The Arlington Renegades scored the first 17 points of the game and held on to stun the heavily favored D.C. Defenders, 35-26, in the XFL championship game in San Antonio on Saturday night.
Luis Perez threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Renegades. The Renegades’ defense picked off D.C. quarterback Jordan Ta’amu three times.
Ta’amu threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns while Abram Smith rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns for the Defenders (9-1), who were undefeated coming into the game. The Defenders were an 8.5-point favorite.
Arlington (4-6) finishes with a losing record.
Perez threw two TDs in the first quarter and Taylor Russolino added a field goal to give the Renegades a 17-0 lead with 4:54 remaining in the first half. Russolino kicked a 51-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give Arlington a 20-6 halftime lead.
The Defenders pulled within 26-20 on a Josh Hammond 72-yard TD reception from Ta’amu with 9 seconds left in the third quarter. But Perez found Leddie Brown on a 30-yard TD pass as time expired in the third quarter to take a 32-20 lead.
–Field Level Media