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The Houston Roughnecks continued from where they left off nearly three years ago when the first-time revived XFL joined the rest of the sports world in cancelling or postponing play in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team has new players, new coaches and even new uniforms, but what hasn’t changed – so far, at least – is its collection of wins.
The Roughnecks (1-0) opened their comeback season with a resounding 33-12 home victory over the Orlando Guardians (0-1) on Saturday.
“First win of the season, we still have a long way to go,” the Roughnecks tweeted postgame.
According to a report on the XFL’s website, the hosts at TDECU Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston (UH) broke away from a 6-6 tie to seize control of their first game since the 32-23 win over the Seattle Sea Dragons on March 7, 2020.
Houston’s defense made Guardians quarterback Paxton Lynch’s life miserable to the point he was benched at the start of the fourth quarter in favor of Quinten Dormady.
The change under center didn’t help Orlando as the Roughnecks went on to register seven total sacks on the evening, per a report from ESPN.
Linebacker Trent Harris and defensive end Tim Ward combined for six of those sacks, ESPN reported.
On the other side of the ball, Roughnecks field general Brandon Silvers shook off two interceptions to finish with a solid 265 yards and two touchdowns through the air on 26-of-42 passing.
It was Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips’ first victory with the club following his hiring last year.
The son of the late former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, he returned to the Bayou City after a three-year stint as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2019.
Phillips was also the defensive coordinator and an interim head coach for the Houston Texans a decade ago.
The Roughnecks were the XFL’s lone undefeated team in 2020 with a 5-0 record under first head coach June Jones before the cancellation of the season, Houston Daily reported in November.