Strike Force Will Square off with the Arizona Rattlers for Highly Anticipated Home Opener
Published on March 26, 2022 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
San Diego Strike Force News Release
The San Diego Strike Force (0-1) will play their first home game in over two years next Monday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego. They'll face a tough test in the form of the Arizona Rattlers (1-0), who came at #1 in the latest Coaches Poll. As the old adage goes, "you have to beat the best in order to be the best", and Arizona has certainly solidified themselves as a franchise that knows how to win. They started their 2022 season the way we all expected they would, blowing out the Duke City Gladiators 50-28.
The Strike Force are coming off of a tough 38-33 loss to the Bay Area Panthers. It's a game that was theirs for the taking, and letting it slip away has likely had them chomping at the bit to get back on the field. If that wasn't enough motivation to get a win on Monday, here's some added incentive. You'll be playing in front of your hometown fans, who have been waiting for this moment for a couple of years now. You'll have a chance to beat the team that is considered the favorite to win the Western Conference this year, which will put the rest of the league on notice. Oh yea, and it's supposed to be the best matchup of the week in the IFL, in primetime. If that doesn't get the juices flowing for you, check your pulse.
Keys to the Game:
Win the Turnover Battle
Arizona lost the turnover battle last week against Duke City, but still managed to win by 22 points. How? Duke City didn't take advantage of the extra opportunities, and Arizona did. Arizona scored a touchdown after picking off Gladiators' quarterback Nate Davis, but Duke City didn't convert either of the two interceptions they snatched off of Arizona quarterback Drew Powell into points. It would be in San Diego's best interest to stay away from a shootout with Arizona, as the Rattlers have an extremely potent offense. Creating turnovers and scoring points off of those turnovers will help San Diego keep the ball out of Arizona's hands and will give the Strike Force more chances to push Arizona out of striking distance. You know what the best way to avoid getting bit by a snake is? Create as much distance as possible between you and the snake.
Emphasis on the Run Game
Arizona did most of their damage offensively on the ground against the Gladiators, racking up 118 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 attempts. Powell was responsible for 79 of those yards, which is no surprise to anyone who's followed the IFL the past couple of years. The 2021 league MVP rushed for almost 1,000 yards last season and led the IFL in average rushing yards-per-game. The Rattlers' success in the run game as a whole is nothing new either; they led the league rushing yards-per-game and total rushing touchdowns last year. While daunting, the task is simple for the Strike Force. Slow down the run game, keep Powell in the pocket, and force him to throw the ball against your talented secondary. He's no slouch as a passer, but San Diego will likely have a better chance of slowing him down if they can make him one-dimensional. San Diego did a solid job of slowing down the traditional run game against the Bay Area last week, but struggled with slowing down the mobile and creative Joe Newman in the second half. Both Newman and Powell have the ability to turn broken plays into big gains with their legs. I think San Diego should designate Ricky Wyatt, who played with Powell for a number of years in Arizona, to shadow the Rattlers' signal caller and counter his ability to improvise.
Mix it Up
The Strike Force have a number of talented weapons on offense, but relied heavily on running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch and wide reciever Amechi Walker. Arizona will likely target Lynch and Walker and force others to step up and make plays. Quarterback Cris Solano is likely going to have to be able to spread the ball around to his receivers and running backs in the passing game if he's going to have success against Arizona. Look for San Diego to get wide receiver Troy Evans more involved in this one.The IFL's all-time leader in all-purpose yards was only targeted a few times in Week 2 and had one catch for 26 yards. Expect Amechi Walker and Marquise Rodgers to continue getting open. We'll just have to wait and see how often they do, and how many times Solano can make a clean connection with them.
Finish Strong
The Strike Force had a ten-point lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Duke City put up 28 points in the first half and would trail by only one going into halftime. Both teams would fail to score any points after those points in time, ultimately leading to their losses. As much as we might hate cliches, they're usually true, and that is the case with "it's not how you start, it's how you finish." San Diego is definitely going to have to put together a complete effort in order to beat the Rattlers. It's going to take playing fundamentally-sound football for 60 minutes and making in-game adjustments against Arizona head coach Kevin Guy, who is already one of the best coaches in arena football history.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 26, 2022
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- Bay Area Panthers at Northern Arizona Wranglers Game Preview - Northern Arizona Wranglers
- Strike Force Will Square off with the Arizona Rattlers for Highly Anticipated Home Opener - San Diego Strike Force
- Pirates Kicker Josh Gable Signs in CFL with Edmonton - Massachusetts Pirates
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