WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 7, 2024) – Jordan Ta’amu’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Ty Scott with 6:04 left in the game lifted the D.C. Defenders to a 23-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks in D.C.’s home opener Saturday afternoon at Audi Field.
The Defenders (1-1) remain undefeated at home over the past two seasons, running the home winning streak to 10 games.
Houston (0-2) had an opportunity to win in the final moments after a 25-yard punt return gave the Roughnecks possession at the D.C. 27-yard line with 1:34 remaining. But a pair of false start penalties short-circuited the possession. On fourth-and-1 from the D.C. 24-yard line Houston quarterback Reid Sinnett was incomplete in the end zone, allowing D.C. to hold on.
Houston took an early 6-0 lead when defensive back Corn Elder returned an interception off a deflection 98 yards for a score. It tied for the longest interception return in spring football history, matching a 98-yard touchdown return by the Birmingham Bolts in the 2001 version of the XFL.
D.C. answered near the end of the first quarter with a Darius Hagans 1-yard score. The Defenders grabbed their first lead of the game with under a minute left in the half. Trailing 9-6, Ta’amu found tight end Briley Moore-McKinney for a 21-yard scoring strike. Houston’s J.J. Molson added his second field goal of the half on the final play before the intermission to make it 12-12 at the break.
Houston quarterback Reid Sinnett put the Roughnecks back on top 18-12 five minutes into the third quarter when he found Keke Chism for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The Defenders pulled within three on a 43-yard Matthew McCrane field goal two minutes into the fourth quarter, setting the scene for the Ta’amu-Scott connection that proved to be the difference.
Ta’amu was 16-of-32 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Five different Defenders pulled in at least two receptions, led by Chris Rowland with a pair receptions for 55 yards. Cam’Ron Harris led the Defenders’ rushing attack with 34 yards on nine carries. Michael Joseph led the D.C. defensive effort with a team-high five tackles, while Anthony Hines III added a pair of tackles for loss.
Reid Sinnett finished 19-of-30 for 221 yards and one TD to pace the Houston offense. T.J. Pledger rushed for a game-high 47 yards on 11 carries.
The Defenders are back in action Saturday at the Arlington Renegades in a rematch of last season’s XFL Championship Game. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET, with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN.
Postgame Notes
- The Defenders remain undefeated at home (10-0) dating back to XFL 2.0 in 2020
- QB Jordan Ta’amu recorded his second-best performance of the season passing for 212 yards going 16-for-32. .
- Darius Hagans recorded his first touchdown of the season in the first half
- Jordan Ta’amu’s 46-yard pass in the second quarter to Chris Roland recorded as the longest pass he has thrown this season, and Roland’s longest reception caught.
- TE Briley Moore recorded his first touchdown of the season to close out the first half which brought the Defenders within 3.
- WR Keke Coutee caught a game high for a total of 40 yards on three receptions. His longest was for 18 yards, which also marked a game high.
- The Defenders continue to out possess opponents keeping the ball for an average of over 30 minutes in a game. Today they kept the ball for 30:55.