PHOENIX - Fresh off a bye week, the Arizona Rattlers are ready to get back on track as they take on the in-state rival Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Kickoff for this week's game at the Footprint Center is scheduled for 6:05 pm on Saturday, April 8. In the past two seasons, the Rattlers hold an impressive 15-1 regular season home record.
Last Game
In their last game, the Rattlers fell to the Bay Area Panthers by a score of 46-47. This was another back-and-forth contest coming down to the game's last possession. The Rattlers were led by Drew Powell who threw for 127 yards and had three rushing touchdowns while running back Jager Gardner had three rushing touchdowns. WR Braxton Haley caught also contributed with 50 receiving yards. The team fell just short in the end, failing on a 2-point conversion and missing a deuce attempt to secure the road win.
QB Depth
After the game in San Jose, the Arizona Rattlers announced QB Drew Powell was placed on short-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Due to the unfortunate injury to the three-time MVP, the Rattlers signed eight-time IFL Champion Chris Dixon as QB depth. Dixon won three United Bowl MVPs, three IFL MVPs, and is a four-time All-IFL first-teamer.
Sugar Sweet
The Rattlers have had an extra week to prepare for this I-10 matchup against the Tucson Sugar Skulls. Since the Sugar Skulls joined the IFL in 2019, the Rattlers hold an 8-1 record against them. They most recently met last season in Phoenix where the Rattlers got their revenge after falling to them for the first time in Tucson. In the last meeting, the game featured an outstanding performance from Braxton Haley who caught 129 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 54-24 win.
High Score
In the all-time series against the Sugar Skulls, the Rattlers have scored 500 points while holding the Sugar Skulls to only 363 points. Arizona has averaged 55.56 points per game in the nine contests between these clubs. They average their fourth-highest points per game against the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Battle of the Joneses
This weekend's game between Arizona and Tucson will feature three players with the last name 'Jones'. This includes Rattlers' DL Ulric Jones who currently has 5.5 tackles on the season. The Sugar Skulls roster includes All-IFL running back Mike Jones who led the Sugar Skulls rush attack in their first game with 56 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns as well as Benjamin Jones who had 75 kickoff return yards.
