The San Diego Strike Force have one of the tougher first half schedules in the IFL this season. Four straight road games, two short weeks, and two matchups against the heavyweight Arizona Rattlers. The second of those two will take place this Friday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix at 7:05 P.M. Pacific Time.
Playing arguably the best team in the Western Conference coming off of a three-day week is not ideal, especially when you'll likely be playing in front of around 7,500 opposing fans. That's an environment that the Strike Force have not had to deal with yet this season.
While San Diego would rather not have to see a team like the Rattlers twice in the first five games, they're not going to shy away from it. Head Coach David Beezer said "we know that we have improved a lot the last few weeks and we expect this game to be a much more competitive matchup than the first game."
Keys to the Game:
Apply what you Learned
The benefit of playing the same team twice in a short amount of time is that what you learned about them from the first game is still relatively fresh. Tendencies tend to reveal a lot about a team. Arizona tends to make very few mistakes.
They're the best scoring team in the league, and they've allowed the second fewest total points. They've only allowed an average of 19.8 points per game (best in the league), which is unbelievable considering that they play in a league where most teams score over 30 points a game. San Diego will have to be prepared for anything and everything against an Arizona Rattlers team that has found the formula for sustainable success in this league.
Slow Down Drew Powell
Priority number one for San Diego will likely be the same as it was the first time: slow down the reigning MVP. Quarterback Drew Powell continues to tear it up and still looks like the guy who won the award last year. He currently leads the league in total passing yards (581), touchdowns (15), completion percentage (74.6), and quarterback efficiency (215.4). He's also fourth in the league in total rushing yards (134) and is first in average yards per carry (6.7). The Strike Force will have to do their best to contain him to give themselves a chance.
Double Time
The Strike Force showed last week that they have an offense that can do a lot of damage when they get in a rhythm. They're averaging 35 points per game and have put up the fourth most total points in the league (138). Their bread and butter is taking deep shots downfield, but that requires giving your quarterback time to throw. In the first matchup between these two teams, the Rattlers racked up five sacks for a total of 51 yards. They kept the heat turned up on quarterback Cris Solano all game, forcing him to get rid of the ball before those deep quotes developed and delivering a multitude of big hits. Coach Beezer wants to take a different approach with the offense this time around.
"Offensively, spacing for receivers and getting the ball out quickly in the passing game is critical, as the throwing windows are small."
Expect San Diego to run a lot of quick passing plays to counter Arizona's pressure. This should slow up their pass rush and in turn will set up the Strike Force to still take some deep shots downfield.
Play your Game
San Diego has established themselves as an offense that can put together long, methodical drives. They lead the league in average time of possession per game (35:34) and have had the football longer than any other team this season (142:17). They also rank second in the league in red zone trips (24), but the problem up to this point has been they've only cashed in on 62.5% of those trips (fourth worst in the league). Coming away with points when you get to that part of the field is critical, especially against a team like the Rattlers that can move and score the ball with ease. When they play fundamentally sound and execute, San Diego has the talent offensively to compete with a team like the Rattlers.
Be Aggressive
This would be the perfect week for San Diego to get their first sack of the season, which will hopefully open the floodgates for more to come. As the Strike Force have already seen, pressure can yield some absolute gems, and gems can help lead to Ws.
"Defensive stops are hard to get, so we have to allow our defensive players to use their instincts, play aggressive and gamble on D", said Coach Beezer.
Playing fearless and fast football on defense is going to be important this week. Taking calculated risks can pay off in big ways and lead to quick points. Turnovers and scoring on defense can keep you in games, as we saw last week. If San Diego can find a way to score on defense this week, they'll give themselves a chance to knock off the team that has been at the top of the IFL Coaches Poll since Week 2.
The Strike Force and Rattlers will kick off at 7:05 PM Pacific Time this Friday, April 15th. You can watch the game live on the IFL's YouTube channel.
