Game 9 Preview vs Tucson

By Timothy Wallis

After falling on the road to their rivals up north, the 2-6 Quad City Steamwheelers will travel back home to the Wheelhouse to take on the 2-5 Tucson Sugar Sulls in an inter-conference matchup, with both teams hoping to snap their losing streaks. 

Kick-off is at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, at The Wheelhouse at Vibrant Arena in Moline, IL. To watch, you can go to Overnght online or on iOS, Android, or Apple TV.

About the Steamwheelers

Last week, the Steamwheelers fell behind early and could not recover in a 65-40 loss to Green Bay on Saturday night, falling to 2-6. The Wheelers were held scoreless in the first quarter and trailed 16-0 before finally getting on the board in the second when Daquan Neal connected with Keyvan Rudd for an eight-yard touchdown. Neal helped spark a brief comeback by adding two rushing touchdowns and cutting the deficit to as close as one point in the first half. Kicker Jan Bogdan also contributed with a field goal and multiple deuces to keep the Steamwheelers within striking distance. Neal finished 21-of-32 passing for 194 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while adding 46 rushing yards and two scores. Keyvan Rudd and Jarrod Ware each had seven receptions, with Rudd scoring once and Ware hauling in two touchdown catches for Quad City.

QC - Players to Watch

Jarrod Ware Jr / RB - Last week, Tucson allowed 148 yards of rushing to the Rattlers. Despite most of that coming from their quarterback, Ware, alongside Neal, will have good chances to do the same thing this week against a Sugar Skulls defense that struggled against the rush last time out, but is decent on the season.

Kevin Ransom Jr / DB - Last week, Sugar Skulls quarterback Tasleem Wilson threw two interceptions in which turned out to be a blowout loss. With that kind of carelessness on the other side, Ransom will be a player to watch to see if he can force Wilson into making those same mistakes.

About the Sugar Skulls

Last week, the Sugar Skulls fell 66-14 to the Arizona Rattlers in a rivalry matchup on Sunday afternoon despite showing early flashes on both offense and defense. Tucson started strong defensively by forcing a turnover on downs on Arizona's opening drive and later got on the board in the second quarter when Tasleem Wilson connected with Taron Keith for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The Sugar Skulls trailed 32-7 at halftime after a late interception near the goal line ended a potential scoring drive. Tucson opened the second half with renewed energy as Wilson led a five-play drive capped by his second touchdown pass of the game. Wilson finished with 117 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 42 rushing yards, while Gourney Sloan led the team with five catches for 40 yards. Defensively, Bri'On Murray, Djimon Brooks, and Zachariah Twadorsky helped Tucson continue battling throughout the game despite the lopsided final score. Defensively, the Sugar Skulls rank middle of the pack in most statistics, allowing 157.9 passing yards per game, which is sixth most, and 62.3 rushing yards per game, which is the fifth fewest amount.

Tucson - Players to Watch

Tamorrion Terry / WR - A midseason addition for the Steamwheelers last year that helped them earn the number one seed in the east, Terry will return to the Quad Cities, but this time, as an opponent. The tall wideout with good jump ball skills will look to cause havoc on this Wheelers' defense.

Rafiq Abdul-Wahid / DL - A physical defensive force on the line, Abdul-Wahid has only two sacks, but for 24 yards, which is the second most in the IFL. While the Steamwheelers allowed two sacks last week, the Wheelers' offensive line will have a tall task going against a lineman like this.

Last Time Around….

The Steamwheelers and Sugar Skulls last faced off on 5/31/19, when the Steamwheelers took home a 72-54 win at home in Moline, IL.