Rattlers Set Sights on Strong Finish and Playoff Berth
By Gage Gastley ꟾ Rattlers Media
It's not always how you start that matters most in a football season, it's how you finish. The Rattlers find themselves in that position as they head into the final stretch of the season.
The Rattlers, 7-5, are on a two-game losing streak but are poised to clinch their 17th straight playoff berth when they face the New Mexico Chupacabras at Desert Diamond Arena on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on Overnght streaming with kickoff at 6 p.m.
The Rattlers are facing a team they handled easily, 61-15, in the first round of the IFL Cup in May. The matchup Saturday is strikingly similar to what the Rattlers faced last week when they went to Tucson and lost, 35-28, to a team they beat by 51 points earlier this year. It demonstrated that because you rout a team, it doesn't mean you are guaranteed to do it again.
And like the Sugar Skulls, the Chupacabras, 2-10, are showing signs of life coming off a win in a shootout against the Northern Arizona Wranglers last week. New Mexico replaced its head coach in favor of Interim Coach Jerome Heywood before the last game and he is now 1-0 as a head coach.
"We're not overlooking anyone, but it's more about us and how we play, I don't really care what the other teams are doing," said Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy. "We have a system that works."
The Rattlers have distinct statistical advantages across the board, including scoring nearly 20 points per game more than the Chupacabras. Arizona, averages 48 points per game to 28.2 for New Mexico.
The Rattlers enter the game with two quarterbacks who have both had their ups and downs and have split reps this season with each starting six games and accumulating similar stats. Max Meylor has thrown for 1,150 yards while Drew Powell has thrown for 1,029. Meylor has rushed for 262 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Powell has 200 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns.
The two QBs have similarly targeted Arland Bruce IV throughout the season. Bruce leads the Rattlers with 779 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
The teams match up better defensively. The Rattlers are allowing 202 total yards per game while New Mexico allows an average of 226.8. Both teams have 12 sacks. Rattlers linebacker Don Willis recorded 1½ sacks last week against the Sugar Skulls to assume the team lead with three. A significant difference is in the interception totals. The Rattlers lead the league with 21 while New Mexico has pulled in only four.
Guy said the Rattlers' recent fortunes in middle of the season aren't new to him.
"We were 1-3 in the third quarter of the season. We did this last year. We didn't play well in the third quarter, so we've got to do a better job. That starts with me," Guy said.
A Rattlers win Saturday combined with a loss by the San Antonio Gunslingers to the Vegas Knight Hawks would clinch a playoff berth for Arizona.
"We will make a run. We will get this thing fixed," Guy said. "I've got a lot of confidence in our locker room and the talent we have."