Sports stats



XFL Vegas Vipers

Smith, Taumoepenu and Joseph Named OurSports Central XFL Players of the Week

by Fran Stuchbury
March 20, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
Vegas Vipers


D.C. Defenders running back Abram Smith, Vegas Vipers outside linebacker Pita Taumoepenu and D.C. Defenders cornerback Michael Joseph were named the OurSports Central XFL Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for week five of the XFL season.

Smith carried the ball 23 times for a whopping 218 yards and three touchdowns in the Defenders' 28-20 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks. In addition to averaging nearly 9.5 yards per attempt, he broke two long scoring runs.

Smith was drafted with the first overall pick of the 2023 XFL Draft's first phase for skill players. He played college football at Baylor where he rushed for 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season.

Smith's 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Defenders a two-score lead.

An honorable mention goes to Vegas Vipers quarterback Luis Perez who completed 20 of 28 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in their 35-32 victory over the Orlando Guardians.

Defensively, Taumoepenu recorded thee sacks, five total tackles and one forced fumble in the Vipers win over the Guardians. The San Francisco 49ers selected the linebacker in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, one of five NFL teams on his resume.

Taumoepenu's third sack of the game came late in the fourth quarter.

Honorable mention goes to Seattle Sea Dragons defensive end Niko Lalos with five total tackles and a key interception late in the fourth period in the Sea Dragons' 21-14 victory over the Houston Roughnecks.

Joseph's key interception of Battlehawks QB A.J. McCarron with 55 seconds left sealed the Defenders' fifth straight victory this season.

Joseph's XFL-leading fourth interception of the season shut the door on St. Louis.

An honorable mention goes to the Seattle Sea Dragons special teams unit for blocking two punts. The first gave them the ball on the Roughnecks' 46-yard line and resulted in a touchdown.

Previous Winners

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Check out the Vegas Vipers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the XFL message board...

XFL Stories from March 20, 2023


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central