Bowl berth in doubt, AWC enters crucial stretch
10th-ranked Scottsdale on tap for Mats
Arizona Western knows that each week there is less and less room for error if it hopes to play in a bowl game this season.
The Matadors (3-2 overall, 1-1 WSFL) need to win three out of the last five games on their schedule, which sounds easy, except for the fact that this is the toughest stretch of schedule this year.
They still have four ranked opponents in the final five games, putting a bowl berth in doubt.
That stretch starts Saturday when AWC visits Scottsdale (4-1, 1-1).
“We’re not as good as we’ve been in the past. It is what it is,” AWC coach Tom Minnick said. “We
7 p.m. today
have to play with some heart and toughness to win some games, because everyone in the conference is good.”
Glendale game
AWC is riding into today’s game on a high note after a 32-24 win over Glendale last week.
The 32 points was a season high, which is a welcome sign for an offense that has struggled so far this year.
To go a long with the 32 points, the team had 444 yards of offense. The offense has finished with less than 300 yards on two occasions early in the year and the output in the Glendale game was 90 yards more than the highest.
Against Glendale the Mats scored on their first three possessions of the game, before stalling a bit in the second half.
“On the first three series I think we had 31 plays,” Minnick said. “We marched the ball up and down the field. The offense is kind of coming around a little bit. Some of the young kids are picking some stuff up. If our offensive line blocks for the run and does what it’s supposed to be doing, then we have a chance.”
Minnick sees it as a sign of things starting to come together on that side of the ball.
“I think we can move the ball on pretty much anybody, but you have to do things right,” he said. “I think that’s been part of the problem.”
Jadon Hayes
Part of the offensive turnaround came the help of running back Jadon Hayes’ performance on the ground.
Hayes, who has been a part of the running back by committee system that AWC has this season, broke loose for his biggest game of the season. He finished with 160 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.
“He’s a kid who sees the field,” Minnick said. “We had Reggie Bullock who was like that. He’s not as fast as the kids we’ve had in the past, but Hayes was the player of the year in West Virginia. He’s got it and he’s a tough runner.”
Despite not being wild about having this many running backs still splitting playing time, Minnick doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.
Kendon Walker and John Oliver have gotten a majority of the carries early in the season, but Walker is playing through a foot injury and Oliver is more of a scat back.
“It has been a little bit (running back by committee), which stinks,” Minnick said. “We’ve never really done it this way. Right now we’ll go with one until he needs water or gets tired, then we’ll go to the next one.”
Scottsdale’s passing attack
On Saturday the Mats will have to deal with the Scottsdale’s passing attack.
The Fighting Artichokes average 508 yards per game and 358 of those come through the air.
Their quarterback, Wisconsin transfer Kare Lyles the nation in passing yards per game. He has 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Lyles will be helped out by his top two receivers, Devin Neal and Amonte Phillips.
Neal has 32 catches for 579 yards and six touchdowns, and Phillips has 29 for 543 yards and five touchdowns.
Those two account for 63 percent of their passing game.
“Scottsdale will air it out,” Minnick said. “They have two really good receivers. They are going to go get the ball. The ball might be behind them, but they are going to get the ball. That’s part of it. The quarterback just throws it up there and lets the receivers go get it. The ball isn’t always on the money, but they go up and make some plays.”
AWC will need to get more pressure on the quarterback than it did last week. Against Glendale they only had one sack, and to disrupt Scottsdale, they will need to get to Lyles.
Injuries and suspensions
AWC will be with a handful of key players once again at Scottsdale.
Wide receiver Leshaun Potts, defensive back Zaire Webb and linebacker Wembley Mailei will be out with suspensions. Webb will be available in the second half after a helmet-to-helmet hit last week.
Defensive tackle Charles Johnson, defensive back Willie Burns, safety right tackle Julian Clark and left tackle Pesi Savea are each out with injuries.