PHOENIX - The Arizona Rattlers are coming fresh off a bye week as they hit the road to take on the Frisco Fighters in a heavyweight matchup between the top two teams in the league record-wise.
The Frisco Fighters sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 5-1 record, while Arizona holds the league's last undefeated record at a perfect 5-0.
This will be the second meeting all-time between the two teams, with the first-ever matchup coming last August in the last week of the regular season. The Rattlers defeated the Fighters by a score of 55-38 in that game at the Footprint Center to clinch the number one overall seed.
Defensive Dominance
The Rattlers hold their opponents to a league-best 22.4 points per game, and they are the only team that has held opponents to less than 30 points. The standout performers thus far have been defensive backs
Kyree Woods and
Davontae Merriweather who have combined for four "IFL Player of the Week" nominations already.
Arizona holds a perfect 3-0 record on the road thus far, with wins at San Diego, Las Vegas and Duke City.
Powell's Precision
2021 IFL MVP
Drew Powell has been as accurate as ever, connecting on an IFL-best 70.7 percent of his passes this season. He also has 20 total touchdowns across five games while guiding the Rattlers to the highest-scoring offense. He has only thrown two interceptions to his 18 touchdown passes on the season thus far.
Along with the accuracy and limited turnovers on offense, Arizona has only committed 10 penalties through five games, while their opponents have committed 17, reinforcing the discipline this team has on both sides of the football.
Lopsided Affairs
Arizona has won their contest by an average of 32.4 points per game this season, by far the highest point differential margin in the IFL this season. Arizona's efficient run game that holds a league-best 6.0 yards per carry is a major reason why their offensive attack is so dangerous.
They can beat you via the pass and run game, and their defense has been suffocating, giving them a balanced attack. Arizona will look to carry that mindset into their game against a 5-1 Frisco squad.
