IFL Bay Area Panthers

Preview: Panthers V. Strike Force II

Published on July 7, 2023 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


By Monday's kickoff, the Panthers may know if they'll have a home playoff game while still needing help to secure the top seed in the Western Conference.

Bay Area escaped with a 54-51 win on April 30, coming back from 11 points down in the second quarter. There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter-the final change when JT Stokes caught a one-yard pass from Dalton Sneed as time expired. The score capped a textbook use of the clock on the last drive to secure the first road win in franchise history.

The game marked the debut of quarterback Nate Davis following the trade from Duke City. The former 49er shredded the Bay Area defense for 231 yards and five touchdowns. Kentrez Bell was his favorite target with 11 catches for 150 yards and three scores. Applying pressure to make Davis uncomfortable will be critical. Allowing the league's best pure thrower to pick apart a defensive is a recipe for disaster with the QB basically serving as the offensive coordinator. The run game was not factor, gaining only four yards on five carries.

The effort on the ground was not an anomaly-in the loss to Arizona, the Strike Force ran the ball only five times for 22 yards. Backup quarterback Rudy Johnson had 10 of those yards on three carries in the fourth quarter. In a two-point loss to Northern Arizona, the Strike Force ended with zero rushing attempts. For the year, San Diego is last in rushing yards per game with the fewest attempts per game.

Meanwhile, the Strike Force is the top passing team in the IFL with 200 yards a game through the air. Bay Area is ranked 11th against the pass but fifth in scoring defense. There will be no surprises with Davis putting the ball up. Defensive success will come down to applying pressure and the DBs covering at a high level. Bell has been Davis' favorite target with 72 catches to lead the league-22 touchdowns also tops in the IFL.

Dalton Sneed has 39 TD passes with only three interceptions, leading the league with the fewest interceptions for quarterbacks with more than 65 throws. Justin Rankin is second among running backs in rushing and leads all backs with 30 scores on the ground.

The Strike Force is 5-8, one game out of the final playoff spot and need to win their last two games to jump Northern Arizona for the fourth seed. San Diego has won 3 of 5 and gave Arizona a run before a last-ditch onside kick was recovered by the Rattlers to preserve the win.

If Tucson loses at Duke City, then Bay Area will have the second seed before taking the field on Monday. A win for the Sugar Skulls clinches a playoff spot and forces the Panthers to defend their home field to clinch the second seed.

Players Mentioned

#11 Dalton Sneed

QB 6' 2" 1 1

#2 Justin Rankin

RB 5' 10" 1 2

#8 JT Stokes

WR 6' 1" 1 2

Players Mentioned

#11 Dalton Sneed

6' 2" 1 1 QB

#2 Justin Rankin

5' 10" 1 2 RB

#8 JT Stokes

6' 1" 1 2 WR

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Indoor Football League Stories from July 7, 2023


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