‘Lightning in a bottle’: Renegades win South Division Championship in upset over Roughnecks
The Renegades came in as underdogs and beat Houston, 26-11, for a spot in the XFL Championship game.
HOUSTON — As Bob Stoops met Wade Phillips at midfield, the veteran coaches shook hands and embraced after Stoops’ Arlington Renegades pulled off an upset over the Houston Roughnecks.
And Stoops said “I don’t know how that happened, buddy.”
Most didn’t think it would happen. The Renegades entered the South Division Championship game on Saturday as clear underdogs, sitting with a 4-6 record and two ugly losses to Houston — one having been the prior week.
The Renegades proved when it comes to the postseason, none of that matters. Arlington put together its best performance of the season right in the nick of time to punch a ticket to the XFL Championship game, downing the Roughnecks, 26-11, at TDECU Stadium.
“We caught lightning in a bottle here today and maybe the third time's the charm, as they say, or maybe we had them set up really well from the last two times we played them,” Stoops said in his postgame press conference. “Bottom line, we played really well today to give ourselves a chance to win.”
From the first drive, the Renegades’ offense looked completely different. The balance and big-play potential that had only come in spots throughout the season was on full display.
A returning De’Veon Smith had a number of crucial runs, including a 10-yard gain on an early third down. His 24-yard rush into Houston territory would become the longest rush of the Renegades’ season.
Quarterback Luis Perez began moving the ball more in the final 30 yards of the field, completing passes to Sal Cannella and Caleb Vander Esch. A 14-yard touchdown pass to JaVonta Payton sealed the deal on one of the Renegades’ best drives of the season.
Arlington saved its best offense for the playoffs, particularly in the first half. Along with Smith’s run, the Renegades recorded a season-high passing play (59-yard touchdown pass to Payton), 280 yards of first-half offense (averaged just over 250 yards-per-game) and scored their most points in a single half (23).
Smith would finish with his season-high of 94 rushing yards while Perez would go 19-for-27, while accumulating 289 yards and three touchdowns.
It was no secret the Renegades could move the ball, as they did late in their 28-26 overtime loss to the DC Defenders. Last week’s nine-point outing against the very same Roughnecks made the championship performance even more surprising.
“We just consistently got better and better each and every week,” Perez said. “I think you saw a little drop off last week but I think it was part of the ‘plan’. We didn’t really use all the plays we were getting ready to use today. Obviously that kind of affected it a little bit, but nobody lost confidence, no one lost hope and we all knew what kind of team we can be and we believed it.”
While Arlington’s offense was operating at its highest level, Houston struggled with dropped passes and penalties. By the third drive of the night, typical starting quarterback Brandon Silvers had been replaced by Cole McDonald — who threw for 120 yards and rushed for 66 yards against the Renegades in Week 10.
Arlington’s receivers stole the show with highlight grabs like Payton’s 59-yard outburst, a closely-contested touchdown catch by Brandon Arconado and a one-handed grab by Lujuan Winningham.
Payton became the first Renegade to go for 100+ receiving yards in a game, finishing with 121 yards and two touchdowns on five catches (and five targets).
“Last week, we noticed a lot of man coverage from their guys and speed is one thing that I say that I'm good at,” said Payton. “We just used that to our advantage and were able to get a lot of mismatches as far as me and the other guys.”
A commanding 23-8 lead at halftime was already well more than the Renegades would need, with their defense only allowing Houston in the end zone once.
The first big mistake by the Renegades came in the third quarter, when Tyler Vaughns dropped a punt return, giving the Roughnecks excellent field position and the chance to pull within one score.
McDonald ran for 13 yards on first down, getting Houston into the red zone. But the Arlington defense held strong, with Bruce Hector getting a key third-down sack. The Roughnecks would settle for a field goal — their final points of the game.
Arlington and Houston traded punches the rest of the way, but Taylor Russolino’s 19-yard field goal would be the only other change to the scoreboard.
The Renegades certainly defied all expectations. After losing four of their final five games of the regular season, beating one of the XFL’s hottest teams seemed like a tall task. Now, Arlington is just one game away from hoisting the 2023 XFL Championship trophy.
“We're not really worried about who's doubting us,” Perez said. “We believed, and that's the most important thing. We believed in our locker room. We knew what we were capable of and it showed today in all three phases of the game.”
The Renegades were the object of criticism from some fandoms. Arlington owned the fifth-best record in the league, three games behind the St. Louis Battlehawks in the North Division. However, only the top two seeds from each division make the playoffs.
Stoops answered the Renegades’ doubters with a trophy sitting next to him and a smile on his face.
“I don't need to say anything. They can change the rules if they want. If they’ve got different rules, tell me. All I can do is play by what they tell you. Right? That's the way it is. So I could give a you-know-what. Come watch us in the championship game.”