Sports stats



IFL Tucson Sugar Skulls

Sugar Skulls Look to Lock up No. 3 Playoff Seed against Barnstormers

July 8, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Tucson Sugar Skulls News Release


The Tucson Sugar Skulls host their first Eastern Conference opponent of the 2022 season on Saturday when the Iowa Barnstormers make a trip to the Boneyard.

This will be their final home game of the 2022 season, and their second-to-last game of the season before traveling to Bay Area for the season finale. This game has massive playoff implications for each team battling to climb up their respective conference's standings.

Old Stomping Grounds

Sugar Skulls head coach and general manager Dixie Wooten will coach against his former team. In 2018, Wooten led the Barnstormers to secure the 2018 IFL Championship. Skulls quarterback Daquan Neal also spent time in Iowa, where he won the 2019 MVP under head coach Dixie Wooten.

The last time these two teams faced each other was early in 2021 when Iowa won 33-13, led by then Barnstormers QB Daquan Neal in Tucson.

Tucson offense primed to explode

High-scoring games are not a rare sight to the Sugar Skulls, and Saturday's contest with Iowa could be another explosive affair.

The Sugar Skulls and Barnstormers' defense give up the fourth-and-second-most points per game in the IFL. Tucson seems primed to take advantage, as it has scored the second-most points per game in 2022 with an average of 49.5.

The balance of the Sugar Skulls' offense appears to remain on track against Iowa, too. The Barnstormers are near the bottom of the league in both pass and rush defense in 2022.

Rushers to look out for

Two of the league's top threats on the ground will square off against each on Saturday. Tucson running back Mike Jones, who leads the IFL in rushing touchdowns with 37 and has 14 more than the next closest rusher, is fifth in the league in rushing yards with 650.

Iowa quarterback Darius Peterson is second in the IFL with 670 rushing yards. Against the Barnstormers' run defense - which is third-worst in the league based on yards allowed per game - Jones may have a chance to catch Peterson on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Peterson will face a Sugar Skulls unit that ranks above average compared to the rest of the IFL.

Playoff pitstop

The Sugar Skulls can lock up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs with a win against the Barnstormers on Saturday night. If Tucson falls to Iowa, a loss by the Duke City Gladiators to the San Diego Strike Force can also clinch the third spot for the Sugar Skulls.

Iowa is also playing for playoff seeding on Saturday, giving the Sugar Skulls no easy task on Saturday night.

• Discuss this story on the Indoor Football League message board...

Indoor Football League Stories from July 8, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central