2020 Los Angeles Wildcats season

American professional football season

Los Angeles Wildcats

The 2020 Los Angeles Wildcats season was the only season for the Los Angeles Wildcats 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 Wildcats played their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park and were led by head coach Winston Moss.

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]

Offseason

XFL Draft

Tier 1 Quarterback Allocations

Player Pos. College
Luis Perez QB Texas A&M–Commerce

Phase 1: Skill Players

Rnd. Pick # Player Pos. College
1 8 Elijah Hood RB North Carolina
2 9 Rashad Ross WR Arizona State
3 24 Nelson Spruce WR Colorado
4 25 Brandon Barnes TE Alabama State
5 40 Larry Rose III RB New Mexico State
6 41 KD Cannon WR Baylor
7 56 Martez Carter RB Grambling State
8 57 Keyarris Garrett WR Tulsa
9 72 Scott Orndoff TE Pittsburgh
10 73 Donteea Dye WR Heidelberg

Phase 2: Offensive line

Rnd. Pick # Player Pos. College
1 1 Storm Norton OT Toledo
2 16 Fred Lauina G Oregon State
3 17 Ryan Pope OT San Diego State
4 32 Jaelin Robinson OT Temple
5 33 Damien Mama G USC
6 48 Nico Siragusa G San Diego State
7 49 Ryan Cummings OT Wyoming
8 64 Lene Maiava OT Arizona
9 65 Tyler Roemer OT San Diego State
10 80 Anthony Morris OT Tennessee State

Phase 3: Defensive Front Seven

Rnd. Pick # Player Pos. College
1 4 Anthony Johnson DT LSU
2 13 Eric Pinkins LB San Diego State
3 20 Latarius Brady DT Memphis
4 29 Willie Mays DE Tiffin
5 36 Tre' Williams LB Auburn
6 45 Leon Orr DT Florida
7 52 Reggie Howard DT Toledo
8 61 Corey Vereen DE Tennessee
9 68 Adrian Hubbard DE Alabama
10 77 Owen Roberts DT San Jose State

Phase 4: Defensive backs

Rnd. Pick # Player Pos. College
1 5 Jack Tocho CB North Carolina State
2 12 Jaylen Dunlap CB Illinois
3 21 C.J. Moore CB North Carolina Central
4 28 Roman Tatum CB Southern Illinois
5 37 Jordan Powell S Widener
6 44 Ahmad Dixon S Baylor
7 53 Harlan Miller CB Southeastern Louisiana
8 60 Jerome Couplin S William & Mary
9 69 Mike Stevens CB North Carolina State
10 76 Bryce Cheek CB Akron

Phase 5: Open Draft

Player Pos. College
Adonis Jennings WR Temple
Shawn Oakman DE Baylor
Andrew Williams DT Auburn
Taiwan Jones LB Michigan State

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 Pacific

Week Day Date Kickoff TV Opponent Results Location
Score Record
1 Saturday February 8 2:00 p.m. Fox at Houston Roughnecks L 17–37 0–1 TDECU Stadium
2 Sunday February 16 12:00 p.m. ABC Dallas Renegades L 18–25 0–2 Dignity Health Sports Park
3 Sunday February 23 3:00 p.m. FS1 DC Defenders W 39–9 1–2 Dignity Health Sports Park
4 Saturday February 29 11:00 a.m. ABC at New York Guardians L 14–17 1–3 MetLife Stadium
5 Sunday March 8 6:00 p.m. ESPN Tampa Bay Vipers W 41–34 2–3 Dignity Health Sports Park
6 Sunday March 15 4:00 p.m. ESPN at Seattle Dragons Not played CenturyLink Field
7 Saturday March 21 2:00 p.m. Fox at St. Louis BattleHawks The Dome at America's Center
8 Sunday March 29 12:00 p.m. ABC Houston Roughnecks Dignity Health Sports Park
9 Sunday April 5 3:00 p.m. FS1 Seattle Dragons Dignity Health Sports Park
10 Thursday April 9 5:00 p.m. Fox at Dallas Renegades Globe Life Park in Arlington

[3]

Final roster

2020 Los Angeles Wildcats final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

  • 88 De'Quan Hampton
  • -- Ryan O'Malley
 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

  • 99 Latarius Brady DE
  • 90 Roderick Henderson NT
  • 97 Reggie Howard NT
  • 95 Alex Jenkins DE
  • 77 Shawn Oakman DE
  • 91 Boogie Roberts DE
  • 96 Andrew Stelter NT
  • 98 Devin Taylor DE
 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 82 Brandon Barnes TE (IR)
  • -- Ryan Cummings G (IR)
  • -- Toa Lobendahn G (IR)
  • 44 Willie Mays OLB (IR)
  • 70 Kahlil McKenzie G/C (IR)
  • -- Anthony Morris OT (IR)
  •  9 Nick Novak K (IR)
  • -- Damian Prince OT (IR)
  • 93 Trevon Sanders DE (IR)
  •  6 Colton Schmidt P (IR)


57 active, 10 inactive

Staff

2020 Los Angeles Wildcats staff

Front office

  • Director of player personnel – Joey Clinkscales
  • Director of football operations – Charles Bailey
  • Manager of football operations – Ty Knott

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Norm Chow
  • Running backs – Dave Atkins
  • Receivers – Mike Wilson
  • Offensive line – Jerry Fontenot
  • Offensive quality control – Kade Rannings
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive line – Vince Amey
  • Defensive backs – Otis Smith
  • Defensive quality control – Al Brown

Special teams coaches


Game summaries

Week 1: at Houston Roughnecks

Week 1 — Los Angeles at Houston
Period 1 2 34Total
Wildcats 8 9 0017
Roughnecks 6 12 81137

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: Saturday, February 8
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: ESE 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 17,815
  • Referee: Brandon Cruse[4]
  • TV announcers (Fox): 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 rushes, 43 yards
  • HOU – James Butler – 9 carries, 30 yards, TD
Top receivers

Week 2: vs. Dallas Renegades

Week 2 — Dallas at Los Angeles
Period 1 2 34Total
Renegades 0 3 31925
Wildcats 0 3 01518

at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: Sunday, February 16
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SW 3 mph
  • Game attendance: 14,979
  • Referee: Reggie Smith[5]
  • TV announcers (ABC): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (analyst), Pat McAfee (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
  • LA – Nick Novak 47-yard field goal, 3:11. Wildcats 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 4:39.
  • DAL – Austin MacGinnis 41-yard field goal, 0:11. Tied 3–3. Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 2:49.
Third quarter
  • DAL – Austin MacGinnis 45-yard field goal, 1:06. Renegades 6–3. Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 6:04.
Fourth quarter
  • LA – Nelson Spruce 6-yard pass from Josh Johnson (1-pt. failed), 11:57. Wildcats 9–6. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:05.
  • DAL – Cameron Artis-Payne 21-yard rush (1-pt. good), 9:00. Renegades 13–9. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:58.
  • DAL – Donald Parham 3-yard pass from Landry Jones (1-pt. failed), 5:02. Renegades 19–9. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 2:14.
  • LA – Nelson Spruce 44-yard pass from Josh Johnson (3-pt. good), 4:45. Renegades 19–18. Drive: 2 plays, 44 yards, 0:18.
  • DAL – Cameron Artis-Payne 17-yard rush (1-pt. failed), 1:14. Renegades 25–18. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:31.
Top passers
  • DAL – Landry Jones – 28/40, 305 yards, TD, 2 INT
  • LA – Josh Johnson – 18/34, 196 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers

Week 3: vs. DC Defenders

Week 3 – DC at Los Angeles
Period 1 2 34Total
Defenders 0 3 069
Wildcats 6 21 6639

at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, CA

  • Date: Sunday, February 23
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: N 3 mph
  • Game attendance: 12,211
  • Referee: Tra Blake[6]
  • TV announcers (FS1): Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • LA – Tre McBride 40-yard pass from Josh Johnson (2-pt. failed), 12:27. Wildcats 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:50.
Second quarter
  • LA – Larry Rose 1-yard rush (2-pt. good), 14:24. Wildcats 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:20.
  • LA – Tre McBride 28-yard pass from Josh Johnson (1-pt. failed), 8:47. Wildcats 20–0. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:19.
  • LA – Martez Carter 1-yard rush (1-pt. good), 4:48. Wildcats 27–0. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:32.
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 32-yard field goal, 0:30. Wildcats 27–3. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 0:56.
Third quarter
  • LA – Martez Carter 18-yard pass from Josh Johnson (1-pt. failed), 6:45. Wildcats 33–3. Drive: 7 plays, 96 yards, 2:47.
Fourth quarter
  • LA – Martez Carter 20-yard rush (1-pt. failed), 11:39. Wildcats 39–3. Drive: 7 plays, 94 yards, 3:45.
  • DC – Nick Brosette 38-yard rush (3-pt. failed), 7:33. Wildcats 39–9. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:08.
Top passers
  • DC – Cardale Jones – 13/26, 103 yards, 4 INT
  • LA – Josh Johnson – 18/25, 278 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
  • DC – Nick Brosette – 8 carries, 75 yards, TD
  • LA – Martez Carter – 11 carries, 34 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers

Week 4: at New York Guardians

Week 4 — Los Angeles at New York
Period 1 2 34Total
Wildcats 6 0 8014
Guardians 3 11 0317

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information
First quarter
  • NY – Matt McCrane 51-yard field goal, 5:51. Guardians 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 37 yards, 5:15.
  • LA – Tre McBride 4-yard pass from Josh Johnson (2-pt. failed), 0:07. 'Wildcats 6–3. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:43.
Second quarter
  • NY – Matt McCrane 23-yard field goal, 8:15. Tied 6–6. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 6:51.
  • NY – Mekale McKay 3-yard pass from Luis Perez (2-pt. good), 1:31. Guardians 14–6. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:32.
Third quarter
  • LA – Saeed Blacknall 42-yard pass from Josh Johnson (2-pt. good), 4:45. Tied 14–14. Drive: 4 plays, 81 yards, 1:47.
Fourth quarter
  • NY – Matt McCrane 47-yard field goal, 10:57. Guardians 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 26 yards, 4:18.
Top passers
  • LA – Josh Johnson – 25/40, 330 yards, 2 TD, INT
  • NY – Luis Perez – 18/26, 150 yards, TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
  • LA – Tre McBride – 8 receptions, 127 yards, 1 TD
  • NY – Colby Pearson – 5 receptions, 34 yards

Week 5: Tampa Bay Vipers

Week 5 — Tampa Bay at Los Angeles
Period 1 2 34Total
Vipers 10 14 01034
Wildcats 0 20 71441

at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, California

Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
  • TB –
  • LA –
Top rushers
  • TB –
  • LA –
Top receivers
  • TB –
  • LA –

References

  1. ^ "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS". Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "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 (6 February 2020). "XFL Week 1 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Filipe, Cameron (13 February 2020). "XFL Week 2 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Filipe, Cameron (20 February 2020). "XFL Week 3 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Filipe, Cameron (27 February 2020). "XFL Week 4 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Filipe, Cameron (5 March 2020). "XFL Week 5 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 7, 2020.