Takeaways From Renegades Dominating Win Over The Brahmas
The Arlington Renegades appear to be in a new, unfamiliar era of football, as fans have not seen since their 2023 XFL playoff run, as they blew out the San Antonio Brahmas 33-9 Saturday afternoon.
Arlington finished with 346 total yards of offense, with 182 of them coming on the ground. San Antonio struggled on third down, going 2-11, and had 11 penalties for 94 yards.
This is the first time Bob Stoops got a win against Wade Phillips in the regular season, as Stoops had lost the previous four games. Arlington improves to 1-0 on the season while the Brahmas fall to 0-1.
Takeaways From Renegades Win Over Brahmas
Luis Perez Remains The Spring King
Perez got off to a fast start, completing all five of his passes for 50 yards on the first drive of the game. While things slowed down and he had a pick from Brahmas cornerback Corey Mayfield Jr., Perez still finished with an effective 20-25 for 164 yards.
The aspect of Perez’s game that was a surprise was his ability to move out of the pocket to make throws on the run. Not known for killing defenses with his legs, Perez had a nice 17-yard run in the game and multiple times avoided pressure to make throws.
It wasn’t a perfect game from the Spring King, but it was enough to give Renegades fans a nice glimpse into what the season has in store.
Renegades Running Game Exploded
Arlington has always been known more for its passing team, from the Landry Jones era to Perez. The addition of Kalen Ballage changed how the Renegades’ running game is viewed.
Ballage finished as the leading rusher with 110 yards and a 77-yard touchdown run, which is the longest rushing play in UFL history. Dae Dae Hunter found success as well with 39 yards on 16 carries, and De’Veon Smith made his return to the team with three carries, three yards, and three touchdowns.
Major credit must be given to the offensive line, which showed improvement in run blocking, as the team averaged 6.4 yards per carry. The Renegades attacked in the middle of the line, which demonstrates how acquiring Garrett McGhin back from his season-ending injury last year made a significant difference.
Bailing Brahmas Offense or Rising Renegades Defense?
Many of the problems of the Brahmas’ passing offense appear to still be there in a different form. Kellen Mond was knocked around quite a bit, and despite 5.6 yards per rush, San Antonio had to abandon the running game and throw.
There were moments in the game where Mond was dropping dots to Jacob Harris, but there were plenty of moments where the offense didn’t seem to be in rhythm. Mond was sacked twice in the loss and completed just 55% of his passes.
The Renegades’ defense showed the most improvement from last year, thanks to Steven Jones Jr. and Jayden Price performing well at cornerback. Arlington’s front seven got plenty of pressure with Will Clarke, Chris Odom, Willie Taylor, and Donald Payne having solid games.
San Antonio’s offense has some work to do to get back to the form of the team from last season, and the Renegades must build momentum after being known for slow starts.
