Defenders vs. Renegades final score, results: Luis Perez leads Arlington to upset win in 2023 XFL championship game

By | May 13, 2023
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The Arlington Renegades completed the ultimate Cinderella story with their 35-26 win over the D.C. Defenders in the 2023 XFL championship game Saturday night.

Unsurprisingly, Arlington quarterback Luis Perez was at the center of it.

Perez starred for the Renegades, completing 26 of 36 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the game’s MVP after leading Arlington — which sported the XFL’s worst scoring offense during the regular season at 14.6 points per game — to points on seven of its nine drives against what had been a stingy Defenders defense.

And after the contest, Perez reflected on his journey to the pinnacle of the XFL after a trying season.

“All the adversity I went through — to be here today and be a champion, it’s awesome,” Perez told the ABC broadcast.

MORE: Watch XFL championship live with Fubo (free trial)

Indeed, Perez endured a difficult season. He struggled with the Vegas Vipers before being traded to the Renegades in Week 7. He kept a positive attitude amid his struggles, and he said that he was willing to fight to prove that he was a starter.

“There’s no such thing as giving up in my book,” Perez said. “You can’t really give up because, to me, that doesn’t exist. You got to just keep going. When you have a dream, and you want something so bad, you find a way to get it done.”

Perez did exactly that after being traded. First, he provided stability at quarterback for his new team. Coach Bob Stoops credited Perez with “galvanizing” the squad, and the effects could be seen during the Renegades’ unexpected postseason run.

Arlington, the only XFL playoff team with a losing regular-season record, was able to upset the Houston Roughnecks and then the Defenders to become champions.

And so fitting it was for the XFL — a league that prides itself on providing opportunities for overlooked players — to crown a big underdog as its first champion since 2001.

MORE: Bob Stoops’ coaching record at Oklahoma, other college football stops

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Saturday’s XFL championship game between the Defenders and Renegades. Below are the notable moments and highlights from the game.

Defenders vs. Renegades final score

  1 2 3 4 F
Defenders 0 6 14 6 26
Renegades 14 6 12 3 35

Defenders vs. Renegades updates, highlights from XFL championship game

(All times Eastern.)

Final score: Renegades 35, Defenders 26

11:17 p.m. — No fumbles by Arlington. The Renegades are the XFL champions for 2023.

11:15 p.m. — Arlington is in victory formation. Barring a fumble, this game is over.

11:14 p.m. — INTERCEPTION. Ta’amu is picked on the decisive fourth-and-15 by Cre’Von LeBlanc. Ta’amu was under heat from Willie Taylor, and that was why Ta’amu underthrew the pass.

11:12 p.m. — There’s 1:17 left in regulation. The Defenders are going for a fourth-and-15 in lieu of an onside kick to try to keep the ball. If they fail to convert, that will effectively end the game.

Score: Renegades 35, Defenders 26

11:11 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. Josh Hammond catches a pass over the middle from Jordan Ta’amu and takes it in for a touchdown after breaking several tackles. The Defenders go for two, but Jazz Ferguson couldn’t catch the throw from Ta’amu in bounds. It’s a nine-point game, but that’s still a one-score contest in the XFL.

11:10 p.m. — Abram Smith then catches a pass and gets the ball to the Arlington 24-yard line. The Defenders clock the ball with 1:23 left, as Smith decided not to run out of bounds.

11:10 p.m. — Jordan Ta’amu finds Josh Hammond for a six-yard gain and a first down. Hammond gets out of bounds to stop the clock.

11:09 p.m. — Alex Ellis catches a pass for seven yards and D.C. takes its second timeout with 1:40 left in regulation. The Defenders have just one timeout left, so they will be going for the fourth-and-15 conversion if they are able to score.

11:08 p.m. — Ta’amu finds Blair over the middle for a 20-yard gain. The ball is at their own 45.

Two-minute warning: Renegades 35, Defenders 20

11:06 p.m. — Chris Blair goes for a gain of three after a first-down catch. That will bring us to the two-minute warning.

11:04 p.m. — The Defenders have 2:02 remaining to score at least 15 points. They are on their own 22-yard line and have two timeouts remaining. It’s not impossible, but the team will likely need to attempt a fourth-and-15, in lieu of an onside kick, if it can get into the end zone.

11:03 p.m. — FUMBLE. Luis Perez was unable to handle the snap from his center and put the ball on the ground. D.C.s Reggie Northrup was able to jump on it and give the Defenders a glimmer of hope with 2:02 left in regulation.

11:02 p.m. — D.C.’s Francis Bernard is called for a facemask after making a first-down tackle. That’s a 15-yard penalty with 3:08 left in the game.

11:01 p.m. — Back-to-back positive runs by De’Veon Smith give the Renegades another first down. There’s less than four minutes to go in regulation now.

10:59 p.m. — Luis Perez finds Brandon Arconado open breaking to the outside and he is able to get the first down. The Renegades are now across midfield and the Defenders will have to start thinking about using their timeouts.

10:57 p.m. — The Defenders have forced a third-down situation for the Renegades. This will likely be D.C.’s last legitimate chance to try to stop Arlington and give themselves a chance to get back into the game. The Renegades call a timeout — their last one — with 5:25 left in the contest to discuss the third-and-4.

10:55 p.m. — De’Veon Smith starts the Renegades drive with a nine-yard run up the middle and a short first-down run after. The Renegades will likely keep the ball on the ground as much as possible to run the clock on the Defenders.

10:50 p.m. — Ta’amu tosses two more incompletions and now, the Defenders will have to punt. That dropped pass from Blair may ultimately have been their last gasp, as Arlington gets the ball with 8:11 left in the game, up 15.

10:49 p.m. — Jordan Ta’amu just hit Chris Blair in the hands with a perfectly thrown downfield pass. Blair had his man beaten, but he drops the ball. He had five receptions of 40-plus yards before that drop.

Score: Renegades 35, Defenders 20

10:45 p.m. — FIELD GOAL. Taylor Russolino converts on a 33-yard kick. That extends the Arlington lead to 15 with 9:56 left in regulation.

10:44 p.m. — Santos Ramirez breaks up a nicely thrown pass from Luis Perez to Sal Cannella in the end zone after the Defenders brought an all-out blitz. The Renegades will now kick a field goal.

10:43 p.m. — The Renegades had to burn a timeout to get Kelly Bryant into the game, and he is tackled for a three-yard loss. The Defenders need to get a stop on third-and-13.

10:41 p.m. — Leddie Brown continues to run hard and picks up a first down on third-and-1. The Renegades have another set of downs at the 13-yard line with 12 minutes left in regulation.

10:39 p.m. — INTERCEPTION. For the second time, Jordan Ta’amu is picked off by Arlington, as Brandon Rusnak read the quarterback’s eyes and tipped the ball to himself. Rusnak returned the ball to the D.C. 23, so the Renegades are once again in scoring range.

10:38 p.m. — Ta’amu starts D.C.’s drive with a deep overthrow before completing a pass to Abram Smith for a first down. He follows that up with a strike to Lucky Jackson for 11 yards and a first down.

10:33 p.m. — The Defenders will have little room for error in the fourth quarter, as they trail by two possessions. They scored on two of their three third quarter possessions, but don’t be surprised to see them get aggressive with their play calls in this quarter.

End of third quarter: Renegades 32, Defenders 20

10:30 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. On Arlington’s first play from the 30-yard line, Leddie Brown catches a pass from Luis Perez on an option route and outruns the defender to the outside. He gets to the 5-yard line and went flying into the end zone through contact for the score. De’Veon Smith fails to convert the one-point try, so the Renegades are up 12 as the third quarter ends.

10:29 p.m. — And because of that penalty, the ball failed to reach the 20-yard line. That means Arlington will get the ball at the D.C. 30-yard line because of a poor kickoff from Daniel Whelan.

10:27 p.m. — Abram Smith was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after his two-point conversion. That will back the kickoff up 15 yards. 

Score: Renegades 26, Defenders 20

10:24 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. One play after getting sacked, Jordan Ta’amu finds Josh Hammond downfield for a 71-yard touchdown. The protection held up in front of Ta’amu and Joe Powell just barely missed getting a hand on the ball as it fell into Hammond’s hands.

D.C. is able to convert the two-point conversion from the 1-yard line after a pass interference call against Powell on their first attempt. Abram Smith punched it in.

10:21 p.m. — D.C.’s defense finally comes up with another third-down stop, as the Defenders got pressure on Luis Perez before he could release a screen pass to his running back. Now, it will be the Renegades’ turn to punt, their first of the game.

10:19 p.m. — The Defenders’ drive stalls after the early completion, with Ta’amu being tackled on a quarterback draw on a third-and-4. They elect to punt, and now, the Renegades will have a chance to bleed some clock and make this a three-score game. 

10:18 p.m. — The Defenders start the drive with a gain of 15 after a play-action pass from Jordan Ta’amu to Josh Hammond.

10:17 p.m. — D.C. will start from its own 24-yard line. There’s 4:40 left in the third quarter and they are down two scores. Every possession matters, especially considering that Arlington has scored on each of its possessions.

10:14 p.m. — As the game continues, it’s becoming clearer that D.C.’s defense isn’t the same without top cornerback Michael Joseph. The announcers have mentioned it countlessly, but Joseph was arguably the XFL’s top corner and had four interceptions, tied for the second-most in the XFL behind Ajene Harris.

Score: Renegades 26, Defenders 12

10:12 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. On third-and-3, Kelly Bryant gives the ball to Leddie Brown on a read-option. Brown uses his power to plunge into the end zone to cap off a 12-play, 71-yard drive. Arlington fails to convert a one-point try, so the Renegades maintain a 14-point lead.

10:11 p.m. — Kelly Bryant has checked into the game again, and he had a nice run on the outside to set up a third-and-3. He will stay in for third down.

10:10 p.m. — Perez is starting to attack the middle of the field now. He has back-to-back completions over the middle for first downs, and Arlington is at D.C.’s 14-yard line.

10:06 p.m. — Arlington takes its first timeout of the half ahead of a second-and-7. We’re about halfway through the third quarter and the Renegades are up 8.

10:04 p.m. — Another third down, another conversion for the Renegades. Perez saw an opening up the middle and checked to a quarterback draw on third-and-8. Arlington has now crossed midfield.

10:03 p.m. — Anthoula Kelly very nearly picks off Luis Perez on first down. Instead, he knocks down the swing pass to force a second-and-10.

10:02 p.m. — Arlington converted 6 of 7 third downs in the first half, and the team stays hot in the second half. Perez finds Vaughns for a five-yard gain to get the first down.

10 p.m. — The Renegades now get a chance to answer. They get the ball at their own 29-yard line with 11:28 left in the third quarter.

Score: Renegades 20, Defenders 12

9:59 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. Abram Smith takes the fourth-and-inches handoff up the middle and he hits the hole at the perfect time. He runs through it, evades the one tackle in his way and outruns the Arlington defense for a touchdown. Once again, they fail to get a two-point conversion, but they are back in the game.

9:58 p.m. — Alex Ellis catches a ball from Ta’amu short of the first-down marker but brings it just a foot short of the line to gain. The Defenders are lining up to go for it on fourth and short.

9:57 p.m. — Abram Smith runs for no gain and Jordan Ta’amu takes a sack on second down. D.C. is now facing a critical third-and-11 to start the second half.

9:56 p.m. — The Defenders were able to get a first down, albeit barely. Abram Smith ran for five yards and Jordan Ta’amu tossed a completion before he found Josh Hammond for a five-yard gain and conversion.

9:53 p.m. — And, we’re back. D.C. will get the ball first at their own 29-yard line after Pooka Williams Jr. kick return. They are down 14 and need to create positive momentum in this second half.

9:47 p.m. — Luis Perez gave an impassioned speech to his teammates at halftime.

9:44 p.m. — Luis Perez has been the star of the game in the first half. He has completed 18 of 23 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. His accuracy has been excellent and he has done well to avoid mistakes when pressured.

Meanwhile, Jordan Ta’amu is just 4 of 9 passing for 42 yards and one interception at halftime. He has been better with his legs but needs to improve his accuracy as the game continues.

The good news for D.C. is that Abram Smith got going later in the half after being stopped early. He had just 26 yards on nine carries in the first half but he did score a touchdown late and should continue to get touches in the second half.

End of first half: Renegades 20, Defenders 6

9:42 p.m. — Pooka Williams Jr. returns the kick to the D.C. 27-yard line before he is walloped by a Renegades defender. That will end the half with the Defenders trailing by two scores.

Score: Renegades 20, Defenders 6

9:40 p.m. — FIELD GOAL. Taylor Russolino makes another field goal, this time from 51 yards. The Renegades take advantage of the Defenders’ mistake and will likely take a 14-point lead into the half with just two seconds left in the half.

9:38 p.m. — After a five-yard penalty, Luis Perez finds Tyler Vaughns for a 17-yard gain. It was a brilliant catch by Vaughns on the sideline, as he effectively made the grab one-handed.

9:37 p.m. — The Defenders make a massive mistake on the kickoff. Matt McCrane launches the kick out of bounds. That will give Arlington the ball on D.C.’s 45-yard line. There are 32 seconds left and the Renegades have one timeout left, so they can at least try to get in field goal range to counter the D.C. score.

Score: Renegades 17, Defenders 6

9:35 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. D.C. gets on the board with 32 seconds remaining in the first half. Abram Smith finds a hole up the middle and goes in untouched. D.C. follows that up with a two-point conversion attempt but fails to convert on a swing pass to Pooka Williams Jr.

9:34 p.m. — Smith gets stuffed on first-and-goal for no gain. Less than a minute left, and counting, in the first half.

9:34 p.m. — Smith gets the ball again and gets a first down. First and goal at the 1-yard line.

9:33 p.m. — Abram Smith takes the ball up the middle for a five-yard game. That sets up a third-and-1.

9:32 p.m. — They now have the photographer on a stretcher on the medical cart and they are taking him off the field. The game will soon resume after a delay of about 12 minutes.

9:27 p.m. — Medical attention is still being provided to the injured photographer. The broadcast is stepping out for a commercial break, and numerous D.C. players have taken a knee on the sideline nearby the cart.

9:22 p.m. — Play is being delayed as the injured photographer is being carted off the field. Hopefully he ends up being OK.

Two-minute warning: Renegades 17, Defenders 0

9:19 p.m. — Ta’amu completes a 4-yard pass to Josh Hammond on first-and-10 before the receiver runs out of bounds and straight into a camera man, who comes up injured. He is receiving medical care from the D.C. training staff as we reach the two-minute warning.

9:18 p.m. — The Defenders do have at least one thing working for them. On third-and-4, Jordan Ta’amu runs up the middle to pick up the first down and get to the Arlington 13. It’s his second first-down run of the half.

9:16 p.m. — Abram Smith finally is able to get something going, ripping off a gain of 12 yards up the middle. The ball is already on Arlington’s 30-yard line with just four minutes left in the first half.

9:14 p.m. — The Renegades make a mistake on the kickoff, as the ball didn’t make it to the 20-yard line. That’s a penalty, by the XFL’s rules, and will allow the Defenders to start at the Arlington 45-yard line.

Score: Renegades 17, Defenders 0

9:11 p.m. — FIELD GOAL. Taylor Russolino makes a 29-yard field goal to give the Renegades a 17-0 lead. That’s not ideal for the Defenders, but they will take some solace in the fact that Dejuan Neal saved a touchdown with a strong open-field tackle on LuJuan Winningham after a 5-yard gain on third-and-10.

9:10 p.m. — Luis Perez just did very well to avoid pressure and find De’Veon Smith for a wide-open check down. However, the running back drops the ball, bringing up a second-and-10.

9:09 p.m. — On third-and-1, Arlington hands the ball to running back Leddie Brown, who bulls forward to the 16-yard line for a first down. Another first down for the Renegades.

9:07 p.m. — Gregg Williams’ blitz calls are not rattling Luis Perez. He completes another pass to Sal Cannella and gets the ball to the D.C. 27. Arlington is threatening to score again.

9:06 p.m. — Luis Perez continues to convert on third downs. This time, he find LuJuan Winningham breaking across the field on third down. That gives the Renegades a fresh set of downs just over midfield.

9:01 p.m. — It looks like Jordan Ta’amu did have a receiver open when he was looking in the end zone. He just didn’t see Hill falling underneath in the coverage. If he had, he would have probably thrown it further outside to his receiver, who had a step coming across on Joe Powell.

Powell told ESPN’s Katie George after the interception that D.C. has “kinda been running the same stuff all game.” So, Fred Kaiss and Ta’amu might have to find a way to change things up before this gets out of hand.

8:59 p.m. — INTERCEPTION. Just when the Defenders were getting something going, Jordan Ta’amu makes a mistake. He throws a pass that is deflected by safety Will Hill and lands in the hands of defensive back Joe Powell in the end zone. Powell lays on the ball and will take a touchback out to the 35-yard line, denying D.C. the scoring opportunity. 

8:57 p.m. — The Defenders gained two yards on an Abram Smith run before Arlington was forced to call a timeout on second down. The Renegades had just 10 men on the field. Bob Stoops’ squad has just one timeout remaining with 11:50 left in the first half.

8:56 p.m. — After an incomplete pass and an Abram Smith run for no gain, Jordan Ta’amu escapes the pocket up the middle on third-and-10. He runs for a first down to the Arlington 18. The Defenders are in business.

8:54 p.m. — D.C. is starting to move the ball downfield more now. Jordan Ta’amu has completed consecutive passes to his receivers, one to move the ball into Arlington territory and another to convert a first down at the Arlington 31. The Defenders are looking to answer the Renegades’ fast start.

8:51 p.m. — The Defenders only ran three offensive plays in the first quarter. Comparatively, the Renegades had 16 plays on their second drive alone. D.C. will have to work to change that and get in the end zone.

End of first quarter: Renegades 14, Defenders 0

8:48 p.m. — Pooka Williams Jr. brought the kickoff back to the D.C. 35-yard line and the Defenders weren’t able to move the ball much before the first quarter ended. They will need to find something on offense quickly, as they trail Arlington big after one quarter.

Score: Renegades 14, Defenders 0

8:46 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. The Renegades overcome the holding penalty as Luis Perez finds Tyler Vaughns on third-and-goal to complete a 16-play, 88-yard drive. Arlington’s two-point attempt is good, and they are now up two scores.

8:44 p.m. — Bryant stayed on the field after his first down and carried the ball again, this time for a touchdown. However, a LuJuan Winningham hold wipes out the score and will back Arlington up about 10 yards.

8:43 p.m. — The Renegades continue to move the ball and are now facing a goal-to-go opportunity. A savvy substitution on third-and-2 put Kelly Bryant into the game at quarterback, and he scrambled for the first down to set up the goal-to-go chance.

8:33 p.m. — Another third-and-long for Arlington, another first down. Luis Perez hit receiver Tyler Vaughns, who executed a perfect double move, for a big gain that put the ball on the D.C. 45-yard line. Once again, Arlington has the offense moving, and Perez is nearing 100 yards passing in the first quarter.

8:30 p.m. — Good news for Defenders fans: Joe Powell failed to field the punt and let it roll inside Arlington’s 5-yard line. He eventually picked it up and took it to the 12, but the Renegades are backed up against one of the XFL’s most pressure-heavy defenses.

8:28 p.m. — Not a great start for the Defenders offense. They go three-and-out after generating negative-1 yards on three plays, which included a dropped pass by receiver Josh Hammond.

Score: Renegades 6, Defenders 0

8:22 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN. The Renegades strike first! Luis Perez hits Sal Cannella on a third-and-12 play as the tight end broke across the field on a crossing route. He was able to break into the open field and travel 41 yards for an easy score. The Renegades went for a two-point conversion after that score, but it was batted down at the line of scrimmage. Still, Arlington leads 6-0.

8:19 p.m. — Luis Perez has the Renegades off to a solid start. He completed each of his first three passes, including one where he was pressured by two Defenders players. Arlington has recorded two first downs and is moving the ball steadily to start the game.

8:16 p.m. — The Defenders have started the game by kicking the ball to the Renegades. Arlington will start with the ball at its own 24-yard line after a modest return by Joe Powell.

8:12 p.m. — The anthem has been performed by 8-year-old San Antonian Mateo Lopez, so we are just about ready for kickoff. One more commercial and the Defenders vs. Renegades game will begin.

8:06 p.m. — Greg McElroy just noted that the Defenders have hit the over in 10 of their 11 games this season. So, we might see a high-scoring contest tonight.

8:01 p.m. — It’s officially game time. The Renegades and Defenders should kick off shortly, after an introduction narrated by league co-owners Dani Garcia and Dwayne Johnson.

7:54 p.m. — If you’re wondering what the XFL’s championship trophy looks like, the league has you covered.

7:51 p.m. — As for the starting quarterbacks in this game, Jordan Ta’amu has been a star all year for the Defenders and was arguably the best quarterback in the XFL for 2023. Meanwhile, Luis Perez was traded to the Renegades midseason after a failed stint with the Vipers and had his best game in the South Division championship game.

So, the two top passers have traveled different paths, but one will be crowned champion on Saturday.

7:48 p.m. — Abram Smith is expected to be one of the top talents on display in this contest. Here’s what to know about the Defenders running back and former Baylor star.

7:44 p.m. — It looks like Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Greg McElroy (analyst) will be on the call for the 2023 XFL championship game. On the sidelines will be Cole Cubelic and Katie George.

7:39 p.m. — For those wondering, the Defenders are heavily favored to win this game. They are 7.5-point favorites according to odds from DraftKings, so the Renegades may have their work cut out for them in keeping this one close.

7:32 p.m. — A fun little twist for the championship game: teams were only allowed to have 45 players active for each game during the regular season. For the title game, all 51 players on the roster will be active, per the XFL.

7:26 p.m. — Looks like the Defenders will be decked out in red for the XFL championship game. That means we can expect to see Arlington in their white uniforms for this contest. 

Defenders vs. Renegades start time

  • Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. CT

The XFL championship game between D.C. and Arlington will kick off at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time) on Saturday, May 13. The game will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the home of the Brahmas, who failed to make the playoffs.

That makes the contest a neutral-site game. That said, San Antonio is much closer to Arlington than it is to D.C., so the Renegades may have a slight home-field advantage in this contest.

What channel is Defenders vs. Renegades on today?

XFL fans will be able to watch Saturday’s XFL finale on ABC. They’ll also have the option to live stream the contest on ESPN+ or with Fubo, which offers a free trial.

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