Around the XFL: Week 1
For the first time since March 2, 2020 it’s time to take a look at all the action from the XFL in its first week back for the start of a 10-week regular season.
The eight-team league saw four games during the weekend and featured several new rule changes which made an instant impact.
That all started on Saturday where the Arlington Renegades took down the Vegas Vipers 22-20.
Vegas found itself just a two-point conversion away from overtime following a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cinque Sweeting with 12 seconds left but failed to tie it up.
That was the third touchdown pass of the game for Vipers quarterback Luis Perez who also threw two costly interceptions.
Both of those interceptions were pick-sixes returned by De’Vante Bausby and Tomasi Laulile.
The other game on Saturday was the biggest blowout of the weekend as the Houston Roughnecks trounced the Orlando Guardians 33-12.
Brandon Silvers threw two touchdown passes in the win and the Roughnecks corralled three interceptions from the Guardians’ quarterbacks.
This included one from former NFL first round draft pick Paxton Lynch who started the game and was later benched for Quinten Dormady.
Now moving onto the two Sunday games which saw both games decided by one possession and some late drama.
The first of the two was a wild finish between the St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas which the Battlehawks won 18-15.
St. Louis entered the last three minutes of the game down 15-3 but took advantage of the league’s new rules by scoring a touchdown with 1:25 on the clock and connecting on a three (yes, three) point conversion.
That was followed by successfully converting the onside fourth down attempt to get the ball back and with 16 seconds left, quarterback AJ McCarron found Austin Proehl for the go-ahead touchdown to secure the win.
McCarron had two touchdown passes, both of which came during that fourth quarter comeback.
The final game to close out the opening weekend saw the Seattle Sea Dragons take on the DC Defenders and the Defenders defended home turf with a 22-18 win.
DC took the lead early in the fourth quarter with a rushing touchdown from quarterback D'Eriq King and those were the last points of the contest.
The Sea Dragons relied heavily on quarterback Ben DiNucci who threw the ball 54 times and ended with 282 passing yards and a touchdown.
One of DiNucci’s main and certainly most notable targets was former Cleveland Browns All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon who had six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The Sea Dragons won’t have much turnaround time as they open up week two on Thursday night against the Battlehawks, in what is the first scheduled Thursday game until week five.
Following that game, week two will see one game on Saturday between the Defenders and Vipers followed by the remaining two contests on Sunday.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
