Frisco Hosts Massachusetts in Battle of the Undefeated
Published on April 14, 2023 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Orlando Pirates News Release
All eyes in the Indoor Football League need to look no further than to this Saturday for the game of the week as the 2-0 Massachusetts Pirates will play their first road game of the year in Frisco, Texas against the 3-0 Fighters. The Eastern Conference rivals, who each enjoyed a bye week, have occupied the top two spots in the league's Coaches Poll since week three. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
The Last Meeting: March 14, 2022
Josh Gable's 33-yard field goal as time expired gave the Massachusetts Pirates a 30-27 victory over the Frisco Fighters at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center. It was the first game played in the Indoor Football League in 2022. Former Pirates Head Coach Rayshaun Kizer was a winner in his coaching debut.
The game featured great defensive play for the first three quarters. The Fighters led 13-10 at the half and a 24-yard field goal by Gable tied the contest as the teams headed to the final quarter.
Frisco opened the fourth quarter with quarterback Blake Sims finding wide receiver Laquvionte Gonzalez with a five-yard touchdown strike to put the Fighters up by seven. The Pirates offense responded, scoring on its next two possessions. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield found the endzone on a 15-yard run and after a missed field goal by Frisco's Ricky Aguayo, Bennifield threw his second touchdown pass of the night. This time he found Dontez Byrd for a score and Massachusetts led 27-20.
The Fighters were not finished. Justin Rankin scored his third touchdown of the night on a dazzling 19-yard jaunt to tie the game with 2:05 to play. Massachusetts started its final drive at midfield and advanced the ball to the 10 aided by penalties for an illegal defense and roughing the passer. The Pirates could go no further and on third and goal from the 18, Gable came on to kick the game winning 33-yard field goal for the 30-27 win as time ran out.
Gable finished making three of his seven three-point attempts and accounted for 12 points overall. Bennifield was 11 of 24 passing for 105 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He was also the Pirates leading rusher with 23 yards on five carries and a score. Massachusetts' leading receiver was Isaac Zico who had four receptions for 52 yards. Defensively, linebacker Naashon Hughes led the team with 7.5 tackles. DB Chucky Williams added six tackles and a tackle for a loss.
The Series:
The Pirates are 3-1 all-time against the Fighters, winning the last three meetings. That run includes a 43-22, 2021 playoff victory over Frisco in the semifinals, leading the Pirates to the United Bowl Championship.
The Last Time Out:
The Pirates ran their record to 2-0 on the season with a come from behind victory over the Bay Area Panthers 59-52 at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center. Quarterback Anthony Russo threw four touchdown passes in his first professional start, filling in for the injured Alejandro Bennifield, and running back Jimmie Robinson carried eight times for 52 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. Robinson also returned a kickoff 50 yards for a touchdown and caught one pass for six yards to emas178 all-purpose yards in the contest.
The Pirates trailed 38-30 at halftime but the defense allowed only 14 second half points. Russo engineered four straight touchdown drives to start the second half. Massachusetts tied the game at 38 all with a two-yard touchdown run by Robinson and with Russo connecting with Darren Carrington with a two-point conversion pass. Russo's seven-yard strike to Carrington tied the game at 45, and with 9:58 to play, wide receiver Thomas Owens went over the wall making a touchdown grab to equal the score at 52. The Pirates defense then shut down the Panthers on fourth down which led to a five-yard run by Robinson for the final points of the game. One final stop by the Massachusetts defense put the game away.
Russo finished the game 12 of 19 passing for 127 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Owens pulled in five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns while Carrington added five catches for 34 yards and a score. Linebacker Brendon White led the Pirates defense with 13 tackles including one for a loss. Defensive back Harlan Miller added eight tackles and broke up two passes.
The Fighters also came from behind in the final quarter last week to defeat the Duke City Gladiators on the road 60 to 55. Quarterback T.J. Edwards hit Jerminic Smith with an 11-yard pass to take a 41-40 lead with 7:50 remaining in the game. Levi Watson intercepted a Nate Davis pass and returned it eight yards for a touchdown and Jimmy Smith added a nine-yard touchdown run to complete the comeback.
Edwards was 16 of 26 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 14 times for 49 yards and three scores while Jimmy Smith carried 11 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. Jerminic Smith had five receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Frisco defensive back Shaq Bond had six tackles, two interceptions and broke up a pass for the winners.
Team Stats:
The Pirates lead the Indoor Football League averaging 57 points per game while the Fighters are right behind at 56.7. On defense, Frisco ranks second allowing 31.7 ppg while Massanchusetts ranks ninth at 46.5.
This game may shape up to be a classic run vs. pass match up. Frisco is fifth in the IFL in rushing averaging 93.7 yards per game while the Pirates 72-yard average is ninth in the league. Conversely, Massachusetts passes for 156 yards per game (5th), while the Fighters rank 11th throwing for 121.7 yards per contest.
Massachusetts has an offensive efficiency rating of 95.7 which is tops in the IFL. Frisco's defensive efficiency rating is 95.1 which is second in the league. The Pirates average the most first downs in the league with 19 per game compared to 18.3 for Frisco, which ranks fifth. On defense, the fighters yield only 15 first downs per game (3rd) while Massachusetts allows 15.5 per game, which is fifth best. Both teams are very good with third down conversions. The Pirates are number one at 62.5 percent while the Fighters are third at 53.8.
Looking for an Edge:
The Pirates have converted 13 of 14 extra points. The Fighters lead the IFL with eight interceptions. In the red zone, Frisco has scored 13 touchdowns (2nd) while the Pirates have scored 10 (5th).
Players to Watch: (IFL Ranking)
Pirates running back Jimmie Robinson is fifth in the IFL averaging 63 yards per game. He is also tied for second with five rushing touchdowns and in scoring with 18 points per game. Robinson is seventh in rushing with 126 yards and leads the league in all-purpose yards with 166 per contest.
Fighters QB T.J, Edwards leads the IFL five categories with ten rushing touchdowns, 160 rushing yards, 36 attempts and in scoring average with 20 points per game. He is also sixth averaging 53.3 yards per game.
Frisco running back Ed Wesley is tied for second scoring 18 points per game.
Massachusetts quarterbacks Alejandro Bennifeld and Anthony Russo have only played one game each but still show in the rankings. Bennifield is first with an efficiency rating of 208.1 and also leads the IFL with an 85.7 completion percentage. He is second averaging 188 passing yards per game. Bennifield is third in total yards with 207.0 per game. Russo is third in efficiency (181.2) and seventh completing 61.1 percent of his passes.
Edwards of Frisco is second with 71 attempts and 44 completions. He is sixth, completing passes at a rate of 62 percent. Edwards is ninth in total yards averaging 180.7.
Pirates' receiver Thomas Owens is currently eighth averaging 13.8 yards per catch while Jerminic Smith of the Fighters is seventh with 14 total receptions.
Kicker Josh Gable of the Pirates leads the IFL averaging 11.0 kicking points per game. Bryce Crawford of Frisco is second (10.3 ppg). Gable is also number one making 75 percent of his field goals. Through three games Crawford leads the league with 22 extra point attempts, 16 made PAT, five field goals and 31 total kicking points. He is fourth with seven attempted field goals. His field goal percentage of 71.4 ranks him second.
Pirates' kick returner Jimmie Robinson is sixth, averaging 23.4 yards per return with one touchdown. The Fighters Charles Headen III is second with a 26.4 average and has two scores on the season. Pirates receiver/kick returner Jovon Durante is fifth in the IFL with 113 all-purpose yards per game while Headen is ninth averaging 100 per contest.
Pirates' linebacker Brendon White is third in the IFL averaging 7.8 tackles per game and is seventh with a total of 15.5. Defensive back Harlan Miller is tied for sixth with three passes broken up and is eighth averaging 1.5 passes defended per game.
For the Fighters, defensive back Kordell Jackson is second with 20.5 tackles and eighth averaging 6.8 per contest. Jackson is first with nine passes defended and tied for the league lead with seven passes broken up. He ranks third with 2.67 passes defended per game. He and teammate Michael Lovett each have two interceptions. Defensive back Trayshon Foster is tenth with 2.5 tackles for a loss and is eighth averaging 1.25 TFL per night.
The Coaches:
Mark Stoute is now 2-0 as the Head Coach of the Pirates. Stoute joined the organization in June of 2021 as a senior advisor. He served as Offensive Coordinator last season.
Stoute is the fifth head coach in Pirates history and has 27 years of coaching experience in the indoor game. He had his most success as a head coach from 2012 to 2016 with the Cedar Rapids Titans leading them to four-straight playoff appearances. After an impressive 2013 season, Stoute was named the IFL Coach of the Year.
Billy Back is in his second season with the Fighters. Back joined Frisco last season after coaching the Spokane Shock into the playoffs in 2021. Back is 6-3 lifetime against the Pirates having coached against Massachusetts with Spokane and with the Carolina Cobras of the National Arena League. He has an overall record of 130-48 in 10 seasons and is a five-time Indoor Football Champion as a head coach.
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