AFL Arena Football League

AFL Matchups: Battle of the Unbeatens in Week 6

Published on May 4, 2016 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


LAS VEGAS - The much-anticipated "Game of the Season" has the Arena Football League's last two unbeaten teams facing off when the Arizona Rattlers (5-0) travel to Amway Center to play the Orlando Predators (5-0) on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. Arizona head coach Kevin Guy has QB Nick Davila leading the AFL's No. 1 scoring offense (70.4 PPG), while Orlando head coach Rob Keefe has QB Randy Hippeard guiding the No. 2 scoring offense (62.2 PPG). Elsewhere, QB Tommy Grady and the Jacksonville Sharks (2-3) head to Cleveland to take on WR Collin Taylor and the Gladiators (1-4) on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET on WatchESPN. Reigning AFL MVP Dan Raudabaugh and the Philadelphia Soul (4-1) return home to the Wells Fargo Center to host the dual-threat of T.T. Toliver and Mike Washington and the Tampa Bay Storm (0-4) on Monday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET on Univision Deportes and WatchESPN. The final game of the weekend takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA when WR Jared Perry and the Portland Steel (0-4) travel to play WR Donovan Morgan and the Los Angeles KISS (2-3) on Monday, May 9 at 10 p.m. ET (WatchESPN).

WEEK 6 MATCHUPS

ARIZONA RATTLERS (5-0) AT ORLANDO PREDATORS (5-0)

Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

Play-by-play: Dave Ryan; Color: Sherdrick Bonner; Sideline: Tina Cervasio

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Arizona has the No. 1 rushing offense in the League (37.0 yards/game), while on the other side of the ball Orlando has the No. 1 rushing defense in the League (6.6 yards/game)... Rattlers QB Nick Davila and Predators QB Randy Hippeard sit tied for the lead in total offense touchdowns with 33 a piece...RATTLERS: Arizona looks to continue their undefeated season going after last week's 68-21 win over the Portland Steel at Talking Stick Resort Arena...The Rattlers are led by two-time Arena Bowl MVP QB Nick Davila who currently leads the AFL in pass efficiency with 130.6... Davila is coming off an impressive outing where he completed 14 of 18 passes for 246 yards and seven TDs...In five games against the Predators, Davila has 33 TD passes...Davila's favorite target is five-time All-Arena selection WR Rod Windsor who hauled in five catches for 91 yards and three TDs last week...Windsor is the League leader in TDs scored this season with 19... Windsor has caught a TD pass in 31 consecutive games played... The Rattlers defense is first in the League in turnover margin, led by DL Dimetrio Tyson, DL Luis Vasquez, DB Allen Chapman, and DB Arkeith Brown... Tyson and Vasquez are No. 1 and No. 2 in the AFL in sacks, respectively, combining for nine total sacks through five games... Chapman and Brown put pressure on the opposing quarterback and have combined for a total of 26 passes being broken up and five INTs... PREDATORS: Orlando returns to Amway Center looking to start the season 6-0 for the first time since 2003 after a 76-56 road win against the Cleveland Gladiators... Under center for the Predators is QB Randy Hippeard... Hippeard had an impressive outing last week completing 22-of-34 passes while throwing for 322 yards and seven TDs... The Virginia-Wise alum currently is No. 2 in the League in passing yards with 1,360 and total offense yards with 1,386... WR Brandon Thompkins is Hippeard's favorite target to throw to... Thompkins caught nine passes for 123 yards and five TDs, a rushing TD, and a kickoff return TD in last week's win on his way to the Under Armour Offensive Player of the Week... The former Red Wolf ranks first in kickoff return yards (647) and all-purpose yards (1,173)... Orlando's defense is No. 2 in turnover margin, led by DB Varmah Sonie and DB Kent Richardson... Sonie is ranked No. 2 and Richardson is ranked No. 3 in the League in total tackles on the season with 35.5 and 31.5 tackles, respectively... K Mark Lewis set a new AFL all-time career record with 1,100 successful PATs in his career.

JACKSONVILLE SHARKS (2-3) AT CLEVELAND GLADIATORS (1-4)

Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET (WatchESPN)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: SHARKS: All-Arena WR Joe Hills has caught at least one TD pass in 57 consecutive regular-season games played... Sharks' head coach Les Moss has enjoyed tremendous success against the Gladiators, as his Jacksonville teams hold an 8-1 edge in the all-time series... DB Greg Reid has recorded three INTs over the course of the last four games... FB Derrick Ross has rushed for at least one TD in each of the Sharks' last five games... WR Tiger Jones, who earned AFL Playmaker of the Game in the victory over Tampa Bay, has recorded 100 or more receiving yards in three of the Sharks' last four games... The Sharks return a veteran offensive line that proved to be one of the League's best a season ago. Moqut Ruffins, Ray McNeil and Cornelius Lewis combined with FB Derrick Ross to allow just eight sacks during the 2015 and has allowed just one sack through five games... GLADIATORS: QB/JLB Arvell Nelson made his first start for the Gladiators under center this past Friday night in the 76-56 loss to the Orlando Predators. In the defeat, Nelson threw for 332 yards, six TDs, and two INTs... WRs Quentin Sims and Larry Beavers both made their first starts as Gladiators alongside Collin Taylor in last weekend's defeat. Sims capitalized on his opportunity by catching four passes for 68 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile, Beavers caught eight passes for 95 yards and scored on a three-yard rush sweep. Beavers also tied a franchise and AFL record when he took a kickoff and raced 58 yards for a TD in the first quarter... For the season, DB Brandon Stephens leads the defense with 24.0 total tackles. Meanwhile, DB Joe Powell is No. 2 on the team in tackles with 21.5 and currently leads the team in INTs with four, despite only playing in three of the team's five games.

TAMPA BAY STORM (0-4) AT PHILADELPHIA SOUL (4-1)

Monday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET (Univision & WatchESPN)

Play-by-play: Jorge Perez-Navarro; Color: Ramses Sandoval; Sidelines: Xavier Sol

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: STORM: Rookie Storm quarterback Jonathan Bane made his starting debut, connecting on 21-of-38 passes for 281 yards and three TDs.... WR Mike Washington joined the team last week in a trade with the Arizona Rattlers. He opened the scoring with a 58-yard kick return for a TD which earned the AFL Highlight of the Week. Washington finished the night with four catches for 65 yards... Over the course of his 13-year career, T.T. Toliver has turned into one of the best receivers in league history. For his career, Toliver has 1,108 receptions for 14,499 yards and 282 TDs... Toliver recorded nine catches for 148 yards and two TDs in last week's loss to Jacksonville... DB James Harrell will be playing against the Soul for the sixth time...In five games, Harrell recorded 29.5 tackles, an INT returned for a TD and a missed field goal return of 27 yards... SOUL: QB Dan Raudabaugh was awarded the AFL MVP, First Team All-Arena, and Russell Offensive Player of the Year award in 2015... So far this season, he has completed 106-of-151 passes for 1,325 yards and 32 TDs... All-Arena WR Darius Reynolds is continuing his success in Philadelphia, with 38 catches for 456 yards, 12 receiving TDs and one rushing TD in his first four games... Reynolds earned AFL Playmaker of the Week for his 10 receptions for 134 yards and three TDs... DB Dwayne Hollis leads the team in INTS after the first five weeks of the season. So far this season, Hollis had 4 INTS for 69 yards, 20 tackles, four pass breakups, and returned one of those INTs for a TD... JLB Joe Goosby leads the Soul defense with 24.5 total tackles, while adding a fumble recovery and two INTs (one that was returned for a TD.)... Former All-Arena DL Teddy Jennings leads the team with 3.0 sacks.

PORTLAND STEEL (0-4) AT LOS ANGELES KISS (2-3)

Monday, May 9 at 10 p.m. ET (WatchESPN)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: STEEL: Former AFL Rookie of the Year Jared Perry is off to an outstanding season. The fifth-year receiver from Missouri has caught 29 passes and leads the team with 344 yards and five touchdowns in 2016... WR Tyrone Goard was acquired on April 13, since that time he's played in two games for the Steel and racked up 13 catches for 104 yards and four TDs. Goard played for head coach Ron James in 2014 with the Pittsburgh Power... Second-year kicker Ernesto Lacayo has converted 14-of-18 (78%) extra point attempts in the young 2016 season. The Hastings College product is now 68-of-77 (88.3%) on point after attempts in his AFL career... After beginning their 2016 season at home on April 1 against the Arizona Rattlers, the Steel have been on the road in what has turned out to be a road trip of epic proportions... After changing venue of the May 9th contest against the LA KISS, the Steel will have traveled over 14,138 miles and spent 33 hours and 16 minutes of total flight time in just over a month... DB Mike McMillan leads the solo defense with 12.5 total tackles (12 solo). He also has defended two passes... KISS: QB Nathan Stanley is fourth in the AFL with 249.6 yards of total offense per game and 244.8 passing yards per game. In addition, he ranks No. 7 in rushing yards (24)... WR DJ Stephens is ranked second in the AFL with 717 all-purpose yards. In addition, he is No. 7 in receiving yards (86.2/game) and No. 6 receptions (7.6/game)... WR Donovan Morgan is tied for No. 4 in the AFL with 60 points scored and is No. 7 with 13.1 yards per reception... FB Rory Nixon is No. 5 in the AFL with four rushing TDs. He also boasts the fourth highest yards per rush (2.3)... DB Clevan Thomas needs two INTs to be the second player in League history to tally 80 INTs... In Week 4, DL Derrick Summers became the 15th player in league history to record 40 sacks. Summers' 40 sacks puts him No. 4 among active players and he just one sack moving into third.

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