Upset of undefeated Rattlers would be 'big' for Sugar Skulls team on playoff bubble

A win Saturday over the undefeated Arizona Rattlers wouldn’t necessarily lock the Tucson Sugar Skulls into a playoff spot. But it would certainly matter, for a number of reasons.

Tucson has never beaten its in-state rival, for one. The expansion team could use the confidence that comes with an upset win.

And then there’s the ripple effect.

“It would be big, especially because we’d be going into playoffs with momentum,” linebacker Zach Allen said. “We can use that (win) going forward and it’ll help us with playoff seeding.”

The Sugar Skulls have to put together a near-perfect game to take down the Rattlers in Phoenix. That means no turnovers, some key stops and plenty of touchdowns.

Simple, right?

“It’s the discipline,” quarterback Jake Medlock said. “When you play against the Arizona Rattlers, I don’t care who you are, you can’t make mental mistakes and shoot yourselves in the foot. They are so well-coached and disciplined, they will score and capitalize on every mistake you make.

“We know that we have to bring our A-game this week.”

Tucson (6-6) showed flashes in its previous three games against the Rattlers before fading. When the teams met for the first time in Phoenix, Arizona blocked a field goal that started a scoring avalanche. The second time, this one played at Tucson Arena, went the Rattlers’ way after Medlock was intercepted twice. Two weekends ago, the visiting Rattlers hung 62 points on the Sugar Skulls while running just 33 offensive plays.

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Despite all that, the Sugar Skulls are confident that they can pull the upset Saturday. Last week’s bye means they’ll be rested in time for the playoff push.

“The talent or lack of talent isn’t the issue, because we’ve shown physically that we can match up with them at certain positions so it’s never been them having more talent,” Tucson coach Marcus Coleman said. “It’s just a matter of us playing a consistent game all the way through.”

It’ll be tough: The Rattlers (12-0) have the No. 1 offense in the IFL, averaging 275.3 yards per game. A month ago, they signed quarterback Drew Powell, the league’s most valuable player in 2018. Powell completed 13 of 15 passes for 180 yards and scored seven touchdowns against Tucson two weeks ago.

“For our guys that hadn’t seen Drew Powell, we told them, ‘Look this guy can play. He’s a smart player, he’s athletic, he can make all the throws, he can take off running whenever he needs to,” Coleman said.

“He will put the team on his back if he needs to and regardless of how tight the game is, you’re going to see the same guy the entire game and I don’t know if everyone bought into that.

“After the bye week, the guys were like, ‘Yeah you were right.’ No you-know-what, Sherlock. They have a better grasp of seeing him and how Coach (Kevin) Guy calls his plays when he’s under center. … He really believes he’s the best player in the building, but he goes out and shows it. He’s not loud or outspoken, but he plays with a lot of confidence.”

Sweet nothings

• Tucson is currently in fifth place in the IFL standings, with the top six teams making the playoffs. Depending on what happens with Green Bay and Cedar Rapids, the Sugar Skulls could find themselves hosting a playoff game. They would need to win this week, and then take next week’s regular season finale against the Quad City Steamwheelers (5-7).
• The Nebraska Danger (6-7) routed the San Diego Strike Force (1-12) on Thursday night. Nebraska now owns the sixth and final playoff spot, with Quad City in seventh place.
• Tucson added offensive lineman Jordan Budwig to the roster this week. Budwig, a 6-foot-4-inch, 325-pound tackle, if the fourth Florida International product to join the Sugar Skulls this season. Medlock and offensive linemen Trenton Saunders and Mike Montero are the other three.