XFL Championship Game Highlights (Arlington Renegades vs. D.C. Defenders)

From the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, a champion will be crowned. The Arlington Renegades, with an upset win in the championship game of the South, have made their way here to take on the 10-1 D.C. Defenders. It all ends here, tonight, in San Antonio. Ready! B-D-Y! Larry gets it away! Perez, who learned the game of football by watching YouTube. Arlind Hill Award winner, as the D2 player of the year, Texas A&M Commerce. Here's Davion Smith, first touch, and he rips off a 14-yard game. For the Arlington Renegades, great block on the perimeter. You see the pulling right guard, that's Garrett McGinn who gets out in front. What are you doing? Fake toss. Perez lost the football, and he's got to scramble to recover it. Looked like, as he turned around, Bellamy obviously coming unblocked off the edge, only has one hand on the football. As he tries to evade, just loses the grip. Pressure coming, third and 13. He's out, Canela. First down and one to go. Blitz for a 41-yard score. Just a great job of picking up the pressure inside. They try to drop a defensive end out underneath Canela, but he's got too much speed as he hits the seam. Less about the run and more through the air. Ta'amu keeps it and gets taken down behind the line of scrimmage by Will Clark. It's a loss of a couple. Will he do it again because he got burned with the quick release of Luis Perez? Perez floats one wide open, and up over the shoulder by Tyler Vaughn. Another renegade first down. And it's a great job. Look at the slam, a double move here by Vaughn. Fakes the slam, gets three hard steps inside, gives his eyes to the quarterback, the defender on the perimeter, Kelly. Five-man rush, Perez to the outside, and it's good for another first down. Javante Payton with his first touch of the night. And back to the protection up front. A lot of moves, a lot of twists. Bryant keeps it, his second carry of the season. Goes for a huge first down for Arlington. I would say the play worked. Thing of beauty, look at the pullers, both guard and extra tackle. Pulling around, you have the sweep to the outside, which is committed to by the defense, which allows Kelly Bryant to get upfield there with the quarterback. Bryant hasn't thrown a pass yet this season. He's going to run it, and he takes it in! Under a six-yard plunge. Holding number 11 offense, 10-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. Still first down. Very obvious call, and it's really completely unnecessary. If you look at Washington right there, watch how he finishes this block. I mean, Kelly Bryant's already outside of him. Really, that defender's not going to make that play, but look at how he slams him to the turf. He made it as an eight-and-a-half-point favorite. The line is moving rapidly. Gets out of pressure, it's up! Cinderella has, it's Tyler Vaughns! That's a great job by Luis Perez. Watch how he retreats initially to draw the defenders back, and then he starts to challenge a lot of scrimmage while keeping his eyes downfield. Perez finds Damion Smith, and he will walk it in. Arlington comes into this championship game with a sub-500 record, and they've got a two-touchdown lead on the best team during the regular season. D.C. went three and out on its first possession. Jordan Ta'amu over the middle. That's complete for a first down. Lucky Jackson, so named because his parents thought they would only have one child, his oldest sister, and then Lucky showed up. Pressure coming on third and ten. Ta'amu gets out of there. Green in front of him, and he slides down after a first-down run of 13 yards. That's second and eight. Ta'amu dances out of the tackle, fires to the end zone, and it's intercepted after a tip, but there's a flag down. Joe Powell with the... Offense, that penalty is declined. Ruling on the field was an interception. It's first down, Arlington. Here's Caleb Vander Esch, and he reaches for the first down. He's warning of the corner blitz. Here he comes. Got rid of it quickly to Canela. He was the hot man on the touchdown catch. He takes it for nine. Here before the snap, Perez saying, hey, watch corner cat. Watch him. Points to him. Marcelino was two for two in the championship game last week. Marquette King is holder, and the kick is good from 29 yards out. Receiving the ball in the second half, they have plenty of firepower to get back into this thing. And they run it right up the middle of Abe Smith, and he picks up a first down. Gain of 12. Was able to move the ball well. Just resulted in a poor throw from Ta'amu. It's the run game, though, has, for the most part, been held in check. So being stopped just short by the health DC there. Here's the handoff to Abe Smith. He's got the first down. Here's Smith. Touchdown, DC. A two-yard plunge for Smith. Just a thing of beauty for Abe Smith. He played linebacker in college, ladies and gentlemen. Well, he sees those linebackers flow way out over the top, which allows plenty of space to the backside. He bends it back and walks into the end zone for a much-needed touchdown. Ta'amu swings it out. A dance and a spin, and Puka Williams, Jr. brought down short. Start looking up. No blitz for DC. Back shoulder. And that is caught on the sideline by Tyler Vaughns. No negative yards played. Looking for Canela, and he throws it out of bounds. He's throwing on the catch. How about this? Yeah. Thought he was a kicker. He's got great hands. Fantastic social-media following. Russolino has the leg and punches it through, and Arlington, with two seconds left in the half, has a 14-point lead. Has been completely dominant throughout most of the first half of this game, and a good kick by Russolino right inside the upright on the right side. Puka Williams in and running back. Ta'amu looking at him. Now pressure, and he gets taken down. And Arlington sack, led by Will Clark. And that was a great job of pressure. You see the movement inside defensively from Arlington, that edge pressure around the left side, Colin Schooler. Ta'amu makes that first-guy miss, but then he runs right into the scrum, and a good job there. Here's Abe Smith, and he's gone! Abe Smith right-wings the foot raise for a 52-point lead. Touchdown, put down! Abe Smith, you see the Polars out in front, a little counteraction, but because of short yardage, all those defensive backs, all those linebackers, up near the line of scrimmage. So as soon as you break through... The best running back in the NFL. A lot of NFL teams in pursuit of his services, showing off just what makes him so special in the open field. You see going for two, Ta'amu throws it a hair wide, and it's a draw for Perez. That explains it. Luis Perez with the slide, and you get into the play calling what these things mean. Luis Perez finds his running back, Lenny Brown, and he carries dudes with him to pick up a first down. Like, where do you get your suits? Complete for a first down to Sal Cannella, and the first touchdown of the game. That one goes for 15. I mean, Luis Perez is just seeing everything. I mean, every decision he makes. This is Brown, and he's in! Lenny Brown plunges in from seven yards out. And that's just a heck of a run there by Lenny Brown. He gets one-on-one with the safety Kentrell Bryce. Bryce is standing flat-footed. Lenny Brown with tons of leverage, tons of momentum. They're gonna go for one. Only the sixth one-point conversion attempt of the season for Arlington. Bryant mishandles a slow snap and gets taken down, and they fail to convert. All right, here, Deer Snake, at least for 2023. So ridiculous. Ta'amu steps out of trouble and then right back into it. That's T.J. Barnes with the tackle. It's just nothing short of remarkable. Ta'amu, after play action, goes deep downfield, and it is caught, taking 72 yards. And this play took a little while to develop tremendous protection. See, Powell gets a little turned around. Ta'amu gets to it late. Powell almost closes to make a play on the football. It was a terrific effort from him. Close, got the ball in the air. P.I. Offensive pass interference. Number for the one-yard line. Here's Smith. The try is good. It's number four for D.C. on the offense. Number four will write him down. His first towards disqualification. So we got four U.N.S., and we're gonna mark that off on the kickoff. The try is good, the try is good. Bring the ball at another player. That 15-yard penalty will be added to the succeeding kickoff. It's number four's first on sportsman-like conduct follow the game, and number one towards his ejection for disqualification. One more would get him tossed. Here's why the flag came. Can't do that. Throw was on target. Yeah, I mean, if he was aiming at T.J. Barnes, it's a heck of a throw, and... Fantastic field position for Arlington. Luis Perez finds his receiver in the crossing route, and roll for Brown. He now has second touchdown of the game. That will cash your overtickets, folks. And it may be the difference in a championship for Arlington. And a great job hanging in there as long as humanly possible as Luis Perez gets crushed right as he delivers the football, that running back. They've got Smith straight ahead, tripped up, and short of the goal line. He should be working to the left. And spins his way inside the 30 in a determined effort to take it down to the 23-yard line. What a time for his first pick of the season. And it's a great job of him reading eyes, and he closes quickly. Ta'amu takes a half second too long. Look at the extra hitch there. That allows him the opportunity to close underneath it as Rusnak tips it up to himself, makes an unbelievable catch. Terrific concentration. And then now giving Arlington tremendous field position inside the 25. Bryant keeps it and gets taken down without getting back to the line of scrimmage. It was pass interference, but it looked pretty bang-bang. 33-yard attempt from Rustolino. He is three for three tonight. Opportunity to potentially chase a championship together. A second of five. Perez being ridden down by Reggie Northrup. Some contact there late too. As you can see, Northrup is kind of trying to ride him to the ground, and then it looks like number 99, Joe Wallace, has been mixing it up all night. Tonight, also adding some pressure. Joe's had action after. A lot of soft coverage by D.C. Throw some underneath for the first down. Only need four yards. And there it is. And a first down for the Renegades and Brandon Arcanato out of Washington State. Second of five. See if the O-line helps him out now. Look at how quickly they get there. Yeah, oh yeah. We got you. Horton sprinting over to pick up their back. Good job, just north and south. Physical run. Teammates there in a heartbeat to help out their guys. Play clock is now at five. Sense of urgency. A ball on the ground. And D.C. comes away with it. Opportunity for D.C. with two minutes of play. Reggie Northrup with the fumble recovery. Second and seven. Arlington drops eight. What a snag by Blair on a pass that was a bit high. A first down, a little hustle up. Gain of 20. Back up. Can turn into a bit of a fire drill. Second and three. Ta'amu, pocket collapses. He took a shot, and he's able to convert it to Josh Hammond. It's a gain of six. It's a three-man rush by D.C., or by Arlington as they drop eight in coverage. 134 remaining. Ta'amu, they grab his elbow, and he's able to get it away with a double clutch. Here's Abram Smith for a first down. He gets pinballed around at the gain of 18. Good job there. Ta'amu staying strong. Got his arm kind of hit there for a half second. Finds Abram Smith out in the greater. Most recently, 2007 with Eli Manning and the Giants, and that's complete. Into the five, and into the end zone. Hammond's second touchdown of the game. Great job there by Hammond running after the catch. Got the ball out really quickly. A tremendous effort there by the wide receiver. Still a one-possession game here with the three-point conversion, assuming they score again. Ta'amu with Jazz Ferguson. Needs 15 yards to keep the game alive. Over the middle, it is tipped, and intercepted! Got his feet to return as Craig on the block, and Arlington gets the ball back with 1.08 to play. For the Renegades. Bob Stoops has won some big games in this building. Won the Alamo Bowl as the interim head coach at Oklahoma. Won a Big 12 championship over number one Missouri in 2007. It'll take home another trophy with a win here tonight. Into the line for this D.C. team, which was the best team through 11 games. Just didn't have their best stuff tonight. Few interceptions, Ta'amu just three picks in the regular season, three tonight. Of course, the last one in a desperation situation. The team that was so good all year long is likely to come up short, and the team that just got better and better and better and better, ultimately played their best football in the playoffs, and will be crowned champions after a tremendous performance. A lot of the guys in this staff won a national championship with Stoops at Oklahoma. He's been through this before. Thank you. Yeah. Appreciate it. Ah, late ass call. Why you didn't get a warmer bucket? Thank you, Phil. I'm good. Good job, buddy. It's a season that Bob Stoops really seemed to enjoy. God damn it. Here we go. What the ****? Now the celebration can begin. Eight and a half point underdogs. Outright winners, the Arlington Renegades are XFL champions.