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San Antonio Commanders

San Antonio Commanders Travel to Birmingham Iron on Sunday, March 3

February 26, 2019 - Alliance of American Football (AAF)
San Antonio Commanders News Release


SETTING THE SCENE

- The San Antonio Commanders travel to the Birmingham Iron in the fourth week of the inaugural Alliance of American Football season on Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst) and John Schriffen (reporter) on the call.

- This is the first matchup between the two teams.

- San Antonio will look to snap Birmingham's three-game win streak and get back on track after losing two straight.

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

- HEAD COACHES: San Antonio's Mike Riley and Birmingham's Tim Lewis have never faced off as head coaches as this is Lewis' first year as a head coach at any level.

- GETTING BACK ON TRACK: After defeating the Fleet in week one, the Commanders have lost their last two games. They will look to right the ship in Birmingham and improve to 2-2 as the midpoint of the season quickly approaches.

- BALANCED OFFENSE: San Antonio has offensive weapons all across the field, and they will all be needed on Sunday. The Commanders have the second-best rushing attack in the Alliance, averaging 149.0 yards per game, while the passing attack ranks third at 202.0 yards per outing. When the Commanders face the Alliance's best defense in Birmingham, a balanced attack will be a prerequisite for success.

- SLOWING RICHARDSON: Birmingham running back Trent Richardson is a former top three NFL draft pick. Richardson leads the Alliance in rushing TDs with six, including three scores last week. The San Antonio defense will be tasked with slowing down the high-powered attack.

- THE LONG ROAD: After starting its season with two home games, the Commanders traveled west last weekend to San Diego for its first road game. Sunday's game vs. Birmingham will mark the second of a four-game road trip.

TAKING COMMAND UP FRONT

- San Antonio's Alliance-leading 13 sacks are three more than any other team in the Alliance through three weeks. The Commanders' six sacks against San Diego in week one is an Alliance record. SA followed its week one performance with four against Orlando in week two and three at San Diego in week three.

WINNING THIRD DOWN

- The Commanders are one of the most efficient third down teams on both sides of the ball in The Alliance. But Sunday will pit the two best third down teams in the Alliance against each other.

- The Commanders' offense has converted 22 of its 49 attempts on third down, good for an Alliance-best 44.9 percent. The defense has been just as strong, allowing opponents to convert just 10-of-29 third downs. The only mark better than the Commanders' third down defense has been Birmingham who has held its opponents to a 21.3 percent conversion rate.

RECORD-BREAKING CROWD

- The San Antonio fan base showed out during the first two weeks of the season. After setting the Alliance attendance mark in week one with 27,857 in the Alamodome, Commanders Nation broke its own record in week two when 29,176 poured into the Dome.

- For the season the Commanders are averaging an Alliance-leading attendance of 28,516 for its home games.

- In 2017, the Los Angeles Chargers averaged 25,336, more than 3,000 fewer than the 2019 Commanders. The 2018 Chargers played seven games in Los Angeles and averaged 25,406 fans at those games - LA played one game in the UK, which inflated their season average to just over 32,000, but true home games saw 3,000 fewer fans than Commanders' games.

RUNNING BY COMMITTEE

- San Antonio's 447 rushing yards through three weeks marks the second-best ground attack in the Alliance. But what makes the Commanders' rushing attack so difficult to stop is its versatility and how fresh the running backs are kept.

- Through three weeks, the ball has been carried by eight different players a total of 93 times.

- Thirty-six of those carries have gone to former Houston standout Kenneth Farrow II. Farrow II's two TDs are tied for third most in the Alliance.

- Rotating in at running back for the Commanders are David Cobb, Trey Williams and Aaron Green, who have combined for 38 carries through three weeks. Each offer a different skill set than Farrow II as Cobb is a traditional power back, while Williams and Green are shifty runners that can make men miss in open space.

WILLIAMS MAKES DEBUT

- After missing the first two weeks of the season due to injury, running back Trey Williams made his debut against San Diego. The former Texas A&M standout carried the ball seven times for a team-high 75 yards in addition to catching two passes for 13 yards.

- "Tonight, we all saw what Trey is capable of doing and what he can add to our offense. It was good to see him play and make some plays like he did. I'm excited to continue to work with him." - Mike Riley after Williams' debut

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK

- Quarterback Marquise Williams played two drives against the Fleet after seeing limited time in week two. The dual-threat quarterback made the Fleet pay on the ground as he ran the ball five times for 33 yards. He also completed all four of his attempted passes for 21 yards. Williams finished the game with a passer rating of 88.5.

SACK ANTONIO

- San Antonio tallied six sacks against the Fleet in week one, more than any other team in the league. The first viral moment in the history of The Alliance came when Commanders' linebacker Shaan Washington came off the edge unblocked and sacked San Diego quarterback Mike Bercovici, knocking the quarterback's helmet off and forcing a fumble.

- The video of Washington's hit has more than 5 million views on Twitter and drew praise from publications like The Ringer, Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports and more. It has also been lauded by former NFL players such as Mike Golic and Shannon Sharpe. In addition, The Topps Company has already made the image into a trading card.

- San Antonio stayed true to its name in week two against the Apollos, collecting another four sacks as Washington, Jayrone Elliott, Winston Craig and Austin Larkin recorded 1.0 each. In week three vs. the Fleet, the Commanders added three more sacks as Tyrone Holmes, Deion Barnes and Arthur Miley each got to the quarterback.

TEXAS PRODUCED ...

- Twenty-one (21) players of the Commanders 52-man active roster come from a Texas based university. TCU (WR #18 John Diarse, RB #22 Aaron Green, TE #83 Cole Hunt, FS #24 Nick Orr) and Houston (WR #14 De'Marcus Ayers, RB #20 Kenneth Farrow II, DT #90 Joey Mbu, WR #84 Greg Ward Jr.) both produced the most active players with four. Texas A&M (TE #85 Cam Clear, LB #54 Shaan Washington, RB #35 Trey Williams), Baylor (OL #70 Mo Porter, OL #73 Cyril Richardson, FS #28 Orion Stewart) each have three alums. Texas (CB #21 Duke Thomas, K #9 Nick Rose) features two players. Incarnate Word (P #6 Joseph Zema), SMU (OL #57 Mason Gentry), Texas A&M-Kingsville (TE #89 Stehly Reden), UTSA (WR #80 Josh Stewart) and West Texas A&M (QB #10 Dustin Vaughan) each have one.

... AND TEXAS RAISED

- Twenty-four (24) overall players have ties to the state. On top of the 21 active players from Texas based colleges, both former Oklahoma CB's Zack Sanchez (Fort Worth) and Jordan Thomas (Klein) as well as RB David Cobb (Killeen) all were raised and played high school football in Texas.

ALLIANCE SHINES IN OPENING WEEKEND

- The opening night featured two CBS primetime games in San Antonio and Orlando that received a 2.1 market rating, beating ESPN/ABC's NBA Primetime game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

- At one point on opening night, The Alliance was responsible for 11 of the top 20 trending topics on Twitter.

- After the opening weekend The Alliance's groundbreaking app was the No. 1 sports app in both the Google Play and Apple app stores. The app had 125,000 active users competing in The Alliance's fantasy football game.

WOODSIDE'S PRODUCTION

- After being named the starting quarterback just 36 hours before the first snap, Logan Woodside led the Commanders to the first win in organization history in week 1. The former MAC Offensive Player of the Year was clutch when his team needed him to be. As the third quarter came to close in a tie game, Woodside dropped back and found Alonzo Moore for a 46-yard completion to move San Antonio to the Fleet's 1-yard line. On the next play, Kenneth Farrow II would find his way into the end zone for the first TD in team history. He finished the game with 255 yards on 18-36 passing, no TDs and 2 INTs.

- Through three weeks of the season, Woodside has thrown for 629 yards, second best in the Alliance. His 50 completions are good for third, behind only Atlanta's Matt Simms (60-101-6) and Birmingham's Luis Perez (60-102-1).

WONDERFUL WARD JR.

- After an impressive training camp and week of practice, quarterback turned receiver, Greg Ward Jr., was highlighted by multiple publications as someone to watch heading into the first game. Ward Jr. delivered as the former Houston standout hauled in five catches for 65 yards. Ward's connection with quarterback Logan Woodside proved important, as Woodside looked Ward's way seven times in the win.

- Ward Jr. also showcased his arm against San Diego in week one as he attempted a long pass to Mekale McKay on a reverse pass.

BIG PLAY MCKAY

- Wide receiver Mekale McKay starred under the lights in week one. The former Cincinnati Bearcat and Dallas Cowboy demonstrated his ability to make plays on the first play of the game when he was on the receiving end of a 22-yard pass from Logan Woodside. McKay finished with a team-high 80 yards on five receptions in the victory. He was targeted by Woodside 12 times throughout the night.

- McKay continued to impress in week two when he hauled in 36 yards on just two catches. He was targeted nine times.

- Against San Diego, McKay got off to a hot start when he caught a 47-yard TD pass from Woodside on the second play of the game. He finished with four catches for 91 yards in the loss.

- McKay's 207 yards ranks fourth in the Alliance and his 18.8 yards per catch rank third among receivers with 10+ receptions.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MOORE

- Alonzo Moore continued to make a name for himself against San Diego in week one as the Nebraska product made big catch after big catch en route to a game-high 26 yards per catch. Moore consistently found himself behind the Fleet secondary, but his biggest play was the 46-yard reception that set up the game's only touchdown.

ROSE'S UP AND BACK

- From the beginning, The Alliance officials said if a player received an contract offer from the NFL, the player's Alliance contract would be terminated and the player would be permitted to return to The Alliance once his NFL contract was complete. Commanders kicker Nick Rose did just that in January as the Los Angeles Chargers signed the former Texas Longhorn for their AFC Divisional Round game at New England. Rose was released from his contract with the Commanders on Jan. 10, kicked off three times for the Chargers against New England on Jan. 13, was released by the Chargers on Jan. 15 and returned to the Commanders' active roster on Jan. 19.

- In the Commanders' week one win, Rose was perfect in his role as he nailed field goals from 23, 28 and 29 yards. In week two, Rose was perfect again as he connected on field goals from 37, 38 and 50 yards. Rose continued his perfect streak against the Fleet when he put a 23-yard field goal through the uprights. Through three weeks, Rose is one of three Alliance kickers to remain perfect.

E-ROD IN THE END ZONE

- Tight end/H-back Evan Rodriguez found the end zone twice in the week two loss. He caught the Commanders' first receiving touchdown -- a 1-yard reception from Logan Woodside on the final play of the first quarter, and later caught the team's first successful 2-point conversion, also from Woodside.

PRINCE'S UNIQUE ROUTE TO FOOTBALL

- Wide receiver Darius Prince did not play football in college after electing to play basketball at Penn State-Beaver, then Penn State-Allegheny. Upon graduation, Prince tried for a basketball career overseas, but when that did not work, he decided to give football a shot.

- After years of work he caught on with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks of the National Arena League. He played two seasons for the Steelhawks before getting a workout with the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League. The Soul signed him and in his second AFL game, he was named the Arena Bowl XXX MVP after his nine catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Prince led the Soul in receiving stats with 89 catches for 1,076 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2018 before signing with Philadelphia Eagles as a member of their 90-man roster in August 2018.

THE BIG 12 AND B1G IN SAN ANTONIO

- Based on The Alliance's geographic collegiate allocation process to build its eight teams, it is no surprise that the Big 12 is the most represented collegiate conference on the Commanders' roster with 12. However, the second-most represented conference in the San Antonio locker room is the Big 10 with nine. Most schools in the B1G were unallocated to Alliance teams, meaning their players were allocated based on previous professional experience. The Commanders professional allocation from the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chief, Philadelphia Eagles and Saskatchewan Roughriders led to the nine former B1G players. (Complete roster breakdown by college is on page four.)

UP NEXT

- The Commanders continue their trek across the Alliance next week when they travel to Arizona on Sunday, March 10 in Tempe. The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network at 7 p.m. CT.

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Alliance of American Football Stories from February 26, 2019


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