2020 Houston Roughnecks season

2020 Houston Roughnecks season
Owner	Alpha Entertainment, LLC
General manager	June Jones
Head coach	June Jones
Home stadium	TDECU Stadium
Results
Record	5–0
League place	1st XFL West
Roughnecks seasons 2023  →

The 2020 Houston Roughnecks season was the first season for the Houston Roughnecks as a professional American football franchise. They played as charter members of the XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2020 season. The Roughnecks played their home games at TDECU Stadium and were led by head coach June Jones.

Their inaugural season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the XFL officially suspended operations for the remainder of the season on March 20, 2020. ^[1]

Standings

2020 XFL standings v t e
East Division [2]
Team	W	L	PCT	TD+/-	TD+	TD-	DIV	PF	PA	DIFF	STK
DC Defenders	3	2	.600	-3	9	12	2–1	82	89	-7	W1
St. Louis Battlehawks	3	2	.600	3	11	8	1–1	97	77	20	L1
New York Guardians	3	2	.600	-1	8	9	1–2	79	85	-6	W2
Tampa Bay Vipers	1	4	.200	-4	11	15	1–1	98	115	-17	L1
West Division [2]
Team	W	L	PCT	TD+/-	TD+	TD-	DIV	PF	PA	DIFF	STK
Houston Roughnecks	5	0	1.000	7	21	14	3–0	158	111	47	W5
Dallas Renegades	2	3	.400	-3	9	12	2–1	90	102	-12	L2
Los Angeles Wildcats	2	3	.400	4	18	14	0–2	129	122	7	W1
Seattle Dragons	1	4	.200	-3	12	15	0–2	87	119	-32	L3
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched conference; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention

Schedule

All times Central

Week	Day	Date	Kickoff	TV	Opponent	Results		Location
						Score	Record
1	Saturday	February 8	4:00 p.m.	Fox	Los Angeles Wildcats	W 37–17	1–0	TDECU Stadium
2	Sunday	February 16	5:00 p.m.	FS1	St. Louis BattleHawks	W 28–24	2–0	TDECU Stadium
3	Saturday	February 22	1:00 p.m.	ABC	at Tampa Bay Vipers	W 34–27	3–0	Raymond James Stadium
4	Sunday	March 1	3:00 p.m.	FS1	at Dallas Renegades	W 27–20	4–0	Globe Life Park in Arlington
5	Saturday	March 7	1:00 p.m.	ABC	Seattle Dragons	W 32–23	5–0	TDECU Stadium
6	Saturday	March 14	1:00 p.m.	ABC	at New York Guardians	Not played		MetLife Stadium
7	Sunday	March 22	5:00 p.m.	FS1	DC Defenders			TDECU Stadium
8	Sunday	March 29	2:00 p.m.	ABC	at Los Angeles Wildcats			Dignity Health Sports Park
9	Thursday	April 2	7:00 p.m.	Fox	Dallas Renegades			TDECU Stadium
10	Saturday	April 11	1:00 p.m.	ABC	at Seattle Dragons			CenturyLink Field

^[3]

Final roster

2020 Houston Roughnecks final roster

	Quarterbacks 18 Connor Cook  4 Marcus McDade 11 Phillip Walker Running backs 28 James Butler KR 29 De'Angelo Henderson 44 Andre Williams 36 Marquez Williams Wide receivers 13 Raymond Bolden 10 Sammie Coates 33 Nick Holley 17 Blake Jackson  2 Taivon Jacobs  1 Kahlil Lewis 15 Ryheem Malone  3 Sam Mobley PR 14 Cam Phillips		Offensive linemen 70 Ryan Anderson C 76 Juwann Bushell-Beatty G 78 Nick Callander T 69 Isame Faciane G 74 Avery Gennesy G 56 Tejan Koroma C 79 Terry Poole T 65 Demetrius Rhaney C 73 Sebastian Tretola G 66 Marquez Tucker T Defensive linemen 93 Corey Crawford DE 94 Kony Ealy DE 95 Greg Gilmore DE 98 Nick James NT 91 Caushaud Lyons DE 90 Johnny Maxey DE 59 Vantrel McMillan DE 96 Walter Palmore NT 97 Gabe Wright DE		Linebackers 43 Carl Bradford OLB 42 Beniquez Brown ILB 50 Kaelin Burnett OLB 47 DeMarquis Gates ILB 53 Drew Lewis 54 LaTroy Lewis OLB 52 Brian Peters 51 Edmond Robinson OLB 40 Ty Schwab ILB Defensive backs 22 Corrian Ballard FS 25 Cody Brown SS 27 Ajene Harris CB 20 Marqueston Huff FS 21 Charles James CB 41 Jeremiah Johnson CB 32 Deatrick Nichols SS 30 Deji Olatoye CB 26 Saivion Smith CB Special teams  7 Sergio Castillo K  5 Austin Rehkow P 58 Colton Taylor LS		Reserve lists 23 Trae Elston S (IR) -- Steve McShane RB (IR) 77 Kelvin Palmer OT (IR)  8 Jalen Saunders WR (IR) -- Hunter Sharp WR (IR) -- David Simmons CB (IR) -- Aaron Tiller DE (IR) 56 active, 7 inactive

Staff

2020 Houston Roughnecks staff

Front office President – Brian Michael Cooper Director of Player Personnel – Randy Mueller Director of Football Operations – Dynomite Kuhn Head coaches Head Coach / General Manager – June Jones Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Chris Miller Quarterbacks – Dan Morrison Running backs – Wes Suan Wide Receivers – AJ Smith Offensive Line – John Estes

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Ted Cottrell Linebackers – Tom Mason Defensive backs – Derrius Bell Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Dennis McKnight

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Wildcats

Week 1 — Los Angeles Wildcats at Houston Roughnecks

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	8	9	0	0	17
Roughnecks	6	12	8	11	37

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

• Date: Saturday, February 8
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: ESE 10 mph
• Game attendance: 17,815
• Referee: Brandon Cruse ^[4]
• TV announcers (Fox, TUDN): Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Brock Huard (sideline)

Game information

First quarter HOU – Cam Phillips 50-yard pass from Phillip Walker (1-pt. failed), 13:44. Roughnecks 6–0. Drive: 3 plays, 61 yards, 1:23. LA – Chad Kanoff 5-yard run (2-pt. good), 7:49. Wildcats 8–6. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 5:58. Second quarter LA – Jordan Smallwood 11-yard pass from Chad Kanoff (2-pt. failed), 9:26. Wildcats 14–6. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:18. HOU – James Butler 16-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. failed), 7:22. Wildcats 14–12. Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 2:06. LA – Nick Novak 35-yard field goal, 1:30. Wildcats 17–12. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 5:49. HOU – Sam Mobley 39-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. failed), 1:10. Roughnecks 18–17. Drive: 2 plays, 39 yards, 0:23. Third quarter HOU – Kahlil Lewis 4-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. good), 9:04. Roughnecks 26–17. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:46. Fourth quarter HOU – Sergio Castillo 44-yard field goal, 14:26. Roughnecks 29–17. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 4:05. HOU – James Butler 4-yard run (2-pt. good), 10:01. Roughnecks 37–17. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:44. Top passers LA – Chad Kanoff – 21/40, 214 yards, TD, INT HOU – Phillip Walker – 23/39, 272 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers LA – Elijah Hood – 12 carries, 43 yards HOU – James Butler – 9 carries, 30 yards, TD Top receivers LA – Nelson Spruce – 11 receptions, 103 yards HOU – Cam Phillips – 4 receptions, 67 yards, TD

The Roughnecks were the only Western Conference team to win in week 1 as they started their season 1–0.

Week 2: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks

Week 2 — St. Louis BattleHawks at Houston Roughnecks

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
BattleHawks	6	0	12	6	24
Roughnecks	9	12	0	7	28

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

• Date: Saturday, February 15
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: SSE 6 mph
• Game attendance: 17,103
• Referee: Jeff Heaser ^[5]
• TV announcers (FS1): Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter HOU – Sergio Castillo 44-yard field goal, 11:06. Roughnecks 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 3:59. STL – Matt Jones 25-yard pass from Jordan Ta'amu (2-pt. failed), 6:30. BattleHawks 6–3. Drive: 9 yards, 71 yards, 4:40. HOU – Cam Phillips 7-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. failed), 3:21. Roughnecks 9–6. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:07. Second quarter HOU – James Butler 1-yard rush (2-pt. failed), 9:57. Roughnecks 15–6. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05. HOU – Cam Phillips 9-yard pass from Phillip Walker (1-pt. failed), Roughnecks 21–6, 1:59. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:30. Third quarter STL – De'Mornay Pierson-El 1-yard pass from Jordan Ta'amu (2-pt. failed), 9:00. Roughnecks 21–12. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 6:04. STL – Jordan Ta'amu 4-yard rush (1-pt. failed), 1:34. Roughnecks 21–18. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 5:18. Fourth quarter HOU – Cam Phillips 2-yard pass to Phillip Walker (1-pt. good), 9:36. Roughnecks 28–18. Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 0:59. STL – L'Damian Washington 36-yard pass from Jordan Ta'amu (1-pt. failed), 1:50. Roughnecks 28–24. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:45. Top passers STL – Jordan Ta'amu – 30/37, 284 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT HOU – Phillip Walker – 20/31, 170 yards, 3 TD Top rushers STL – Matt Jones – 16 carries, 44 yards HOU – James Butler – 7 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD Top receivers STL – L'Damian Washington – 6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD HOU – Cam Phillips – 8 receptions, 63 yards, 3 TD

Week 3: at Tampa Bay Vipers

Week 3 — Houston Roughnecks at Tampa Bay Vipers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Roughnecks	9	9	8	8	34
Vipers	3	15	6	3	27

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL

• Date: Saturday, February 22
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST / 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: ENE 13 mph
• Game attendance: 18,117
• Referee: James Carter ^[6]
• TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini (sideline)

Game information

First quarter TB – Andrew Franks 48-yard field goal, 12:34. Vipers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 2:26. HOU – Cam Phillips 84-yard pass from Phillip Walker (3-pt. good), 3:49. Roughnecks 9–3. Drive: 1 play, 84 yards, 0:13. Second quarter TB – Quinton Flowers 7-yard rush (1-pt. good), 9:17. Vipers 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:51. HOU – Phillip Walker 8-yard rush (3-pt. failed), 5:06. Roughnecks 15–10. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:12. HOU – Sergio Castillo 28-yard field goal, 1:00. Roughnecks 18–10. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:17. TB – Taylor Cornelius 1-yard rush (2-pt. good), 0:03. Tied 18–18. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 0:56. Third quarter HOU – Cam Phillips 24-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. good), 12:13. Roughnecks 26–18. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:27. TB – Daniel Williams 20-yard pass from Taylor Cornelius (2-pt. failed), 2:13. Roughnecks 26–24. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:45. Fourth quarter TB – Andrew Franks 43-yard field goal, 12:51. Vipers 27–26. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:06. HOU – Cam Phillips 17 yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. good), 10:31. Roughnecks 34–27. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:24. Top passers HOU – Phillip Walker – 24/36, 306 yards, 3 TD TB – Taylor Cornelius – 16/31, 193 yards, TD, INT Top rushers HOU – James Butler – 7 carries, 72 yards TB – De'Veon Smith – 15 carries, 49 yards Top receivers HOU – Cam Phillips – 8 receptions, 194 yards, 3 TD TB – Jalen Tolliver – 8 receptions, 104 yards

Week 4: at Dallas Renegades

Week 4 — Houston Roughnecks at Dallas Renegades

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Roughnecks	6	9	6	6	27
Renegades	0	11	9	0	20

at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, Texas

• Date: Sunday, March 1
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: S 17 mph
• Game attendance: 18,332
• Referee: Brandon Cruse ^[7]
• TV announcers (FS1): Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst), and Jenny Taft (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter HOU – Sergio Castillo 37-yard field goal, 8:49. Roughnecks 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:17. HOU – Sergio Castillo 30-yard field goal, 2:31. Roughnecks 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:32. Second quarter HOU – Nick Holley 6-yard pass from Phillip Walker (3-pt. good), 14:05. Roughnecks 15–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:08. DAL – Donald Parham 12-yard pass from Landry Jones (2-pt. good), 11:37. Roughnecks 15–8. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:30. DAL – Austin MacGinnis 46-yard field goal, 0:55. Roughnecks 15–11. Drive: 10 plays, 32 yards, 2:17. Third quarter HOU – Blake Jackson 19-yard pass from Phillip Walker (3-pt. failed), 5:23. Roughnecks 21–11. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 4:16. DAL – Lance Dunbar 1-yard rush (3-pt. good), 0:42. Roughnecks 21–20. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 4:39. Fourth quarter HOU – Edmond Robinson 12-yard fumble return (2-pt. failed), 11:48. Roughnecks 27–20. Top passers HOU – Phillip Walker – 25/41, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT DAL – Landry Jones – 25/38, 205 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers HOU – James Butler – 11 carries, 39 yards DAL – Lance Dunbar – 9 carries, 48 yards, TD Top receivers HOU – Nick Holley – 8 receptions, 97 yards, TD DAL – Flynn Nagel – 6 receptions, 76 yards

Week 5: Seattle Dragons

Week 5 — Seattle at Houston

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dragons	6	8	9	0	23
Roughnecks	0	14	6	12	32

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

• Date: Saturday, March 7
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST / 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Wind: NNE 5 mph
• Game attendance: 19,773
• Referee: Tra Blake ^[8]
• TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini (sideline)

Game information

First quarter SEA – B. J. Daniels 1-yard rush (2-pt. failed), 3:29. Dragons 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 3:18. Second quarter SEA – Trey Williams 17-yard rush (2-pt. good), 9:29. Dragons 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:59. HOU – Nick Holley 50-yard pass from Phillip Walker (3-pt. failed), 6:26. Dragons 14–6. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 3:04. HOU – James Butler 1-yard rush (2-pt. good), Tied 14–14. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 2:20. Third quarter SEA – Ernesto Lacayo 47-yard field goal, 10:51. Dragons 17–14. Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 4:12. SEA – B. J. Daniels 1-yard rush (2-pt. failed), 9:01. Dragons 23–14. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05. HOU – James Butler 8-yard rush (3-pt. failed), 7:03. Dragons 23–20. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:58. Fourth quarter HOU – Cam Phillips 5-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. failed), 9:08. Roughnecks 26–23. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:46. HOU – Cam Phillips 11-yard pass from Phillip Walker (1-pt. failed), 3:36. Roughnecks 32–23. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:42. Top passers SEA – B. J. Daniels – 14/22, 114 yards HOU – Phillip Walker – 27/38, 351 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers SEA – B. J. Daniels – 10 carries, 30 yards, 2 TD HOU – Andre Williams – 10 receptions, 54 yards Top receivers SEA – Austin Proehl – 3 receptions, 56 yards HOU – Cam Phillips – 10 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD

With the win, the Roughnecks finished their season 5–0. The remainder of their games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

1. "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS" . Retrieved March 23, 2020.
2. "XFL Standings". XFL.com. February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
3. "XFL 2020 Schedule Released, First Game Dragons @ Defenders" . Retrieved October 22, 2019.
4. Filipe, Cameron (February 6, 2020). "XFL Week 1 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
5. Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2020). "XFL Week 2 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
6. Filipe, Cameron (February 20, 2020). "XFL Week 3 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
7. Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2020). "XFL Week 4 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
8. Filipe, Cameron (March 5, 2020). "XFL Week 5 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 7, 2020.