Their record says 5-5, but the Tucson Sugar Skulls could very well be 8-2 β or even 9-1 β heading into this weekendβs bye.
Tucson frittered away fourth-quarter losses three times in the seasonβs opening months. And quarterback Daquan Neal missed a winnable game because he was trying out for the NFLβs Indianapolis Colts.
The Skulls lost a 17-point lead to IFL bottom-dwellers in the San Diego Strike Force and lost 67-66 in April, then followed it up with a 57-52 loss to the Duke City Gladiators the following week. The most recent setback for the Sugar Skulls is a 34-32 loss to in-state rival Northern Arizona Wranglers last weekend at home. Neal threw for a season-low 124 yards and one touchdown on 8 for 15 passing; he also fumbled inside the red zone on fourth down late in the fourth quarter, which led to the Wranglersβ game-winning field goal.
βWe just didnβt finish,β said Sugar Skulls running back Mike Jones, who leads the IFL with 22 rushing touchdowns, after the game. βThatβs all I can say.β
Tucson coach and general manager Dixie Wooten he decided to attempt the fourth-down conversion rather than kick a field goal to make it a four-point game because of the Skullsβ kicking troubles. The team was a combined 2 for 6 on PATs and field goals.
βTwo bad snaps and one blocked extra point. Our long snapper had trouble all game even with snaps on offense, so I didnβt want to take that opportunity to get it blocked and they pick it up and run it back,β Wooten said. βWe wanted to go for the touchdown, and if we didnβt score the touchdown, our defense played lights out and we couldβve stopped them from kicking a long field goal. β¦ You get past the wins, but you never been past the losses. It was tough, but at the end of the day, I have the best quarterback in the league. Hands down, weβre the best offense in the league with him in there.β
Wooten said he has a βbottle-is-half-fullβ attitude through the first 10 games. The good news: Tucsonβs defense gave up a season-low 34 points to the Wranglers and had two interceptions in the first half, which doubled its season total; Tucson still ranks last in the league in picks with four.
βYou look at it two ways,β Wooten said. βYou can look at it the harsh way: We had control of this game the entire time, and we let it slip from our hands at the end. But then you also have to look at it like this: Our defense played lights out, and we know our offense wonβt have another night like this again. With our defense stepping up the way it did, it made me even more excited to get out of this bye week.β
Added Wooten: βFrom Day 1 to now, weβve gotten a lot better. The record shows 5-5, but we know our offense isnβt going to score 30 every game. Our defense has given other team looks and we know that we can stop teams from scoring 30 in a game, so at the end of the day, weβre a tough team to beat. If you ask any team in the league who they donβt want to see in the playoffs, I guarantee they will say us. β¦ Our identity is that weβre a strong offense with our defense getting better. We always play a physical game, but now weβre starting to get in touch with who we are.β
The Sugar Skulls return to Tucson for back-to-back Saturday home games against the Bay Area Panthers and Vegas Knight Hawks.
Wooten βoverreacted,β Winslow remains with Skulls
Sugar Skulls defensive lineman Tony Winslow Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer on Northern Arizonaβs final drive, advancing the Wranglers into Sugar Skulls territory.
Winslow was dismissed from the team minutes after the game.
βThatβs not acceptable, so weβre not going to allow any player to do that,β Wooten said after the game. βSo, at the end of the day, youβre not going to see him on our team anymore.β
However, Wooten has since reevaluated Winslowβs penalty and decided to keep him on the team.
βHe made a boneheaded play, but I overreacted because I was in an emotional state,β Wooten said. βI overreacted, and thatβs a bad thing as a coach. He tried to make a play and hit (the quarterback) late. He knows he canβt do that again. Tonyβs still on the team. I overreacted, but heβs back.
βHeβs supposed to understand the moment. Thatβs what made me upset the most. If he doesnβt hit him late, now that long field goal is a 40-yard field goal. In warmups or even during the game, the kicker never kicked it that far. We wanted that on that possession, but (Winslow) ended up hitting (the quarterback) and it ended up being a 25-yard field goal.β
Winslow has made an impact this season as the Sugar Skullsβ top field-goal blocker. In Tucsonβs 42-41 win over Duke City, Winslow blocked the Gladiatorsβ PAT, which was picked up by defensive back Jovon White and returned for two points to win the game.
Bye week plans
Wooten returned home to Houston during the bye week. He planned to spend time with his grandkids, go fishing and crabbing, and take his dogs to his local park.
βWhen I get home, this is a place where I can just be a normal person,β he said. βIβm just going to have fun with my family and make sure to go fishing a lot. β¦ Iβve been crabbing since I was a little kid. Our great-grandfather used to take us crabbing, and now Iβm taking my grandkids crabbing, and I hope they do the same thing with their grandkids.β
Wooten hopes his players get a chance to hit the reset button heading into the final stretch of the season.
βThereβs nothing like family,β Wooten said. βWhen our guys come back, they have an energy like, βI went and saw who I do it for. Now Iβm ready to go. I gotta show who I play for β while Iβm out here β that Iβm trying to get to the next level.ββ