Tucson, AZ- The Sugar Skulls suffered a heavy defeat as the Bay Area Panthers cruised to a 51-12 victory on Saturday night. 

Depths of Despair

Only three minutes into the game, the Sugar Skulls quickly found themselves staring down the barrel of a 7-0 deficit. However, credit Tucson for taking Bay Area's opening score on the chin and still marching all the way down the field on their first possession. Unfortunately, Tucson struggled to convert in short-yardage situations. After that, things went downhill quickly as Tucson was never able to recover and challenge Bay Area on the football field. Before anyone knew it, the Panthers dominated the Skulls all night in scoring.

New Arrivals

For the first time this season, there were plenty of fresh faces at marquee positions for the Sugar Skulls. After a week filled with adversity, head coach Billy Back decided to bulk up the roster with some names that fit his scheme to perfection. Most notably, it was the offensive side of the ball that presented plenty of newbies with guys like QB Zach Reader and WR Tyron Laughinghouse. Is that not the coolest name you've ever heard?  Alas, the team experienced a big loss due to a lack of chemistry with the new contributors.

Stuck in the Mud

The Tucson offense has hit a rough patch recently, only managing to score six points in their last six quarters of play. It's clear they are facing some challenges, but with the right adjustments, they can turn things around. Going up against a juggernaut defense like Bay Area's certainly didn't do Tucson any favors in this one as the Skulls only sniffed the end zone once by the time the clock hit triple zeroes. Scoring only 12 points on that evening was the lowest for any Indoor Football League team this season. It's an opportunity to analyze and improve the team's performance. Regardless of the team's scoring drought, the only place to go from here is up. 

Up Next

After completing the mini one-game road trip to San Jose, Tucson will graciously return home for two consecutive weeks starting with a June 15th matchup against the Frisco Fighters with kickoff scheduled at 6:05 PM.