The Dallas Renegades took their unbeaten start into Sunday’s game against the Columbus Aviators at Toyota Stadium in suburban Frisco, Texas, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Dallas entered at 2-0 under new coach Rick Neuheisel and had not trailed in either of its first two games.
The Renegades earned that start by beating the Houston Gamblers and then the St. Louis Battlehawks 31-15 on Tuesday night, when Tyler Vaughns set UFL single-game receiving records with 11 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Reed threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns, Dae Dae Hunter ran for 71 yards on 10 carries, Qwynnterrio Cole and Shaun Wade intercepted passes, and Steven Jones Jr. broke up three more.
That performance gave Dallas the kind of balance that wins early in a season. Vaughns was the headline, but the numbers behind him were just as sharp: Reed kept the offense moving, Hunter gave the Renegades a running game, and the defense turned St. Louis mistakes into stops.
Columbus arrived with a much different feel at 0-2 after a 44-26 loss in its home debut against the defending champion DC Defenders on April 3. Jalan McClendon threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in that game, but he also finished 23-of-37 for 157 yards with one interception, and DC answered with four rushing touchdowns. McClendon led the Aviators on the ground with 55 yards on eight carries.
The visitors also came in after a difficult week off the field. Ted Ginn Jr. was arrested on DWI charges in Euless, Texas, on Saturday, and offensive coordinator Todd Haley assumed the head-coaching duties on Sunday. That shift left Columbus trying to steady itself just as it faced one of the league’s best early-season starts.
What happens next is simple enough to say and hard to pull off: Dallas is trying to turn a fast, clean opening into a longer unbeaten run, while Columbus is looking for a first win under a different voice and with little margin left to waste.
