Tucson Sugar Skulls looking for first win of season vs. Duke City Gladiators

The Tucson Sugar Skulls look to win their first game of the 2024 season on Saturday when they battle the Duke City Gladiators in Albuquerque at 5:05 p.m.

Tucson (0-1) dropped its season opener to the Northern Arizona Wranglers 54-48 in Prescott Valley last weekend.

“As bad as we played, for us to lose like that, that’s only silver lining I can take from it,” said first-year head coach Billy Back. “It’s disappointing for the fans, disappointing for the team, but at the same time we’re taking the proper steps to correct our mistakes and be better next week.”

Tucson quarterback Mylik Mitchell led the team with 98 rushing yards, in addition to completing 9 of 17 passes for 128 yards and scoring five total touchdowns; four of them were rushing.

Longtime Sugar Skulls running back Mike Jones, who has been with the team since the inaugural season in 2019, scored two touchdowns. Jones has 10 total touchdowns in season-opening games for the Sugar Skulls.

With a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, Mitchell fumbled the snap, picked up the ball and avoided the sack. He heaved it towards the goal line but was intercepted by Wranglers defensive back Malik Sonnier, which sealed the win for Northern Arizona.

Now, the Sugar Skulls have one more road trip this Saturday before their home opener next Sunday against the defending IFL champion Bay Area Panthers at Tucson Arena.

Back, who is Tucson’s fourth head coach since the franchise started in 2019, joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson this week to reflect on the Sugar Skulls’ latest loss:

What are two or three points of emphasis for your team this week?

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A: “We just gotta get tougher. We were out there just taking the hits. Our offensive line was absorbing. We weren’t launching people over. We weren’t the aggressor, and our rookies looked like they were unsure of themselves. I don’t like going into games and not being the bully. Mike Jones laid some wood on people, our quarterback played well, we just needed one more stop late in the game to win the game. ... Our toughness and execution are the most important thing. We played as bad as we could and still should’ve won the game.

“We just gotta get tougher. ... It’s gotta be bred in the player. We didn’t have a single personal foul and that’s disappointing to me, because it’s the first game and you want to be amped up. You want them to be fireballs, not flamethrowers. We had no fireballs out there. We didn’t have anyone starting scuffles or anyone telling the opponent, ‘I’m coming all day.’ We got choir boys. I don’t want personal fouls every play, but I want tough guys that want to get into a street fight — and if it happens, they’re ready to go. We don’t have those guys right now. We’re going to bring those guys in to have them. I can push buttons and pinch the back of the arm as much as I can, but if they’re not a dog, they’re not a dog. That’s just how it is.”

What’s the story of your left-handed quarterback in Mitchell?

A: “He’s a smooth operator. He’s from Cleveland, Ohio, and went to Kent State University, then transferred to Ferris State, a Division II school in Michigan, and won two national titles there. He’s poised and doesn’t get rattled. There’s not much that bothers him and he can throw from every arm angle. He’s all of 6-3, maybe 6-4, and is just an athlete. He’s got the second-best jumpshot on the team behind me, so he can do things. He’s a leader. We had five bad snaps — two in crucial situations — and he just picked it up off the turf and stayed poised. He wasn’t too high, wasn’t too low. He’s a great leader and a heck of a ball player.”

How does Jones, who is arguably the greatest Sugar Skull of all time, affect your team?

A: “He’s a great leader. He’s been one of the best in our game for a long time. He’s a guy that we lean on and he’s a guy that doesn’t go backwards in April, he goes forward and gets those extra yards.”

How has it been living in Tucson?

A: “It’s been great. It’s been amazing and people of downtown Tucson are overly nice. I just hate we lost the first game coming out. That’s disappointing. Being here in Tucson, I’ve seen more rain than I’ve ever heard of. It’s been chilly and it feels like North Carolina, so I feel like the weather is playing to my favor. It’s been second to none. It’s great.”