The Arizona Rattlers can't feel good about last week's 68-30 win over Las Vegas, no matter how cleanly both sides of the ball executed. That is because the three-time reigning Arena Football League champions will be without quarterback Nick Davila for the first time since he suited up as a Rattler in 2010. That's a streak of 106 games ended by a foot injury.
Davila was placed on the injured reserve and won't be able to return for three games, the first of which comes against the Rattlers' rival, the San Jose Sabercats, Saturday night at US Airways Center.
Taking Davila's place for coach Kevin Guy's team will be 26-year-old B.J. Coleman, a rookie in the AFL who previously spent time with the Green Bay Packers. He'll have Arizona's veteran receivers making things easier, and fullback Mykel Benson adding protection as well as giving the Rattlers (4-1) another dimension in the run game.
Benson is fifth in the AFL with 63 rush yards on 19 carries, and he'll be an integral part of a team finding its way -- against its arch rival, no less -- without its leader. San Jose is undefeated in five games and coming off a 64-45 victory against the Portland Thunder.
RATTLERS vs. SABRECATS
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: US Airways Center
TV: ESPN2
The SaberCats Jason Stewart and Luis Vasquez have combined for 7.5 sacks through five games this season, and the Rattlers must keep an eye on them to give their quarterback room to find a rhythm with receivers used to Davila's play-calling.
Arizona's own defense will rely on ballhawking if the offense needs time to get in sync. Jeremy Kellem leads the AFL with four picks this season, while teammate Arkeith Brown has recorded three on the year.
Arizona's last meeting against San Jose came last August, when it dropped the SaberCats, 72-56, in the 2014 AFL Conference Finals, setting up their third consecutive Arena Bowl victory. Davila led the charge by completing 20 for 34 passes for 276 yards and eight touchdowns, while offensive lineman Michael Huey filled in as a makeshift fullback. Huey is now playing with the San Diego Chargers.
The Rattlers signed 32-year-old quarterback Shane Boyd, who has thrown for 2,852 yards and 47 touchdowns in three AFL seasons. Boyd, a Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., native, played for five NFL teams, including the Cardinals.
