IFL Championship - Defense sends Rattlers to IFL title

[Monika]

Rattlers 53, Pirates 16


Rattlers defensive back Davontae Merriweather (courtesy IFL)

8/17/24 --

HENDERSON, NV - The Arizona Rattlers' defense held the Massachusetts Pirates scoreless through the midpoint of the third quarter and cruised to their second Indoor Football League championship.

The Rattlers' _ win over the Massachusetts Pirates today in the IFL National Championship Game marks the first time since 2017 when the Rattlers have emerged as IFL champions. They defeated the Sioux Falls Storm 50-41 in the 2017 United Bowl. It also marks the seventh overall indoor/arena championship dating back to their days in the Arena Football League.

Davontae Merriweather, defensive back for the Rattlers, was named Most Valuable Player as he led the defense with three interceptions.

This was a rematch of United Bowl XII which saw the Pirates defeat the Rattlers 37-34 on a 31-yard field goal on the second possession of overtime from former New Orleans Saints' kicker Garrett Hartley. Pirates quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was named MVP of that game. Rattlers quarterback Dalton Sneed won MVP honors last season after leading the Bay Area Panthers to that franchise's first IFL championship.

Arizona scored a rouge on the opening kickoff as Dawson Evitts' squib kick was unable to be returned out of the end zone by the Pirates. Massachusetts drove deep into Rattlers territory, but Jimmie Robinson's fumble was recovered by Dillon Winfrey of the Rattlers. Arizona scored the first touchdown of the game when Dalton Sneed found Jamal Miles in the back left corner of the end zone for a nine-yard score. The Pirates attempted to get on the board with a 34-yard field goal, but Henry Nell's kick sailed wide right. The Rattlers led 8-0 at the end of the opening quarter.

The Rattlers increased their lead early in the fourth quarter when Shannon Brooks scored on a six-yard sweep around the right side. The Pirates once again drove deep into Arizona territory, but turned over the ball on downs, giving it back to the Rattlers at the seven. Arizona capitalized with a 10-yard run from Sneed. Davontae Merriweather intercepted Pirates quarterback Alejandro Bennifield at the Arizona seven-yard line with 54 seconds remaining in the first half. They scored again on a one-yard run from Brooks and took a 29-0 lead into halftime.

Evitts's 23-yard field goal increased the lead to 32-0 early in the quarter. The Pirates got on the board 38 minutes into the contest when Jimmie Robinson rushed around the right side and into the end zone from three yards out. Arizona answered on Sneed's two-yard touchdown in the right side of the end zone to Miles. The Pirates turned the ball over on downs near midfield and the Rattlers offense was back in business. The Rattlers led 29-8 heading into the fourth.

Arizona turned the ball over on downs, giving the Pirates a chance. While driving, Bennifield was intercepted once again by Merriweather of the Rattlers. Brooks scored his third touchdown of the afternoon with a 12-yard run around the right side to give the Rattlers a 38-point lead midway through the fourth. Merriweather intercepted Bennifield for a third time. The Rattlers took advantage of the takeaway as Garrett Kettle scrambled up the middle for a 14-yard score. Kettle, who started for the Northern Arizona Wranglers last season, is the backup to Sneed this year. Massachusetts scored on a 12-touchdown toss from Bennifield to Teo Redding. As the Rattlers were trying to run out the clock, Kettle was intercepted by Julius Turner with 1:09 left and the Pirates had a chance to make the game look a little more respectable. However, they turned the ball over on downs with nine seconds left and the Rattlers ran out the clock.

Sneed finished 10 of 15 for 67 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 61 yards and another touchdown. Brooks added 69 yards rushing to his three touchdowns. Miles caught three balls for 19 yards and two scores. Connor Taylor's six tackles led the Rattlers defense, while Merriweather added 2.5 tackles to his three interceptions.

Bennifield completed 11 of 30 passes for 127 yards with a touchdown and three picks. Robinson rushed 10 times for 41 yards and a score, while Redding caught five passes for 41 yards and touchdown. Paris Ford led the defense with five tackles ang Guy Thomas recorded an interception. 

Arizona outgained Massachusetts in total offense, 253 yards to 203 with the biggest advantage coming in the running game, 193 yards to 78. The Pirates held a 63-yard edge in the passing game. The Pirates were penalized 11 times for 81 yards and the Rattlers were cited five times for 33 yards. In a statistic which doesn't always indicate the outcome, Massachusetts held a 1:54 advantage in time of possession.


HOF inductees (l-r): Houston Lillard, Clinton Solomon, Todd Tryon.

Three IFL historical standouts became the latest inductees into the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame during Championship Weekend. Quarterback Houston Lillard (third in IFL history with 208 passing touchdowns), wide receiver Clinton Solomon (two-time United Bowl champion) and player/owner/commissioner Todd Tryon (seven-time United Bowl champion as owner) became the newest members of the HOF. Click IFL Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Class for more information about the inductees.

Overall, the Rattlers finished the season 14-5, while the Pirates finished 10-9. 

After finishing the regular season with a 8-8 record, the Pirates defeated the Frisco Fighters 53-50 in the first round and routed the Green Bay Blizzard 51-28 in the Eastern Conference Championship Game to get to this year's title contest. The Rattlers finished 11-5 in the regular season. They made it to the championship game by shocking the Vegas Knight Hawks 39-38 in the first round and stomping the San Diego Strike Force 58-23 in the Western Conference Championship Game. The Pirates and Rattlers did not meet this season, but have played four previous times with each team winning twice.

SCtoC followed the game with our preview, live score updates and quarter summaries. Click on the 2024 IFL Championship Game thread to view the game progress. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule and click for our SCtoC 2024 IFL Golden Helmet Awards.

-MMM

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[Monika]

Blizzard FanCast, along with San Antonio Gunslingers' play-by play announcer Ralph Judkins, broadcast the complete game on YouTube. That appears in its entirety below.

[DiamondThief]

This game was practically over at the coin toss. It was really sad to see the culmination of the season end with a game like this. I'll give the Rattlers their due; their defense stifled the Pirates' offense. On the other side of it, the Pirates offensive play calling was horrible and non-creative. They called plays which filtered right into the Rattlers' defensive strengths. Hopefully, the next championship game is more competitive.

[Nevadanut]

Aug 17, 2024 16:42:17 GMT -8 DiamondThief said:

This game was practically over at the coin toss. It was really sad to see the culmination of the season end with a game like this. I'll give the Rattlers their due; their defense stifled the Pirates' offense. On the other side of it, the Pirates offensive play calling was horrible and non-creative. They called plays which filtered right into the Rattlers' defensive strengths. Hopefully, the next championship game is more competitive.

I echo this. The fumble on the Pirates' first possession kind of set the tone for the rest of the game. Had they scored on that drive, I think the progress of the game may have been quite a bit different. I'm not sure the Rattlers would not have won, but it seems to me like it would have made it more competitive.

[Nevadanut]

Aug 17, 2024 16:00:11 GMT -8 Monika said:

Blizzard FanCast, along with San Antonio Gunslingers' play-by play announcer Ralph Judkins, broadcast the complete game on YouTube. That appears in its entirety below.

I really wish I would have known about this prior to the game. My Fubo link to CBS Sports was not good at all. The IFL really needs to rethink the whole CBS Sports Network thing. It's kind of ridiculous. I like the collaboration between Ralph Judkins and Taylor Kohl on this broadcast. That made it even more interesting.

[David]

I didn't catch any of the game because I was out and about. 

I read somewhere that Thomas Owens wasn't a factor in the game. Any idea if he wasn't playing or just shut down?

[alecs]

Aug 18, 2024 15:19:00 GMT -8 David said:

I didn't catch any of the game because I was out and about. 

I read somewhere that Thomas Owens wasn't a factor in the game. Any idea if he wasn't playing or just shut down?

Owens was a last-second addition to Massachusetts' injury report, rendering him inactive for the game. The only other game he missed this season was the final regular season contest, when the Pirates were held to 24 points in their loss at Tulsa. He really is the glue that held the Pirates' passing game together, even if he's slightly past his prime days.

[alecs]

Get a hold of some of these ridiculous stats that the Arizona defense put together in closing out their seventh league-winning season in Franchise history:

After allowing 28 first-half points to Vegas in the Conference Semifinal, the Rattler defense put together the following numbers in the ten quarters thereafter:
* 40 combined points
* 10 Takeaways (9 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery)
* 5 Turnovers on Downs
* 38.7% Opposing QB Completion Percentage (29/75)

Extrapolated over a full three-game playoff slate, this Arizona squad essentially surrendered a points-per-game mark in the teens and forced an average of three turnovers per game. If that isn't Championship defense, tell me what is!