Former Troy wide receiver Damion Willis caught a touchdown pass as the Seattle Sea Dragons downed Houston 21-14 to give the Roughnecks their first loss on Thursday night.

The Houston-Seattle game kicked off Week 5 of the XFL’s 2023 season. In the other games:

· D.C. Defenders running back Abram Smith ran for 218 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries in a 28-20 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks on Saturday night. Smith scored on runs of 62, 5 and 70 yards. Under coach Reggie Barlow (Alabama State), D.C. reached the regular season’s halfway point as the XFL’s only unbeaten team.

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· In a matchup of winless teams, the Vegas Vipers stopped a 3-point conversion pass with 1:12 remaining to hold on for a 35-32 victory over the Orlando Guardians on Saturday night. Vegas quarterback Luis Perez threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Orlando tight end Cody Latimer had eight receptions for 124 yards and one touchdown.

· San Antonio’s last two possessions ended in interceptions, including one on the final play of the game, as the Arlington Renegades beat the Brahmas 12-10 on Sunday night.

Willis and quarterback Ben DiNucci hooked up on a 9-yard touchdown pass as Seattle took a 15-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the first half. Willis also had receptions for 23 and 13 yards during the Sea Dragons’ nine-play, 90-yard touchdown drive. Seattle’s first touchdown drive started with an 11-yard completion to Willis.

The Roughnecks rallied as quarterback Brandon Silvers threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Smith with 29 seconds to play to cut Seattle’s lead to seven points.

The former Troy QB connected with wide receiver Deontay Burnett for a 17-yard gain on the Roughnecks’ fourth-and-15 attempt to keep possession. But on the next snap, Sea Dragons outside linebacker Elijah Ponder hit Silvers’ arm as he was throwing, and defensive end Niko Lalos caught the fluttering football for a victory-sealing interception with four seconds remaining.

The Roughnecks intercepted three passes, but Seattle blocked two Houston punts.

Twenty-four players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the XFL’s Week 5 games:

Seattle Sea Dragons 21, Houston Roughnecks 14

· Sea Dragons long snapper Thomas Fletcher (Alabama) handled the snaps on four punts.

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

· Sea Dragons wide receiver Kelvin McKnight (Samford) returned four punts for 15 yards and one kickoff for 10 yards.

· Brandon Silvers (Gulf Shores, Troy) started at quarterback for the Roughnecks. Silvers completed 25-of-47 passes for 227 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

· Jordan Veasy (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Sea Dragons. Veasy caught two passes for 33 yards.

· Sea Dragons wide receiver Damion Willis (Troy) had five receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown.

· Roughnecks offensive lineman John Yarbrough (Homewood) did not record any stats.

D.C. Defenders 28, St. Louis Battlehawks 20

· Defenders long snapper/tight end Trae Barry (Spanish Fort, Jacksonville State) handled the snaps for five punts.

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

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

· AJ McCarron (St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama) started at quarterback for the Battlehawks. McCarron completed 22-of-34 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and ran four times for 12 yards. McCarron threw touchdown passes of 5 yards to wide receiver George Campbell with 6:20 left in the third quarter and 50 yards to Steven Mitchell with 4:19 left in the fourth quarter. D.C. cornerback Michael Joseph intercepted McCarron with 55 seconds to play to seal the victory. McCarron also lost a fumble on one of the Defenders’ four sacks.

· Battlehawks running back Kareem Walker (South Alabama) had a 1-yard rushing attempt.

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

· Defenders defensive tackle Gabe Wright (Auburn) made one tackle.

Vegas Vipers 35, Orlando Guardians 32

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

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

· Trevon Sanders (Troy) started at defensive tackle for the Guardians. Sanders made four tackles and recorded a tackle for loss.

· Vegas safety Maurice Smith (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

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

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

Arlington Renegades 12, San Antonio Brahmas 10

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

· T.J. Barnes (Enterprise) started at defensive end for the Renegades. Barnes recorded a sack.

· Sal Cannella (Auburn) started at tight end for the Renegades. Cannella had four receptions for 32 yards. Cannella caught a third-and-12 throw from quarterback Kyle Sloter for a 17-yard gain to the San Antonio 1-yard line to set up Arlington’s go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

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

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

· Davonte Lambert (Auburn) started at defensive end for the Renegades. Lambert made one tackle.

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