Renegades Rock Showboats 47-23

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (May 11, 2024) –The Arlington Renegades (1-6, 0-3 XFL) fired on all cylinders, picking up 415 total yards of offense and forcing four turnovers, to defeat the Memphis Showboats (1-6, 1-3 USFL), 47-23. The total attendance for the game at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday afternoon was 8,042.

The Renegades got off to a quick start versus the Showboats, as their offense went on an 11-play, 54-yard scoring drive to start the game. QB Lindsey Scott Jr. found TE Sal Cannella for a nine-yard touchdown to put Arlington up 6-0. Memphis got on the board on their first possession as well, as PK Matt Coghlin nailed a 54-yard field goal to make it 6-3, which would be the score after one quarter of play.

Arlington would find the end zone again, with a 24-yard touchdown pass from QB Luis Perez to WR JaVonta Payton. A successful two-point conversion pass from Perez to Cannella extended the lead to 14-3. On the next drive, the Renegades offense took advantage of an interception by SS Tenny Adewusi with a one-yard rushing touchdown by RB De’Veon Smith. The Renegades converted the two-point conversion with a pass from Smith to WR Caleb Vander Esch, increasing the lead to 22-3. 

Midway through the second quarter, the Showboats capped off a five-play drive with a touchdown pass from QB Troy Williams to WR Daewood Davis, cutting the Arlington lead to 13. Perez would lead a two-minute offensive drive that allowed PK Jonathan Garibay to convert a 39-yard field goal as the half expired to make it 25-9, the highest first-half output by the Renegades all season.

After a Memphis turnover on downs to start the third quarter, Smith would turn a 46-yard rush that flipped the field into a one-yard touchdown run to make it a 31-9 ballgame. After forcing a Memphis three-and-out, Perez would connect with Payton for a 33-yard score to cap a 94-yard drive and extend the Arlington lead. A two-point conversion reception by TE Seth Green made it 39-9 with just over three minutes left in the third. Williams would take matters into his own hands for Memphis, scoring on a 15-yard quarterback keeper just before the quarter concluded, making it 39-17 after the two-point conversion.

A 51-yard interception return by FS Joe Powell in the fourth set up Cannella’s second touchdown of the game, a four-yard pass from Perez, to extend the lead to 47-17 with 9:19 to go. A touchdown by Memphis WR Vinny Papale made it 47-23 with 1:07 left. DE Vic Beasley recorded a strip sack on a Memphis 4th-and-12 attempt to seal the win for the Renegades.

Up next, the Renegades will hit the road for week eight of the UFL regular season. They will face the San Antonio Brahmas (4-2 overall, 2-2 XFL) on Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. CT on FOX at The Alamodome.

POSTGAME NOTES 

• The 47-point output by the Renegades marks the most points scored in franchise history, dating back to the 2020 XFL season.
• The Renegades scored 25 first-half points, their most in a half this season.
• Arlington out-rushed an opponent for the first time this season, 106-96.
• The two interceptions gives Arlington seven on the season, putting them in first place in the league.
• Four takeaways in the game set a season-high for the Renegades defense.
• QB Luis Perez threw for 296 yards and three TDs (season-high) on 27-of-32 passing for a passer rating of 193. Perez now has a league-leading 1,626 pass yards on the season.
• RB De’Veon Smith had a two-touchdown day, giving him three on the season. He finished with 14 carries for 101 yards, his first 100-yard game of the season, in addition to five receptions for 35 yards.
• TE Sal Cannella has now scored TDs in back-to-back weeks and has three on the season. He finished with 9 catches for 72 yards and two scores.
• WR JaVonta Payton had a two-score day and has now scored a TD in three straight games. He has five total touchdowns (four receiving and one rushing) on the season and finished the day with 4 catches for 82 yards.
• Arlington’s defense posted 4 total sacks on the day: LBs Will Clarke (1.5), Vic Beasley and Donald Payne (1), and Anree Saint-Amour (0.5).
• CB Ajene Harris had eight total tackles (tied game-high and led team).