Keke Chism #3 of the Houston Roughnecks celebrates with teammates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the third quarter against the DC Defenders at Audi Field on April 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/UFL/Getty Images)
Houston Roughnecks (0-1) at D.C. Defenders (0-1)
Sunday, Apr. 7, at 4:00 PM ET (3:00 PM CT)
Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Attendance:
Broadcaster: FOX
Announcers: Curt Menefee (Play-by-Play), Joel Klatt (Analyst), Devin Gardner (Sideline)
Both the Defenders and Roughnecks enter this week two game winless after losing in their respective week one contests.
The Defenders fell to the Brahmas, 27-12, in an uncharacteristic loss considering they lost only twice in 2023. Meanwhile, last Sunday, Houston struggled against Memphis, spotting the Showboats a 15-0 lead in the second quarter. The second half of the game saw a much improved Roughnecks squad. Can they pick things up where they left off last week?
One of these teams will pick up its first win of the season today.
Brooks kicked off 71 yards, and Houston’s Ratliff-Williams returns the ball to the Houston 233-yard line. Roughnecks quarterback
Jarrett Guarantano passed to Ratliff-Williams, but he lost 2 yards. On second down, a handoff to T.J. Pledger moved the ball 6 yards, but Guarantano passed incomplete on third down. The Roughnecks were forced to punt.
Hunter Niswander’s punt was blocked and recovered by D.C.’s Baker, who also fumbled. The ball went out of bounds, with D.C. taking possession on the Houston 11-yard line.
Jordan Ta’amu handed to Cam’Ron Harris for a 2-yard loss, and then attempted a pass that was tipped and intercepted by Corn Elder and returned 98 yards for a Houston touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 6-0 for Houston.
Brooks kicked off 64 yards and Hagans fumbled on the return. The ball was recovered by Johnson and D.C. retained possession on their own 27-yard line. Ta’amu went three-and-out and the Defenders were forced to punt.
Guarantano started a drive on his own 18-yard line. He passed incompelte to Butler, then completed an 11-yard pass to Pledger to move the chains. A Pledger run was good for 7 yards, but a catch by Ratliff-Williams was nullified due to an offensive holding call. The drive stalled and the Roughnecks were forced to punt.
From his own 38-yard line, Ta’amu’s pass to Ellis fell incomplete, and then he connected to Keke Coutee for an 18-yard strike. A 12-yard pass to Harris was followed by an 8-yard pass to Harmon and a 5-yard run by Harris for another first down.
Ta’amu was moving the ball. He handed to Harris who ran up the middle for 4 yards, and then passed to Hagans for 5 yards up to the Houston 11-yard line. Ta’amu kept the ball and rushed 6 yards for a Defenders first down on the Houston 4. A handoff to Hagans lost one yard, and then a pass to Harmon was incomplete, but a defensive offside penalty put the ball on the Houston 2. Ta’amu rushed for 1 yard, and then handed to Hagans for the touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score tied 6-6.
The Brooks kickoff went 66 yards and was returned by Ratliff-Williams to the Houston 39. Guarantano completed a 14-yard pass to Evens for one first down, but could not convert for a second first down. The Roughnecks were forced to punt.
Niswander punted into the D.C. end zone and the touchback brought the ball out to the 25-yard line. Ta’amu went three-and out and the Defenders punted back to the Roughnecks.
The punt was taken by a fair catch on the Houston 13-yard line. Guarantano remained on the sidelines, stricken with a back injury and walking gingerly. He would not return to the game. With Reid Sinnett now in at quarterback, he handed to Pledger twice for a total of 4 yards and then passed 26 yards to Butler on the D.C. 45-yard line. A handoff to Pledger was only good for 1 yard, and then a pass to Pledger lost 6 yards. On third and 15, Sinnett passed to Merritt for a 1-yard loss. The Roughnecks had to punt.
After the punt, Ta’amu started a drive on his own 13-yard line. He passed to Coutee for 6 yards and then passed incomplete twice, going three-and-out. The Defenders punted.
Sinnett started a drive on his own 35. He passed 7 yards to Hall and then completed an 11-yard pass to Merritt for a first down. Sinnett handed to Merritt for zero yards and then passed to Hall, who made it to the first down marker at the D.C. 38-yard line. A handoff to Merritt was good for 5 yards, then a pass to Hall was dropped, and a pass to Merritt was also dropped. Molson’s field goal attempt was interrupted by the two-minute warning.
After the two-minute warning, J.J. Molson attempted a 51-yard field goal and he was good, making the score 9-6 for Houston.
Molson’s kickoff went 67 yards and was returned to the D.C. 32 by Chris Rowland. Ta’amu handed to Hagans for a 1-yard rush and then passed to Rowland 46 yards to the Houston 21-yard line. Another pass to Rowland moved the ball 9 yards to the Houston 12-yard line, and then Ta’amu was sacked for a 9-yard loss. A 21-yard pass to Briley Moore was good for a Defender’s touchdown. Houston head coach Curtis Johnson wanted to challenge the catch, but the officials talked him out of it, saying the play had already been reviewed by the command center. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, and the score was now 12-9 for D.C.
With 0:32 on the clock, Sinnett started a drive on his own 36-yard line. A pass to Bowman fell incomplete, and then Sinnett completed a pass to Merritt for 15 yards on the D.C. 49. Another pass to Merritt gained no yards, and then an incomplete pass to Butler drew a defensive pass interference call that put the ball on the D.C. 37 yard line.
A 12-yard pass to Hall put the ball on the D.C. 25 with 0:03 remaining. J.J. Molson kicked a 43-yard field goal to tie the game 12-12 at halftime.
To start the second half, the Molson kickoff was returned by Rowland to the D.C. 38-yard line. Ta’amu handed to Harris for no gain and then handed to Coutee who made 2 yards. A pass to Coutee was incomplete, and the Defenders had to punt.
After the punt, Sinnett started a drive on the Houston 30-yard line. He handed to Pledger for a 6-yard gain, and then went back to Pledger who ran for 11 more yards. Another handoff to Pledger made 5 yards across midfield. Sinnett passed 14 yards to Keke Chism on the D.C. 34, and then went back to Chism for a 34-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 18-12 for Houston.
Chris Rowland took the Molson kickoff and returned the ball to the D.C. 33. Jordan Ta’amu went three-and-out and the Defenders were forced to punt.
Justin Hall returned the punt to the Houston 27-yard line. Sinnett was sacked and the ball came loose with Houston eventually recovering the ball and retaining possession. A pass to Hall was good for 5 yards, and then a pass to Ratliff-Williams was incomplete. The Roughnecks punted.
Coutee returned the punt to his own 41-yard line. Ta’amu handed to Darius Hagans who rushed for 11 yards, and then a pass to Briley Moore gained no yards. Ta’amu could not complete another pass to extend the drive and the Defenders were forced to punt.
Brooks took a fair catch at his own 10 yard line. Sinnett passed to Justin Hall for a 7-yard gain, and then passed short to Kirk Merritt who impressively ran 63-yards before he was stripped of the ball. D.C.’s Ferrod Gardner recovered the ball and returned it to the D.C. 21. Merritt was injured on the play and needed a cart to leave the field.
Ta’amu passed 9 yards to Harmon, and then threw an incomplete pass. On third down, a handoff to Hagans was good for an 11-yard gain. Another handoff to Hagans only made 1 yard, and Ta’amu ran the ball himself for 8 yards. Ta’amu handed to Hagans for a 1-yard rush, and a first down, as the third quarter ended.
Ta’amu made a 16-yard pass to Coutee, and then completed a 7-yard pass to Hagans. A pass to Coutee was caught out of bounds, and then Ta’amu was sacked at the Houston 25-yard line. The Defenders had to settle for a 43-yard Matt McCrane field goal to make the score 18-15 for Houston.
Reid Sinnett started a Roughnecks drive on his own 34-yard line. His first pass was batted down, and the he handed to Pledger but the play lost 1 yard. Sinnett passed 8 yards to Ratcliff-Williams which was short of the first down. The Roughnecks were forced to punt.
Niswander’s punt went 48 yards and Coutee returned the ball to the D.C. 23. Ta’amu completed a 12-yard pass to Harmon, and then handed to Cam’Ron Harris who went 25 yards to the Houston 41. A pass to Briley Moore was good for an 8-yard gain, and then a pass to Brandon Smith was caught just out of bounds. Smith was injured on the play. On third and short the D.C. Defenders took a false start penalty, and then a pass to Coutee could not be made. On fourth and 7, Ta’amu tossed the ball to Alex Ellis, who ran 19-yards for the first down, and more.
Ta’amu kept the ball for a 4-yard gain, and then passed incomplete to Ellis. Then, a 17-yard pass from Ta’amu to Ty Scott was good for a Defenders touchdown. The two-point conversion was made, and the score was now 23-18 for D.C.
Brooks kicked off 28 yards and Houston’s Ratliff-Williams returned the ball to the 40-yard line. A handoff to Pledger was good for a 7-yard gain, and then a pass to Hall made 2 more yards. On third and one, Pledger rushed 2 yards for the first down on the Houston 49.
Sinnett passed incomplete to Bowman, and then took a 5-yard delay of game penalty. A pass to Chism was incomplete, and then Houston was called for a false start. On third and 20, Sinnett completed a 6-yard pass to Butler, but not enough for a first down. Houston was forced to punt.
Coutee returned the punt to the D.C. 5-yard line. Ta’amu handed to Hagans for zero yards as the two-minute warning was announced.
Jordan Ta’amu handed to Hagans who was dropped for a 2-yard loss. On third and 12, Ta’amu handed to Hagans again, and he was stuffed for another 2-yard loss. The Defenders were forced to punt from their own end zone.
Brooks’ punt went 51 yards and was returned by Hall to the D.C. 27-yard line. Hall was injured on the return. A pass to Chism was good for 8 yards, and then a false start penalty pushed the Roughneck back 5 yards. Then, a pass to Chism was incomplete.
With 0:48 on the clock, Sinnett completed a pass to Pledger a 5 yard gain. Facing fourth and 2, Sinnett committed another false start penalty. Now at fourth and 7, a pass to Bowman fell incomplete.
With 0:01 on the clock, D.C. ran out the clock.
The final score was D.C. Defenders 23, Houston Roughnecks 18.
