# 2020 Houston Roughnecks season

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.

## Standings

2020 XFL standingsvte :
| East Division ||||||||||||||
| 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 ||||||||||||||
| 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 | Results | Location |
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Score | Record | Location |
| 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 | Not played | MetLife Stadium |
| 7 | Sunday | March 22 | 5:00 p.m. | FS1 | DC Defenders | Not played | Not played | TDECU Stadium |
| 8 | Sunday | March 29 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | at Los Angeles Wildcats | Not played | Not played | Dignity Health Sports Park |
| 9 | Thursday | April 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Fox | Dallas Renegades | Not played | Not played | TDECU Stadium |
| 10 | Saturday | April 11 | 1:00 p.m. | ABC | at Seattle Dragons | Not played | Not played | CenturyLink Field |

## Game summaries
### Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Wildcats

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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.