ARLINGTON – Last-second heartbreak – or jubilation, depending on your point of view – happened in the UFL for the second straight week.
This time, it happened to the Arlington Renegades.
In a battle with the D.C. Defenders, Arlington led 28-18 with just over two minutes left. But like San Antonio did in Memphis a week ago, D.C. was able to overcome some early struggles, score late, utilize the league’s fourth-and-12 alternate possession rule to get the ball back and pull out a 29-28 win on a last second field goal.
The comeback left Arlington winless this season, another near-miss, and also left coach Bob Stoops one win short of his 200th career win, college and pro football combined.
D.C. (2-1) was able to ride a big game by their QB Jordan Ta’Amu, who had 188 yards passing and another 53 on the ground, and talented wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, who had 51 yards receiving helping to get the win. Defenders kicker Matt McCrane had the late-game heroics. He had hit two from 50-plus earlier in the game, and then the 49-yard game-winner as time expired.
The Renegades put up a good fight but came up short. They got a good performance from quarterback Luis Perez, who had 290-yards passing. Renegades wideout Tyler Vaughs had a good game: 109 yards receiving, but just not enough to get the W.
It was a pretty quiet first quarter. Neither team really got anything going: the Defenders were able to put up 3 points on a 54-yard field goal from McCrane.
The Renegades moved the ball well with their passing game, as Perez would hook up with his man Vaughns for 50 yards, but just couldn’t find a way to score.
Arlington would put together a great drive at the end of the first, into the second quarter, and caped it with a 19-yard TD pass from Perez to Vaughns as the Renegades would take a 6-3 lead early in the second.
The Renegades would force D.C. to punt, and then go on a 13-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped off with a 17-yard bomb from Perez to Javonta Payton.
The two-point conversion was successful, and the Renegades took a 14-3 lead with a little over four minutes left in the half.
D.C. would answer back before the half with a six-play, 70-yard drive.
Ta’amu found Chris Rowland for the score. The 2-point conversion failed, but the Defenders were within five, 14-9, the eventual halftime score.
Perez had 158 yards on 16-of-25 completions at the break, with the two touchdowns, and his main target in the first half was Vaughns, of course, who had 71 yards on seven catches. The running game was only brought the Renegades 47 yards, most of them coming from De’Veon Smith, who had 23 yards, and Leddie Brown, with 22.
The Defenders got 82 yards passing from Ta’amu. Rowland had 36 yards and Kelvin Harmon had 25. Ta’amu also carried the load on the ground, with 33 yards on four rushes.
D.C. would take the second-half kick and put together a five-play drive that finished with another field goal, a long 58-yarder by McCrane that left D.C. down by just two, 14-12, early in the third quarter.
The Renegades took the kickoff and got two huge catches from Vaughns, but the drive would stall out. They’d have to settle for a 36- yard field goal by Taylor Russolino, leaving them up 17-12 with just under six minutes remaining in the third.
D.C. would get the kick and score quickly: a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ta’amu to Brandon Smith. The conversion again failed, but the Defenders re-claimed the lead, 18-17, for the first time since having a 3-0 lead early in the contest.
Arlington would answer the bell, as they drove down the field with an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped off with a 13-yard rush from Lindsey Scott Jr. The conversion was good and Arlington was back in front, this time by seven (25-18), with just over 12 minutes left in the game.
The teams swapped possessions, with D.C. eventually benefitting from a huge pass interference call, but that drive would stall on fourth down and fail. Arlington’s defense would hold, giving the Renegades possession back with five minutes left in the game.
And they’d add to the seven-point lead: The Renegades drove downfield and added a 49-yard field goal by Russolino, putting Arlington up 28-18 with 2:08 left.
But the one thing that’s for sure in the UFL, especially after Memphis blowing a 16-0 lead in the fourth quarter last week, is that nothing’s for sure.
D.C. returned the kickoff back to the Renegades’ 35-yard line with just under two minutes left, and drove down quickly for a 1-yard rush TD by Cam’Ron Harris. The two-point conversion was good, for the first time in the game for D.C., leaving the Defenders down two (28-26) with just 48 seconds left.
Ironically, that’s the same time that was on the clock last week when San Antonio stunned Memphis.
Ta’amu and the offense converted on the fourth-and-12 pass, and rather than even try to drive for a touchdown – they didn’t need it, they were only down two – they managed to get within McCrane’s field goal range, and allow him to hit the game-winner as time ran out.
The Defenders hit the road to Birmingham next Saturday night, and Arlington visits Houston next Sunday afternoon.
