An injury-riddled Providence team found resilience in a band of unsung heroes and an all-league performance from its quarterback to post a 24-6 victory over the Portland Thunder last night. The Islanders played the game with their leaders in sacks, touchdown receptions and receiving yards sidelined for the game.

In their absence, Eliseo Towne was not to be denied. The field general of Providence connected on 26 of his 28 passing plays, including touchdown throws of 43, 49 and 2 yards as part of a 297-yard throwing night. The first two of those scoring throws went to Joseph Leak, who finished the night with 4 receptions for 112 yards. Leak, listed as the No. 4 wide-out on the roster, had just 11 receptions for 139 yards entering the contest but made the most of the opportunities when the team needed it.

The same could be said of Gary Porter, who found himself starting in the backfield without his familiar supporting number. Porter finished the night with 122 combined rushing and receiving yards, roughly 1/4 of his season output to date. On the defensive side of the ball, Mark Laplante was the surprise of the night, finishing with four tackles and three sacks after recording just three tackles in the team's first seven games and one sack in his first 65 XFL games.

"When you're beat up like we are, you need people to step up, and we definitely had that tonight," said a happy Providence coach Cody Rogowski, who saw his time improve to 4-3-1 at the midway point of the year, half a game behind Philadelphia for the top spot in the division.

The Islanders are at Washington (3-5) for a divisional showdown this week. Providence will be going for the season sweep after taking a narrow 15-13 win from Washington at home back in Week 2. The good news for Providence fans is that both team touchdown leader William Campbell and leading receiver Tim Boyer are forecast to be back for that game. No such luck on the defensive side where the prognosis on Phillip Prince has him out for at least another week.

On a night where Providence had no business being in the game, the Islanders somehow found a way to force Washington into overtime before falling by a 19-16 final count. The outcome did absolutely nothing to help sort out the mosh pit of mediocrity that is the NXC East this season.

The Islanders' offense could do absolutely nothing for the bulk of the game as Washington built a 16-0 lead that seemed ironclad through three-plus quarters. With the O unable to do anything, the Islanders eventually got a spark from the defense. Mark Laplante, starting another game in place of team sack leader Phillip Prince, once again made the most of the opportunity, poking the ball free on a sack and recovering it at the Washington 4. The turnover set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Gary Porter. William Campbell raced in with the 2-point conversion to halve the score.

With time running down, Providence mustered its only real drive of the night in the final 3:26. Quarterback Eliseo Towne, who spent much of the game looking like a candidate for the league's substance abuse program after throwing three interceptions, found RIchard Perez for a 41-yard touchdown completion with 1:41. Once more, Campbell, back from injury, took the 2-point conversion across. Miraculously, the score was tied.

With Washington threatening to drive down for a game-winning field goal attempt, Laplante again came up with a key sack. Remember, he only had 1 in 65 career XFL games before uncorking three last week and two more tonight!

Providence won the overtime coin toss, but failed to pick up a first down. Washington worked the ball from its own 24 to the Islanders' 39 to set up James Gonzales' game-winning 57-yard field goal that was never in doubt from the second it left his toe.

Perez finished with 89 receiving yards for the Islanders, nearly half of the team's game total. Kenneth Conway had 12 tackles and a sack for the Providence defense. Craig Chang added an additional 10 stops for a defense that was on the field for nearly 47 minutes.

The loss returns the Islanders to the .500 mark at 4-4-1 for the season. The team remains just a half-game out of first as only a single game divides first from last place in the NXC East division. Providence heads to Brooklyn, also 4-4-1, for another key divisional battle next week.

Gary Porter ran for 101 yards and caught 9 passes for an additional 62 yards as the Providence Islanders went into Brooklyn and delivered a 26-17 victory for Rhode Island fans. As one might imagine, the New York folks who recall the Islander franchise leaving the city during the off-season were none too friendly.

Eliseo Towne found the perfect way to take the crowd out of the contest, however. The Islanders' gunslinger looked like a completely different person as he linked up with Richard Perez for a 52-yard touchdown on Providence's first possession. Robert Casillas added the first of his four field goals in the game, a 43 yarder, on the team's second possession for a quick 10-0 lead they would never relinquish.

Towne added a second-half TD pass to Joseph Wyrick as the Islanders built their lead up to 26-3 with less than 9 minutes remaining in the game. Brooklyn scored a pair of late-game touchdowns to give the final margin less sting.

For the night, Towne was 29-for-36 for 289 yards. He looked nothing like the imposter that threw three interceptions the week before. Perez led the team with 87 receiving yards.

With the victory, the Islanders improve to 5-4-1 this season. Combined with other action around the league, that's good enough to lift them into first place in the NXC East for at least this week. The division remains a muddled mess with all four teams separated by a mere one game in the standings.

Providence hosts Cincinnati (7-3) for its next action.

Eliseo Towne caught Cincinnati in a late-game blitz and arced a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown to Thomas Everett with 49 seconds remaining to give the Providence Islanders a 17-13 victory. The late-game dagger came just 22 seconds after Cincy had appeared to burst the Providence bubble with a late-game touchdown of its own.

"I saw both safeties coming, which meant there was nobody deep, so I just threw it up in Thomas' direction," said Towne. "He made a nice move on the corner and once he gets a step he's just so fast and so strong out there that not many people in the league are going to catch him and haul him down."

The winning pass was Towne's second TD throw of the night. He also opened the scoring with a 15-yard strike to Tim Boyer as Providence built a 10-0 halftime lead. Cincy kicked a pair of field goals to get within 10-6, but needed an 83-yard drive in the final 4 minutes of the game before they took a lead.

Towne finished with 282 yards of passing as the Islanders improved to 6-4-1 for the season. Providence heads to Philadelphia (6-5) for a game that will decide leadership in the NXC East.

William Campbell rushed for a trio of touchdowns and the Islanders survived a late scare to overcome Philadelphia 31-26 in a battle for NXC East leadership. The win flipped the script on a 31-10 loss to the Eagles in Providence earlier this season.

Campbell only carried the ball 8 times in the contest, and only gained 38 yards. But in doing so, he proved that it isn't how many yards you pick up, but where you gain them at as he became a consistent threat at the goal line for the Islanders. Campbell also hauled in a pair of passes in the contest for 57 yards as the XFL recognized his efforts as one of its players of the week.

Surprisingly, the three touchdowns by Campbell were his first on the ground this season.

Eliseo Towne was 23-for-30 for 333 yards overall, but did have a pair of interceptions that turned into 10 Philadelphia points. With the game hanging in the balance, he was able to direct the team on a 61-yard march late that ended with an important field goal to provide Providence with some insurance points.

Gary Porter added 145 yards rushing and receiving for Providence. Gregory Raymond hauled in five receptions for a team-best 93 yards. Anthony Killinger had 11 tackles for the Islanders' defense. Phillip Prince added a trio of sacks to demonstrate that he is fully healed from his mid-season injury struggles.

The win puts Providence squarely in control of its postseason destiny. The Islanders (7-4-1) lead the division by a game and a half over both Philadelphia and Washington. Those two teams square off this week with all of Providence cheering hard for a tie outcome. The Islanders, meanwhile, host Cleveland (0-11-1).

Eliseo Towne's 54-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Everett put the Islanders on top for good as they overcame a pesky Cleveland squad 16-9 last night. In doing so, the team maintained its game and a half lead in the NXC East.

Towne finished 24-for-27 through the air for 221 yards and the Islanders had a long touchdown run called back on a holding penalty against a Cleveland team that certainly put up a struggle. Larry Ellsworth had 10 tackles for the defense as the offense was largely devoid of any other elements to discuss in this one.

Robert Casillas was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, connecting from 54, 42 and 48 yards away.

Providence (8-4-1) hosts Brooklyn (5-7-1) for its next action. The Islanders have also assured themselves of the team's first winning season in franchise history. The previous franchise-best mark came in the 2019 season when the then-New York based team finished 7-9.

PANDEMONIUM IN PROVIDENCE!!

The first season of Rhode Island football will long be remembered as the Islanders sealed the franchise's first trip to the postseason with a pair of late game touchdowns for a 31-14 win over visiting Brooklyn. Combined with Washington's loss to Atlanta, Providence wrapped up the NXC East title and a spot in the league's playoffs.

For GM RedNU, whose team won just two of its first six games and was expected to win just 5.5 games this season according to Vegas' preseason forecast, it was almost too much for words.

"We said when we brought this franchise here that we wanted to give the city a team it could get behind," RedNU said to a raucous crowd of 63,781 fans who stayed to celebrate despite wind chills dropping into the upper 20s. "We couldn't be prouder. We have amazing fans. You;ve been a huge part of this. We've had some miserable weather and some great football. We'll see you here in three weeks for the postseason!"

Eliseo Town hit William Campbell with a 17-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring for Providence. Robert Casillas added a 41-yard field goal to give the Islanders a 10-0 lead which Brooklyn trimmed to 10-7 at intermission.

David Reagan pulled down a 53-yard touchdown in the third period to re-establish the ten point margin, only to see Brooklyn nullify the effort with an 86-yard catch-and-run by James Jett late in the quarter. The score sent a nervous murmur about the stadium as it seemed the outcome of the game could hang on one big play.

With just over five and a half minutes to play, the Islanders got that play. Thomas Everett dodged a jam at the line of scrimmage to catch a quick slant and win a one-on-one footrace to the end zone for a 72-yard score. Campbell added an 8-yard touchdown run for insurance on the first play after the two minute warning to give the game its final margin.

Providence, 9-4-1 for the season, heads south to Birmingham to face the 12-2 Thunderbolts.

nevermind

Real life coaching has interfered in my celebration of online coaching glory, but here we are at the post-season Providence fans. If your playoff hangover has been anything like mine, man do we need to get in form!

Providence continues to surge into Wild Card Week riding a seven-game streak after an unexpected 24-12 road win at Birmingham, followed by a 19-10 victory at Los Angeles. Their reward is a rematch against Arizona, which is only fitting considering the first encounter ended in a 28-28 stalemate. That tie was only possible thanks to a 41-yard Robert Casillas field goal with 1 second remaining on the clock.

So lets size up Round 2 with a tale of the tape

ARIZONA (10-4-2) AT PROVIDENCE (11-4-1) [Vegas Line: Islanders -2]

Scoring per game -- Arizona 19.7 (8th), Providence 20.6 (7th)
Passing YPG -- Arizona 250.9 (4th), Providence 242.7 (6th)
Rushing YPG -- Arizona 91.4 (13th), Providence 94.8 (9th)
Total YPG -- Arizona 342.3 (6th), Providence 337.5 (7th)

Scoring defense -- Arizona 11.4 (11th), Providence 16.9 (t-22nd)
Passing YPG against -- Arizona 185.1 (12th), Providence 220.3 (26th)
Rushing YPG against -- Arizona 83.3 (16th), Providence 93.9 (24th)
Total YPG against -- Arizona 266.1 (13th), Providence 307.6 (28th)
Turnover margin -- Arizona +1 (13th), Providence -10 (31st)

FG kicking -- Arizona 18/22, Providence 29/31
Net Punting -- Arizona 42.7, Providence 44.0

FINAL THOUGHTS -- When you stare at those numbers, a question immediately comes to your mind. How in the **** are the Islanders actually playing in this game? Quite honestly, I don't know. If defense wins championships, this is a team that has no business being here as a team that ranks 22nd in scoring defense and 28th in yards allowed. Throw in a -10 turnover ratio and there's really only one answer -- magic. The 2022 season has been a magical ride for first-time Providence football fans and the team is riding a wave of excitement into the game with seven consecutive victories and having won 9 of the team's last 10 contests. This is one of those years where destiny seems to be moving the pieces and to **** with what the numbers say, and fans should come out and enjoy the ride just to see how much longer it lasts. DE Philip Prince, team-leader in sacks, might miss the contest as he recovers from a knee injury for the Islanders. He's listed as questionable for the contest. FB David Williams is doubtful with a hand injury for Arizona, but also has just two carries and one reception to show for the season.

Eliseo Towne threw for three touchdown passes and William Campbell ran in for another as the Providence Islanders dominated their first postseason appearance by a final score of 31-9. The Islanders' Christmas playoff present is a date with the Gangsters next week, but more on that later.

After playing Arizona to a stalemate in their regular season encounter, the Islanders took no chances in the rematch. After fumbling away their first possession at the Cardinals' 45, Providence marched 78 yards in 9 plays on their second possession. Towne's 20-yard completion to Tim Boyer did the trick for a 7-0 lead.

With a stadium-record crowd of 82,566 stomping their feet and screaming their frozen nuts off in 14-degree wind chills (the kickoff temp was 30 degrees with a 32 mph wind howling in), James Dickson helped them break the decibel meter with a pick of Richard Pinto's first down pass of the ensuing series. That enabled Towne to throw a quick-hitter to Richard Perez to open the second quarter and give Providence a 14-0 advantage.

That proved more than enough as Providence's much-questioned defensive unit entering the contest limited Arizona to just 35 yards in the first half.

"Coming into tonight, everyone was saying we weren't a good enough unit to win in the playoffs," said MLB Harry Brown. "We knew we had to step up and make believers out of people. They ain't got weather like this in Arizona, but we're used to playing in it all the time."

And the Islanders continued playing. Providence marched the second half kickoff down to set up a 44-yard Robert Casillas field goal and extend the lead to 17-0. On their next possession, the Islanders burned more than 7 minutes from the clock marching 80 yards in 12 plays as Towne found a wide-open Campbell coming out of the backfield for a 16-yard TD.

Arizona scored a quick TD in response with Richard Pinto hitting Luis Tee for a 57-yard TD. The play nearly doubled the Cards' offensive output to that point in the game. Arizona moved the ball again for an Oscar Owens 39-yard field goal on its next possession, but would only net one more first down the remainder of the night.

Campbell scored his second TD after the Providence defense held on downs and got the ball back deep in Arizona territory to give the game its final margin. Campbell finished with 76 combined rushing and receiving yards. Backfield mate Gary Porter added 96 rushing/receiving yards. TIm Boyer hauled in 10 Towne passes for 94 receiving yards.

Towne, who finished 29-for-35 for 274 yards, and Boyer were both honored by the league for their wildcard week play. Towne was the Player of the Week among the four games played.

Providence, winners of their last eight games in a row, travel inland to Gem City to face the Gangsters (15-1). The game will be a rematch from Week 4 when the Gangsters embarrassed the Islanders by a 34-0 count.

We'll break that game down tomorrow after our fingers have thawed and our hangovers have worn off. Until then, party on Providence!