(Glendale, AZ) In a quick turnaround after a hard-fought battle in Northern Arizona on Sunday, the 3-1 Rattlers return to the Snake Pit to host the 1-2 Tulsa Oilers in only the second meeting between the teams since Tulsa joined the IFL in 2023.
The Oilers’ games this season have all been decided by one score and Rattlers’ Head Coach Kevin Guy expects a tough matchup with the Marvin Jones led Tulsa Oilers. In the second half of last week’s game the Rattlers relied heavily on their run game.
For the season, Rattlers quarterback Max Meylor is the team’s leading rusher with 172 yards, good for fourth best in the league. Last week showed the necessity for a balanced run game when the pass game is not effective. The Oilers are familiar with Meylor from his time at Green Bay and know how dangerous he can be with his legs.
1st quarter
The Rattlers deferred to the second half after winning the toss and the Oilers received the opening kickoff which went out of bounds at the 6 yard line. The Oilers marched down the field with quarterback TJ Edwards II hooking up with Jerminic Smith Sr from the Rattlers’ 5 yard line for the first touchdown of the game. Bailey Hale added the point after, giving the Oilers a 7-0 lead.
Arland Bruce returned the kickoff to the Rattler’s 19 yard line and on the first play from scrimmage, Ron Brown, Jr. gained 16 yards into the Oilers’ 15 yard line. On third down from the eight, Meylor carried the ball and seemingly every player on the field down to the 1. The next play had Ron Brown Jr. rushing in for the score. Matthew Cook’s point after tied the game at 7-7.
Cook’s kickoff was returned to the 8 yard line and the first play from that offensive possession saw a 37 yard pass from Edwards to Harrington, down to the Rattlers’ five-yard line. A false start pushed the Oilers back to their ten. TJ Edwards II scrambled away from pressure and scored the Oilers second touchdown of the game. Hale’s PAT extended the Oilers’ lead to 14-7.
Hale’s kickoff sailed out of bounds giving the Rattlers’ first down at their own 20. After an illegal defense five-yard penalty, Arland Bruce slithered for 14 yards down to the Oilers’ 14-yard line. The first quarter ended with the Rattlers on the Oilers’ 9-yard line, fourth down and 8 yards to go for a first down.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
2nd quarter
Corey Reed Jr escaped the Oilers’ pass coverage and Meylor found him in the back corner of the endzone for a Rattlers’ touchdown. Cook tied it up at 14 each with a successful point after. His squibbed kickoff gave the Oiler’s the ball at their own 23 yard line.
Hayden Hatcher, after sacking Edwards on second down, intercepted Edwards’ third down pass, but the pick was negated by an illegal defense penalty against the Rattlers’ DJ Lundy. Holding was called against the Oilers and Hale made a 33 yard field goal giving the team from Tulsa a 17-14 edge.
The Rattlers started from their own 5 yard line on their next offensive possession. Meylor hit Bruce downfield and he spin-cycled down to the Oilers’ 19 yard line. Ron Brown Jr. scored his second touchdown of the night from there and Cook added the point after, giving the Rattlers their first lead of the game at 21-17.
Edwards hit Mike Carrigan from his own 15 yard line down to the Rattlers’ five-yard line. Carrigan carried the ball into the end zone on the next play and the point after was good, giving the lead back to Tulsa, 24-21. The Oilers were penalty ridden on the Rattlers’ next drive and with 53 seconds remaining in the half. Meylor’s pass spun Kennan Hambrick around in the endzone, but he held on to score the touchdown and take the lead back for the snakes, 28-24, after Cook’s kick.
The Rattlers failed to recover Cook’s ensuing onside kick giving the ball back to the Oilers at the Rattlers’ 10 yard line. Three plays later Edwards found Edward Tears in the end zone for six. The successful point after flipped the lead back to the Oilers 31-28 with 31 seconds left on the clock.
The Rattlers made big gains down the field on their next drive and with 9 seconds left in the half, Meylor hit Arland Bruce from 20 yards out for another Rattlers touchdown. Cook added one more to make it Rattlers 35-31 Oilers. As time ran out, the Oilers attempted a 37 yard field goal. Hale’s attempt was no good and the Rattlers went into halftime up 35-31.
Halftime
The Rattlers had the lead going into the break but they had to battle back from behind the entire first half.
The Oilers, while behind, seemed to still possess momentum. Six penalties by the Oilers in the 1st half aided the Rattlers in extending drives and scoring.
The Rattlers’ defense gave up several big pass plays and were challenged by the good field position the Oilers had after big returns, short kicks and the failed onside kick. The offense was out of sync due to the Oilers’ pressure.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
3rd quarter
The Snakes received the 2nd half kickoff and drove down to the Oilers five-yard line but the drive stalled out on a Meylor incomplete pass on 4th down.
Tulsa took over on their own five and four plays later, Edwards scored a touchdown from the Rattlers’ 2-yard line. Hale’s kick recaptured the lead for Tulsa at 38-35.
Kymani Clarke featured prominently in the Rattler’s next drive and scored from the 7-yard line. After the touchdown, Kristopher Stroughter was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty, which was banked for the Oilers on their ensuing possession. Cook’s point after was good and the score was Rattlers 42-38.
The Oilers committed unsportsmanlike conduct on the kickoff after the return to their own 20. After the application of those penalty yards and the banked penalty against the Rattlers, Edwards took the ball at midfield, used his legs for three plays to score from the 2-yard line. Hale’s kick ping-ponged the Oilers back on top, 45-42.
4th quarter
The 4th quarter began with the Snakes on their own 9 yard line after the kickoff. On the first play from scrimmage, Meylor fumbled the ball into the endzone and it was recovered by Tulsa’s Spencer Tears for an Oiler’s touchdown. Hale added the point after extending the Oilers’ lead to 52-42.
The Rattlers’ offense shook off the turnover and drove down from their own 20-yard line after the kickoff. Meylor hooked up with Trey Odoms-Dukes from the Oilers’ 5-yard line. Cook’s point after brought the Rattlers within 3, 49-52. On the try, the Oilers’ John McMullen was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, which the Rattlers banked for the Oilers’ upcoming offensive possession.
Cook’s onside kick was recovered by the Oilers deep in Rattlers’ territory but the penalty pushed them back to the 23. The Oilers gained one first down but a sack on Edwards at the 19-yard line by the Rattlers’ DJ Lundy on second down stalled the drive and forced a field goal attempt from 34 yards. The successful kick extended the Oiler’s lead back to 55-49.
Hale’s kickoff sailed out of bounds again, giving the Rattlers possession at their own 20-yard line. Aided by a defensive holding 10-yard penalty on first down the Rattlers’ running game pushed the ball down the field with Meylor sacrificing life and limb to get the ball to the Oiler’s 3-yard line. Clarke tied it at 55 with his 3-yard rush and Cook recovered the lead for the Rattlers with his kick at the 1-minute warning. A personal foul for defensive hands to the face on the try was banked for the next Oilers’ possession.
Prior to the kickoff, the Rattlers declined the penalty yardage and attempted another onside kick which gave the Oilers the ball at the Rattlers’ 12-yard line. On 3rd down from the five-yard line, Edwards found Jerminic Smith Sr. in the end zone for a touchdown. A penalty marker for offensive pass interference gave the snake fans hope, but the ball was tipped by the Rattlers into Smith’s hands and the penalty was waived off. With 46 seconds remaining, the 2-point conversion was good and the Oiler’s led again, 63-56.
A holding penalty against Ron Brown, Jr. on the kickoff had the Rattlers backed up to their own 6-yard line with :37 left in the game. Brown exploded for 18 yards on the first possession of the drive. Another Oilers’ unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play gifted 15 yards to the Rattlers. Stroughter’s holding penalty on 1st down moved the Rattlers back to Tulsa’s 23-yard line with 14 seconds left. After an incomplete pass and with 10 seconds left on the clock, Meylor’s pass to Bruce was complete in the corner of the endzone. The 7,484 fans erupted as the score was now 63-62 with 6 seconds on the clock. The Rattlers elected to attempt the 2-point conversion. The Oilers swarmed the Rattlers and Meylor heaved the ball into the end zone over the head of a receiver, but behind him in the corner was Kymani Clarke who came down with the ball, making the score Rattlers 64-63.
Great coverage on the kickoff stopped the Oilers on their own 12-yard line with three seconds left. Hale’s 55-yard field goal attempt was no good and time ran out on the clock with Tulsa losing another game by just one score.
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Recap
Eleven accepted penalties against the Oilers and 9 against the Rattlers (5 of those in the 4th quarter) resulted in a sloppy and chippy game by both teams. There was more laundry on the field than on the ground after a haboob moves through the Valley. Penalties have been an issue this season for the Rattlers and you would expect the team to continue to address that as the season progresses. All the Oilers’ games this year have ended up in a one score differential. They’ll face the San Diego Strike Force May 2nd at home. The Rattlers eked out a victory tonight and travel to Vegas to face the Night Hawks on May 3rd.
Article by Joanna Riggle – 602 Sports Talk
