Post by David on Jun 2, 2017 13:13:14 GMT -8
Arizona Rattlers at Spokane Empire
What: Fresh off a win, Spokane looks to make a run at a playoff spot by knocking off the rival Rattlers.
When: Saturday, June 3, 7 p.m. (PST)
Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA
Empire Media: Radio - ESPN 700 AM/105.3 FM
National Media: Stream - YouTube
Series History: Series tied 1-1 (Rattlers 1-0 in Spokane)
Note: The winner of this game will hold the tiebreaker between both teams for playoff positioning.
HELPFUL LINKS
Indoor Football League Rules
Indoor Football League Schedule and Results - 2017 Season
2017 Spokane Empire Schedule
Spokane Empire - Vital Statistics
IFL Franchise Index
The Rattlers are 9-4 overall, 5-1 on the road and 6-1 in conference play. Arizona is coming off a 43-33 home win against the Nebraska Danger on May 28. They are averaging 49.7 points per game (2nd in IFL) and are allowing 40.4 points per game (3rd). The Rattlers are first in the Intense Conference.
The Empire are 8-5 overall, 5-2 at home and 7-3 in conference play. Spokane is coming off a 48-43 home win against the Colorado Crush on May 26. They are averaging 43.7 points per game (5th) and are allowing 41.6 points per game (5th). The Empire are second in the Intense Conference.
BREAKDOWN
Total Yards per Game - Rattlers 240.7; Empire 221.0
Pass Yards per Game - Rattlers 132.7; Empire 140.5
Rush Yards per Game - Rattlers 108.0; Empire 80.5
3rd Down Conversion - Rattlers 52.0%; Empire 33.7%
4th Down Conversion - Rattlers 52.4%; Empire 51.9%
Total Tackles - Rattlers 519; Empire 556
Tackles for Loss - Rattlers 56; Empire 66
Total Sacks - Rattlers 22.0; Empire 25.0
Fumble Recoveries - Rattlers 3; Empire 7
Interceptions - Rattlers 9; Empire 12
ARIZONA RATTLERS
Rattlers RB Darrell Monroe (image credit: Matt Hinshaw / AZ Rattlers)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
1 - Markus Smith (DB)
3 - Allen Chapman (DB)
4 - Nathan Lindsey (DB)
5 - Anthony Amos (WR)
6 - Adam Sauder (DB)
9 - Antonio Vaughn (WR)
11 - Arkeith Brown (DB)
12 - Diondre Borel (WR)
14 - Darrell Monroe (RB)
15 - Dillon Winfrey (WR)
16 - Jamal Miles (WR)
17 - Jon Wolf (QB)
19 - Cody Sokol (QB)
22 - Sawyer Petre (K)
30 - Justin Shirk (LB)
31 - Chris McAllister (DL)
42 - Ketrich Harmon (RB)
49 - Edward Mosley (DL)
50 - Glen Haisley (OL)
58 - Damian Love (OL)
91 - Justin Martin (DL)
94 - Lamar Mady (OL)
95 - Joshua Gordon (DL)
99 - Jordan Mosley (OL)
N/A - Jared Dangerfield (WR)
Kevin Guy - Head Coach
Kani Kauahi - Assistant Head Coach
Nick Davila - Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Yards - Cody Sokol 1,255
Passing TDs - Cody Sokol 30
Passing INTs - Cody Sokol 5
Rushing Yards - Darrell Monroe 638
Rushing TDs - Darrell Monroe 15
Receptions - Anthony Amos 45
Receiving Yards - Anthony Amos 565
Receiving TDs - Anthony Amos 17
Tackles (Solo) - Adam Sauder 59
Sacks - Chris McAllister 8
Interceptions - Arkeith Brown/Allen Chapman 4
KO Return Ave - Jamal Miles 19.5
KO Return TDs - Jamal Miles 2
*Not on Active Roster
Note: Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Roster information is gathered from the IFL and the team's official websites.
SPOKANE EMPIRE
Empire QB Aaron Wilmer (image credit: Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
1 - Samuel Charles (WR)
2 - Bryan Pray (WR)
3 - Marcus McDade (QB)
4 - Orlandus Harris (WR)
5 - Tyree Robinson (DB)
8 - Andrew Jackson (LB)
10 - Devonn Brown (WR)
12 - Kaelin Burnett (DL)
13 - Pasquale Vacchio (LB)
16 - Aaron Wilmer (QB)
17 - Brendon Garcia (K)
18 - Trevor Kennedy (OS)
20 - Qua Cox (DB)
21 - Antoine Tharpe (DB)
28 - Andrew Pierce (RB)
33 - John Hardy-Tuliau (DB)
47 - Nick Haag (LB)
55 - Bill Vavau (OL)
57 - Dante Moses (OL)
66 - Deveric Gallington (OL)
70 - Jonah Austin (OL)
74 - Darren Pinnock (OL)
79 - Cassidy Curtis (OL)
93 - J.D. Griggs (DL)
99 - Harold Love III (DL)
Adam Shackleford - Head Coach
Cleveland Pratt - Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams
Anthony Payton - Assistant Coach
Marquise Liverpool - Assistant Coach
Marshall Hart - Line Coach
Joshua Artis - Assistant Coach
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Yards - *Charles Dowdell 1,750
Passing TDs - *Charles Dowdell 40
Passing INTs - *Charles Dowdell 16
Rushing Yards - *Charles Dowdell 411
Rushing TDs - *Charles Dowdell 9
Receptions - Bryan Pray 53
Receiving Yards - Bryan Pray 590
Receiving TDs - Bryan Pray 15
Tackles (Solo) - Andrew Jackson 49
Sacks - J.D. Griggs 10.5
Interceptions - *Robert Brown/John Hardy-Tuliau/Pasquale Vacchio 3
KO Return Ave - *Mulku Kalokoh 17.7
KO Return TDs - Trevor Kennedy 1
*Not on Active Roster
Note: Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Roster information is gathered from the IFL and the team's official websites.
DAVID'S TAKES
ARIZONA:
The Arizona Rattlers are on a roll after a 4-4 start to the regular season; since then, they’ve five straight games, holding opponents to 35 points or less. One of those victories came against their longtime rivals, the Spokane Empire, and leapfrogged into first place in the Intense Conference as a result. Now, in the rubber match of the season series, the Rattlers look to make it six straight and all but lock up first place and home field in the Intense Conference Championship.
The previous two meetings between the Rattlers and the Empire were vastly different. The first meeting was a shootout, with Spokane coming away with a 60-51 victory for the organization’s first in in Phoenix since 2010. The second meeting was lower scoring affair, with Arizona emerging as the victor with a 49-35 win, capitalizing stopping the Empire on 3rd down and sacking QB Charles Dowdell six times.
QB Cody Sokol continues to grow in the indoor game since taking over for ex-Portland Thunder QB Darron Thomas. Through 9 games this season, Sokol has thrown for 1,255 yards, 30 touchdown passes and only 5 interceptions. He’s seen success passing against the Empire’s defensive backfield, throwing for a career high 252 yards and 6 touchdowns in the first meeting. In the second meeting, he only passed for 74 yards, but he completed 80% of his passes (12 of 15) and 3 touchdowns. The success of the Rattlers’ running game, ranked second in the IFL in total rushing yards (1,407) and yards per rush (4.6), has made the transition smooth for Sokol. Since his no touchdown, 2 interception performance against the Cedar Rapids Titans on May 5, he’s been extremely careful with the football, throwing for a combined 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Rattlers’ offensive line deserves a lot of the credit for his success, as Sokol has not been sacked in 4 of the last 5 games.
The very same offensive line that has protected Sokol has done an outstanding job clearing the way for Arizona’s ground game. The Rattlers’ ground attack has been led this season by Darrell Monroe, who leads the IFL in rushing yards (634), rush yards per game (63.4) and yards per rush (5.8). His 15 rushing touchdowns rank third in the IFL, but it’s the highest among non-QBs. Monroe has seen mixed success against the Empire this season – in the first game, he rushed only 5 times for -4 total yards, while in the second, he rushed 15 times for 87 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rattlers’ was upgraded last week with the return RB Ketrich Harmon (60 rushes, 249 yards, 5 TDs) from the Short-Term IR. Harmon got the start for Monroe last week against Nebraska, rushing for 36 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. If both running backs are active this week, it could be a brutal 2-headed rushing attack against an Empire rushing defense that had no answers three weeks ago.
The success of the running game has made the passing game successful, and Arizona’s passing attack looks to gash-and-dash Spokane’s youthful secondary. Leading receiver Anthony Amos (45 receptions, 565 yards, 17 TDs) looks to have yet another big game against Spokane, the organization that gave him his start in arena/indoor football in 2015. He’s been tough for Spokane to contain; in the two games against his former club, Amos has recorded 8 catches for 127 yards and 4 touchdowns. His presence could provide ample opportunities for Jamal Miles (37 receptions, 360 yards, 8 TDs) and late newcomers Antonio Vaughn (8 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TDs) and recently re-activated Jared Dangerfield. Ex-Empire WR Diondre Borel (5 receptions, 45 yards, 2 TDs) has not seen much action this season, and could be a surprise start against his former team.
Defense could be a toss-up for the Rattlers, who statistically rank 6th against the run (70.6 ypg) and the pass (149.1 ypg). Turnovers haven’t been common for the Rattlers, who only have recorded 9 interceptions (eighth in the IFL) and 3 fumble recoveries (10th). However, the Rattlers have had success getting to opposing quarterbacks, ranking third in the IFL with 22 sacks. The Rattlers defensive unit been outstanding during the team’s 5-game winning stream, giving up 35 points or less during that span.
Empire QB Aaron Wilmer will provide a challenge for the Rattler’s defensive line. Unlike Dowdell, who hesitated to pull the ball on read-option plays or hang back in the pocket too long, Wilmer has a bigger physical size and isn’t afraid to run the football. His execution of the read-option last week against Colorado was a tremendous success, and could come into play Saturday night. LB Justin Shirk (48 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss) and DLs Joshua Gordon (44 total tackles, 5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss), Chris McAllister (26 total tackles, 8.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss), and Edward Mosley (26 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss) will have to put pressure on Wilmer and shut down the running attack of Andrew Pierce and Trevor Kennedy if they want to win in similar fashion to the last game. Meanwile, DBs Adam Sauder (87 total tackles, 7 pass breakups) Arkeith Brown (75 total tackles, 4 INTs, 12 pass breakups), Allen Chapman (52 total tackles, 4 interceptions, 7 pass breakups) and Nathan Lindsey (39 total tackles, 3 pass breakups) will try and contain an Empire receiving corps that awoken in recent weeks.
The Rattlers have momentum and a scorching hot offense on their side, but with new weapons for the Spokane Empire on offense, it could be a tough test for a Rattlers’ defense that sees its last playoff caliber opponent for the remainder of the regular season. If the Rattlers can disrupt Wilmer and have another big defensive performance, the Rattlers would be able to control their own destiny going into the playoffs.
Player to Watch: Darrell Monroe (RB)
SPOKANE:
Suffering from the first three game losing streak under their re-branded identity, the Empire came out looking like a vastly different team in last Friday’s 48-43 victory over the Colorado Crush. After scoring 36 points or less in 6 of their last 7 games, the Empire made a drastic change at quarterback, releasing veteran Charles Dowdell in favor of rookie Aaron Wilmer. The switch appears to have worked, as Wilmer’s presence stimulated the offensive potential for the Empire. In the first half against the Crush, Spokane’s offense scored 35 first half points, nearly equaling the highest amount of points they had in an entire game against the Arizona Rattlers two weeks ago. Now, with the very same Rattlers team coming to town Saturday night, Spokane looks to avenge its loss and reclaim first place in the Intense Conference.
Quarterback Aaron Wilmer looked impressive in his first start last Friday, completing 17 of 23 passes for 119 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. He passed with more confidence than former QB Charles Dowdell, and it showed as he only turned the ball over one time on a muffed handoff. He also showed better execution on the read-option, and at times fooled the Crush defense. He also led the team in rushing, with 18 carries for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns. With the addition of ex-Shock offensive lineman Deveric Gallington to the line, Wilmer had excellent pass protection to help guide the Empire offense. This week, Wilmer will face an Arizona defense that hasn’t created many turnovers, but has gotten to the quarterback 22 times this season. If the Empire’s upgraded offensive line can provide Wilmer enough time, his dual-threat ability could be a serious threat to the Rattlers.
The successful execution of the read-option could be a tremendous task for the Rattlers to defend, as the Empire have two proven running backs in Trevor Kennedy (64 rushes, 289 yards, 8 TDs) and Andrew Pierce (8 rushes 33 yards). In addition to their rushing abilities, Kennedy (24 receptions, 208 yards, 4 TDs) and Pierce (6 receptions, 38 yards, 2 TDs) possess talent as receiving threats, and could be a one-two punch. If you factor in Wilmer’s rushing ability, and his larger, physical frame, then the Empire could be poised for a big ground game that can help set up the passing game.
Leading WR Bryan Pray (53 receptions, 590 yards, 15 TDs) will look to continue his excellent play as of late. After a modest start to the season, Pray has caught fire, recording touchdown receptions in six of his last eight games. Even with the change at QB, Pray established quick chemistry with Aaron Wilmer, leading the Empire’s wide receiver corps with 5 receptions for 58 yards and a TD. Pray’s been successful in the previous two meetings against the Rattlers, recording 16 total receptions for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’ll look to continue that momentum Saturday night, and provide opportunities for Devonn Brown (37 receptions, 398 yards, 9 TDs) and Samuel Charles (30 receptions, 407 yards, 10 TDs), both of whom cooled off in last week’s game against Colorado.
The Empire’s defense will look to avenge its performance it had the last time against the Rattlers, in which Spokane was missing LB Nick Haag (NFL Tryout) and Pasquale Vacchio (strained pectoral). The loss of Haag and Vacchio opened the door for Arizona to find success running the football with RB Darrell Monroe. With Haag (60 total tackles, 5.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss) and Vacchio (65 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 INT, 8 pass breakups) back in the lineup, Andrew Jackson will return to the defensive line, in which he’s been a tremendous force for the Empire this season. Jackson leads all Empire defenders with 80 total tackles (49 solo), and has 4.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1 INT and 5 pass breakups. In addition to Jackson, J.D. Griggs (37 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss) and Kaelin Burnett (4 tackles), an ex-Tennessee Titan, it should be a better defensive front to put pressure on Rattlers QB Cody Sokol and to shut down Arizona’s two-headed rushing attack in Monroe and Ketrich Harmon.
The biggest test will be how Spokane’s defensive backfield will handle Arizona’s talented receiving corps. DB Tyree Robinson (69 total tackles, 2 INTs, 11 pass breakups) and John Hardy-Tuliau (66 total tackles, 3 INT, 7 pass breakups) are the leaders in the backfield, with newcomers Antoine Tharpe (13 total tackles, 3 pass breakups) and Qua Cox (7 total tackles, 2 pass breakups) breaking in. Tharpe performed well against the Crush last week, but will have to step up his game against the likes of Anthony Amos and Jamal Miles.
Although the Rattlers are viewed as the favorite, Spokane appears to be re-energized with Aaron Wilmer under center. If the Empire can contain the Rattlers’ talented offense, and fend off Arizona’s pass rush, it could present an interesting final two weeks leading up to the playoffs.
Player to Watch: Aaron Wilmer (QB)
QUOTABLE
Empire RB Andrew Pierce on sharing the field with RB Trevor Kennedy.
"I think me and him together is going to be something special. It's hard for teams to key in on two people"
Empire HC Adam Shackleford on the importance of beating Arizona.
"They're a team that each week on film they get a little better at this and better at that. Coach Guy has grasped the concnepts of what you need to do to win in the IFL."
Shackleford on QB Aaron Wilmer's first IFL start.
"I'd give him about a B-minus, but I'm pretty hard on my quarterbacks. I'm proud of the way he came out and found ways to score and he didn't throw the ball to the other team."
Empire QB Aaron Wilmer on the team's 48-43 win over Colorado.
"We left seven, 14, maybe 17 points on the board, but we got the W."
Shackleford on the Empire's 3-game losing streak before Friday's win.
"Sioux Falls flat-out beat us, Arizona ran it down our throat and Colorado, we didn’t take them as seriously as we should have because they took it to us."
FEATURED SOCIAL MEDIA
IFL SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
May 26 - Green Bay Blizzard (2-11) at Iowa Barnstormers (10-2), 5:05 p.m.
May 27 - Wichita Falls Nighthawks (9-3) at Sioux Falls Storm (11-1), 5:05 p.m.
May 28 - Nebraska Danger (7-5) at Arizona Rattlers (8-4), 3 p.m.
May 29 - Cedar Rapids Titans (1-12) at Salt Lake Screaming Eagles (3-9), 6 p.m.
EXTRA
At 9-4, the Arizona Rattlers are having success in their first season as members of the Indoor Football League. Should the Rattlers finish the season with three straight wins, they will finish with a 12-4 record, the very same record that Spokane had in its first IFL season last year.
With the Rattlers' move to the IFL, they became the seventh arena football team (including teams from the AFL's developmental league, the af2) to join the league after playing in the "top tiers" of indoor/arena football. Here's a look at how the seven teams have done in their first season as members of the IFL.
2010:
- Amarillo Venom (formerly Amarillo Dusters): 11-3 (1st in Lonestar West Division; Lost to Arkansas in Intense Conference Semifinals)
- Arkansas Diamonds (formerly Arkansas Twisters): 11-3 (1st in Lonestar East Division; Lost to Billings Outlaws in Intense Conference Championship
- Green Bay Blizzard: 10-4 (1st in Central North Division; Lost to Chicago Slaughter in United Conference Wild Card)
- Tri-Cities Fever: 7-7 (3rd in Pacific North Division; Lost to Billings Outlaws in United Conference Wild Card)
2015:
- Iowa Barnstormers: 6-8 (4th in United Conference)
2016:
- Spokane Empire (formerly Spokane Shock): 12-4 (1st in Intense Conference; Lost to Sioux Falls in 2016 United Bowl)
2017:
- Arizona Rattlers: 9-4 (1st in Intense Conference)*
*Season in progress