Rattlers smash Iowa for sixth straight win
May 26, 2013, 4:46 PM | Updated: 4:49 pm
Nick Davila completed 19 of 23 passes for 241 yards and eight touchdowns and the Arizona Rattlers defense forced five turnovers and terrorized Iowa quarterbacks in an easy 70-26 win over the Barnstormers at Ak-Chin Field at US Airways Center Saturday night.
Davila, who gutted his way through illness in a 56-49 win over Chicago last week, was sharp early in this one. Davila hit Kerry Reed on a four-yard touchdown pass on Arizona’s first possession less than two minutes into the game.
Iowa’s Fabrizio Scaccia missed a 39-yard field goal on Iowa’s first possession, further opening the door for the Rattlers. They would walk through it with little resistance. Davila hooked up with Reed on a 39-yard scoring strike three plays later and the Rattlers were off to a 14-0 lead. Iowa would not get closer.
The Barnstormers (4-6) would get on the board when J.J. Raterink found Jesse Schmidt on an eight-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-6. But over the next 17 minutes, Arizona (9-1) would reel off four consecutive touchdown passes with Davila finding Jared Perry and Rod Windsor twice each.
Davila did throw an interception in the third quarter when De’Mon Glanton stepped in front of a pass in the end zone. It was Davila’s first interception since he threw one in a Week 4 loss at Spokane.
Defensively, the Rattlers dominated, forcing five turnovers including three fumble recoveries and a highlight reel interception by Marquise Floyd. Defensive lineman Marcus Pittman sacked Iowa backup quarterback Brian Reader twice and forced a fumble.
Arizona, the lone unbeaten team at home in the AFL, now hits the road for back-to-back games. The first stop is in Philadelphia Saturday night. The Rattlers opened their 2013 season with a 66-52 win over the Soul in March.
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