Panthers Fall to San Diego in IFL Playoffs

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IFL Bay Area Panthers

Panthers Fall to San Diego in IFL Playoffs

July 29, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


SAN JOSE - Following the best regular-season in franchise history, the Bay Area Panthers closed their 2024 campaign with a 49-40 loss to the San Diego Strike Force in the first round of the Indoor Football League Playoffs.

Nate Davis threw six touchdown passes, four to Arthur Jackson III, as the Strike Force won the first playoff game in franchise history.

"Tonight, we didn't make the plays we needed in crunch time on either side of the football, including special teams," said Bay Area Head Coach Rob Keefe.

The Panthers (13-4) struck first when Daquan Neal scored on a 31-yard run on the opening possession. The touchdown capped a 45-yard drive on three straight runs.

Following a Davis 20-yard scoring pass to Jordan Kress, the Panthers regained the lead when Jazeric Peterson returned the kickoff 45 yards for his second return for a score in the last three games.

San Diego (11-6) capitalized on great field position after Craig Peterson's squib kick was fielded at the Panther's 19-yard line. Two plays later, Davis connected with Jackson from 10 yards out to tie the score at 14.

The teams alternated scores and Neal snapped the third tie of the half with a 2-yard TD run for a 28-21 lead with 47 seconds remaining.

The Strike Force cut the margin to 28-24 on Conor Mangan's 30-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Early in the third quarter, San Diego completed a 15-0 scoring run with a pair of Davis TD strikes to Jackson that sandwiched a missed field goal from Peterson. The Strike Force took a 36-28 lead with 1:25 to play in the period.

They would never surrender the lead as the Panthers closed to within two points on two occasions but were unable to convert on two-point conversions.

The Strike Force closed the scoring when Davis hooked up with Jackson from 10 yards out for a 49-40 advantage with 2:55 to play.

Neal finished the night with 17 rushes for 107 yards and four scores. He completed two of eight throws for 29 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Panthers won three of four regular season games with the Strike Force, including a 30-20 victory in the final regular season finale. The first three meetings were decided by a total of five points.

"That's a good team. You play them five times and they know everything that you do," said Neal. "We just didn't impose our will and were lackadaisical. It was a different vibe from the other games when we were the bullies."

Bay Area was looking to become the first IFL franchise to repeat as champions since Sioux Falls won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

"It's a shame to lose in such fashion because we had such a great regular season," said Keefe. "Hopefully, the players, organization and fans can look at this season as a building block to the future and beyond."

Neal ended the season with 23 rushing touchdowns to share the team lead with Shane Simpson and established a team record for quarterbacks. In 2023, Dalton Sneed rushed for 17 scores.

"It was a great season and definitely one of the best teams I've been on," said Neal. "We just didn't bring it all together tonight."

The Strike Force will face the Arizona Rattlers for the Western Conference Championship next Monday, August 5 in Glendale, AZ.

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