This will be the third meeting of these two teams, with the series tied 1-1. Arlington defeated San Antonio by a score of 12-10 in week five at The Alamodome, and the following week, the Brahmas got their revenge with a 15-9 victory over the Renegades at Choctaw Stadium. However, so much has changed since then, and the past games are merely statistics.
This game is not only a matchup of Texas teams; it is also a matchup of legends, namely Wade Phillips and Bob Stoops. The two iconic head coaches met three times during the 2023 XFL season, including twice in the regular season before clashing in the South Division Playoff Game in Houston. Phillips, now in his 55th season in the coaching world, boasts a 93-74 overall head coaching record across the NFL, XFL, and UFL. Stoops boasts a 199-61 overall head coaching record across the NCAA, XFL, and UFL.
What do we know?
The Brahmas helped the City of San Antonio usher in their annual “Fiesta” with a big win at the Alamodome. Brahmas QB Quentin Dormady got his first start in place of an injured Chase Garbers, and he responded with an outstanding showing. Dormady completed 23-of-37 passes for 269 yards, one touchdown, and one interception to lead the Brahmas (3-1) to a 19-9 victory over the Michigan Panthers (2-2) on Saturday at The Alamodome.
Dormady, the XFL 2023 completion percentage leader, completed 62 percent of his passes, connecting with nine different receivers.
After entering week four’s contest with a grand total of only 44 receiving yards, Justin Smith exploded with 107 receiving yards on seven catches, marking a season high in receiving yards for the Brahmas. Smith averaged 15.3 yards per catch, a season high. The other top Brahmas receiver was Jontre Kirklin, with five catches for 105 yards. John Lovett was the team’s leading rusher, with 35 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts.
Wade Phillips’ defensive unit made the offense’s job much easier with significant pressure on Michigan Panthers QBs E.J. Perry and Danny Etling. Michigan’s offensive line gave up six sacks to the Brahmas. Each sack came from six different players, as Jordan Williams, Tim Ward, Wyatt Ray, Prince Emili, Taron Vincent, and Jalen Dalton all recorded sacks in the win. Safety Jordan Mosley, one of the UFL’s best defenders, led the Brahmas with five tackles and his first pick of the season.
For the third time this season, the Brahmas defense allowed one touchdown or fewer. As time expired before halftime, San Antonio allowed just three points in the first half on a Panthers field goal. The defense also forced three Michigan turnovers with two fumbles and one interception. Through four games, the Brahmas are now allowing an average of only 16.3 points per game to their opponents.
In week 4, the Arlington Renegades suffered their fourth consecutive loss, this time to the Houston Roughnecks. The Renegades got on the board first with a field goal in the opening quarter, which would end up being their only lead of the game. Arlington’s total yards on offense (193) and points scored (9) were their lowest of the season. The defensive unit had their best game of the season, allowing only 17 points in the road loss.
The Renegades have lost each of their past three games by a combined 10 points. If their offense had better clock management heading into halftime, they may have fared better. However, they foolishly went into the break with two timeouts and tried to convert a fourth-and-19 from their own 20-yard line.
Quarterback Luis Perez went 15-for-28 (54%) for 144 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, with a passer rating of 101.4. Deontay Burnett was the top receiver, with 58 yards on four receptions, as well as scoring his first touchdown of the year. On the ground, running back Leddie Brown had eight carries for 17 yards.
The Arlington Renegades defense only allowed 17 points versus Houston, good for their lowest of the season. Defensive tackle Jalen Redmond had two sacks and two tackles for loss, in addition to three total tackles. He now has 4.5 sacks for the year, leading the team. Safety Tenny Adewusi had a game-high nine total tackles, in addition to a sack and a tackle for loss.
Placekicker Jonathan Garibay made his Renegades and UFL debut, kicking one 31-yard field goal in the contest.
What should we expect?
After losing their fourth consecutive game, the Renegades are the last winless team in the league. The difference this time was that they were beaten by a team that was considered to be the worst in the league. Essentially, the Renegades are now the bottom-ranked team. People expected the Renegades to beat the Roughnecks handily, and this was more or less based on their offensive ranking going into last week’s game. Luis Perez is still a top quarterback in the league, and he has the ability to put up good numbers. Look for the Bob Stoops-led Renegades to improve their game this week. After all, they can’t get any worse, can they?
Meanwhile, San Antonio is on a roll, and they don’t seem to be ready to let up. This may be their game to lose. Quinten Dormady played well in his first game of the season, and since he has now knocked the cobwebs off, he can only get better. Look for him to put up similar or better numbers in this game.
Oddsmakers have made San Antonio 2.5 point favorites to win this game. Do what you will with that information. This game has a chance to go either way.
