The San Diego Strike Force had a rough Saturday afternoon at home against the Las Vegas Knight Hawks. The Strike Force went into this game with last minute changes at the head coach and quarterback positions. Offensive Coordinator Taylor Genuser, who has been with the Strike Force since their debut in 2019, took over as head coach mid-week. The Strike Force also signed quarterback Gerald Kemp with starter Steve Cluley expected to miss at least four weeks with a shoulder injury. 

Kemp struggled in his San Diego debut, throwing four interceptions. He did throw his first career IFL touchdown to Rashad Ross on a sweet 8-yard touch pass in the first quarter, but from there it was tough sailing for Kemp and the offense. San Diego commited a total of six turnovers in this game, two of which occurred in Las Vegas' end zone when the Strike Force were on the verge of scoring. One of those interceptions was returned deep into San Diego territory to set up a score, and another was returned for a touchdown. Defensive back Jericho Flowers made both plays for the Knight Hawks. 

Vegas cashed-in on those turnovers, going on unanswered runs of 15 and 14 points. Vegas got a season high five passing touchdowns from quarterback Jerod Evans. Wide receiver Kacey Allison was on the back end of three of those touchdowns. Wide receiver Dez Epps had a big night as well, returning a kickoff for a touchdown and hauling in two receiving touchdowns of his own. 

San Diego once again struggled on special teams and allowed a blocked field goal attempt that led to a safety, an onside kick fumble recovery, and the Dez Epps' kick return touchdown. Despite their struggles, they did deliver a highlight thanks to Ishmael Adams, who returned a kickoff in the first quarter for an electrifying touchdown. 

Defensively, nose tackle Javian Williams delivered a solid performance with a couple of tackles and a sack in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. Terrence Fullum made two big hits in the backfield as well that resulted in tackles-for-loss. 

Offensively, Marques Rodgers showed off his athleticism and versatility once again, ripping off a couple of big runs late in the game out of the quarterback position. His best run of the night was a 27-yard burst out of a wildcat formation, sprinting through and spinning out of tackles for San Diego's only touchdown of the second half. On the ensuing drive he recorded two more runs out of the wildcat, going for 22 and 18 yards on back to back plays. He even completed a pass on a short throw that he zipped to Rashad Ross.  

The Strike Force fall to 2-6 on the season and are now two games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They will finish off their homestand next week on Saturday, May 21st as they take on the Tucson Sugar Skulls at 7:05 PM PT.