From The Press Box: DC Defenders Go To War With The Houston Roughnecks

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 8: DC Defenders fans in the stands cheering their team who played the Seattle Dragons on February 8, 2020 at Audi Field in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/XFL)

Spring football is back in the nation’s capital! For the first time, the DC Defenders take Audi Field as members of the UFL, a spring football league merging the USFL and the XFL. While members of a newly formed league, the DC Defenders return to Chocolate City as a familiar foe comes to town — the Houston Roughnecks. The two met last April while leading the North and South Divisions of the XFL. Behind a 95-yard rushing performance from Abraham Smith and a 136-yard receiving performance from Lucky Jackson, the Defenders beat the Roughnecks by 11 points to maintain their unbeaten record. Despite losing the very next week, the Defenders ended the season as North Division Champions and looked to be headed for a championship game showdown with the Roughnecks. Waiting in the shadows, the Arlington Renegades had other plans, upsetting Houston in the South Division Championship and ousting DC in the 2023 XFL Championship.

Three hundred seventy-one days after their first showdown, both teams enter Week 2 with a similar mindset — win. Both Houston and DC suffered losses in Week 1. With San Antonio opening the season with two straight wins, the loser will find themselves two games back of the XFL Conference leaders. DC has been anointed as the betting favorite at home, but Houston’s defense could pose some problems for Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and company. However, betting odds don’t settle the score; players do. At 4 PM EST, DC and Houston will lay it all on the line in this highly-anticipated early season matchup.

First Quarter: DC Defenders – 6 | Houston Roughnecks – 6

The crowd at Audi Field is rocking on a Sunday afternoon. With the first possession, the Houston Roughnecks looked to be stuck in quicksand as they dialed up three plays for a total of four yards. Roughnecks punter Hunter Niswander and company seemed poised to kick the ball into DC territory, but Mono Sanogo had other plans as he blocked the punt and sent it out of bounds. However, the excitement on the Defenders’ sideline was crushed quickly as Jordan Ta’amu threw an interception in the redzone and Corn Elder ran it back for a touchdown.

After a rough start to the first quarter, the DC Defenders are on the board at Audi Field. Powered by 21 all-purpose yards from Cam’Ron Harris, the Defenders engineered a 62-yard drive to even the score at six. Not only is this the first touchdown drive of the game for the Defenders, but it’s also their first touchdown of the season. The Defenders may have had their struggles early on, but they’ll move the game closer to the second quarter with eight more plays and nearly triple the number of offensive yards put up by Houston early on.

Second Quarter: DC Defenders – 12 | Houston Roughnecks – 12

The first quarter was filled with interceptions, touchdowns and fast-paced action. However, the second quarter has proved to be much more of a defensive battle. The game is tied at six a piece and DC’s defensive line seems intent on keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. Led by defensive tackle Joe Wallace, the Defenders have held Houston to a total of 34 yards over the first half of the quarter. Adding insult to injury, Roughnecks quarterback Jarrett James Guarantano has been sidelined with a back injury. Houston’s offensive woes would play into the hands of DC, but the Roughnecks’ defensive unit has held DC and Ta’amu to 12 yards thus far in the second period.

The defensive struggle that consumed the first half of the second quarter gave way to an offensive battle heading into halftime. Backup quarterback Reid Sinnett seized his opportunity as he led Houston to two field goals, picking up 72 yards in the process. Meanwhile, the Defenders countered with their second touchdown drive of the young season. Jordan Ta’amu and wide receiver Chris Rowland got things going with a 46-yard bomb that put the Defenders in Houston territory. From there, Ta’amu hit Rowland once more before connecting with Briley Moore-McKinney in the end zone. This year’s matchup of DC and Houston is not as high-scoring as last season’s, but it is just as hotly contest heading into halftime.

Third Quarter: DC Defenders – 12 | Houston Roughnecks – 18

That didn’t take long at all. Minutes into the second half, Sinnett hit Keke Chism for the first passing touchdown of his UFL career and Houston’s first offensive touchdown of the afternoon. The loss of Guarantano may have set Houston back for a possession or two, but it looks like Sinnett is more than capable of keeping the Roughnecks in this game.

The Houston Roughnecks have managed to make play after play thus far in the early goings of the second half, but the DC Defenders are back in action after a heroic play by the defensive unit. Sinnett hit Kirk Merritt for what seemed to be a long touchdown, but DeAndre Baker stripped Merritt on his way into the end zone and Ferrod Gardner caught it. Merritt went down after the play, but appears to be up and heading to the locker room. With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, DC is back in business with a shot to tie the ball game.

Fourth Quarter: DC Defenders – 23 | Houston Roughnecks – 18

The Defenders didn’t entirely miss an opportunity, but it does feel like they needed more than what they ultimately got following an improbable forced turnover. Ta’amu hit Keke Coutee for a 16-yard gain, followed by a 6-yard run from Darius Hagans, to start the drive, but Houston stifled DC’s offensive attack and forced a field goal attempt. Three points is better than nothing, but DC’s sporadic offensive output has really put the defense in a tough position. With a quarter to go, DC will need to get a stop or two and another field goal to walk away with the win.

The Defenders needed a stop, followed by a score and that’s exactly what they got. Converting a fourth and seven to move into Houston territory, Ta’amu sealed the deal with a beautiful, 17-yard touchdown pass to Ty Scott. Still, DC wasn’t done. A touchdown put the Defenders within a field goal of Houston, but DC was able to pull away further with another pinpoint accurate pass to the back of the end zone for two. DC may have struggled on offense through much of the game, but they’r firing on all cylinders when it matters and the fans are loving it.

The Defenders’ comeback win puts them back in the mix within the XFL Conference. Sitting 1.5 games behind San Antonio, DC finds itself in second place heading into a Week 3 showdown with the team that dashed their XFL Championship hopes last season. As for the Roughnecks, they’re going to need a big performance to take down the 1-0 Michigan Panthers in Week 3. A loss would put Houston in a tough position if it hopes to contend for the post-season.

FINAL: DC Defenders – 23 | Houston Roughnecks – 18

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