Arlington Renegades Hold Off Houston Roughnecks 11-9 in UFL Week 2

Fresh off a 31-9 stomping of the San Antonio Brahmas in Week 1, the Arlington Renegades won their second in a row to start the 2025 season with an 11-9 win over the in-state rival Houston Roughnecks at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Sunday.

Houston falls to 0-2 after a 31-6 defeat by the St. Louis Battlehawks last week.

Renegades quarterback Luis Perez threw for 211 yards and one touchdown while completing 70.4 percent of his throws on 19-of-27 passing. Running back Dae Dae Hunter ran for 63 yards on 14 carries, while last week's hero, Kalen Ballage, added 38 on 12 carries. 

Isaiah Winstead led Arlington with seven catches for 73 yards, and Sam Cannella caught two passes for 39 yards.

Defensively, Chris Odom and Willie Taylor III registered sacks of Houston quarterback Anthony Brown, who completed just 14 of 30 passes for 179 yards. He added one touchdown and one interception.

The score was tied at the half after a 27-yard first-quarter field goal by Arlington's Lucas Havrisik gave his team an early lead. Houston's Chris Blewitt tied the game just before halftime.

Arlington found the end zone first on the first drive of the fourth quarter with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Perez to Deontay Burnett, who also caught the ensuing two-point conversion for an 11-3 Renegades lead.

Renegades on TOP 😤

Luis Perez with a dime to Deontay Burnett 🎯pic.twitter.com/qyKg8lcwfO

— United Football League (@TheUFL) April 6, 2025

Houston scored with under two minutes remaining in the game on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Emmanuel Butler, but the Arlington defense held Brown for an unsuccessful two-point conversion to tie the game.

Houston was forced to attempt the alternate onside kick - a 4th and 12 from its own 28 - with just 1:12 remaining in the game. The Brown pass was incomplete and the Renegades were able to run the clock out in victory formation for the win.

The Renegades shut down the Roughnecks on their alternate onside kick ❌ pic.twitter.com/xZ49X8gKtz

— United Football League (@TheUFL) April 6, 2025

"We lost some heartbreakers a year ago in the last minutes... It's good to be on the plus side of it, now 2-0," Renegades coach Bob Stoops noted after the game.

Next up for Arlington is the first road game of the season against the reigning UFL champion Birmingham Stallions at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT.