Brooks scores 4 TDs in Rattlers’ win over San Diego
It doesn’t seem to matter who the Rattlers put on the field. They keep rolling.
This time, rookie running back Shannon Brooks, playing in only his second game, broke out with five touchdowns in a 66-33 rout of the San Diego Strike Force before 8,935 fans at Footprint Center.
Brooks ran for 105 yards on 11 carries and four TDs and caught an 8-yard scoring pass. It was the first time he had a 100-yard game since he played at the University of Minnesota three years ago
“I put it on my teammates,” Brooks said. “The blocking was there. They made a great push. I wouldn’t have had the game I had if not for the line and the receivers blocking on the edge.”
It’s been a month since the Rattlers (5-0) played at home. A welcoming reception with the noise and booms after touchdowns.
“I’ve been hearing about the home games and the fans and we’ve got the best fans in the league,” Brooks said. “It’s amazing to see them come out for home games. That gets me excited. I love the noise. I love putting pressure on the other team. It was an amazing, amazing day today. I’m ready to get back to work.”
The Rattlers took their dominance on
the road for three games and continued that Friday night with outstanding defense and an offense that, for a second game in a row, was humming with quarterback Drew Powell playing at his best.
San Diego (1-4) was coming off its first win, a 67-66 victory at Tucson, rallying from 17 points down in the final quarter.
The Strike Force never threatened Friday, after the Rattlers built a 27-0 lead midway through the second quarter. But it was the first time an opponent scored more than 30 points against them this year.
Powell threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score in the first half when the Rattlers built a 33-7 lead.
“We wanted to create a nightmare for our opponent,” coach Kevin Guy said. “We kind of jumped on them early. I thought defense played really well in the first half.”
The Rattlers started the second half with an interception and had a 46-13 lead after Brooks ran 5 yards for a score. Isaiah Huston had brought back a kickoff 45 yards.
Kyree Woods and Dillion Winfrey intercepted passes from Steve Cluley, who was 14 of 31 for 138 yards and three TDs, one of those going to former Arizona State receiver Rashad Ross.
The Rattlers are off next week, before facing tougher competition beginning April 30 when they face the 3-1 Frisco Fighters. Two weeks later, they are at home against the unbeaten Massachusetts Pirates in a rematch of last year’s United Bowl.
There isn’t much to clean up other than getting the points after touchdowns corrected. Kicker Ernesto Lacayo missed on three extra-point tries and had another blocked. But that wasn’t all on him. The snaps were errant, the blocking wasn’t great, and the holds weren’t crisp.
But those are little things that could be important in close battles against the Indoor Football League’s upper echelon.
The Rattlers also were penalized eight times.
“We were kind of relaxed,” Guy said. “We were moving guys in and out. A lot of penalties. We got a little sluggish. We’ll try to put a better product on the field. But we finished strong. We got a stop at the end.”
Brooks started the year on injured reserve.
In three quarters of work, Brooks ran eight times for 75 yards and three TDs and caught an 8-yard scoring pass from Drew.
Drew sat out the fourth quarter with the Rattlers ahead 46-19, giving way to backup Demry Croft, who threw two TD passes. Powell was 8 of 15 for 98 yards and three scores. He ran for an 8-yard score in the Rattlers’ 33-point first half.
Powell hasn’t run as much in the first five games this season like he did last year. But there hasn’t been much need for him to make plays with his legs with so many talented receivers and Brooks now going strong.
“I don’t have to,” Powell said. “Everybody is there open. The plays worked. We did a quarterback draw. I was surprised that we called it, because we hadn’t run a quarterback draw all season, which is cool. We always talk about however you want it.”
The Rattlers came into the game outscoring their first four opponents by an average margin of 33 points and giving up just 19 points a game.