The Dallas Renegades and Houston Gamblers have completed their first week of spring football in the United Football League. In the Battle of Texas, one kicked things off with the greatest offensive performance of the week, whereas the other side has a lot of work to do in Dallas’ win over the Gamblers, 36-17.
The player who hogged the spotlight in the UFL was Renegades Quarterback Austin Reed who upon his UFL debut, broke the regular season single-game passing record with 370 yards and three touchdowns. His very first pass was a 59-yard rocket to All-UFL honoree receiver Tyler Vaughns setting the tone for the high-flying performance to come.
Reed’s first touchdown of the game was to runningback Ellis Merriweather for three yards, and in the drive later, connected with Vaughns for a 14-yard touchdown to extend the lead, 20-3. His longest pass was a 66-yard dart to receiver Greg Ward that resulted in a touchdown.
The Houston Gamblers, on the other hand, started the half on the wrong foot. Quarterback Nolan Henderson threw for only 34 yards with a completion rate 33.3% and two interceptions; one of which resulted in a pick-six by cornerback Steven Jones Jr. Thus, Henderson was benched and replaced with the more improved backup, Hunter Dekkers. With this substitution, the offense became statistically better. Dekkers went for 227 yards and his lead receiver Jontre Kirklin caught four receptions for 60 yards.
Apart from a solid 44-yard field goal by kicker John Hoyland and a shocking 93-yard kick off return touchdown by special teams returner Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Dekkers scored the only offensive touchdown for the Gamblers with a three-yard rush into the endzone.
As Houston tries to regroup in practice to prepare for their first home game against the Birmingham Stallions (April 5, 5p.m. on the NFL Network), Dallas looks like an offensive and defensive juggernaut and hopes to repeat this performance against the St. Louis Battlehawks and their dominant defense (April 7, 7p.m. on FS1).
Photography credited to the United Football League
