As the Tucson Sugar Skulls’ first home game against the Arizona Rattlers neared, Kevin Guy and Marcus Coleman began spitballing names for the IFL’s in-state rivalry.
The “I-10 Tussle? “Win I-10?”
“It’s gotta be catchy,” said Coleman, coach of the expansion Sugar Skulls.
And if anyone knows about Interstate 10, it’s Guy — who, as Tucson’s owner and the Rattlers’ head coach, has a unique (and frequent) view of the freeway that connects Phoenix and Tucson.
He knows, more than most, how important Sunday afternoon’s game at Tucson Arena will be for both franchises.
“You’re going to see a different team every time we play against them,” Sugar Skulls quarterback Jake Medlock said. “In a game against the San Diego Strike Force, we’re going to be physical — but there’s also that extra level when the Arizona Rattlers come into play.
“It’s basically who runs Arizona and we’re looking forward to see where this rivalry goes.”
As of now, the Rattlers run Arizona. The Phoenix-based powerhouse is 5-0, tied with the Iowa Barnstormers for first place in the Indoor Football League. One of those wins — a 63-28 pounding in Week 3 — came against the Sugar Skulls. Last week, the Rattlers scored a franchise-record 91 points in a win over San Diego.
And it’s more than that: The Rattlers are, along with Iowa, the league’s most identifiable team. They regularly fill Talking Stick Resort Arena, and lead the league — easily — in attendance.
“The Rattlers are the standard right now,” Coleman said. “They’re the benchmark that everyone is trying to get to and there are some other undefeated teams in this league, but the Rattlers are by far playing the best football.”
Tucson found that out the last time they met. The Sugar Skulls’ defense hung tough for the first quarter before a fumble and a blocked field caused a quick 14-point swing. Tucson never recovered.
“Everybody’s body language just dropped,” Coleman said. “You kind of saw it was either going to go downhill or someone was going to get everyone back together and fight. That really tells the story of the game.”
Medlock relieved starter Matt Behrendt in the second half, but his 56 passing yards and a touchdown weren’t enough to spark a comeback.
Rattlers quarterback Verlon Reed Jr. completed 7 of 12 passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns in the previous matchup. He won’t be around for Sunday’s rematch: Reed suffered a season-ending “lower-body” injury two weeks ago, the Arizona Republic reported. Jeff Ziemba, the IFL’s reigning Rookie of the Year, will start at quarterback for the Rattlers. He threw for 124 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s record-breaking performance.
Ziemba will be accompanied by running back Jabre Lolley and 2018 IFL Offensive Player of the Year Darrell Monroe, who made his season debut last week and contributed two touchdowns.
Tucson will have to play better than it did in last week’s 53-47 loss to the Nebraska Danger if it hopes to compete.
Fortunately for Tucson, it still leads the IFL with 279 yards per game. The Rattlers are second with 274.6. Sugar Skulls running back Mike Jones ranks fifth in the league in rushing, averaging 50.5 rushing yards per game. He has scored 11 touchdowns in the four games he’s played in this year.
It’s a good start, Guy said.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but when you look at all of the expansion teams that came into the league last year, there were four. Two of them haven’t even won a game yet, and the other one is 2-4,” Guy said. “Our Tucson Sugar Skulls are 3-2 and sitting in the fifth playoff spot.
“The sky’s the limit for Tucson, and when I watch film on Tucson, I see how scary they can be.”
Sweet nothings
- Guy congratulated the UA women’s basketball team for winning the WNIT championship. He said he was especially impressed with the way coach Adia Barnes used social media to pack McKale Center.
“It wasn’t just winning the championship; she almost single-handedly promoted that game herself and got those fans in the building,” he said. “Maybe I need to hire her for our marketing team.”
- The Sugar Skulls re-signed edge rusher TraVaughn Paschal and defensive back Carlos Anderson, one week after releasing them.
- Zach Allen leads Tucson team in tackles (47), sacks (3) and tackles for loss (6.5).
- Former UA center Steven Gurrola will return to Tucson as a member of the Rattlers. Gurrola was a Wildcat from 2013-14 and played for the Arizona team that won the Pac-12 South in 2014.
