ARLINGTON — The return of the XFL officially kicked off as the Arlington Renegades hosted the Vegas Vipers at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Motorcyclists lined up in the end zone and drove across the field, and members of a local youth program joined the festivities as the Renegades ran through smoke from smoke machines and onto the field.

New XFL owners Dany Garcia and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were both in attendance and introduced on the field before the game.

Garcia was presented with an official XFL game ball as she stood at midfield with Renegades head coach Bob Stoops. Johnson came onto the field wearing a number 54 Renegades jersey and attempted to pump up the crowd, calling it a “historic day” for the league.

Fireworks shot off as he exited the field, and the 12,047 fans in attendance began waving blue towels emblazoned with the Renegades’ logo.

The Renegades were part of the previous XFL revival in 2020 but were then known as the Dallas Renegades. Stoops coached the team to a 2-3 record and is the only coach returning to the league this year.

The Vipers were located in Tampa in 2020 but moved to Vegas to give the city an XFL team for the first time since 2021. Pro football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson is the head coach.

This was the first time Arlington had played Vegas, as neither team had previously been part of the XFL at the same time.

Vegas and Arlington have a combined 42 former NFL players on their rosters, including defensive end Vic Beasley, wide receivers Geronimo Allison and Martavis Bryant, defensive backs Cre’Von LeBlanc and Will Hill, and former All-Pro punter Marquette King.

THE GAME

Vegas got the ball first and marched right down the field with the arm of quarterback Luis Perez (Texas A&M-Commerce), who found former Renegade Jeff Badet for a five-yard touchdown.

The Vipers attempted an unsuccessful two-point play and proceeded with an onside kick attempt that Arlington recovered.

Arlington scored its first points in franchise history on a 38-yard field goal by Taylor Russolino with 1:29 left in the first quarter, and linebacker Colin Schooler notched the first sack of the XFL season at the start of the second quarter.

Badet added another touchdown, and Vegas converted a two-point play to make it a 14-3 game. The Vipers later missed a field goal attempt to increase the lead as time ran out in the first half.

The Renegades fought their way back in the second half as a pick six from defensive end Tomasi Laulile shifted momentum and sparked a 12-0 third quarter as Arlington took a 15-14 lead. The interception was the first of two Vegas turnovers in the quarter, which led to points for Arlington.

Arlington added to its lead in the fourth with a pick six after Vegas’ defense came up with a goal-line stand.

Vegas got one last chance trailing by eight with 49 seconds left.

Perez drove his team deep into Arlington territory and found Cinque Sweeting for a touchdown, but the Vipers could not convert on the extra point as Perez was sacked.

The Renegades (1-0) will face the Houston Roughnecks at 6 pm CT on Sunday, February 26, on ESPN2.

ABOUT THE XFL

The XFL returns for its third installment after folding following the 2001 and 2020 seasons. The league has eight teams split into two divisions: the North (D.C., Seattle, St. Louis, and Vegas) and the South (Arlington, Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio).

XFL teams will play ten regular season games, with the top two teams from each division advancing to a two-round playoff bracket.

The games will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, and FX.

The league plays with some unique rules regarding clock management, replay reviews, possession, extra points, and overtime.

The clock operates much like college football, stopping on first downs in the final two minutes of each half. However, like the NFL, there is a two-minute warning in each half that acts as an extra timeout.

The league also has an innovative, centralized replay system that uses designated officials in a central location to determine the rulings on the field.

Coaches get one challenge per game, and replay officials can also correct obvious errors on non-reviewable plays if the call impacts the game’s outcome.

Teams line up just five yards apart on kickoffs, which was part of the 2020 version of the XFL that saw a sharp increase in kick returns with fewer injuries. The kicker kicks from well behind them at his 30-yard line.

Teams also have the option to either onside kick or attempt a 4th and 15 from their own 25-yard-line to keep the ball after a score, although they can only use the 4th and 15 option in the fourth quarter.

Instead of kicking extra points after scoring a touchdown, XFL teams keep the offenses on the field and attempt one, two, or three-point plays. One-point plays are attempted from the two-yard line, two-point plays from the five, and three-point plays from the 10-yard line.

Offenses can also complete forward passes behind the line of scrimmage and still attempt another forward pass. In other leagues, teams can only complete one forward pass per play, regardless of whether it is behind or beyond the line of scrimmage.