The San Diego Strike Force will play their second game in six days this Saturday at the Pechanga Sports Arena. They'll face off with the Las Vegas Knight Hawks, a newly added IFL expansion team that holds a record of 3-5 through the first half of their inaugural season.
The first ever matchup between these two teams will have playoff implications attached. Vegas currently sits in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, which gives them possession of the last playoff spot if the playoffs were to start today. Duke City is also 3-5 on the season and sits a spot below Vegas, with San Diego just behind them at 2-5.
A Strike Force win and a Duke City loss this week would push San Diego into sole possession of that fourth spot. A loss would put them two games back of Vegas and that fourth spot in the standings. This is a huge game for San Diego as they push to make their playoff hopes a reality. Here are the Keys to the Game.
Keys to the Game
Avoid Giveaways
This is a given week in and week out, but it could be especially important against the Knight Hawks. Vegas averages the second fewest points per game in the league (30.4) and allows 38 points per game on average. If the Strike Force take what the defense gives them and can avoid turning the ball over, the numbers say it's very likely they'll come away with a win. Through their first seven games, San Diego has turned the ball over eight times and has taken it away eight times. While they'd like to be on the plus side of that ratio, breaking even is not a bad place to be either. Vegas has 11 takeaways to 12 turnovers so far this season.
Keep the Fight on the Ground
San Diego's defense against the pass has shown improvement in their last few matchups. They'll likely be busy against Vegas on Saturday. The Knight Hawks average the second fewest yards per game in the league (172). This is likely because they rely heavily on their passing attack, which makes them predictable. 74% of their total yards this season have come through the air.
Wide receiver Frank Brown will be the focal point for the Knight Hawks' offense. Brown can do it all on the offensive side of the ball and has put up quite the stat sheet so far this season. As a receiver, he has 23 catches for 241 yards and 5 touchdowns. As a runner, he has gained 56 yards on nine attempts. As a passer (yes you read that right), Brown has a passer efficiency rate of 141.8 and has completed 8 of 16 pass attempts for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Strike Force will look to limit Brown's production so they can direct most of their attention to Vegas' main rusher, running back Elad Covaliu, who has 138 yards and 4 touchdowns on 50 carries this season.
It Starts with Special Teams
The Strike Force have allowed an average of 20.6 yards per return on kickoffs this season, which is a yard more than what the Arizona Rattlers average (18.9). The Rattlers are the IFL's best in that category this season. On a 50-yard field, returns of 20 yards or more can prove to be very costly, as we saw last week against Massachusetts. San Diego themselves has averaged only 13.3 yards per return, which ranks second worst in the IFL. This is definitely an area of improvement for the Strike Force, and they won't have the luxury of being able to work out the kinks this week. Vegas averages 16 yards per return and only allows 13.5 yards per return.
Red Means Dead
That has been the case for San Diego's defense so far this year, but not for their opponents. Strike Force opponents have converted 91.4% of their red zone opportunities (32-35). That's the highest percentage allowed in the IFL this season. 30 of those 32 conversions were touchdowns, which is tied for the second most touchdowns allowed in the red zone this season. San Diego's offense has not had much success in the red zone either, converting only 64.9% of their opportunities (2nd worst in the league) and turning the ball over on downs 9 times (most in the league). On a more positive note, the Strike Force have taken 37 trips to the red zone this season. That's more than any other team in the league this season other than the Quad City Steamwheelers (42 trips). They're moving the ball and giving themselves chances to score. Now it's time to start cashing in more frequently.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:05 PM Pacific Time at the Pechanga Sports Arena. The game will be streamed live on the Indoor Football League's YouTube Channel AND for the first time ever on Fox 5 San Diego.
