The Tucson Sugar Skulls went 273 days without a win, but they finally ended their four-game skid dating back to last season.
Tucson (1-1) outlasted the New Mexico Chupacabras (0-2), 45-40, at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque on Saturday. It marked the Sugar Skulls' first victory under first-year head coach Rayshaun Kizer.
"It felt great," Kizer said. "We needed a rebound performance and bounce back from last week's performance. That was not the best representation of the Tucson Sugar Skulls, so I'm glad we came back and came out victorious this game."
The Sugar Skulls bounced back from their 64-43 loss to the Vegas Knight Hawks to kick off the season in Tucson. The Sugar Skulls jumped out to a 28-6 lead over New Mexico in the first half.
"The guys were just focused," Kizer said. "We had very focused practices and the guys weren't happy about their performance last week, so they just wanted to show everybody that's not who we are. We started fast and jumped on New Mexico and had them chase."
New Mexico fought back into the game and had a chance to take the lead, trailing 38-34, but Tucson defensive back Bri'On Murray, a third-year defensive back from Virginia Tech, intercepted New Mexico quarterback Ja'Rome Johnson to set up a touchdown for the Sugar Skulls.
"The defense came up big when we needed them," Kizer said. "Our offense was a little slow in the second half. We only scored 10 points in the second half. The defense played really well and came up with key stops at critical moments of the game. A lot of credit to those guys for making plays when the opportunity was there."
Tucson shifts its attention to its next home matchup against the San Diego Strike Force (1-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Tucson Arena.
Bones leads the Sugar Skulls players onto the field to face Bay Area in an IFL game in Tucson on July 19, 2025.
Kizer joined "Spears & Ali" on ESPN Tucson this week to discuss the latest with the Sugar Skulls, and look ahead to this week's matchup with San Diego.
Tucson rookie quarterback Draylen Ellis is fifth in the IFL in passing yards. How do you assess his play through two games?
A: "Draylen is still young. He's made a few mistakes, he made some mistakes this past game, but that's what you expect from a rookie quarterback. There's a learning curve. The biggest thing for him is to learn from his mistakes and get better each week. He's doing that. He's a great person and a great teammate, as well."
What did a win with Ellis under center show you?
A: "It shows that he can win in this league and lead this offense and team as a captain. He's a great person to have around. He's always a ball of energy in the morning and always has a smile on his face. The guys have responded well to him. His development has been great. To see him grow from Week 1 to Week 2 has been fantastic. I'm excited to see him grow from Week 1 to Week 16, when we get done with our season, to see how much he's grown this season. We're lucky to have him, because he's a great player."
How crucial was Murray's interception after New Mexico crept back into the game?
A: "I love Bri'On. He's a second-year player in my defense. He's been great since training camp. He's been a great leader and is one of the top (defensive backs) in this league. He's one of the players that gets overlooked a lot. He can play, he's smart, great tackler, good ball skills, so Bri'On is great. I'm really glad he re-signed with us this season."
Sugar Skulls' defensive back Kendrick Gladney barely slows down San Antonio's Kali Rashaad on his sprint to the end zone in the third quarter of their IFL game in Tucson on May 31, 2025.
How does Tucson match up with San Diego?
A: "From what we can see on paper, they're very (veteran)-heavy. They've got a lot of veterans on the offensive side of the ball. (Quarterback) Nate Davis, he's been in this game for a long time. We've got a lot of respect for him at the quarterback position. He's a good quarterback.
"He puts balls on the money, he knows how to read every defense in this league, so we have our hands full. But we're going to have a good game plan for him. Defensively, they're super young and we have to take advantage of that. We should move the ball pretty easy on those guys and we hope to score on every drive."
Where does the 38-year-old Davis rank as an all-time IFL quarterback? The former Ball State star and fifth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers has been playing at the indoor level since 2012?
A: "You gotta put him at the top. I don't think anybody has accomplished what Nate Davis has at quarterback. Nate Davis is at the top. I think the only thing hurting him is he doesn't have a championship, so I think that's why he keeps coming back. The team in San Diego, they're a well-coached team, so it should be a great matchup. We're looking forward to it."
Unlike recent years, the Sugar Skulls have been quiet in the transaction market. How important is it to develop players and build camaraderie throughout the season?
A: "It's huge. You don't want to keep switching a roster out. Guys have to learn a new system and learn new teammates. The goal is for the guys to perform, so we don't have to make changes. It's huge for the locker room and huge for the community, the fans and they can get to know the players and not see different faces.
Sugar Skulls defensive lineman D’jimon Brooks (44) applies the hit but arrives a second late to keep Panthers quarterback Josh Jones (12) from successfully completing a pass in the second quarter of their IFL game in Tucson July 19, 2025.
"It's huge for the coaching staff because we can have some familiarity with the players. I hate to make changes during the season. I like to recruit hard in the offseason and focus on the guys we recruited and develop them."
How was experiencing the home atmosphere for the first time two weeks ago?
A: "It was great. My only regret is that we didn't get a win for them. We're going to change that this week with San Diego. (Team president and co-owner Edmund Marquez) has been busting his tail off the whole offseason to make sure those seats are filled for us and making sure it's a (180-degree) from the last two seasons — and you can see the difference.
"It was electric in there. The start of the intros was great, the in-game performance was great. The energy is electric in the TCC. We're looking forward to feeding off the energy this week against San Diego."
What are the keys to beating the Strike Force this week?
A: "We gotta pressure Nate. He does not like pressure. We gotta make sure to consistently put pressure on him. They also have veteran receivers that have been playing this game for a long time, so we gotta challenge those receivers and make it hard for them.
"On offense, we gotta take advantage. They have a young secondary and a young defense, so we gotta take advantage of that young, inexperienced defense and make sure we're scoring the ball on every possession. If we do that, we'll come out victorious."
Extra points
– Saturday will be "Superhero Night" at Tucson Arena. The first 1,000 kids (14 and under) will receive a Sugar Skulls cap.
– Tucson has two home games this month, including Saturday. The Sugar Skulls host New Mexico on Sunday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m.
– The Sugar Skulls are looking to win their first home game since June 21, 2025, when they beat the Northern Arizona Wranglers.
