Rattlers take on Duke City in teams' third matchup of 2022
June 16, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Arizona Rattlers News Release
The six-time World Champion Arizona Rattlers take on the Duke City Gladiators for the third time in the 2022 IFL season on Saturday.
Arizona currently leads the season series 2-0 and will look to close out its final regular game against the Gladiators with another win.
Top quarterbacks face off
One thing is clear between the Rattlers and Gladiators heading into this weekend: they both know how to throw the ball.
Arizona quarterback and 2021 IFL MVP Drew Powell is neck-and-neck atop the IFL with Duke City quarterback Ramone Atkins in multiple statistical categories this year. Atkins leads the league in touchdown passes with 39, though Powell sits tied for second place with 35. Powell tops the IFL in passing yards thus far, but Atkins has thrown for just 47 yards less. Additionally, Powell's completion percentage of 65% is best in the league, but Atkins sits in second place with a percentage of 61%.
Wide receivers battle
A big help to the success of each quarterback has been the weapons surrounding them.
Atkins and Powell each possess at least one top target across the league. Five of the top ten leaders in receiving yards in the IFL are wide receivers for either the Rattlers or Gladiators, including Rattlers pass-catcher Braxton Haley, who ranks third with 565. He is behind Gladiators wide receiver Dello Davis, who leads the league with 736 yards.
Others that pop up in the top ten are Duke City's Jared Elmore and Greg Dent Jr., who rank fourth and sixth in the IFL in receiving yards respectively. Rattlers wide receiver/running back Jama Miles rounds out the group ranking seventh with 496.
Atkins has relied heavily on Davis, Elmore and Dent Jr. in 2022. The Duke City trio ranks within the top six of the IFL's receiving touchdowns leaderboard, which includes the No. 3 and No. 4 spots.
What gives?
With Duke City and Arizona being so tightly contested in the passing game, the Rattlers will be tasked with finding other holes within the Gladiators on Saturday.
While this is Arizona's third time seeing Duke City this season, familiarity has worked in the Rattlers' favor in 2022 - they are 3-1 in games that are a rematch this year.
Additionally, Arizona ranks second in the league in rushing yards per game, while the Gladiators allowed the third-most yards per contest in 2022.
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