The D.C. Defenders (1-1) concluded Week 2 of the UFL season on Sunday afternoon from Audi Field against the Houston Roughnecks (0-2). After getting shut out in the third quarter, the Defenders scored 11 unanswered points to beat the Roughnecks by the final score of 23-18.
D.C. quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 16 of 32 passes (50%) for 212 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and five carries for 17 yards. Ta’amu’s first touchdown came in the second quarter finding Briley Moore-McKinney for 21 yards plus converting a two-point conversion for a 12-9 lead. Then, Ta’amu found Ty Scott in the fourth quarter for 17 yards which made it 23-18.
D.C. running back Cam’ron Harris led the rushers with nine carries for 34 yards, and one catch for 12 yards, while Darius Hagans had 11 carries for 29 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 11 yards. The rushers finished the afternoon with 26 carries for 82 yards, and one touchdown.
D.C. wide receiver Keke Coutee led the receivers with three catches for 40 yards, while Briley Moore-McKinney made three catches for 29 yards, and one touchdown. The receivers finished the game with 16 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
D.C.’s defense made 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Kicker Matthew McCrane made one field goal for 43 yards.
Houston had 286 yards on offense. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 3 of 8 passes (38%) for 23 yards before an injury put out for the rest of the game. Backup quarterback Reid Sinnett completed 19 of 30 passes (63%) for 221 yards, and one touchdown. Sinnett’s touchdown happened in the third quarter to Keke Chism for 34 yards which made 18-12.
Houston running back T.J. Pledger IV led the rushers with 11 carries for 47 yards and three catches for 10 yards. The rushers finished the afternoon with 15 carries for 50 yards. Wide receiver Justin Hall led the receivers making six catches for 44 yards, while Keke Chism made three catches for 57 yards and one touchdown. The receivers finished the afternoon with 22 catches for 244 yards and one touchdown.
Houston’s defense made 57 tackles led by Reuben Foster with six tackles (3 solo, 3 assists), two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. The rest of the defense had five tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one touchdown, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
Next weekend, the D.C. Defenders visit the Arlington Renegades in a rematch of the 2023 XFL Championship on Saturday at 1 pm on ESPN, while the Houston Roughnecks visit the Michigan Panthers on Sunday at 12 pm on ABC. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 UFL Season and tickets for the game are available today on StubHub and Viagogo.
