After a challenging regular season with just four wins, the Arlington Renegades upset the Houston Roughnecks on Saturday in the XFL South playoff game to reach the XFL Championship.
The Renegades had faced the Roughnecks twice in the regular season, losing both games rather decisively. Yet, Head Coach Bob Stoops knew his team had a chance and would not let the outside perceptions affect his team.
“The way this is set up — at least to this point in the league — heck, if we can put it together for one big game down in Houston this weekend, then we’ve got a shot at it,” he told media members during a press conference last week.
Put it together, they did. Stoops’ team raced out to a 14-0 lead as Luis Perez and JaVonta Payton connected on two early touchdown passes.
Houston finally got in the endzone in the second quarter, but Perez found Brandon Arconado for the answer, keeping momentum with the Renegades.
Neither team managed more than a field goal in the second half, and the Renegades prevailed with a 26-11 victory — holding the Roughnecks to their lowest point total of the season.
“We’re not really worried about who’s doubting us, who’s not, who’s this, who’s that,’ Arlington quarterback Luis Perez told the media after the game. “We believed, and that’s the most important thing. We believed in the locker room. We knew what we were capable of, and it showed in all three phases of the game.”
Arlington has struggled offensively, somehow winning the season-opener without scoring an offensive touchdown and only scoring more than 20 points twice during the regular season.
“Bottom line, we played really well today to give ourselves a chance to win,” Stoops told the media after Saturday’s win. “We’ve hurt ourselves in so many games, and we didn’t do that today … We helped ourselves by not making it hard o ourselves, and that gave us a better chance to win, and the guys played well.”
Arlington faces the DC Defenders, widely considered the best team in the XFL.
On Sunday, the Defenders won the XFL North Division with a playoff win over the Seattle Sea Dragons.
Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions as DC took control with a 28-12 second half.
The Defenders finished the regular season with the best record in the league, leading the XFL in touchdowns with the league’s best rushing attack.
The Renegades and Defenders met during Week 9 of the XFL regular season, and DC escaped with a 28-26 overtime win after Arlington rallied to tie the game with 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, Arlington is not intimidated heading into the championship.
“We’ve definitely had an up and down season, but sometimes it’s just about when you get hot,” linebacker Donald Payne said in a video conference on Tuesday. “We’re hot right now, and it’s our job to keep it going.”
The XFL Championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 13, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
