Week 8: Arizona Rattlers (5-2) vs. Las Vegas Outlaws (3-3) Game Preview

Tuesday May 12, 2015

 Phoenix, Ariz. - The Arizona Rattlers get their first shot at revenge Saturday, May 16th at 6:00 pm, when they face the Las Vegas Outlaws at the US Airways Center.

The Rattlers are coming off a big win last Saturday over the much improved New Orleans VooDoo (2-5). Quarterback BJ Coleman took a significant step forward, completing over 68% of his passes through the first three quarters, which earned him the Russell Athletics Offensive Player of the Game award.

Arizona’s defense and special teams played a big part in the win as well. The Riddell Defensive Player of the Game, defensive back Marquis Floyd, got his first interception of the season. Defensive back AJ Cruz returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second straight game; his third this season.

Las Vegas is coming off a loss to the San Jose SaberCats (7-0) by a score of 61-28. The Outlaws struggled in the red zone, turning the ball over three times in the first half. Turnovers have been an issue for the Outlaws this season, with an overall turnover margin of -4.

Defensively, Las Vegas is still looking for consistency. The Outlaws have allowed an average of 281 yards per game, which ranks near the bottom of the league. However, they still have a strong defensive front, notching 14 sacks so far on the season, which ranks them 2nd overall in sacks.

The Rattlers last faced the Outlaws in Las Vegas on April 4th. Two returned field goals proved costly to the Rattlers as they dropped the game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Arizona will look to return the favor and and create some distance in the division standings.