The
Renegades got off the schneid in a big way Saturday, with a 54-47 win
over the Oklahoma Defenders at Kemper Arena. After turnovers had marred
them in their first two games (both losses), KC played a clean game
Saturday, with just one turnover compared to three for the Defenders.
Protecting the ball was key. The KC offense had moved the ball in their previous games, but couldn’t recover from giveaways.
Last night that wasn’t an issue. Quarterback Dennis Gile threw 7 touchdown passes
on his way to a 19-27 day. He had to operate behind a makeshift
offensive line.
“[Gile]
played outstanding, the offensive line has to get a little better but
they hung in there,” coach Ken Matous said. “What’s amazing is that we
had a center who isn’t a center play most of the game [nose tackle
Brandon Ford], and he played against an All-AFL tenured vet Aaron
McConnell. He did a great job and helped us win this football game.”
The
score was 40-37 in the middle of a wild fourth quarter. The Defenders
were answering every Renegade touchdown with a score of their own. But
with two minutes to play, KC scored to go up 47-39. On the Defenders’
next drive, Oklahoma got inside the 20, but QB Rico Watkins’ pass fell
into the hands of Renegade Donte Moore.
Gile
led KC down the field for another score, putting the Renegades out of
Oklahoma’s reach. Oklahoma added one more score, but KC recovered the
kickoff, and Gile kneeled the clock dead.
The
Renegades, 1-2, face the undefeated Wichita Wild next Saturday at
Kemper Arena. Gile says getting the first win helps the team’s
confidence going into a tough matchup next week.
“Getting
the win lets guys come together instead of pointing fingers. Especially
on a team with this much talent, when you lose you point fingers
because you don’t understand why you’re losing,” Gile said. “But this
win shows that when we come together and play as a team, we can win
every game.”
Full Stats: http://www.cpifl.org/stats/KansasCity/
