Goal-line stand keeps record spotless
The Houston Roughnecks moved the ball with ease for much of the first half, but their undefeated start came down to a fourth-quarter, goal-line stand.
Houston made four consecutive stops from the 1-yard line, sealing a 22-13 victory against the San Antonio Brahmas in front of 11,309 on Sunday at TDECU Stadium.
The Roughnecks joined the D.C. Defenders as the only 3-0 teams in the XFL. They completed a sweep of the first round of South Division play, traveling to Orlando on Saturday.
“There’s always pressure,” Roughnecks coach Wade Phillips said. “Each game is its own entity, but we want that kind of pressure to keep being undefeated. This team responds to pressure. All three games we were behind at some time in the first quarter. But we won by 30, almost 40 points in three games.”
A pass interference call put Houston against its goal line protecting a ninepoint lead, but Tavante Beckett made consecutive stops and a quarterback sneak was also stuffed.
The Roughnecks swarmed a fourth-down pitch to Kalen Ballage, with Ajene Harris and Jordan Mosley getting to him well into the backfield.
“They had two pass interference calls that gave them the ball on the 1-yard line, so we were a little unlucky there,” Phillips said. “Nine points in this league, it’s a possibility. I was thinking if they score we’ve got to stop the threepoint play.”
San Antonio (1-2) started fast, taking advantage of a 59-yard return on the opening kickoff by Travis Jonsen to the Houston 36.
Ballage covered 20 yards on two carries to help set up Jack Coan’s slant pass to T.J. Vasher on third and short for a 9yard touchdown. They connected again for the one-point conversion.
The Brahmas rushed for 59 of their 94 first-half yards but finished the first half with five punts, due in part to seven penalties.
The Roughnecks stayed in their offensive rhythm for much of the first half, scoring on three of their first four possessions and amassing 276 yards.
Brandon Silvers completed 15 of 22 for 225 and three touchdowns, two to Jontre Kirklin, without an interception.
“We were in a good rhythm,” Silvers said. “Kickoff to start the game, they go down and score, we really needed to put a drive together and get the momentum back. That’s what this team is about, having each other’s back.”
Houston responded in eight plays, taking advantage of a kickoff out of bounds. Kirklin followed a fourth-down catch with a 13-yard touchdown, slipping under crossing routes and strutting in. Silvers also found Kirklin for the conversion for an 8-7 lead.
The Roughnecks picked up yards in chunks through the air on their next scoring drive. Silvers connected with Deontay Burnett for 13 yards, Kirklin for 27 on a leaping catch and Justin Smith on a skinny post for 25. Kirklin covered the last three on a shovel pass for a 14-7 Houston advantage.
Houston made it 22-7 on its next drive, keyed by Brycen Alleyne’s 25-yard gain on a screen pass, adding penalty yardage.
On third and 11, Burnett broke a stacked formation to score on a corner route, hauling in an 18-yard pass from Silvers. Cole McDonald rushed for the twopoint conversion.
“It’s a testament to our hard work in practice,” said Max Borghi, who rushed for a game-high 74 yards. “We go into the week, every single day going out there knowing what it takes. First and second quarter we played pretty good. We came out a little flat in the second half, I thought, but huge job by the offense. I thought we did pretty decent. We have some things to improve this next week.”
The Brahmas took back the momentum in the third quarter on an interception by Kameron Kelly.
San Antonio cut the lead to 22-13 eight plays later, helped by two penalties, one on fourth down. Jacques Patrick’s 2-yard touchdown accounted for the only scoring of the quarter.
“I felt like the first half it was really just penalties and missed tackles,” Brahmas coach Hines Ward said. “It’s hard to overcome when it’s third and 26. It was going in the wrong direction. But I love the way we responded, especially on the defensive side in the second half.”
But a one-handed interception by Harris, one drive before the goal-line stand, helped Houston preserve its perfect start.
The Roughnecks outgained San Antonio 374162 for the game, converting 53 percent on third downs to the Brahmas’ 18 percent. Silvers completed 24 of 35 for 278 yards, including a crucial 27-yard strike to Cedric Byrd on third and 10 to help run clock late in the game.
Beckett led Houston with six tackles, five solo, while Emmanuel Ellerbe contributed five and John Daka made two tackles for loss.
San Antonio was led by eight tackles from Tenny Adewusi, with Jordan Williams adding seven and Ranthony Texada making five stops, two for loss.
The Brahmas look to regroup this week for a Saturday game at Seattle. The Brahmas lost their opener 18-15 to St. Louis and were 1 yard from potentially tying the Roughnecks.
“We came down here, on the road, the crowd was fantastic,” Ward said. “I loved everything about it. The opportunity for our players to play a divisional game against right now the leaders in our division and we fell short. All we can do is learn from it, go back to work on a short week, travel out to Seattle.”