a 28-yard gain that led to Orlando's lone TD vs. Arlington. In Week 4, he hauled in a 31-yard TD strike.
- Logan Carter has receptions in all five games so far this season.
OFFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK
- The Guardians have had five different starting units on the offensive line in each of their games so far this season. It looked as though Week Five would be the first repeat of starters on the front, but T.J. Storment was a late scratch.
- The offensive line paved the way for the first 100-yard rushing output of the season for Orlando in Week Two. The Guardians are averaging 3.8 yards per rush, which ranks No. 4 in the XFL.
GOT A LEAK? CALL THE PLUMMER
Linebacker Terrance Plummer has emerged as a leader on the Guardians' defense, both verbally and through his play.
Plummer led the team in tackles in Week 4 vs. Houston with 7 and tallied 7 more last week. He has recorded 5 tackles or more in 4 of 5 games so far this season. He has at least one tackle-for loss in 4 of the Guardians' 5 games.
DEFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK
- Caeveon Patton had a busy day in Vegas. Patton recorded a game-high 11 tackles vs. the Vipers, a single-game best for the Guardians. In fact, only six other XFL defenders have reached double digits in the 20 games this year.
- Stansly Maponga and Jacoby Jones have been the most consistent Guardians at getting to the quarterback. Jones and Maponga shared a sack last week vs. Houston and now have 2.5 each.
- Jones recorded the Guardians' first-ever sack in Week One.
LINEBACKER NOTEBOOK
- Terrance Plummer ranks No. 1 on the team in total tackles with 26. He has the Guardians' lone forced fumble and has also contributed 2 TFLs and a sack.
- Terrance Smith is No. 2 on the team in total tackles with 25.
- Tegray Scales don't need no help. All 12 of his stops have been solo tackles.
- Erroll Thompson has tallied 9 tackles this season in a reserve LB role.
DEFENSIVE BACK NOTEBOOK
- Mike Lee is No. 3 on the team in tackling with 20 total (16 solo). He also has an impressive 2 TFLs from the defensive backfield.
- Matt Elam tallied the first interception in team history in Week One vs. Houston.
- Marcus Murphy Jr. has the other Guardians' interception this season, returning a third-quarter pick 22 yards against Houston in Week One.
- Tye Smith contributed 5 solo tackles vs. Vegas last week
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK
- Placekicker Jose Borregales is now batting .500. After missing his first two field-goal attempts this season, he has made his last two. His 33-yarder vs. Houston in Week 4 put Orlando on the board for the first time in the contest.
- Punter Mac Brown has performed admirably in relief of the injured Johnny Townsend. Brown is averaging 44.6 yards per punt over the last three weeks. That average ranks No. 3 in the XFL.
- Punter Johnny Townsend spent Sunday, Feb. 12 in Arizona watching his brother Tommy win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, then flew back to practice with the Guardians Feb. 13.
- Townsend was averaging 43.1 yards per punt this season, with a long of 49 yards, prior to his injury.
- Townsend is on the reserve/injured list after suffering an injury on a roughing the kicker penalty against San Antonio. He has been replaced on the active roster by Brown.
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