Two rookies, one expected, one out of nowhere, and a second year player looking to insert himself into the league’s MVP conversation were the IFL’s best in week one. There wasn’t much competition to win this week’s awards, but it didn’t make their performances any less impressive.
OFFENSE: EJ HILLARD
The Steamwheelers signal caller was the selling point in the IFL’s kickoff showcase against the Cedar Rapids River Kings last week. Hilliard didn’t put up the huge passing numbers we came to expect from him last season, but took what the River King defense gave him, and that was a lot of high percentage throws, and running lanes near the goal line. The 2019 IFL Offensive Player of the Year completed 8 of 12 passes for 125 yards and 1 TD, and ran for another 47 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hilliard leads the league in rushing yards and touchdowns after week 1.
DEFENSE: DAQUAWN BROWN
Brown is a guy who get very well not be in the IFL in a few weeks. This isn’t because of his lack of skill, it’s for his abundance of skill. Many IFL players have already gotten a chance to move up to the XFL, and Brown may be the next one called. For the time being he’s a member of the San Diego Strike Force and he dominated in week one. Brown made a game-high 10 tackles (2nd in league), a tackle for loss, and interception, and 4 pass breakups (1st in league). By the way, this was his first professional football game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: ZURIL HENDRICK
Hendrick was a relatively unknown player before week one, and if anyone was watching he no longer is. Hendrick was a Division II All-American at Edinboro University and is turning out to be an absolute steal for Bismarck. The rookie made four tackles and an interception in the season opener but made his biggest contributions on special teams, returning two missed field goals for 90 yards, the first went 40 yards down the left sideline, setting up a Bismarck touchdown. The second was the longest play in Buck history, 50 yards for the rookie’s first career touchdown.
What a start for Bismarck. They were able to utilize some huge names they didn’t bother announcing they had signed (Shad Thornton) to build a 14-0 lead after Ryan Feiss set the tone with a 26 yard kickoff return which led to an Eric Lauderdale 3 yard touchdown plunge. They then used a huge missed field goal return by Zuril Hendrick to set up a Taz Wilson touchdown run from 9 yards out. These two short touchdown drives successfully masked the fact that Bismarck had no passing game on Sunday. San Diego finally woke up on a busted play where Nate Chavious got to show off his speed down the sidelines for a 31 yard catch and run for the first score of 2020 for SD. The play of the half came on rookie quarterback Michael Carrillo’s second touchdown of the half, and best throw of the day, a 42 yard bomb to Marques Rodgers to give the Strike Force a 21-17 lead at the break.
San Diego received the second half kickoff poised to go up two scores. That’s when Zuril Hendrick stepped in front of a Carrillo pass for the Bucks’ second interception of the day. That led to the Bucks’ lone passing touchdown of the day as Wilson found Shad Thornton on a wheel route from 12-yards out to go up 28-24. That lead lasted all of 1 play as the 109 Special Teams Player of the Year, Rodgers returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards for the go-ahead score.
After a stop on the following drive San Diego had a chance to put the game away, but refused to take advantage, fumbling in their own endzone for a safety. Cody Barber then made an impossible 40 yard field goal to give Bismarck the lead back at 29-28. Bismarck’s inexperience showed itself on the next San Diego drive as a busted coverage allowed Carrillo to easily find wideout Donta Armstrong in the endzone from 19 yards out as the Strike Force went up 35-29. That’s when things got fun.
After both teams traded stops San Diego lined up for a 53 yard field goal attempt off the leg of Bryce Crawford. Crawford’s kick fell short and Zuril Hendrick made what looked like the best play in the franchise’s young IFL history, breaking multiple tackles en route to a 50 yard touchdown return to give Bismarck a one-point lead with 2:23 remaining. Just when it looked like San Diego had their backs against the wall, Isaiah Bernard fielded a muffed kick by Nate Chavious and weaved nearly untouched for yet another go ahead kick return touchdown.
Bismarck had one final shot but failed to gain positive yardage and turned the ball over on downs. Nate Chavious added another touchdown from 6 yards out for good measure as the Strike Force improved to 1-0 for the first time ever.
FINAL THOUGHTS
SAN DIEGO: This secondary was the pride and joy of the 2020 offseason, and they showed out with the rest of the defense on Sunday. Daquawn Brown, Malcom Lee, and backup QB Rudy Johnson each had multiple pass breakups. The offense still provides a huge question mark. Nate Chavious could be in for an All-IFL type season if used correctly. Everytime he has the ball in his hands there is big play potential. He only carried ten times on Sunday and that number should increase. Michael Carrillo played solid football but has plenty to improve on. Finally, the play at the center position was hoorendous as Carrillo had to crouch down to field just about every snap. Things looked better as the game went on but that needs to be cleaned up.
BISMARCK: If Taz Wilson completes a deep throw just twice on Sunday the Bucks are 1-0 and we look like complete idiots. Instead, for whatever reason, Wilson continuously overthrew open men and somehow got worse as the game went on. He completed just 5 of 22 passes for 36 yards. That just simply won’t cut it and it’s a shame because the defense was fantastic, forcing multiple turnovers. Special teams was phenomenal. This loss falls on Wilson’s shoulders. Fortunately, if he plays well this looks like a somewhat talented Bismarck squad.
GAME AWARDS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: RB Nate Chavious (SD): 10 att. 39 yards, 2 TD, 2 rec. 26 yards, 1 TD.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: DB Daquawn Brown (SD): 10 tackles, TFL, 4 PBUP, INT.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE GAME: DB Zuril Hendrick (BIS): 2 missed FG returns, 90 yards, LONG: 50, 1 TD.
PLAY OF THE GAME:
STAT LEADERS
PASSING YARDS: Michael Carrillo (SD): 132
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS: Michael Carrillo (SD): 3
PASS COMPLETIONS: Michael Carrillo (SD): 9
PASS INCOMPLETIONS: Taz Wilson (BIS): 17
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: Michael Carrillo (SD): 52.9%
San Diego: Seeking first road win in franchise history. Lost road games by an average of 28.6 points in 2019.
Bismarck: Attempting to get to .500 as a franchise in season openers. (1-2)
SERIES HISTORY
First meeting.
STORYLINES
The marketing team of the San Diego Strike Force has done one of the great jobs in all of progessional sports this offseason. This San Diego team had a worse record than Bismarck last season. You’d think San Diego was lightyears ahead of Bismarck based on how they handled themselves this offseason. The question will be, will the big name signings be enough to propel San Diego to a 1-0 start or will Bismarck’s group of small-school signees and indoor veterans prevail?
MATCHUP TO WATCH: MICHAEL CARRILLO V. TAZ WILSON
The two quarterbacks, Wilson spent last offseason in Tucson Sugar Skulls camp, got picked up late in the season by Bismarck and now has been named a team captain in 2020 after throwing for 415 yards and 7 touchdowns. Carrillo is a San Jose State product who beat out indoor veterans Rudy Johnson and Quinn McQueary for the starting job. Obviously the coaching staff in San Diego saw something they liked in Carrillo and I’m very excited to see what that is come gametime. These are two guys who are vastly unproven and now have a chance to get their team to 1-0. It’s time to put their money where their mouths are and we’ll see who rises to the occasion.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE: WR Marques Rogers (SD): It’s hard to pick against the most electrifying player on the field. The 2019 IFL Special Teams player of the year is surrounded by a serious increase in talent from last season and could be in for a big afternoon.
WR: Ari Werts (BIS): A big body rookie, Werts stands 6’4” and could be a difference maker if he develops solid chemistry with Taz Wilson, especially down near the goal line.
DEFENSE: DB: Daquawn Brown (SD): One of a few major signings in the secondary this offseason, Brown is a former PAC-12 Honorable Mention selection while at Washington State and if he can adjust to the indoor game he has All-IFL potential.
DL: Latreze Mushatt (BIS): Mushatt is one of the veterans we referred to earlier and he has established himself as one of the best player’s in the Bucks young history already, leading the team in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles last season.
PREDICTION
Like we said in our Steamwheeler and River Kings preview, we have been harsh critics of the Bucks over the offseason. Now is their time to silence the doubters. Will it happen? It’ll come down to quarterback play. If San Diego gets it this one won’t be close. Bismarck does have the luxury of many players returning and this one will be a lot closer than many people think.
There was excitement, there was energy, there was hope this would be a new River Kings team. That lasted all of six seconds, as Keyvan Rudd returned the opening kickoff of the 2020 IFL season for a touchdown. Cedar Rapids did make things interesting in the first half as the new-found athleticism of Victor Mann’s squad showed itself when Chris Franklin returned a kickoff for a touchdown to pull the River Kings within six. After another QC touchdown Derrick Bernard scored on an impressive 21 yard touchdown run. That’s when the wheels fell off and Quad City does what they do so well, answer quickly. Hilliard threw a beautiful ball downfield to Rudd from 34 yards out to give the ‘Wheelers a two-score lead which they turned into a four-score lead by halftime as Hilliard scored on the ground from one and ten yards out.
The second half saw the River Kings take out some of their first half frustrations and turn things into a game in the third quarter. Cedar Rapids was able to score 26 points in the half, thanks to an improved passing game as Bernard threw two touchdown passes, while Javin Kilgo threw his first career IFL touchdown. The only turnover of the night came on a fumble recovery in the endzone in which River King Diante Thomas fell on a ‘Wheeler fumble for a score. In the end, the River Kings were a much more intriguing team on Saturday night but the quick strike offense was too much for the inexperienced River Kings to overcome.
RIVER KINGS CONFUSION
The second half can be summed up with a “What if?” The River Kings did a fantastic job battling their way back into the game after halftime only to throw in the towel. There were three instances which come to mind. Derrick Bernard finally got going after a 5/15 first half, throwing for two touchdowns, only to be benched for Javin Kilgo. While Kilgo played well, Bernard provided a much bigger threat for a comeback and he wasn’t given that opportunity. Second, the team chose to not kick onside down 54-33 with 39 seconds remaining, and then didn’t attempt an onside kick again down just two scores, 54-39 with 32 seconds left. Lastly, the team had a chance to get the ball back if they were able to tackle Quad City behind the line of scrimmage and use their final two timeouts but instead let the clock run out as the River Kings failed to win their fourth consecutive season opener.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was a bit dissapointed in the ‘Wheelers tonight. They did get the win which is their job, not to entertain me. They took what the River Kings gave them which was a lot of short throws and we didn’t see a whole lot of what we expected, which were the deep throws we saw last season from QC. Cedar Rapids is going to be such a fun team to watch this season whether they win a lot or not. They are athletic, and passionate, and are a perfect underdog story. If they can find their identity they can be dangerous. One thing is for sure, they need to clean up A LOT of things defensively.
STAT LEADERS
PASSING YARDS: EJ Hilliard (QC): 125
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS: Derrick Bernard (CR): 2
RUSHING YARDS: EJ Hilliard (QC): 47
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS: EJ Hilliard (QC): 3
RECEPTIONS: Marcus Bagley (QC), James Harden (CR): 4
• Steamwheelers have never lost a season opener (2-0)
•River Kings seeking 1-0 start since 2016.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: EJ HILLIARD V. RIVER KING SECONDARY
EJ Hilliard is poised to have a huge 2020 and this could be a perfect opponent to have a huge game against. The River Kings are vastly improved and will be extremely competitive but i’m intrigued to see how a unit that has mostly not played together fares tonight against arguably the IFL’s most talented receiving core.
PREGAME PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSE: QB EJ HILLIARD: The o/u on Hilliard touchdown passes tonight should be 7. He could have a career night tonight.
DEFENSE: Malik Duncan: Duncan is facing a QB in Derrick Bernard who will put up gaudy stats in 2020 but is interception prone. Duncan didn’t register a pick last season but did lead the squad with pass breakups with 7.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Jacob Stytz: Stytz was solid in the kicking game last year and should be called on for PAT’s often against CR. He missed just 9 last year and could very well be tonight’s leading scorer.
PREDICTION
We have been openly critical of Cedar Rapids on this website since it’s inception. This will be the best team in CR in a few seasons and the team is headed in the right direction. A close game at halftime will see the Steamwheelers pull away in the second half due to River King turnovers. The QC offense may not leave the field without a touchdown all night.
While breaking down and predicting every team’s 2020 record it is incredibly hard to predict the entire outcome of a season before the opening kickoff of any sport. The IFL has to be an increased level of difficulty. There’s no guarnaty every player finishes a season because of injury, but now with the birth of the XFL, teams have an increased chance of losing their stars than ever before. Again, these are simply predictions and it is not a perfect science. Let’s do it.
1-SEED: ARIZONA RATTLERS (12-2)
The Rattlers will fall twice in 2020, after a 7-0 start they’ll lose a hard-fought matchup on the road against the Tucson Sugar Skulls before the Spokane Shock pull a bit of an upset on their own in the Rattlers’ penultimate regular season game.
2-SEED: SIOUX FALLS STORM (12-2)
The only reason Sioux Falls doesnt have the 1-seed is because of a tie-breaker with Arizona, as the Rattlers avenge their 2019 United Bowl loss and continue to play well against the Storm in the regular season like they always have. Sioux Falls will also slip up in Moline against a Steamwheeler club which always plays well at home.
3-SEED: FRISCO FIGHTERS (11-3)
The schedule sets up so nicely for the first year franchise which may have the most talent of any team in the league both on the field and on the sidelines. Experience is the only question mark for this squad. After an up-and down start to the year we predicit the Fighters rack up 7 wins in a row, winning 8 of their last 10.
4-SEED: TUCSON SUGAR SKULLS (10-3)
Daquan Neal and Dixie Wooten are already lethal together, now the question becomes can they become one of the all-time great duos in IFL history? The only thing missing last year was a ring and they have an opportunity to get it this season with an increased playoff bracket and only 13 regular season games. They’ll be on upset-alert early against San Diego but finish the regular season on a 4-game winning streak.
5-SEED: SPOKANE SHOCK (9-5)
Charles McCullum is back in the IFL and the Shock are the most intriguing team in 2020. There’s plenty of big names both from the outdoor, and indoor game. The only question is if they can all mesh. The Shock have a brutal three-game stretch midway through their schedule, facing Sioux Falls, Tucson, and Arizona. A three-game win streak will give them some momentum heading into the tournament.
6-SEED: GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (8-5)
Corey Roberson showed last year that he can really coach and he has his signal caller back in Lenorris Footman, his dangerous secondary has returned, and all of Footman’s weapons are back in GB as well. There won’t be much different of a look on the field for Green Bay, the question is can they win the close game and can they win the big game? The Blizzard are handed a relatively favorable schedule in 2020. They’ll have to face the big dogs in the playoffs.
7-SEED: QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (7-7)
Quad City was electric in 2019, they just didnt make enough stops. That is projected to change in 2020, and with an entire offense back they will make some serious noise. The league is just so talented at the top it’s tough to get wins. Quad City will get enough of them though to make the IFL playoffs for the first time. The highlight of their regular season will be a win over Sioux Falls.
8-SEED: IOWA BARNSTORMERS (6-8)
The final playoff spot will belong to Iowa. There’s nothing flashy about the Barnstormers but Ameer Ismail is too good a coach and the organization has too much talent to not win enough games to get in. Even with 8-teams they project to be the only team with a losing record who will make it in.
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
9: Oakland Panthers (4-10)
10. San Diego Strike Force (4-10)
11. Duke City Gladiators (3-10)
12. Cedar Rapids River Kings (3-11)
13. Bismarck Bucks (1-13)
Before I began I thought there would be no way Oakland misses the playofs with the amount of talent they’ve put together and I thought San Diego would be extremely close to making it. Duke City won a championship last year and has a great coaching staff. This process proved how deep the league is this year and I believe coaching will have more of an edge than ever before. This is why Oakland is on the outside looking in. A lack of experience on the sidelines. For San Diego they play a tough schedule and will start 2-0 but I don’t think they know how to win just yet. Duke City has a tough draw playing mostly the West Coast powers and I don’t think the roster is talented enough to compete for a playoff spot. Cedar Rapids and Bismarck will surprise some people. The River Kings will be extremely competitive, picking up two wins over playoff teams, Bismarck will get their lone win over Iowa.
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
ROUND 1
1. Arizona def. 8. Iowa
2. Sioux Falls def. 7. Quad City
6. Green Bay def. 3. Frisco
4. Tucson def. 5. Spokane
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
4. Tucson def. 1. Arizona
2. Sioux Falls def. 6. Green Bay
UNITED BOWL
2. Sioux Falls def. 4. Tucson
PLAYOFF RECAP
Sioux Falls is just too good and they may be even better than last year. The amount of talent may be higher than ever before. Green Bay is a sneaky good team and I think they have potential to make it to the semi-finals as a team others overlook. Arizona and Tucson play so much and I think Tucson will figure out Arizona by the time that championship comes around. In the end, this may be the best Sioux Falls team ever. It won’t look like that because of the level of competition but they are ultra-talented and our pick for 2020 IFL champions.
The IFL Network 