Face it. This is a game the Roughnecks think they can win, and stay undefeated in the XFL. The winless Guardians are no match for them. Going into this weekend, the Roughnecks have an astounding plus-39 point differential, showing their domination over other teams they have met this season. However, this is a football game, and games need to be played in order to reach the outcome of a winner and a loser. The big question for this matchup comes down to whether the Orlando Guardians can turn things around enough to beat the Roughnecks.
Last weekend’s 22-13 victory over San Antonio kept the Roughnecks atop the XFL South standings, while the Guardians dropped what turned out to be a defensive struggle with Arlington. It should be noted that Orlando did make progress last week. Will they be able to convert the progress they made in that game into a meaningful offensive effort today?
The Houston Roughnecks Dejoun Lee returned the kickoff to their own 49-yard line. Brandon Silvers took over on offense and was able to get one first down before a third and six pass saw him connect to Cedric Byrd for another first down. The drive ended with a 20-yard touchdown strike from Silvers to Travell Harris. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 6-0 for Houston.
Orlando quarterback Paxton Lynch got the ball on his own 15 and immediately completed a 21-yard pass to Cody Latimer. Paxton Lynch attempted a backward pass which hit the ground and was recovered by William Likely who returned it for a touchdown. Orlando head coach Terrell Buckley challenged the backward pass and was unsuccessful. The score was now 12-0 for Houston. The 2-point conversion pass to Kirklin was good, with Houston making their lead 14-0.
Orlando head coach Terrell Buckley was seen in a rant on the sidelines, “They’re killing us. They’re fu$king killing us.” This is an all-access game.
Orlando took over on their own 27, but undisciplined play caused penalties that took them deeper. A three and out forced them to punt.
Silvers took over on his 39. Orlando was able to sack him once, showing their defense had some teeth. However, soon afterward Brandon Silvers passed to Jontre Kirklin behind the line of scrimmage, who then passed 49-yards down field to Deontay Burnett for the touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed and Houston was now up 20-0. Houston was in full control of this game.
Paxton Lynch was able to get two first downs, and then Orlando had to punt. The powerful Roughnecks offense took over on their own 7.
At the end of the first quarter the score was 20-0 Roughnecks over the Guardians.
Penalties hurt the Roughnecks and they had to punt from deep in their end. Orlando returned the ball to the Houston 45. Orlando started Deondre Francois at quarterback. Francois engineered one first down before the Houston defense stiffened. Then, on third down Francois managed a 19-yard pass to Cody Latimer who made a spectacular diving catch. With 3rd and 8 on the Houston 15, Francois could not connect to Lenoir in the end zone. The Guardians settled for a 33-yard Borregales field goal, making the score 20-3 for Houston.
Silvers got the ball on the Houston 32 and went three and out. They punted to the Guardians who fielded the ball on the Orlando 30. On first down, Orlando’s Paxton Lynch was back in at quarterback and he was immediately sacked for an 8-yard loss. Orlando went three and out.
Houston took over on their own 8-yard line. Silvers completed a 13-yard pass to Nick Holley for a first down. Then, Silvers went right back to Holley for another first down on the Houston 42. On third and 3, a wide-open Jontre Kirklin dropped a pass on the Orlando 20. Houston was forced to punt.
With a penalty, Orlando took over on their own 14. Paxton Lynch completed an 8-yard pass to Lenoir. Then, Martin was able to pick up the first down on the ground. This took us to the two-minute warning.
Paxton Lynch completed a pass to Cody Latimer for a first down. On the next play Lynch was sacked for a 4-yard loss. An 8-yard pass completed to Charleston Rambo was fumbled and Houston took over on the Orlando 42. On the next play, Brandon Silvers connected a 42-yard pass to Jontre Kirklin for the Roughnecks major. The score was now 26-3 for Houston.
On the 2-point conversion attempt Orlando was called for illegal contact on a receiver. Quarterback Cole McDonald was brought in and passed to Burnett at the back of the end zone, however he did not get his foot down before going out of bounds. Dean Blandino reviewed the play and also declared Burnett did not hang on to the ball.
The score remained 26-3 for Houston.
With a kickoff that gave Orlando a touchback, Paxton Lynch had decent field position with under 1-minute remaining. He connected to Jaylen Smith in the end zone for a touchdown. Then, Deondre Francois was brought in for the 1-point conversion and he passed to Charleston Rambo for the point. The Guardians narrowed Houston’s lead to 26-10.
The Roughnecks ran out the clock. The score was 26-10 for the Houston at half time.
Orlando opened the third quarter on their own 21. Paxton Lynch went three and out and had to punt. Brandon Silvers took over for Houston, but Orlando’s defense stiffened. Houston was also forced to punt.
Paxton Lynch connected an 81-yard pass to a wide open Charleston Rambo for a huge touchdown. Deondre Francois was brought in for the 2-point conversion. A roughing the passer penalty moved the ball closer to the goal line, but the conversion failed. The score was now 26-16 for Houston.
Brandon Silvers came out passing, but the magic was not there. The Roughnecks went three and out.
During the punt, penalties on both teams gave the Guardians the ball on their own 30. Orlando appeared to have momentum, and then a Paxton Lynch pass was intercepted. An offside call on Houston negated the interception. On third down Lynch passed deep to Lenoir, but was incomplete. A penalty flag was thrown, but it was negated. Orlando had to punt.
Brandon Silvers started from his own 29. Houston came out running the ball with Silvers handing to Brycen Alleyne three times to gain a first down. A throw to Cedric Byrd was good for 5 yards, and then a 28-yard run by Dejoun Lee took the ball to the Orlando 28. Dejoun Lee rushed again to the Orlando 15 for another Houston first down. An end-zone pass drew a pass interference penalty, then Silvers handed off to Dejoun Lee for a 1-yard Roughnecks touchdown making the score 32-16. Cole McDonald’s 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Paxton Lynch took over on his own 13. He manufactured two first downs before the third quarter ended.
At the end of the third quarter the score was 32-16 for Houston.
On 4th and 6 on the Houston 43, Lynch could not connect to Latimer and turned over the ball on downs. Silvers completed a pass to Putnam but the reception was negated by an illegal formation penalty. Brandon Silvers followed up with a 59-yard pass to Travell Harris for another Houston major. The 2-point conversion failed. Houston now had a 38-16 lead.
With 38 points, Houston was single-handedly covering the OVER of 37.5 in this game.
Orlando’s drive stalled when Paxton Lynch could not convert on 4th and 2 on the Houston 39-yard line.
Cole McDonald was brought in as Houston’s quarterback. McDonald methodically moved the ball into Orlando territory with both passing and running plays. McDonald himself had two successful quarterback keepers where he rushed for 20 yards and 11 yards. Dejoun Lee was called up to run the ball into the end zone from the 1-yard line. The Roughnecks attempted a 2-point conversion and a laundry list of penalties negated the play. Houston tried the conversion again and failed. The score was now 44-16 for Houston.
At the two minute warning Orlando had a 1st and 10 on their own 41.
Orlando’s drive ran out the clock and the game ended.
Final score was Houston 44, Orlando 16.
Box scores – Statistics Summary
Scoring
1 2 3 4 F
HOU 20 6 6 12 44
ORL 0 10 6 0 16
------ HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS ------
Passing
PLAYER C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT LONG SCK-YDS
Brandon Silvers 24/30 239 8.0 3 0 59 2 - 16
Cole McDonald 2/2 14 7.0 0 0 10 0 - 0
Jontre Kirklin 1/1 49 49.0 1 0 49 0 - 0
TEAM TOTAL 27/33 302 9.2 4 0 59 2 - 16
Rushing
PLAYER CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Dejoun Lee 6 45 7.5 2 26
Cole McDonald 2 31 15.5 0 20
Brycen Alleyne 6 20 3.3 0 7
Brandon Silvers 1 -1 -1.0 0 -1
TEAM TOTAL 15 95 6.3 2 26
Receiving
PLAYER REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
Travell Harris 3 83 27.7 2 59 4
Deontay Burnett 3 62 20.7 1 49 3
Jontre Kirklin 2 49 24.5 1 42 4
Cedric Byrd 7 37 5.3 0 8 7
Nick Holley 3 28 9.3 0 13 3
Dejoun Lee 3 17 5.7 0 9 3
Ben Putman 1 10 10.0 0 10 1
Brycen Alleyne 3 8 2.7 0 3 3
Justin Smith 2 8 4.0 0 7 3
Garrett Owens 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
TEAM TOTAL 27 302 11.2 4 59 33
Fumbles
FUM LOST REC
0 0 0
Defensive
PLAYER SOLO AST TOT SACKS-YDS TFL INT FF FR
Emmanuel Ellerbee 4 7 11.0 0.5 - 4.0 1.0 0 0 0
Tavante Beckett 4 1 5.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Raleigh Texada 3 2 5.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Tim Ward 4 1 5.0 1.0 - 4.0 1.0 0 0 0
Jordan Mosley 2 2 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 1 0
Aaron Donkor 0 4 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Trent Harris 2 2 4.0 1.5 - 5.0 2.0 0 0 0
Glen Logan 1 3 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Sean Davis 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
A.J. Hendy 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Trevon Mason 2 0 2.0 1.0 - 6.0 1.0 0 0 0
Jack Heflin 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
John Daka 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Charles Wiley 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
C. J. Brewer 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
William Likely 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 1
Deandre Johnson 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 1.0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 29 27 56.0 4.0 - 19.0 6.0 0 1 2
Interceptions
INT YDS TD
0 0 0
Punt Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
William Likely 2 26 13.0 16 0
Travell Harris 1 9 9.0 9 0
TEAM TOTAL 3 35 11.7 16 0
Kick Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Dejoun Lee 3 86 28.7 41 0
Brycen Alleyne 1 11 11.0 11 0
TEAM TOTAL 4 97 24.3 41 0
Punting
TEAM TOTAL
PLAYER NO YDS AVG TB IN-20 LONG
Race Porter 5 221 44.2 0 1 48
------ ORLANDO GUARDIANS ------
Passing
PLAYER C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT LONG SCK-YDS
Paxton Lynch 18/30 267 8.9 2 0 81 4 - 19
Deondre Francois 1/4 19 4.8 0 0 19 0 - 0
TEAM TOTAL 19/34 286 8.4 2 0 81 4 - 19
Rushing
PLAYER CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Devin Darrington 12 40 3.3 0 14
Jah-Maine Martin 4 20 5.0 0 8
Deddrick Thomas 2 16 8.0 0 12
Deondre Francois 1 6 6.0 0 6
Paxton Lynch 2 0 0.0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 21 82 3.9 0 14
Receiving
PLAYER REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
Charleston Rambo 2 89 44.5 1 81 2
Cody Latimer 4 57 14.3 0 21 7
Lance Lenoir 3 36 12.0 0 14 5
Jaylen Smith 1 31 31.0 1 31 2
Eli Rogers 2 23 11.5 0 18 4
Logan Carter 2 19 9.5 0 11 2
Devin Darrington 2 17 8.5 0 12 4
Deddrick Thomas 2 14 7.0 0 10 3
Jah-Maine Martin 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Daniel Williams 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
Paxton Lynch 1 0 0.0 0 0 1
TEAM TOTAL 19 286 15.1 2 81 32
Fumbles
PLAYER FUM LOST REC
Paxton Lynch 1 1 0
Charleston Rambo 1 1 0
TEAM TOTAL 2 2 0
Defensive
PLAYER SOLO AST TOT SACKS-YDS TFL INT FF FR
Terrance Plummer 4 3 7.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Trumaine Washington 5 0 5.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Marcus Murphy 3 1 4.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Mike Lee 1 2 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Terrance Smith 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
C.J. Holmes 2 1 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Najeem Hosein 3 0 3.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Shaquille Wiggins 2 0 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Tegray Scales 2 0 2.0 1.0 - 7.0 1.0 0 0 0
Jacoby Jones 1 1 2.0 0.5 - 4.5 1.0 0 0 0
Gerald Willis 1 1 2.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Nick Coe 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Tye Smith 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Stansly Maponga 0 1 1.0 0.5 - 4.5 1.0 0 0 0
Matt Elam 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Jaylen Smith 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Caeveon Patton 0 1 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
Erroll Thompson 1 0 1.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTAL 31 12 43.0 2.0 - 16.0 3.0 0 0 0
Interceptions
INT YDS TD
0 0 0
Punt Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Justin Rogers 5 64 12.8 24 0
Kick Returns
PLAYER NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Justin Rogers 2 38 19.0 21 0
Daniel Williams 2 28 14.0 14 0
Deddrick Thomas 2 39 19.5 24 0
TEAM TOTAL 6 105 17.5 24 0
Punting
PLAYER NO YDS AVG TB IN-20 LONG
Mac Brown 5 228 45.6 0 2 58
------ TEAM STATS ------
TEAM STATS HOU ORL
TOTAL PLAYS 50 59
TOTAL YARDS 381 349
YARDS PER PLAY 7.6 5.9
FIRST DOWNS 18 16
FIRST DOWNS PASSING 10 9
FIRST DOWNS RUSHING 7 5
FIRST DOWNS PENALTY 1 2
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 50.0% 38.5%
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0.0% 0.0%
TOTAL PASSING YARDS 286 267
PASS COMPLETIONS 27 19
PASS ATTEMPTS 33 34
INTERCEPTIONS THROWN 0 0
YARDS PER PASS 8.7 7.9
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS 4 2
SACKS ALLOWED 2 4
SACK YARDS LOST 16 19
TOTAL RUSHING YARDS 95 82
RUSH ATTEMPTS 15 21
YARDS PER RUSH 6.3 3.9
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS 2 0
PENALTIES 9 13
TURNOVERS 0 2
FUMBLES 0 2
DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS 0 0
SPECIAL TEAMS TDS 0 0
POSSESSION 28:33 31:27
