In the rain, DC Defenders #3 D’Eriq King runs the ball against the Vegas Vipers. (XFL Twitter)
Saturday, February 25, at 6:00 pm ET
Cashman Field, Las Vegas
Attendance: 6,023
Broadcaster: FX, ESPN+
Announcers: John Schiffren (Play-by-Play), Tom Luginbill (Analyst), Stormy Buonantony (Field Reporter:), Harry Douglas (Field Analyst)
Odds: Vipers -3, O/U 34.5
Tonight, fans got to witness the first XFL game in Las Vegas since 2001. Cashman Field, built for baseball, was decked out in XFL logos and a football field painted across the expanse of the field.
This was a cross-country matchup of northern division partners, with the Defenders coming from behind to beat the Sea Dragons at home last week, and the Vegas Vipers losing to a powerful Roughnecks squad in Houston. Both of these teams have had sparks of greatness on offence, and now both squads seemed determined to put together 60 minutes of good football.
The Defenders Matt McCrane kicked off poorly and Vegas got the ball on their own 45-yard line. A strong wind affected the kick. Luis Perez went three and out and Vegas had to punt.
The Defenders fielded the ball on their own 13. Jordan Ta’amu started out on the ground but switched to a pass, which was incomplete. On third down Ta’amu was sacked and the ball came loose. The Vipers jumped on the ball. Dean Blandino checked the video and it was confirmed to be a turnover.
On first and goal from the two-yard line DeAndre Torrey rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 6-0 for the Vipers.
The kickoff went through the end zone and the Defenders took over on the 35. Ta’amu delivered a pass to Chris Blair and then handed off to Abram Smith for the first down. In the next series Ta’amu went three and out. DC had to punt.
Vegas put Brett Hundley in as quarterback. A pass to Martavis Bryant should have been caught, but it was bobbled. Vipers went three and out.
Jordan Ta’amu took over on the DC 35. Ta’amu picked up the first down with a 20-yard run. So far, this was the longest play of the season for the Defenders. Ta’amu was moving the ball with another pass to Chris Blair, but he couldn’t convert on third and short. On 4th down they got the yards, but a holding penalty took them back 10 yards. DC had to punt.
Vegas took over on their own 8. Vegas coach Ron Woodson was heard complaining how the communications system was not working. Hundley passed on third down for a first down, his first of the game. A short pass to Jeff Badet earned the Vipers another first down.
At the end of the first quarter the score was 6-0 for Vegas.
Brett Hundley passed deep on third down to Geronimo Allison but was incomplete. The Vipers had to punt. Jordan Ta’amu got the ball and went three and out against a stiff Vegas defense. The Vipers punted back to the Defenders.
Brett Hundley took over on the Vegas 30. Hundley was pressured and managed to rush for 4 yards. On third down Hundley passed to Jeff Badet on the sideline, but the wind took the ball and the pass was incomplete. Vegas had to punt.
On first down, Ta’amu was pressured and escaped for a two-yard gain. On second down, Ta’amu completed a pass to Hammond for another first down. On third and five Ta’amu ran the ball for a first down and also drew a late-hit penalty to move the ball even more. DC was first and ten on the Vegas 28. After two short running plays, Ta’amu passed to Lucky Jackson for a first down, then Ta’amu rushed 10 yards for another first down. A pass to Hammond took the ball to the Vegas 2-yard line. On the next play the ball was fumbled by Abram Smith and recovered by Dawson of Vegas. The drive ended.
Luis Perez was back in at quarterback for the Vipers. A big run by Rod Smith took the Vipers out of the shadow of their own end zone to the 25. Perez was able to effectively move the ball, but the drive was hindered by a false start penalty. On third and eleven, Perez ran about 10 yards and went out of bounds. With 49 seconds remaining in the half the Vipers punted.
DC took over on their own 26 with 39 seconds remaining. Ta’amu managed an 11-yard rush for a first down, and then the Vipers defense took control. A pass to Abram Smith on third and ten took the ball to almost mid-field. With 12 seconds remaining Ta’amu was sacked and fumbled. Vegas’s Vic Beasley picked up the ball and ran out of bounds with one second remaining. Giffen attempted a 39-yard field goal that was missed.
At the half, the score remained 6-0 for Vegas.
At the beginning of the second half the rain was pouring down in Las Vegas. DC took the kickoff and fielded the ball on their own 25-yard line. Ta’amu began to put together first downs. A pass to Lucky Jackson gave DC the ball on the 45. DC complained Jackson was not touched as he continued to run for the touchdown. However, Dean Blandino ruled that Jackson had been touched.
On a 4th and two, DC went for it. Ta’amu kept the ball and ran for nine yards. On first and ten from the Vegas 29, Ta’amu threw to Chris Blair in the end zone, but it was incomplete. On second and ten, Ta’amu threw to Josh Hammond in the end zone, again incomplete. On third and ten Ta’amu was sacked. Matt McCrane attempted a 47-yard field goal, and made it. The score was now 6-3 for the Vipers.
On the kickoff, the kicker Matt McCrane slipped on the rain soaked field and the ball did not travel the correct distance. Vegas took over on their own 45-yard line.
Brett Hundley was back in at quarterback for Vegas. On third and nine Hundley completed to Lovett at the DC 20. After Hundley moved the ball to the DC 7, a delay of game penalty brought the ball back to the 12. On third down Hundley ran the ball to the five, but not enough for the first down. On the field goal attempt, Giffen slipped and the kick was no good.
D’Eriq King went in at quarterback for DC. King established a running attack handing to Armstead and taking the ball himself. Then, King took the ball to the Vegas 29.
At the end of the third quarter the score was 6-3 for Vegas.
D’Eriq King kept it himself and scampered into the end zone for a touchdown. DC attempted a 1-point conversion and King ran it in again. The score was now 10-6 for DC.
On the kickoff return Vegas tried to do a little razzle dazzle with a reverse, but to little effect. Hundley took over on the Vegas 28. Hundley was getting pressured but he managed to pass to Sexton for a first down. Hundley ran and was stopped short on third down. On fourth down Hundley scrambled and was sacked. He fumbled the ball and DC’s Brooks recovered the ball on the Vegas 44.
D’Eriq King took over and handed to Armstead for a nine-yard gain. Abram Smith then ran for a 26-yard gain. DC now had a first down on the Vegas 9 and Abram Smith ran the ball in for another DC touchdown. DC went for a two point conversion and a pass to Ethan Wolf was good. The score was now 18-6 for the Defenders.
With 8:36 remaining, Hundley took over on the Vegas 21. A long pass to Allison had Hundley looking for a pass interference call, but to no avail. Finally, a pass to Cam Sutton moved the markers. On first and 10 Hundley was sacked. After a short pass to Smith, the Vipers were penalized for holding. Hundley could not convert the first down and the Vipers were forced to punt.
DC took over at their own 28. D’Eriq King kept the ball on the ground, handing to Armstead three times in a row for a first down at the DC 44. With 2:47 remaining, DC was running out the clock.
After the two minute warning, with Vegas having no time outs remaining, DC was able to completely run out the clock.
Final score: DC Defenders 18, Vegas Vipers 6.
Box scores – Statistics Summary
Scoring
1 2 3 4 F
DC 0 0 3 15 18
VGS 6 0 0 0 6
------ DC DEFENDERS ------
Passing
PLAYER C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT LONG SCK-YDS
Jordan Ta'amu 11/23 93 4.0 0 0 15 2 - 3
Rushing
PLAYER CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Abram Smith 11 69 6.3 1 26
Jordan Ta'amu 12 68 5.7 0 22
Ryquell Armstead 15 62 4.1 0 10
Deriq King 4 32 8.0 1 12
TEAM TOTAL 42 231 5.5 2 26
Receiving
PLAYER REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
Josh Hammond 3 24 8.0 0 9 6
Chris Blair 2 19 9.5 0 11 5
Ethan Wolf 3 19 6.3 0 11 3
Lucky Jackson 2 16 8.0 0 8 4
Abram Smith 1 15 15.0 0 15 1
Josh Malone 0 0 0.0 0 0 3
TEAM TOTAL 11 93 8.5 0 15 22
Fumbles
PLAYER FUM LOST REC
Jordan Ta'amu 2 2 0
Abram Smith 1 1 0
TEAM TOTAL 3 3 0
Defensive
PLAYER SOLO AST TOT SACKS-YDS TFL INT FF FR
Reggie Northrup 2 3 5.0 1.0 - 4.0 1.0 0 0 0
Dejuan Neal 1 2 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Francis Bernard 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Michael Joseph 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Anthony Hines 3 0 3.0 1.0 - 2.0 1.0 0 0 0
Joshua Allen 3 0 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
K.J. Sails 3 0 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Malik Fisher 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Ferrod Gardner 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Santos Ramirez 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Joseph Wallace 1 1 2.0 0.5 - 2.5 1.0 0 0 0
Jacub Panasiuk 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Jarrell Owens 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 1.0 0 0 0
Jamal Brooks 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
Travon Fuller 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 1.0 0 0 0
Gabe Wright 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Caraun Reid 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Pooka Williams 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Davin Bellamy 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 1 0
Andre Mintze 0 1 1.0 0.5 - 2.5 1.0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 31 12 43.0 3.0 - 11.0 6.0 0 1 1
Interceptions
TEAM TOTAL
INT YDS TD
0 0 0
Punt Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Jequez Ezzard 3 18 6.0 10 0
Kick Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Jequez Ezzard 1 8 8.0 8 0
Josh Hammond 1 0 0.0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 2 8 4.0 8 0
Punting
PLAYER NO YDS AVG TB IN-20 LONG
Daniel Whelan 3 112 37.3 0 2 43
Davin Bellamy 1 -5 -5.0 0 0 -5
Matthew McCrane 1 -15 -15.0 0 0 -15
TEAM TOTAL 5 92 18.4 0 2 43
------ VEGAS VIPERS ------
Passing
PLAYER C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT LONG SCK-YDS
Brett Hundley 11/18 98 5.4 0 0 24 2 - 7
Luis Perez 1/5 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 - 0
Mathew Sexton 1/1 9 9.0 0 0 9 0 - 0
TEAM TOTAL 13/24 107 4.5 0 0 24 2 - 7
Rushing
PLAYER CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Rod Smith 7 39 5.6 0 27
Brett Hundley 5 24 4.8 0 8
John Lovett 4 10 2.5 0 4
Luis Perez 1 9 9.0 0 9
DeAndre Torrey 3 5 1.7 1 5
Cinque Sweeting 1 4 4.0 0 4
Jeff Badet 1 1 1.0 0 1
Martavis Bryant 1 -1 -1.0 0 -1
TEAM TOTAL 23 91 4.0 1 27
Receiving
PLAYER REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
John Lovett 2 33 16.5 0 24 3
Cam Sutton 1 15 15.0 0 15 2
Cinque Sweeting 2 14 7.0 0 8 3
Mathew Sexton 2 12 6.0 0 11 3
Mister Harriel 1 9 9.0 0 9 1
Travis Koontz 1 9 9.0 0 9 1
Jeff Badet 2 6 3.0 0 6 4
Brandon Dillon 1 6 6.0 0 6 2
Rod Smith 1 3 3.0 0 3 2
Martavis Bryant 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Geronimo Allison 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
TEAM TOTAL 13 107 8.2 0 24 24
Fumbles
PLAYER FUM LOST REC
Brett Hundley 1 1 0
Defensive
PLAYER SOLO AST TOT SACKS-YDS TFL INT FF FR
Jawuan Johnson 5 2 7.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Robert Windsor 3 2 5.0 0.0 - 0.0 1.0 0 0 0
Maximilian Roberts 3 1 4.0 2.0 - 3.0 2.0 0 1 0
Adam Sparks 4 0 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 1.0 0 0 0
LaRon Stokes 2 2 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Bryant Jones 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Vic Beasley 1 2 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
Pita Taumoepenu 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
Nijuel Hill 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Mister Harriel 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Deontay Anderson 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
D.J. Calhoun 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Jah'Sheem Martin 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
P.J. Dawson 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
C.J. Avery 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Keylon Kennedy 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Marwin Evans 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Travis Koontz 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Martavis Bryant 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Antonio Phillips 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 37 18 55.0 2.0 - 3.0 4.0 0 1 3
Interceptions
INT YDS TD
0 0 0
Punt Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Mathew Sexton 1 1 1.0 1 0
Pita Taumoepenu 1 0 0.0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 2 1 0.5 1 0
Kick Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
DeAndre Torrey 1 6 6.0 6 0
Mathew Sexton 1 17 17.0 17 0
TEAM TOTAL 2 23 11.5 17 0
Punting
PLAYER NO YDS AVG TB IN-20 LONG
Michael Carrizosa 6 228 38.0 0 1 49
------ TEAM STATS ------
TEAM STATS DC VGS
TOTAL PLAYS 67 48
TOTAL YARDS 321 179
YARDS PER PLAY 4.8 3.7
FIRST DOWNS 22 7
FIRST DOWNS PASSING 7 6
FIRST DOWNS RUSHING 14 1
FIRST DOWNS PENALTY 1 0
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 57.1% 30.8%
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 100.0% 0.0%
PASS COMPLETIONS 11 12
PASS ATTEMPTS 23 23
PASSES INTERCEPTED 0 0
YARDS PER PASS 8.2 7.3
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS 0 0
SACK YARDS LOST 3 11
RUSH ATTEMPTS 42 22
YARDS PER RUSH 5.5 4.2
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS 2 1
PENALTIES 2 8
TURNOVERS 3 1
FUMBLES 3 1
INTERCEPTIONS 0 0
DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS` 0 0
SPECIAL TEAMS TDS 0 0
POSSESSION 47:44 29:52
