there are protrusions on the spider you are using for comparison (I lightened it in photoshopped and can see them clearly). I don't know if anything else looks like this, but this seems like a good ID to me.

here,this one may help for future ids of an adult male.

Levi (1976) confirms this (2nd tibia) and adds that arenata is the only Verrucosa species occurring north of Mexico (essentially the eastern US, with Iowa as the northwest point, and then south to Panama and including Cuba).

He also adds:
Verrucosa arenata makes a large, loose web low in trees each morning or evening and removes it after sunrise; this species rests head up in its web, the reverse of the usual orb-weaver resting position. (Could be added to the info page if it's not already there.)

Thanks for photographing this interesting specimen.

-K

this,I can say that they must be the main target for spider wasp here,
I examined a few spider wasp nest which were full of
Verrucosa.