Week Six Game Preview vs. the St. Louis BattleHawks (March 14)
March 10, 2020 - XFL (XFL)
Tampa Bay Vipers News Release
ROSTERS EXPAND
Beginning with Week Six, XFL rosters can expand to 57 players with additions from Team 9. This week, Tampa Bay added four new players from Team 9: LB Thurston Armbrister (Miami-FL), WR Jake Lamp- man (Ferris State), CB Justin Martin (Tennessee) and RB Brandon Wilds (South Carolina)...All teams will continue to have 46 players active on gameday.
JUST KEEP RUNNING
In Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Wildcats, Tampa Bay continued to move the ball efficiently on the ground as they racked up their fifth consecutive game with over 100 yards rushing as a team...This week's contest against St. Louis will feature not only the top two rushing attacks in the league (Tampa Bay - 165.6 yards per game; St. Louis - 155.8) but also the only two teams to have eclipsed the 100-yard mark in every game this season.
Tampa Bay's running back duo of De'Veon Smith and Jacques Patrick continue to be the most effective in the league as they both rank in the top three in rushing yards with Smith coming in at No. 1 with 365 yards and Patrick at No. 3 with 254 yards...A majority of the duo's work comes after initial contact, as the pair has combined for 516 yards after contact on 150 carries, accounting for 83% of their total rushing yards...The only team that has more yards after contact than Smith and Patrick combined is St. Louis, who boasts 532 yards after contact on 206 carries this season.
CONTROLLING TEMPO
Through five games, Head Coach Marc Trestman and Offensive Coordinator Jaime Elizondo have been able to keep the offense on the field more effectively than any other team in the XFL. Tampa Bay averages a league-leading 74.6 offensive plays per game...The Vipers have owned the time of possession advantage in all five games this season and rank second in the XFL in average time of possession per game (33:37)...Conversely, Defensive Coordinator Jerry Glanville's defense has been on the field for a league-low 48.6 plays per game.
SERIES NOTES: After facing off against three Western Division foes in the past four weeks, the Vipers return home to face division rival St. Louis...Tampa Bay narrowly lost at Los Angeles in the team's sec- ond cross-country trip of the year, the only team to have made two cross-country road trips so far this season...At 3-2, St. Louis sits in second place in the Eastern Division for what will be the first matchup between these teams...Tampa Bay will travel to St. Louis in Week Nine to finish the season series.
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