What We Witnessed: Houston Roughnecks

Houston 33 – Orlando 12

There was a lot to be happy about with the way the Houston Roughnecks kicked off their XFL season.

See how we did in our Ambush Sports Network gameday breakdown here.

What We Wanted:

A win was not too much to ask, as the Roughnecks remain undefeated to this point in XFL play since the inception of the franchise in 2020!

An offense that produced points
Opportunistic defense
Good positional play and overall scheming

We weren’t left wanting!

What We Got:

A multitude of happiness-inducing events:

Trent Harris set an XFL record for sacks in a game (4)
The wide receivers, who were a question mark in looking at the roster, showed their worth
- Jontre Kirklin with the first TD reception of the year, plus an AMAZING diving catch
- Travell Harris and Deontay Burnett with multiple drive-extending plays
The running backs making their presence known, led by Max Borghi
Overall great looks from both the offense and defense to the point that much of the playbook has yet to be revealed on both sides of the ball

Overall, this was a great game to start off with! The Guardians seemed somewhat lost after their first drive on both sides of the ball (although their defense had a good second half), so it was a good warm-up leading into the second week with the Renegades on deck.

What We Have Yet to See:

The introduction of Garrett Owens to the end zone! He nearly had it but allowed the ball to bounce off of him and to the ground.
Exotic play calls for the offense and defense. This game was an exhibition of individual talent for Houston. Expect more to be asked of both the offense and defense against Arlington this coming week.
THREE-POINT TRIES AFTER TOUCHDOWNS… Get with the analytics, boys!

Shoutouts:

Jontre Kirklin for opening the season with a couple of catches that qualify as absolute BANGERS!
Trent Harris’ record-setting performance, notching 4 sacks
Ajene Harris for having two picks (I got you, bro!)
Wade Phillips for being an absolute SAVAGE (Yes, we heard that coach…Let ‘er rip!)