GLENDALE — The Arizona Rattlers are sorely missing several key contributors and it showed again on Sunday afternoon.
Injuries, costly penalties and a defense unable to come up with a big play were the formula for a 55-45 loss to the San Diego Strike Force on Sunday at Desert Diamond Arena.
“The product we are putting out on the field right now is not up to our standard,” Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy said after Arizona’s first back-to-back home losses since 2017, their first year in the Indoor Football League. “We put some guys on notice last week that they needed to play better and that didn’t happen — so we need to make some changes.”
Arizona is now 1-3, the worst start to a season for the Rattlers since 2007 when the team coached by Gene Nudo finished 4-12. They are also 1-4 all-time at Desert Diamond Arena, their new “Snake Pit” home since departing Footprint Center after three decades playing in downtown Phoenix.
Missing three key pieces on both sides of the ball — starting QB Dalton Sneed, starting RB Shannon Brooks and all-league defensive back Dillion Winfrey — the game started off positively for the Rattlers defense as linebacker Connor Taylor picked off San Diego QB Nate Davis in the red zone. Arizona could only cash in a 30-yard field goal by Dawson Evitts to take a 3-0 lead.
The teams then exchanged scores — a Davis-to-Jordan Kress TD pass offset by a 2-yard TD run by the Rattlers’ CJ Odom.
San Diego (3-0) retook the lead on a 32-yard run by Chance Bell. SD kicker Stevie Artigue hit the PAT and added a 2-point “deuce” on the ensuing kickoff. San Diego led 15-10 with 11:38 left until halftime.
Evitts countered with a 23-yard field goal to get Arizona within 15-13.
Davis exited the game and backup QB Rudy Johnson made the most of his chance, connecting with WR Arthur Jackson III on a 30-yard touchdown pass at the 2:41 mark of the second quarter.
Down 22-13, the Rattlers needed a TD and got one when QB Lorenzo Brown threw a 3-yard laser to WR Glen Gibbons Jr. A mishandled snap doomed the PAT and the Rattlers trailed 22-19 with 11 seconds until half.
Artigue stepped on to try a 54-yard field goal but the snap was botched and he never got the attempt off. Still, the Strike Force held a 22-19 halftime lead.
“We just made too many mistakes on defense,” Taylor said. “You can’t do that in this league — other teams will make you pay.”
The second half started like the first, except this time the Strike Force picked up the turnover as Brown was intercepted by Elijah Elie, cutting short the Rattlers’ chance to take the lead.
San Diego took full advantage as QB Johnson ran the zone read to perfection, darting untouched for an 18-yard TD. Artigue’s PAT gave the visitors a 29-19 cushion.
An 11-yard TD pass from Brown to Gibbons Jr. along with Evitts’ kick brought Arizona within 29-26, but the defense allowed a 1-yard TD run by Bell and the Rattlers trailed 35-26 late in the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, Brown threw his best pass all day, a well-timed dime to Gibbons Jr. who hauled in the 25-yard TD over two Strike Force defenders. Evitts’ PAT brought Arizona within 35-33 with 13 minutes left in the game. Johnson hooked up again with Jackson III, this time on a 40-yard bomb for a touchdown. A bad snap foiled the PAT and San Diego led 41-33.
Brown then found backup QB Garrett Kettle, playing at wide receiver due to the mounting injuries, on a 12-yard TD pass to the right side. The 2-point conversion failed and Arizona still trailed 41-39 with 9 minutes left in regulation.
Bell countered with a short TD run and Artigue’s PAT extended the San Diego lead to 48-39 with 6:08 left.
The Strike Force D then came up with the big play the Rattlers could not as Justic’e King intercepted a tipped ball and meandered 50 yards down the field for a game-clinching Pick 6. Many in the crowd of 8,716 started to hit the exits.
”We just didn’t execute well today — that’s what it comes down to,” Brown said.
Trailing 55-39, Arizona got a 2-yard TD run by Jamal Miles. The 2-point conversion was stopped as Brown was tackled a yard short of the goal line.
Trailing by 10, the Rattlers did not try an onside kick with 38 seconds left. San Diego ran out the clock and celebrated their first-ever victory over the Rattlers in eight attempts.
Already without Sneed, Brooks and Winfrey, three more starters were lost to injury in Sunday’s game — Odom, LB/DB Devontae Merriweather and WR Isaiah Huston.
“It’s a mess right now but we can’t use injuries as an excuse for the way we are playing,” Guy said. “I am still positive about where we can go but the bottom line is we have to get better.”
Arizona hits the road on Saturday, April 20 for a matchup with the Iowa Barnstormers. Kickoff is set for 5:05 p.m. and the game can be seen live on the IFL’s YouTube channel.
Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.
Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.
Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs.
Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.
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