(Tucson, AZ) The Tucson Sugar Skulls return to the IFL Playoffs for the second time in franchise history on Saturday as they take on the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott Valley.
The Sugar Skulls finished the regular season with a record of 9-7 – their best ever – and had the second-highest scoring offense in the IFL in 2022. Tucson played the Wranglers three times during the year, going 1-2 against their in-state foes to the far north.
Sugar Skulls made name for themselves against Wranglers in regular season
While the Sugar Skulls lost to the Wranglers more times than they won this year, one of the two defeats may deserve an asterisk.
In the teams’ second matchup on May 14, Tucson was without starting quarterback and 2022 IFL MVP candidate Daquan Neal, which hampered its explosive offense greatly in its 36-21 loss to the Wranglers.
There were positives for the Sugar Skulls in that loss and their May 28 one to Northern Arizona as well. Without Neal, Tucson’s defense stepped up in an impressive way to give the Sugar Skulls a chance, as it allowed a then-season-low point total of just 36.
With Neal back in action on May 28, Tucson’s defense once again rose to the occasion, allowing another season-low of 34 points to the Wranglers in the Sugar Skulls’ two-point loss.
Tucson played Northern Arizona tough in all three matchups in 2022, with the first being more representative of what Sugar Skulls’ contests looked like during the regular season. Tucson’s only win against the Wranglers came on April 23, when they took down the Wranglers 72-62 in a shootout down south.
It was an all-out effort from the Sugar Skulls, as Neal was 7-11 with 156 yards and four touchdown passes and added three more scores on the ground. Running back Mike Jones also ran for two touchdowns.
Despite allowing 62 points, Tucson’s defense had a strong performance in the win, forcing two Wrangler fumbles and nabbing an interception from Northern Arizona quarterbackKaleb Barker. Sugar Skulls defensive lineman Ronald Collins had two sacks, and Tucson’s defense had five tackles for loss in the win.
This time around
The majority of the two teams’ 2022 regular season contests featured uncharacteristic performances from both squads – the Sugar Skulls’ defense allowing their second-fewest point total of the year on May 28, an average-ranked Wranglers’ offense falling in a shootout to Tucson in the first contest and Tucson’s second-ranked offense posting totals of just 21 and 32 points, both of which were among their lowest of the season, in two of three contests.
On paper, Saturday’s playoff game between Northern Arizona and Tucson could be similar to the two low-scoring duels previously seen between the two teams. Despite impressive performances in two of three games against the Wranglers in 2022, the Sugar Skulls’ finished the regular season giving up the second-most points in the IFL.
On Saturday, they’ll face an offense that finished eighth – just below average – in points scored per game.
The real clash will come on the other side of the field for Tucson, however. The Sugar Skulls offense, led by Neal, Jones and wide receiver Carrington Thompson – who had the seventh most touchdown catches in the league during the regular season – was dominant in 2022, but faces a tough test in the Wranglers’ first-ranked defense by points allowed per game.
The fine print
Northern Arizona has little holes that can be poked in its defense – they ranked first in the IFL in nearly every run and pass defense category.
Even with the dominance that Neal and Tucson’s offense has displayed, the Sugar Skulls’ counting stats outside their points per game total don’t hold up well when compared to the Wranglers’ defense. However, the IFL’s offensive efficiency stat ranks Tucson’s passing game as the second-best unit in the league. The second-best group in defending the pass? Northern Arizona. Offensive execution will likely be critical for the Sugar Skulls in Saturday’s game.
In a game that sees Tucson’s offense face a stingy defensive group – and the Sugar Skulls’ poorly-ranked defense be tested by one of the best overall teams in the league – field position could be key.
Thankfully for Tucson, it might have a unique way of giving Neal and Co. some help against the league’s best defensive unit. The Sugar Skulls were fourth in the IFL in yards per kick return in 2022 and had the second-most kickoff return touchdowns (six).
While the Wranglers bested Tucson in yards per return, Northern Arizona didn’t record even half of the number of return touchdowns the Sugar Skulls did. With Tucson up against a mighty defense, special teams could be a way for the Sugar Skulls to shorten the field and earn some extra points on Saturday.
Finally, if Tucson has early trouble against the Wranglers on drives down the field, Northern Arizona has shown some weakness with its backs against the wall on defense. While the Wranglers boast a mighty impressive opponent third down conversion rate of just 28.7% – the best in the IFL by around 4% – they’ve struggled immensely stopping teams on fourth down.
Northern Arizona finished the regular season with a below-average mark on fourth down stops, allowing teams to convert 47.4% of the time against them in that scenario. The Sugar Skulls, meanwhile, were the second-best team in the IFL converting fourth downs in 2022, doing so 60.6% of the time on an above-average number of attempts.
Press Release courtesy of the Tucson Sugar Skulls – Brandon Dueñas
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