TUCSON - The Tucson Sugar Skulls dropped a tough one in Phoenix by a score of 54-24. They now sit at 7-6 on the season with three games remaining. 

The Rattlers got revenge on the Skulls after Tucson took them down 74-63 in the Boneyard on May 7th. 

Time on their hands

Tucson had the opening possession for 7:39 to start the game and came away without any points. Arizona quickly answered to jump ahead to a 7-0 start. The Skulls tied it at 7, but a 20-7 second quarter created the separation that Arizona needed to take full control.

Tucson won the time of possession battle 32:45 to 27:15 over the Rattlers, but still couldn't take advantage due to a mixture of penalties, turnovers and poor field position. 

Offensive Struggles 

The Sugar Skulls were held to a season-low 2.7 yards per play by the Rattlers second-ranked defense. They (Arizona) held Tucson to their second-lowest point total of the 2022 season, forced three turnovers and stopped the Sugar Skulls on six of their nine possessions. This was Tucson's lowest-scoring game in a game that Daquan Neal played in this season. 

Quarterback Daquan Neal had just two interceptions all season entering this game. He threw three total in this contest alone, and went just 7-for-16 on pass attempts. 

It was a night to forgot for the Sugar Skulls, and they'll look to get healthy and finish the final three games of the season strong. 

Up Next? 

The Sugar Skulls will travel to San Diego to take on the Strike Force for the third and final time this season. Each of their previous two games were within five points, as Tucson lost 67-66 in their first meeting in Tucson. In the second matchup the Skulls won by a score of 69-65 in San Diego. 

A win or Vegas loss would officially secure the Sugar Skulls a playoff spot.