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Tucson Sugar Skulls

Week 11 Preview

July 3, 2021 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Tucson Sugar Skulls News Release


TUCSON, AZ - The Tucson Sugar Skulls (1-5), and head coach Dixie Wooten, will face off against the Arizona Rattlers (5-1) at home in their second meeting of the IFL season on Saturday, July 3 at 6:05 p.m. MST.

The Rattlers took the first matchup by a score of 44-34 at the Snake Pit back in Week 8, and now the Sugar Skulls look to avenge that road loss on their home turf at the Tucson Convention Center.

Croft Connection

Quarterback Demry Croft put up his best passing performance in his last game against the Northern Arizona Wranglers as he threw for 211 yards and five touchdowns. The rookie is now third in the league in passing yards-per-game and total passing touchdowns (17). Croft has pushed the Sugar Skulls to the fifth-best total offense (225.8 points per gam) and the fourth-best passing attack (150.3) in the IFL.

Wide Receiver Ryan Balentine connected with his quarterback for his first 100-yard game of the 2021 IFL season. Balentine finished with two touchdowns (5) and 116 yards last week against Northern Arizona. The all-time IFL leader in receiving yards is averaging 48.5 yards per game, which is good for ninth in the IFL.

No Fly Zone

The Sugar Skulls remain a top defensive unit, as they come into the matchup against the Rattlers as the fifth-best scoring defense (39.7 PPG). Tucson is one of only two teams to have not allowed any opponent to score 50-plus points this season. Led by defensive backs Mike Minter - who has six pass deflections throughout the season - and Delondo Boyd - the team leader in total tackles (31) - the Sugar Skulls passing defense is tied with the Rattlers for fourth in the IFL (138.0).

Defensive lineman Chris Martin stood out in his previous performance against the Wranglers last week, as he notched his first sack of the season and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. The Sugar Skulls have three on the D-line with sacks on the year (Faciane, Fullum, Martin), and they prepare to face the elusive quarterback Drew Powell and a Rattler O-line that has only allowed two sacks and leads the league in most offensive categories this season.

Reining in the Rattlers

The Arizona Rattlers bring their top-ranked scoring offense (42.8 PPG) to the Boneyard, behind the arm and legs of QB Drew Powell, who leads the league in rushing TDs (15) and rushing yards per game (71.8).

The Rattlers second-best scoring defense comes to Tucson after a spectacular second half performance against the Spokane Shock, allowing just 51 rushing yards and one TD. The Rattler defense finished that game with ten pass breakups, nine tackles-for-loss, and four sacks.

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