Los Angeles’ newest football team, the Los Angeles Wildcats, had its inaugural game on Sunday afternoon. Despite a valiant effort in the first half, the Wildcats fell 37-17 on the road to the Houston Roughnecks.
Wildcats quarterback Chad Kanoff showed promise to kick off the game as the 25-year-old rushed in for a red-zone touchdown, the franchise’s first touchdown.
Kanoff’s game got better early in the second quarter when he threw an 11-yard lob to receiver Jordan Smallwood for a touchdown. Smallwood finished with 28 receiving yards.
Despite the solid start, Kanoff’s game fizzled out as he ended up completing 21 of 40 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Jacob McClendon entered the game in the middle of the second half but did not fare much better. He finished with one completion on four attempts and zero yards. Both quarterbacks also threw an interception.
The biggest star coming out of the Wildcats offense is former Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Nelson Spruce. His first outing ended with 11 receptions, totaling 103 yards. Spruce got the most looks during the game with 15 total targets.
Before putting on a Wildcats uniform, Spruce bounced around NFL rosters from the likes of the Rams, Chargers and Chiefs. Spruce even spent time in the now-defunct AAF, playing for the San Diego Fleet.
“I think we were able to move the ball pretty well,” said Spruce. “Finishing drives is gonna be a big thing for us going forward and eliminating turnovers...There’s a lot of firsts that come with playing the first game of the season.”
Turnovers were a big problem for the Wildcats during the game, as the interceptions thrown by Kanoff and McClendon gave the Roughnecks extra opportunities to score.
“It was very clear we didn’t play enough tonight,” said Wildcats head coach Winston Moss. “We moved the ball very well early on. As the game went on, I would assume Houston made some adjustments that gave our offense some trouble. In which that, they didn’t respond very well from.”
The Wildcat’s other Achilles’ heel came at the hands of Houston Roughnecks quarterback PJ Walker. The 24-year-old quarterback had a phenomenal night. Walker completed 23 out of 39 passes for 272 yards and finished the game with four touchdowns and one interception.
Despite the less than stellar results, the Wildcats will be home in Carson next week for their home opener. The Wildcats are set to take on the Dallas Renegades at the Dignity Health Sports Park at noon. Both teams are going to come into the game trying to earn their first win of the season.
The game is set to air nationally on ABC.