{"id":602504,"date":"2026-04-14T02:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T02:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/602504\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T02:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T02:32:14","slug":"dallas-renegades-hold-off-aviators-in-close-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/602504\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Renegades hold off Aviators in close contest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"620\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/UFL-2026-Dallas-Columbus-Renegades-OL-Strong-Jr-620x400.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumb size-post-thumb wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   data-attachment-id=\"203509\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.americanfootballinternational.com\/renegades-hold-off-aviators-in-close-contest\/ufl-2026-dallas-columbus-renegades-ol-strong-jr\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.americanfootballinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/UFL-2026-Dallas-Columbus-Renegades-OL-Strong-Jr.png\" data-orig-size=\"1200,804\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"UFL \u2013 2026 \u2013 Dallas-Columbus \u2013 Renegades OL Strong Jr\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.americanfootballinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/UFL-2026-Dallas-Columbus-Renegades-OL-Strong-Jr-1024x686.png\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Dallas Renegades (3-0) edged the\u00a0Columbus Aviators (0-3) 28-23 in a tightly contested game on Sunday in Dallas. Despite a strong effort from the visitors, Dallas capitalized on key moments to secure the victory.<\/p>\n<p>Aviators strike first<br \/>Columbus came out strong, scoring on their opening drive. John Lovett highlighted the march with 18 rushing yards, including a crucial fourth-down conversion. Quarterback Jalan McClendon then connected with Lovett for an eight-yard touchdown, marking Lovett\u2019s first score of the season. The Aviators\u2019 defense held Dallas to a quick three-and-out, showcasing their readiness to compete.<\/p>\n<p>However, Columbus missed an opportunity to extend their lead when Ryan Coe\u2019s 50-yard field goal attempt fell short. Dallas seized the moment, with Dae Dae Hunter breaking free for a 30-yard rush that set up a touchdown pass from Austin Reed to Deontay Burnett, tying the game at 7-7.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive plays shift momentum<br \/>McClendon continued to impress, leading Columbus back into scoring position and redeeming Coe with a 53-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. But disaster struck just before halftime when McClendon was intercepted by Shaun Wade, who lateralled the ball to Ajene Harris for a defensive touchdown, giving Dallas a 14-10 lead at the break.<\/p>\n<p>Renegades pull away in the second half<br \/>Dallas opened the second half with a methodical 14-play, 74-yard drive, capped off by a touchdown from Hunter, extending their lead to 21-10. The Renegades\u2019 defense struck again with an interception by Tre Fluellen, leading to another touchdown pass from Reed to Emmanuel Butler, pushing the score to 28-10.<\/p>\n<p>Columbus fought back, with McClendon orchestrating a touchdown drive that ended with Lovett\u2019s second score of the day. However, a failed two-point conversion and a missed fourth-down attempt sealed their fate.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas and Columbus will meet again next Friday night in Ohio, as both teams look to build on their performances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Dallas Renegades (3-0) edged the\u00a0Columbus Aviators (0-3) 28-23 in a tightly contested game on Sunday in Dallas. Despite&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":602505,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[3050,49,48,521,522,520,177037,172889,44,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-602504","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-american-football","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-canadian-football-league","12":"tag-canadianfootballleague","13":"tag-cfl","14":"tag-columbus-aviators","15":"tag-dallas-renegades","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}