Bay Area Panthers Return Saturday
July 9, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release
San Jose, CA - Saturday the Bay Area Panthers (1-13), The Bay's Indoor Football League (IFL) team, take on the defending United Bowl champion Massachusetts Pirates (9-5) as the Panthers look to build momentum into the off-season. Massachusetts enters the contest following a loss to Iowa last week but is still a lock for a playoff spot. Saturday marks the first meeting between the two franchises.
Players to Watch
The Bay Area Panthers continue to feature one of the most exciting rushing attacks in the IFL. Head Coach Kurt Bryan will continue to emphasize his innovative run scheme led by RB Duane Gary. Gray leads the team in rushing and ranks at the top of the league leaderboards as well. Coach Bryan has stuck to his preseason commitment to the run game as the Panthers rank #7 in rushing yards per contest. The Panthers will look for WR Isaiah Thomas to build on his solid performance last week (70 yds/2 TD) and will lean on him to alleviate the defensive pressure on the run game.
The Panthers Defense will have to fill the massive void left by Bay Area standout LB Derik (DJ) Calhoun's injury. Calhoun has been a model of consistency and production for DC Derrick Chachere and sits sixth in the IFL with 73 tackles. The Panthers will need a team effort defensively to replace Calhoun's production.
The Pirates enter the game with arguably the league's #1 receiving threat, WR Thomas Owens, who ranks in the top three of almost every metric. Owens is joined by RB Deddrick Thomas and QB Taz Wilson to round out the Pirates potent attack.
Game Notes
The Panthers have placed starting QB Joe Newman, OL Adam Sheffield and LB DJ Calhoun on IR
The game will be broadcast on TV (CW) as well as on YouTube and can be heard on 95.7 the game.
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Indoor Football League Stories from July 9, 2022
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