After defeating the Dallas Renegades by a score of 37-23, the Louisville Kings are one win away from locking up a postseason berth. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that began the season 0-3.
Early in the game, Dallas seemed to have the upper hand with a 10-3 lead. However, the Kings fought back to take a 16-10 lead in the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, the Renegades rallied to claim a 17-16 lead.
But then, the Kings found another gear and proved unstoppable. As coach Chris Redman pointed out during the post-game media session, “Our season was on the line. These guys, they stepped up. They’ve done it all year. The first time we played Dallas, and then we played the top teams…and against D.C. They just rise to the occasion, whatever the challenge is…so, I’m just really proud of how they finished the game.”
Five Takeaways From Louisville Kings' Victory Over Dallas
These are the five takeaways from the team’s most complete and decisive victory this season.
Chandler Rogers and the Offense
Chandler Rogers and the offense put together their most dominant performance to date as the team synced up for over 450 yards of offense. Rogers finished the game with 16/21 completions for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. In addition, he had seven carries for 21 yards and a rushing touchdown. Rogers’ sheer determination to evade the defense as he scrambled out of several broken plays proved to be the difference maker.
After the game, Rodgers was asked about the Kings' reversal of fortune since he took over as quarterback.
He explained it simply, "Coach Redman gave me the keys to the franchise, and we've been on a roll ever since."
Tarik Black and Isaiah Winstead once again led the team in receptions. Black caught four of six targets for 82 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown. Winstead had two catches for 44 yards with a stunning 40-yard touchdown. Tight end Zach Davidson also had a busy afternoon catching all 4 of his targets for 46 yards, including a 24-yard reception.
The Ground Game
Early in the season, Louisville’s ground game was missing in action. At one point, the team was only able to muster 13 yards on 10 carries. But the dual emergence of James Robinson and Ian Wheeler has turned the Kings' ground game into a legitimate force to be reckoned with. On Sunday, they combined for a franchise record of 181 yards with one touchdown. Adding the seven carries from Rogers, plus one carry from Black, Louisville rushed for a total of 205 yards on 43 carries with two scores. Robinson was the workhorse on Sunday with 22 carries for 88 yards, while Wheeler once again proved to be the Renegades' arch nemesis, scoring his fifth touchdown against the team this season. He finished the afternoon with 13 carries for 93 yards.
Record-Shattering Special Teams Performance
As a postscript to last week's 60-yard field goal and Special Team’s Player of the Week honors, Tanner Brown needed only one field goal to set a new UFL record for the most field goals in a single season. Last week, he tied the previous record of 22. On Sunday, Brown didn’t just set a new record with one score; he shattered the previous record, kicking 3/3 field goals, including a 54-yarder for his 25th field goal. Not including his 60-yarder, it was his 7th kick in the 50-yard range this season. Louisville is about to bid Brown adieu with gratitude and appreciation, because he’s on his way to the NFL this coming season.
In addition to Brown’s extraordinary efforts, other Special Teams players had quite a day. Lucky Jackson had a thrilling 63-yard punt return touchdown. Sadly, a successful Super Challenge by Dallas coach Rick Neuheisel overturned the score due to an illegal block on the return. Jackson had two other returns for a total of 25 yards and a 31-yard reception. Tyler Hudson handled kickoff return duties with Wheeler, and the two combined for 100 yards.
Congratulations to the Coaching Staff
Early in the season, online grumbling about Redman’s lack of previous head coaching experience was, at least partly, blamed for the team’s 0-3 start. However, in Week 4, Redman calmly and decisively took control of the situation, replacing Jason Bean with Rogers, bringing back Robinson in place of the injured Benny Snell, and re-configuring the offensive line personnel. He also replaced his offensive line coach, Breno Giacomini, when he determined it was necessary. As a result of those changes, the offense took off and has only continued to improve each week.
Furthermore, due to the ever-present All-Access microphone and camera, it was hard not to notice Neuheisal berating quarterback Austin Reed on the sidelines throughout the afternoon. While Redman may have had issues with Bean earlier in the season, you never saw any hint of it on camera. Instead, he remained supportive of Bean and backed him up during media sessions. Those conversations may be more effective behind-the-scenes. Consequently, when the trade was announced ahead of Week 4, it came as a surprise.
Redman has done an incredible job of coaching this team. He's brought out the best in his players while making the tough calls and changes that were necessary in order to advance the team. Congratulations to the entire Louisville coaching staff for a job well done.
Excessive Penalties Put the Team In Jeopardy
Despite the victory and the outstanding performances, the Kings have one glaring deficit that must be corrected before they can focus on a playoff run, and that is the excessive number of penalties. On Sunday, the Kings were gouged for 156 penalty yards on 13 flags. A punt return touchdown was reversed, and a 44-yard PI call on Keaton Ellis led to a Dallas field goal. Allowing this trend to continue can only put the Kings' playoff hopes in jeopardy.