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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Arlington Renegades Get First Win of 2024

Originally posted on The Forkball | By Angela Miele | Last updated 5/13/24

Week seven of the UFL resulted in the Arlington Renegades defeating the Memphis Showboats. The game ends with a score of 47-23. The Renegades are now 1-6, getting their first win of the season. The Showboats are also 1-6 following the loss. Here is a look back at the game, the MVP of the match, and what is next for these two teams.

Slower First Quarter

The Arlington Renegades start the game with possession of the ball. Arlington pushed for the first down on a 3rd and one, followed up with a quick pass to keep the momentum. Quarterback, Luis Perez almost had a great passing touchdown, but the Showboats had a clutch and perfectly timed pass breakup. Arlington continued to move well downfield, utilizing the yards after the catch well. They had to use a timeout pretty early, which is something teams want to avoid, but luckily it did not matter for them.

Arlington was first on the board with a nine-yard touchdown. They switched quarterbacks so Memphis would expect the run, which opened up tight end, Sal Cannella, for the touchdown. The team put Perez back at quarterback for the two-point conversion although initially called good, the pass was ruled incomplete. The Renegades take the lead 6-0 with 8:44 left in the first quarter.

Memphis opens up their possession doing well getting the ball out quickly. This helped open up the run game for the Showboats. A high snap on third down resulted in a loss of yards, forcing them to make a crucial decision on fourth down. They ultimately chose to kick the field goal, as it was still early in the game. The 54-yard attempt is good, making the score 6-3.

Renegades Burnett had a great catch down the sideline, perfectly on target by Perez to get them on Memphis’ side of the field. The Renegades’ possession brought the clock down to the end of the first quarter. The quarter ends 6-3, with the Renegades in the lead.

Second Quarter Excitement

The Renegades scored within a minute of the second quarter. It was a 24-yard receiving touchdown. Perez kept the play alive running out of the pocket and getting it into the end zone. The 2-point conversion was good, making the score 14-3, Renegades.

As for the other team’s offense, Memphis quarterback, Troy Williams took a deep pass which was tipped and then intercepted by the Arlington Renegades. This is just one of the first costly mistakes for Memphis. The Renegades take advantage of the turnover and running back, De’Veon Smith rushes into the end zone. Arlington successfully makes the two-point conversion to take the 22-3 lead with just under 12 minutes to go in the first half.

Memphis is forced to punt on their drive, but a muffed return by the Renegades gives it right back to the Showboats in Arlington territory. This was a big break for the Showboats. Memphis makes it into the red zone, and Troy Williams successfully uses his legs to get out of the pocket and pass the ball accurately to make it first and goal. A holding call on the offense did push them back even further from the end zone. Williams makes a good throw into the end zone for the touchdown. They did not make the two-point conversion. This made the score 22-9, Arlington still in the lead with 7:01 to go in the first half.

On the following kickoff, the Renegades return the ball into Memphis territory. Perez and Cannella connect again, but an offensive pass interference pushes it back. Despite the win, these penalties were a big issue for the Renegades. Arlington was too far back to kick the field goal and was forced to punt the ball, not able to take advantage of the large kick return.

Renegades’ Penalties Continue

The penalties for the Renegades continued with defensive pass interference, helping the Showboats. Williams ends up with a 27-yard pass, getting Memphis in Arlington territory with two minutes left in the half. Williams overthrew his target on third down, on a play where he should have kept the ball and ran it himself. The Showboats go for it on fourth down but do not succeed, resulting in a turnover on downs with under two minutes of the half to go. The Renegades close out the first half with a 39-yard field goal attempt. The kick is good, making the score at halftime 25-9, Arlington.

Arlington Renegades Extend the Lead

The Memphis Showboats start with possession of the ball in the second half. They started their possession by moving down the field pretty well. Williams was hitting his targets the best of the game as of yet. The receivers also did well with the yards after catch to help out the offense. Memphis attempted to go for it on fourth down but they did not get it. The turnover on downs gave the Renegades the ball once again.

The Renegades almost had a great play, but it was once again taken back because of penalties. Luckily on the next play, De’Veon Smith had a huge run downfield for 46 yards. Smith ended up completing the drive with a one-yard touchdown to extend the lead. The Renegades lead turned into 31-9 with just under eight minutes to go in the third quarter. The defense then stepped up forcing Memphis to punt right away.

On their next possession, Arlington moved down the field at ease. The drive ended with a 33-yard touchdown reception to J.P. Payton to once again extend their lead. Also making the two-point conversion, Arlington takes a 30-point lead, 39-9.

On the Memphis possession, the team utilizes the run game. While some plays were stopped immediately, the offense did move down the field well by running. They went as far as scoring a touchdown, with the rush by Williams. Unfortunately, this touchdown did hurt Williams and he had to exit the game. Memphis earned the two-point conversion to make the game a tad closer at 39-17, Renegades. Renegades offense comes on the field to close out the third quarter.

Renegades Secure the Win

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Renegades got to waste about three minutes of the clock but had to punt. Another Renegades penalty helped the Memphis offense get a first down. But they made up for that with an interception right after, which was brought all the way to the Showboats side of the field. The Showboats receiver just did not get the ball in, and it popped back in the air right into the hands of Joe Powell with 10:06 left on the clock. When Arlington got the ball back they scored within two plays as Cannella got the receiving touchdown. The two-point conversion is good to make the score 47-17.

Although not pretty, the Showboats did make it down the field on their possession. Given the score they had to go for it on fourth down, and it ended up being a fumble recovery by the Renegades. It was not as big of a return due to a forward pass, not a lateral, but it was still the Renegades’ ball. Understandably, the Renegades focused on running the ball and running down the clock, only throwing the ball on fourth and long. They also pulled many of their starters. The Showboats ended up forcing and recovering a fumble. While they may have been down by 30 points at the time, this was still a big play for Memphis.

The Showboats scored a touchdown with just a minute left of the game to make the score 47-23. They did not get the three-point conversion. The Showboats attempted the 4th & 12 conversions. The play was made a pit easier as Arlington jumped for another neutral zone infraction, making it a 4th & 7. Memphis still did not get it, ending the game.

MVP of the Game

Two players should be named MVP of this week’s game. The first is De’Veon Smith, running back for the Arlington Renegades. Smith ended up rushing the ball 14 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns, according to Fox Sports. He averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and his longest run was for 46 yards. Smith did well making up for the penalties that the Renegades gave up. Tight end, Sal Cannella, also deserves to be recognized. He could be thought of as an MVP honorable mention. He ended up with nine receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns, according to Fox Sports. The chemistry between Cannella and Perez was shown this week. If the two keep it up, the Renegades could win another game this year.