XFL Week 7 roundup: Worst team beats best team

XFL Week 7 roundup: Worst team beats best team

The seventh lead change gave the Orlando Guardians a stunning 37-36 victory over the D.C. Defenders in an XFL game on Saturday night.

Through the first six weeks of the season, the Defenders had won all their games and the Guardians had lost all their games.

In the XFL’s other Week 7 games:

· The Seattle Sea Dragons ran their winning streak to five games by beating the Arlington Renegades 24-15 on Friday night.

· San Antonio wide receiver Fred Brown went 96 yards for the XFL’s first kickoff-return touchdown of the season in the second quarter to give the Brahmas the lead, but the Vegas Vipers scored the game’s final 17 points for a 26-12 victory on Saturday.

· St. Louis quarterback AJ McCarron threw for three touchdowns as the Battlehawks gave the Houston Roughnecks their first home loss of the season 24-15 on Sunday.

Quinten Dormady’s 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody Latimer with 8:50 remaining gave Orlando its margin of victory.

D.C. had three possessions after the Guardians took the lead. The first ended in the punt, Orlando recovered a fumble at its 23-yard line on the second and Matt McCrane couldn’t connect on a 63-yard field-goal attempt on the final snap.

McCrane also missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt on the first snap of the fourth quarter.

The Guardians pulled off their upset even though they lost two fumbles in the fourth quarter.

Dormady completed 27-of-34 passes for 328 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

For the Defenders, quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 21-of-29 passes for 285 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, running back Abram Smith ran for 127 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries and wide receiver Chris Blair caught five passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.

During the XFL’s Week 7 games, 26 players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field:

Seattle Sea Dragons 24, Arlington Renegades 15

· Renegades defensive lineman T.J. Barnes (Enterprise) registered two tackles for loss.

· Renegades tight end Sal Cannella (Auburn) caught four passes for 64 yards to lead the team.

· Renegades cornerback Javaris Davis (Auburn) did not record any stats in his first game with Arlington.

· Sea Dragons long snapper Thomas Fletcher (Alabama) handled the snaps on three field goals and one punt.

· Mike Horton (Auburn) started at right guard for the Renegades.

· Renegades defensive lineman Davonte Lambert (Auburn) did not record any stats.

· Chris Owens (Alabama) started at left guard for the Sea Dragons.

· Sea Dragons wide receiver Kelvin McKnight (Samford) returned one punt for 12 yards and four kickoffs for 100 yards, including a 37-yarder.

· Sea Dragons wide receiver Jordan Veasy (Gadsden City) caught three passes for 79 yards.

· Damion Willis (Troy) started at wide receiver for the Sea Dragons. Willis caught two passes for 14 yards.

Vegas Vipers 26, San Antonio Brahmas 12

· Brahmas offensive lineman Ja’Chai Baker (South Alabama) did not record any stats.

· Ben Davis (Gordo, Alabama) started at middle linebacker for the Brahmas. Davis made two tackles.

· Quinterrius Eatmon (Vigor) started at right offensive tackle for the Vipers.

· Maurice Smith (Alabama) started at safety for the Vipers. Smith made seven tackles and recorded one sack.

· Vipers safety Stephen Roberts (Auburn) made five tackles.

Orlando Guardians 37, D.C. Defenders 36

· Defenders long snapper/tight end Trae Barry (Spanish Fort, Jacksonville State) handled the snaps on three punts and two field-goal attempts.

· Defenders linebacker Jamal Brooks (Bessemer City, South Alabama) made three tackles.

· Guardians defensive lineman Nick Coe (Auburn) made one tackle.

· Defenders offensive lineman Antonio Garcia (Troy) did not record any stats.

· Trevon Sanders (Troy) started at nose tackle for the Guardians. Sanders made two tackles.

· Guardians linebacker Erroll Thompson (Florence) made one tackle.

· Guardians cornerback Dee Virgin (West Alabama) is on the injured list and not eligible to play.

· Defenders defensive tackle Gabe Wright (Auburn) made three tackles and recorded two tackles for loss.

St. Louis Battlehawks 24, Houston Roughnecks 15

· AJ McCarron (St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama) started at quarterback for the Battlehawks. McCarron completed 26-of-34 passes for 222 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and ran four times for 5 yards.

RELATED: AJ MCCARRON THROWS FOR 3 TOUCHDOWNS IN BATTLEHAWKS’ VICTORY

· Roughnecks quarterback Brandon Silvers (Gulf Shores, Troy) missed the game because of a triceps injury.

· Battlehawks running back Kareem Walker (South Alabama) did not record any stats.

· Battlehawks offensive lineman Dallas Warmack (Alabama) did not record any stats.

· John Yarbrough (Homewood) started at left guard for the Roughnecks.

In Week 8 games, the Vipers visit the Battlehawks at noon CDT Saturday, the Renegades visit the Guardians at 3 p.m. Saturday, the Roughnecks visit the Brahmas at 2 p.m. Sunday and the Defenders visit the Sea Dragons at 6 p.m. Sunday. The Saturday games will be televised by ESPN. Sunday’s first game will be on ABC, and ESPN2 will televise Sunday’s second game.

Arlington Renegades tight end Sal Cannella runs after a reception against the Seattle Sea Dragons during an XFL game on Friday, March 31, 2023, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.© Joshua Gateley/XFL

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.