ARLINGTON – It was a UFL version of Texas Hold ‘Em here at Choctaw Stadium on Sunday.
And it was the Houston Roughnecks who blinked.
Houston, looking to avoid an 0-2 start to the league’s second season, went down 11-3 early in the fourth quarter when Arlington quarterback Luis Perez hit Deontay Burnett for a 9-yard touchdown.
After exchanging punts with the Renegades for the bulk of the final quarter, quarterback Anthony Brown connected with receiver Emmanuel Butler for a 17-yard score. The conversion try failed, though, and then the fourth-and-12 try – the UFL’s answer to the age-old onside kick – also failed, leaving Arlington with an 11-9 win.
Perez, who guided coach Bob Stoops’ team to a win over San Antonio in week one, finished 19-of-27 for 198 yards and a touchdown. Dae Dae Hunter had 63 yards on 14 carries. Isaiah Winstead had seven catches for 73 yards, and Burnet finished with three for 27 yards and the big TD catch.
Brown finished 14-of-30 for 179 yards and the score, and also had 20 yards on three carries. KeKe Chism had three catches for 28 yards, and Butler had the catch that almost – almost – got the ‘Necks the tie at the end.
Arlington, who has had both games at home this season, took the opening kickoff but went three and out. But they managed to down the punt at the Houston 1-yard-line, a huge play.
The Roughnecks would also go three and out on their first drive. After a not-so-great punt, the Renegade would start their next drive at the Houston 30.
Arlington would go on a short, seven-play drive, over 4:16, capping it off with a 28-yard field goal by Lucas Havrisik, a 3-0 Renegades lead with 6:47 left in the opening quarter.
Houston would start their next drive at their own 33, but on the first play of the drive Brown would be sacked by Chris Odom, putting them into another hole – resulting in another punt, leaving Arlington with the ball at midfield.
Hunter reeled off a 13-yard run and a first down for the Renegades after three passes fell short. The Renegades would settle for a 53-yard field goal by Havrisik, but it went wide left, giving the Roughnecks the ball at their own 43 – solid field position.
Houston wouldn’t go three and out this time, as Brown would find Justin Hall for a 37-yard to move the ball to the Renegade 10, but a flag would bring it back to the Houston 47, the last play of the quarter.
A punt was the Roughnecks’ decision, resulting in a touchback.
After taking the ball at his own 25, Perez immediately threw 14 yards for a first down. On second down, though, Houston’s Tashawn Bower sacked Perez, and this time it was the Renegades that couldn’t get out of the hole.
Another punt. Houston, who more often than not began with horrible field position, started at its own 19, but Brown found Geor’Quarius Spivey for a 21-yarder, all the way up to their own 40. The drive would stall out there.
Arlington’s next drive also ended in a punt. Defenses were on their game on Sunday.
Houston did get points in the half, right before halftime, a 41-yard field goal by Chris Blewitt.
The team exchanged possessions to open the second half, as well: Houston’s ended in a punt, Arlington’s in a fumble, at midfield.
The Renegades’ Ajene Harris picked off a pass by Brown to end the ‘Necks’ next drive.
In a continuing pattern, Arlington, too, had a problem moving the ball – a fourth-down conversion failed, giving the Roughnecks the ball at the Arlington 46 with 6:27 left in the third quarter.
The quarter ended, though, in the 3-all tie, leading to the fourth-quarter finish described above.
Next week, the Renegades will put that unbeaten record on the line at Birmingham – that’s the Stallions’ first home game of the season at Protective Stadium, a 7 p.m. kickoff on FOX on Friday night.
Something’s got to give in Memphis, as a pair of 0-2 teams play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday. The Roughnecks face the Showboats at 130 p.m. on ESPN.
St. Louis 26, San Antonio 9: In Sunday’s second game, the only other game of the day, the Battlehawks opened their home schedule with another solid performance, and as they moved to 2-0, they dropped the road-weary San Antonio Brahmas to 0-2.
After the first quarter ended with St. Louis up 3-0 (a 45-yard field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship), the Battlehawks unleashed running back Jacob Saylors, a 20-yard touchdown and two-point conversion in the second quarter, then a wild play where it appeared Saylor fumbled near the goal line but was ruled to have scored.
The conversion failed on that one, but St. Louis still led 17-0.
The Brahmas did get on the scoreboard in the first half, a 31-yard field goal by Donald De La Haye.
Saylors had a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and the only other scores in the second half were a 1-yard run by Jashaun Corbin for San Antonio, and a 22-yard field goal by Blankenship with 10 minutes left to end all scoring.
Manny Wilkins didn’t score by had 162 passing yards for the Brahmas. Kellen Mond threw for 129 yards and an interception for St. Louis.
