The Dallas Renegades (1-0) kicked off a new era of UFL football on Saturday afternoon against the Houston Gamblers (0-1) from Toyota Stadium.
In the first quarter, Dallas’s defense came up big when defensive back Steven Jones Jr. picked off Houston quarterback Nolan Henderson’s pass for a pick-six 30-yard touchdown. Dallas attempted a two-point conversion, but did not get it. They took a 6-0 lead.
Later, Houston kicker John Hoyland made a 44-yard field goal. The Gamblers trailed the Renegades 6-3 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Dallas quarterback Austin Reed threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Ellis Merriweather. Kicker Colton Theaker made the extra point for a 13-3 lead. On the next drive, Dallas went five plays for 60 yards that concluded when quarterback Austin Reed threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Vaughns for a 20-3 lead.
For the Gamblers, they were struggling on offense. They had three timeouts and did not use any of them. Dallas kicker Colton Theaker closed out the first half with a 51-yard field goal. The Renegades led the Gamblers 23-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Dallas quarterback Austin Reed completed a short pass to Greg Ward, and he was gone for a 66-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 30-3. However, Houston responded thanks to special teams when Jalen Moreno-Cropper returned the kickoff for a 63-yard touchdown. Houston would get the two-point conversion and trailed the Renegades 30-11. Late in the third quarter, Dallas kicker Colton Theaker made a 26-yard field goal for a 33-11 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Houston quarterback Hunter Dekkers rushed for a three-yard touchdown that concluded a nine-play drive for 77 yards. They were unable to get the two-point conversion. The Gamblers trailed the Renegades 33-17. Dallas kicker Colton Theaker ended the game by making a 41-yard field goal. The Dallas Renegades defeated the Houston Gamblers 36-17.
Dallas had 427 yards on offense (376 yards passing, 72 yards rushing), 21 first downs, and the team was penalized one time. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 26 of 40 passes (65%) for 376 yards, three touchdowns, and four carries for eight yards. His 376 yards passing set a UFL record. Running back Lorenzo Lingard had eight carries for 36 yards and two catches for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Tyler Vaughns led the receivers with seven catches for 144 yards and one touchdown, while Greg Ward made three catches for 93 yards and one touchdown, and Ellis Merriweather made six catches for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Colton Theaker made 3 of 5 field goals with a long of 51 yards. The defense made 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Houston’s offense had 277 yards (255 yards passing, 42 yards rushing), 13 first downs, and the team was penalized two times. Quarterback Nolan Henderson completed 3 of 9 passes (33.3%) for 34 yards, two interceptions, and two carries for eight yards, while Hunter Dekkers completed 18 of 27 passes (66.7%) for 221 yards, three carries for 28 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Kirk Merritt had two carries for three yards. Wide receiver Jontre Kirklin made four catches for 60 yards, while Jalen Moreno-Cropper made five catches for 59 yards. The defense made 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
Next Sunday, the Houston Gamblers host the Birmingham Stallions at 6 pm on the NFL Network, while the Dallas Renegades host the St. Louis Battlehawks on Tuesday at 8 pm on FS1.
