By: Corey Lozier
Game Summary
The Arlington Renegades (2-0) stood tough to get the 11-9 win over the Houston Roughnecks (0-2) on Sunday. It was a close one that really wasn’t over until the final minutes of the game.
It was a battle of wills between the two teams in the first two quarters. 3-3 was the score heading into halftime. Arlington kicker Lucas Havrisik was the first to put points on the board by capping off a 7 play drive and making a 27-yard field goal. The next points wouldn’t come until the end of the second quarter when Houston kicked their own from 41-yards out.
Though defense was the name of the game, big hits and turnovers would be the theme of the third quarter. Setting the tone was Houston’s defense on Arlington’s first drive of the quarter. A big pass downfield to Tight End Sal Canella would take an even bigger hit delivered by Roughnecks defender Corn Elder. The hit on Canella was tough, and he fumbled the football giving Houston the ball and a ton of momentum. However, the very next pass play an Arlington defender, Ajene Harris would pick it off and regain possession.
Winner Defined in the Late Stages
The Renegades would set themselves up to score on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Taking the lead 11-3. Although the Roughnecks would put together a drive of their own late in the game. Houston would shorten the lead with 1:13 to play off of a 7-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Butler. But the game tying two point conversion failed. Houston, still in the game, has a chance to get the ball back and attempt one last drive if they convert a 4th and 15. Brown’s pass attempt went in and out of the hands of Emmanuel Butler. Renegades would run out the clock and win the game 11-9.
Week 2 Takeaways
Houston still has a lot to fix. To me the big issue was the o-line, which I thought was much better. They were holding their blocks better, created run lanes, and more disciplined as far as penalties go. But the fix that stood out the most was the defense. The tackling, in general, was remedied, and being able to create turnovers was a step in the right direction. Being able to capitalize off of said turnovers, that’s a whole different problem.
Safeties Markel Roby and Leon O’Neal were the defensive leaders in week 2. They lead the team in tackles with 8 and 7, respectively. Both also were able to get the quarterback tallying one sack each. The Roughnecks did a great job tackling behind the sticks, racking up 9 tackles for loss, also being contributed to by Roby and O’Neal.
Still Fixing the Issues
I mentioned issues in the Week 2 “Shakedown”, some were addressed, some were not. One of the ones that I didn’t see any change in was the offense as a whole, how the offense moves down the field. QB Anthony Brown raised more questions this week than he answered. Even with more time in the pocket and better protection his throws were not accurate. Granted, there were easy passes dropped by WR Justin Hall and (again) WR Keke Chism that were not his fault. His ability to be consistent has yet to be seen. Brown had 14 completions on 30 attempts, 1 interception, 2 sacks.
Brown has started both games for the Roughnecks with little on the stat sheet to show for it. It’s clear that he adds an extra layer to the offense because of his ability to make plays with his legs. But the question is, how much longer will Head Coach C.J. Johnson stick with a stagnant offense?
HOU Play Calling
I’m going to get right to the point. I think the play calls need to be simplified for this Houston offense. It’s starting to become an issue of finding the open man in the short period of time given by the O-line. I may have a simple solution for this problem. Change the offense to more of a dink and dunk offense. It relies on short, quick passes and sometimes deep bombs to the end zone. This style may suit this offense better in many ways:
- It can help generate momentum. Completed passes while moving the chains can get the offense hype and ready to make big plays. But can be a confidence builder with successful plays.
- It’s a way for the QB to get the ball out quicker. Quicker releases takes pressure off the o-line and puts the ball in the hands of the play makers.
- Lastly it can annoy the defense. Keeping them on the field for long periods of time, without resting, can be frustrating. It can lead to simply being tired or them making mistakes.
Next Up
The next opponent for the Houston Roughnecks will be the (0-2) Memphis Showboats. The game will be played on Saturday, April 12th at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Kickoff will be 2:30 PM EST.
Houston is heading to Tennessee to take on another 0-2 team. This matchup may be one of the easier ones for the Roughnecks. The Showboats have given up 43 points in two games (42 for the Roughnecks) but they have put up almost double the points.