TAMPA BAY, Fla. – Headed into Sunday night’s game against the D.C. Defenders, the Tampa Bay Vipers had record of 0-3 and were in desperate need of a win. Tampa had come close to winning their previous two games, but couldn’t the job done in the final minutes. Sunday,on a cool evening here at Raymond James Stadium, it was a different story. Tampa defeated the Defenders 25-0 for the first victory in franchise history.
Tampa head coach Marc Trestman spoke after the game about the victory.
“I’m just happy for our players and our coaches,” said Trestman. “They are resilient bunch. Our players have a sense of how good we can be. We said it all along, there’s a sign of a good team in there. We are going to enjoy the win, but there’s a lot of different ways we can get better. We know that. But I just want them to enjoy the win. There’s nothing like a winning locker room and tonight they’ll enjoy it, get some rest and get back to work.”
Trestman also added that he’s, “proud of our coaches and our players for the work they’ve put in to get to this moment and a well-deserved victory.”
From the start of the game, it was apparent that Tampa came ready to play and were not going to lay down and take a loss against D.C. The Defenders started on offense first and Tampa forced them off the field with quickly with a defense that swarmed quickly to the ball and was suffocating. D.C. did not gain a single yard on that first drive and was forced to punt. It was the first of many punts for the Defenders tonight.
The Tampa offense answered the bell when they came onto the field as they played with the same energy and intensity the defense did when they went on to the field. People say that football games are won in the trenches and Tampa proved that they were ready to do that on their first drive. Tampa went on a 11 play, 75-yard drive that was highlighted by a punishing running game with physical runs from running back Jacques Patrick, fellow running back De’Veon Smith and quarterback Taylor Cornelius. The drive was capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run by Patrick, which was his first touchdown in his professional career. On the sideline during the game, he was a bit emotional about it as his father passed away recently.
“It was my first pro touchdown,” said Patrick when asked why he was emotional after scoring. “I had to bury my dad last Friday and it was just surreal that he’s not here to see it. My dad introduced me to the game, so it was real tough to achieve that and know that he wasn’t at home watching that but I know he’s watching from up top. I know he’s got a big smile on his face right now and I love him. So it was just a surreal moment cause I know he’s smiling.”
Patrick channeled his emotions and energy into the game and it paid off. He was extremely difficult for the D.C. defense to tackle as he ploughed through the defense, taking multiple defenders to bring him down. He finished the game with 21 carries for 104-yards and one touchdown.
Patrick and Smith became the first running backs in the XFL this year to each rush for over 100 yards in a game. Smith finished the game with 24 carries for 122 yards. Both players gave D.C. fits as it seemed like they just bounced off tackles, broke countless tackles or found holes before the defense could get there. It was a long night for D.C. defensively.
Cornelius also contributed to the running game with four carries for 36 yards, which included a 17-yard touchdown run and a big hit at the end of the run. Cornelius also completed 24-31 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cornelius spoke after the game about the performances of Patrick, Smithand the running game.
“Those two guys, they carried the load for us tonight and obviously up front, they moved them all day for us,” said Cornelius. He also added that it was great to have the running game be so successful tonight and hand the ball off to two guys who were rolling and “let them do their work.”
Next week, the Vipers travel on the road to Los Angeles to face off against the Los Angeles Wildcats. The Vipers will have to take the momentum they’ve gained from this victory and continue it against the Wildcats. The game is at 9PM EST at Dignity Health Sports Park and will be televised on ESPN.
Written by Erik Slaby
