AAF San Antonio Commanders

San Antonio Commanders Travel to Arizona Hotshots on Sunday, March 10

Published on March 5, 2019 under Alliance of American Football (AAF)
San Antonio Commanders News Release


San Antonio Commanders (2-2)

at

Arizona Hotshots (2-2)

Sunday, March 10, 2019 - 7 p.m. CT

Tempe, Ariz. - Sun Devil Stadium

Television: NFL Network

SETTING THE SCENE

- The San Antonio Commanders head west for a showdown with the Arizona Hotshots in week five of the inaugural season in the Alliance of American Football on Sunday, March 10 at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network with Matt 'Money' Smith (play-by-play), and Marvin Lewis (analyst) on the call.

- This is the first-ever matchup between the two teams. They'll face off later this season in week eight when the Hotshots travel to San Antonio for a rematch.

- San Antonio is coming off a 12-11 win over previously undefeated Birmingham on the road, while Arizona suffered a 14-11 defeat to Atlanta at home in week four.

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

- HEAD COACHES: San Antonio's Mike Riley and Arizona's Rick Neuheisel have faced off four times as head coaches. When Riley was the head coach at Oregon State and Neuheisel at UCLA, the pair coached against each other from 2008-2011. Both coaches came away with two wins, so Sunday's contest will serve as the rubber match between the two.

- CONFERENCE SHOWDOWN: Week five marks the midway point of the season and serves as a pivotal game for both teams. The Western Conference foes share the same record and can both take a big step toward the playoffs with a win on Sunday.

- OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE: San Antonio's defense bounced back in week four with a strong performance in Birmingham when it held the Iron to a season-low 11 points. The Commanders' defense will need another stellar game on Sunday as Arizona's 21.0 points per game are tied for second in the Alliance.

- TIME OF POSSESSION: The most effective way of slowing down a potent offense is by keeping it off the field. San Antonio has done that all season, possessing the ball for an Alliance-best 33:41 per game.

- THIRD DOWN MATTERS: Sunday's contest pits the best third down team in the Alliance in San Antonio versus the Alliance's worst third down team in Arizona. In order for the Commanders to win the possession battle, they'll need to continue its trend of converting on third down.

FARROW II NAMED ALLIANCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

- Commanders running back Kenneth Farrow II was named the Alliance of American Football week four offensive player of the week on March 5.

- Farrow rushed 30 times for 142 yards (4.7 yards per carry) in the Commanders' 12-11 win over the Birmingham Iron on March 3. Farrow's 142 rushing yards set an Alliance single-game record and came against the Iron's stout run defense, which ranked second in the league entering week four.

- Farrow enters the fifth week of games ranked second in the Alliance with 280 total rushing yards on 66 carries. His 4.2 yards per carry ranks sixth among all rushers with at least 20 attempts.

SACK ANTONIO

- San Antonio's Alliance-leading 14 sacks are two more than any other team.

- The Commanders have three players that rank in the top 10 in sacks. Shaan Washington ranks second with three and Jayrone Elliot and Winston Craig are tied for sixth, as both have 2.5 sacks on the season.

- San Antonio set an Alliance-record in week one when they sacked San Diego's Mike Bercovici six times in the win.

THE MOST BALANCED OF ATTACKS

- Head coach Mike Riley has said since day one that he wanted to deploy a balanced offensive scheme that will keep the defenses guessing. Through four weeks he has done just that with his play calling.

- Of the Commanders' 276 offensive plays this season, 134 have been a run and 132 a pass.

WINNING THIRD DOWN

- The Commanders continue to be the most efficient third down team in the Alliance on offense.

- The Commanders' offense has converted 29 of its 64 attempts on third down, good for an Alliance-best 44.6 percent. The defense has also been strong, allowing opponents to convert just 13 of 39 (33.3 percent) third downs, the third-best mark in the Alliance.

- Arizona ranks last on third down on both sides of the ball. The Hotshots convert on just 26.6 percent of their offensive third downs, while allowing opponents to convert on 38.7 percent of tries.

Week Five Roster Moves: Smith and Teuhema activated

- The San Antonio Commanders made four roster moves on Monday, March 4. General manager Daryl Johnston elected to add wide receiver Riley Smith and offensive lineman Maea Teuhema to the active roster from the reserve/injured list. (Per Alliance rules, week five is the first week players on the reserve/injured list can be activated).

- Smith turned heads at The Alliance Combine and QB Camp with his athletic ability and sure hands. However, a hamstring injury on the first day of training camp forced the 5-foot-9 receiver to the reserve/injured list.

- Teuhema was placed on the reserve/injured list at the conclusion of training camp with a back injury.

- The Commanders also waived offensive lineman Jovann Letuli from the active roster and tight end Jevoni Robinson from the reserve/injured list.

TEUHEMA BROTHERS TO FACE EACH OTHER FOR FIRST TIME

- After years of playing football together from middle school to college, brothers Sione and Maea Teuhema will meet on a football field wearing opposing jerseys for the first time on Sunday. Sione is a linebacker for the Hotshots and Maea an offensive lineman for the Commanders, who was added to the active roster from the reserve/injured list on Monday, March 4.

- By the nature of their positions, the brothers are destined to battle for the same inches of grass at Sun Devil Stadium.

- "I'm so happy we're finally on different teams," Maea said with a laugh. "We've been together our whole lives. I know once we play each other it's going to be a good fight."

UP NEXT

- The Commanders continue their road trip next week when they travel to Atlanta to wrap up their four-game road trip the game will start at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 17 and will be live on CBS SN and the Alliance app.

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