Post by Nevadanut on Apr 25, 2018 21:27:25 GMT -8
Cedar Rapids Titans at Arizona Rattlers
What: The Titans are, once again, in the desert to battle the Rattlers.
When: Saturday, April 28 at 6:05 p.m. pacific (8:05 p.m. central).
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena; Phoenix, Arizona.
Youtube Live Stream: Titans at Rattlers on the Indoor Football League Official YouTube Channel.
2018 Head to Head: March 31 - Rattlers 54, Titans 19. May 5 - Rattlers at Titans.
Note: The Titans have yet to defeat the Rattlers in three head-to-head matchups in the series.
HELPFUL LINKS
Indoor Football League Rules
Indoor Football League Schedule and Results - 2018 Season
Cedar Rapids Titans 2018 Schedule
Cedar Rapids - Vital Statistics
Arizona Rattlers 2018 Schedule
Arizona Rattlers Vital Statistics
IFL Franchise Index
The Titans are 1-6 overall and 1-3 on the road. They are coming off a 65-48 road loss to the Sioux Falls Storm on April 21. They are averaging 37.7 points per game and are averaging 54.4 points per game.
The Rattlers are 6-1 overall and 5-0 at home. They are coming off a 65-33 home win over the Green Bay Blizzard on April 21. They are averaging 47.6 points per game and are allowing 34.7 points per game.
2018 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
Total Yards per Game - Titans 222.9; Rattlers 241.9
Pass Yards per Game - Titans 171.6; Rattlers 120.1
Rush Yards per Game - Titans 51.3; Rattlers 121.7
3rd Down Conversion - Titans 43%; Rattlers 43%
4th Down Conversion - Titans 26%; Rattlers 57%
Total Tackles - Titans 249; Rattlers 265
Tackles for Loss - Titans 17; Rattlers 265
Total Sacks - Titans 4; Rattlers 11
Fumble Recoveries - Titans 5; Rattlers 7
Interceptions - Titans 1; Rattlers 7
Note: Both teams have played seven games.
CEDAR RAPIDS TITANS
Titans WR Javon Bell (photo courtesy Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
3 - Marquel Wade (WR)
4 - Michael Georgetti (K)
5 - Jake Medlock (QB)
7 - Javon Bell (WR)
8 - Raheem Bramwell (LB)
11 - Raheem Harvey (WR)
17 - Jordan Smith (WR)
18 - Connor Hollenbeck (WR)
20 - Elijah Lee (DB)
21 - James Calhoun (DB)
23 - Daniel Lindsey (DB)
25 - Raphael Lawson-Gale (RB)
26 - Deon'tae Florence (DB)
29 - Corey Neely Jr. (DB)
42 - Bryce McClain (DL)
44 - Moses White (LB)
48 - Darren Wilson (DL)
54 - Ricarlo Bell (DL)
61 - Andrew Erbes (OL)
62 - Randall Harris (OL)
65 - Sean Brown (OL)
66 - Brandon Wainwright (OL/DL)
N/A - Aundrea Liddell (OL/DL)
N/A - Sean Mardis (RB)
N/A - David Powell (DL)
N/A - Avery Wright (DL)
Short Term IR
2 - Cedric Dozier (DB)
Season Ending IR
N/A - Eddie Elliott II (RB/WR)
Transfer
34 - Qua Cox (DB) [AFL-Washington Valor]
RTR
99 - Herbert Gonzales III (DL)
22 - Tyler Thomas (RB)
N/A - Cory Butler-Byrd (WR/DB)
N/A - Carlif Taylor (DL)
Coaching Staff
Marvin Jones - Head Coach
REGULAR SEASON STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Yards - Jake Medlock 1,282
Passing TDs - Jake Medlock 21
Passing Ints - Jake Medlock 2
Rushing Yards - Tyler Thomas 143
Rushing TDs - Jake Medlock 9
Receptions - Connor Hollenbeck 43
Receiving Yards - Connor Hollenbeck 411
Receiving TDs - Connor Hollenbeck 10
Total Tackles - James Calhoun 33
Sacks - Ricarlo Bell 3
Interceptions - James Calhoun 3
KO Return Ave - *Daniel Lindsey 15.9
KO Return TDs - none
*No longer with team
Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Rosters and team information is gathered from the IFL's 2018 Media Guide, as well as other sources, and will be updated as further roster information becomes available.
ARIZONA RATTLERS
Rattlers DB Arkeith Brown (Photo via TV/CBS 5)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
1 - Verlon Reed Jr. (QB)
2 - Jamal Miles (RB/WR)
3 - Allen Chapman (DB)
4 - Nathan Lindsey (DB)
5 - Anthony Amos (WR)
8 - Davontae Merriweather (DB)
11 - Arkeith Brown (DB)
12 - Anthony Jones Jr. (WR)
13 - Jeff Ziemba (QB)
14 - Darrell Monroe (RB)
15 - Dillion Winfrey (WR)
16 - Jarrod Harrington (WR)
17 - Dezmon Epps (WR)
22 - Sawyer Petre (K)
24 - Keith Trumps (DB)
30 - Justin Shirk (LB)
31 - Chris McAllister (DL)
32 - Dylan Peebles (RB)
49 - Edward Mosley (DL)
50 - Chris Boles (OL)
56 - Steven Gurrola (OL)
64 - Vernon Sainvil (OL)
91 - Justin Martin (DL)
94 - Lamar Mady (OL)
95 - Joshua Gordon (DL)
Short Term IR
28 - Shadrach Thornton (RB)
45 - Ryan Langford (LB)
N/A - Fahraad Johnson (OL)
Season Ending IR
N/A - Mark Munson (WR)
N/A - Terrence Surratt (DL)
Transfer
None
RTR
6 - Sean Goldrich (QB)
N/A - Dante Cattaneo (OL)
N/A - Terrell Clinkscales (DL)
N/A - Leon Hill (OL)
Coaching Staff
Kevin Guy - Head Coach
Jeff Jarnigan - Defensive Line/Special Teams Coach
Kani Kauahi - Offensive Line Coach/Assistant Head Coach
Steve Axman - Offensive Coordinator
2018 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Yards - Jeff Ziemba 813
Passing TDs - Jeff Ziemba 21
Passing Ints - Jeff Ziemba 7
Rushing Yards - Darrell Monroe 352
Rushing TDs - Darrell Monroe 10
Receptions - Jamal Miles 26
Receiving Yards - Anthony Amos 260
Receiving TDs - Anthony Amos 11
Total Tackles - Arkeith Brown 34
Sacks - Ryan Langford 3.5
Interceptions - Nathan Lindsey 3.5
KO Return Ave - Dezmon Epps 25.2
KO Return TDs - none
Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Rosters and team information is gathered from the IFL's 2018 Media Guide and other sources, and will be updated as further roster information becomes available.
ANALYSIS
These teams have played just three times with Arizona winning each of those games. The first was a tightly contested 34-32 win on May 5, 2017 at Cedar Rapids. The second was a 56-25 victory on June 11, 2017 at Phoenix. The third game was played just four weeks ago, resulting in a 54-19 Rattlers victory. Of course, over the past several weeks the Titans and Rattlers have been going in different directions. The recent playoff contending Titans went 1-15 last season, and are 1-6 in this early 2018 campaign. The Rattlers, on the other hand, entered the league last season and captured the United Bowl Championship. There are also drastic differences in their offensive styles. The Titans lead the IFL in passing offense at 171.6 yards per game, while the Rattlers lead the league in passing offense at 121.7.
Cedar Rapids has been relatively close in several games this season. After a sloppy first half in their 65-48 loss to the Sioux Falls Storm last week, the Titans outscored the Storm 35-20 in the second half to make the game look interesting. Against the Rattlers on March 31, the Titans struggles mightily, scoring an IFL season low in points with 19. Rookie Jake Medlock, the IFL's leading passer, completed 18 of 38 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Medlock spread around the wealth in that game, connecting with five different receivers. Three of those receivers caught at least five passes. Marvin Williams is in his second season as an IFL head coach and has a 2-13 record in that time.
Medlock is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. He leads the IFL in passing yards per game (183.1), attempts (235) and completions (139), and is tied with the Rattlers' Jeff Ziemba for first in touchdown tosses (21). He is completing 59.1 percent of his passes and also has rushed for 9 touchdowns. Raphael Lawson-Gale leads the team among active players with 136 rushing yards and has run for 3 touchdowns. Should he be effective against a talented Rattlers defense, it could go along way to taking some pressure off of Medlock in the passing game. Lawson-Gale leads the team in all-purpose yards with 574 with 357 of those yards coming in the kick return game. Connor Hollenbeck leads the receiving group. His 6.1 receptions per game are tops in the league and his 10 touchdown catches are good for third in the IFL. Jordan Smith has 176 receiving yards, and Javon Bell has 146, as well as 2 receiving touchdowns. James Calhoun adds an interception and 3 tackles for loss to his team-leading 33 total tackles. Ricarlo Bell, who has 3 sacks and a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss. Moses White is second on the team with 31 total tackles. Michael Gerogetti has made just 4 of his 13 field goal attempts, but all nine of those misses have come from beyond 30 yards.
Arizona has won five straight after suffering their only loss of the season back in week 3 to the Iowa Barnstormers. The Rattlers would love nothing more than to run the table and find themselves back in the United Bowl with the game being held in Phoenix. There are still seven games yet to play but, behind their running game, the Rattlers are looking strong. The Titans did a respectable job of limiting that rushing attack in the March 31 meeting, limiting Arizona to just 76 yards on the ground in that game. Rookie quarterback Jeff Ziemba passed for a season-high 7 touchdowns in that game. Veteran head coach Kevin Guy, who was with the Rattlers in the Arena Football League, is 17-5 with the team in the IFL.
Ziemba has been impressive since taking over for Verlon Reed, Jr. early in week 1 of the season. Along with the Titans' Medlock, he leads the IFL with 21 passing touchdowns. He is second in the IFL with 127 passing attempts and third in the league with 71 completions. Opening day starter Verlon Reed, Jr. saw action against the win over the Blizzard. The 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year completed 8 of 10 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Darrell Monroe has been in beast mode the last two weeks since re-emerging into tho the starting lineup. Over the last two games, he has rushed 35 times for 220 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns. Monroe was named IFL Offensive Player of week 8 for his 23 rushes for 126 yards, a league high this season, and 4 touchdowns. Anthony Amos, a holdover from the Rattlers' AFL days, has 11 receiving touchdowns which is good for second in the IFL. Jamal Miles is formidable in the receiving game with his 26 catches for 193 and 7 touchdowns. Arkeith Brown has 3 interceptions and a fumble recovery to go with his team-leading 34 total tackles. Chris McAllister and Joshua Gordon have recorded 7 and 6 tackles for loss, respectively. Sawyer Petre has connected on 5 of 12 of his field goal tries with a long of 41. Five of the seven misses have come from beyond 30 yards.
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OTHER IFL GAMES THIS WEEK
April 27 - Sioux Falls Storm at Nebraska Danger, 5 p.m. pacific (7 p.m. central)
April 28 - Green Bay Blizzard at Iowa Barnstormers, 5:05 p.m. (7:05 p.m. central)
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