The D.C. Defenders (1-1) visited the Historic Crew Stadium on Friday night against the Columbus Aviators (0-2). The fans in Columbus were excited to see professional football come to their city. However, it was a night to forget in Columbus thanks to the D.C. Defenders.
In the first quarter, Columbus defensive back Cam Smith committed two penalties during D.C.’s drive. He committed a taunting penalty and an unnecessary roughness penalty, and D.C. had the ball on the 12-yard line. D.C. went on an eight-play drive for 62 yards that concluded with running back Deon Jackson carrying the ball three times for 12 yards, and one rushing touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
Columbus came back on a 13-play drive for 60 yards that concluded when quarterback Jalan McClendon rushed for a six-yard touchdown, and the game was tied 7-7 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, D.C. kicker Matt McCrane kicked a 35-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. Later, D.C. went on a nine-play drive for 59 yards that ended with running back Xazavian Valladay rushing from the right side to score a 10-yard touchdown for a 17-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, D.C. continued to bully Columbus on a two-play drive for 41 yards when running back Deon Jackson scored a 12-yard touchdown for a 24-7 lead. With under a minute left, Columbus went on a three-play drive for 35 yards when running back Zaquandre White rushed to his left side to score a six-yard touchdown. The Aviators trailed the Defenders 24-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, D.C. running back Deon Jackson rushed up the middle to score a 48-yard touchdown for a 31-14 lead. Later, D.C.’s defense recovered the football, and the offense continued to pour it on. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Briley Moore for a 38-14 lead to cap off a three-play drive for 27 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Columbus recovered a fumble during a punt. This led to the Aviators going on a three-play drive for 27 yards when quarterback Jalan McClendon threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Alize Mack. They attempted a two-point conversion but did not get it. The Aviators trailed the Defenders 38-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, D.C. kicker Matt McCrane made a 25-yard field goal for a 41-20 lead. Columbus Jalan McClendon led the team on a 12-play drive for 60 yards when he threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Tay Martin. They did not get the three-point conversion and trailed the Defenders 41-26. They went for a 4th and 12 play, but D.C.’s defense got to McClendon. This set up a Matt McCrane 32-yard field goal, which he made for a 44-26 lead with two minutes left.
The Aviators pulled McClendon and replaced him with Jalon Morton. Morton’s pass was intercepted by Gabe Taylor, and that was the ball game. The D.C. Defenders rout the Columbus Aviators 44-26 for their first win of the season.
D.C.’s offense had 319 yards (99 yards passing, 229 yards rushing), 20 first downs, and the team was penalized four times. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 8 of 11 passes (72.7%) for 99 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and seven carries for 20 yards.
Running back Deon Jackson had 11 carries for 97 yards, three rushing touchdowns, and one catch for 29 yards, while Xazavian Valladay had nine carries for 36 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Cornell Powell led the receivers with four catches for 41 yards, while Briley Moore made one catch for 21 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Matt McCrane made three field goals with a long of 35 yards. The defense had a night with 41 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Columbus had 282 yards on offense (157 yards passing, 160 yards rushing), 24 first downs, and the team was penalized eight times. Quarterback Jalan McClendon completed 23 of 37 passes (62.2%) for 157 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, eight carries for 55 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Toa Taua had five carries for 44 yards, while Zaquandre White had five carries for 31 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Tay Martin led the receivers with six catches for 51 yards and one touchdown, while Alize Mack made one catch for three yards and one touchdown. Kicker Ryan Coe missed one field goal. The defense made 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one pass breakup.
Next Saturday, the D.C. Defenders host the Houston Gamblers at 12 pm on ESPN, while the Columbus Aviators visit the Dallas Renegades on Sunday at 12 pm on ABC.
