COYOTES’ ‘DARKSIDE DEFENSE’ STIFLES SAN DIEGO IN 2022 DFI SEASON OPENER

A scoop and score by rookie SoCal linebacker Justin Taylor from 10 yards out in the first half provided the game’s only touchdown.

Both offenses struggled mightily in the season opener for both teams – although the Coyotes had eight trips inside the red zone and couldn’t convert.

Rashad “The Franchise” Roberts led the team with 119 passing yards and 40 rushing yards.

His longest pass of the day was a 33-yard completion to veteran Julian Hill, who led all receivers with 54 yards on 4 catches.

The Coyotes’ feared Run ‘n’ Shoot offense had eight trips inside the San Diego 10, but failed to produce points.

“We have to clean that up real quick,” said Coyotes’ Hall of Fame head coach J David Miller.

“Coach (Shane) Stafford, our new offensive coordinator, has only been here a week, but he’s working round-the-clock to eliminate these mistakes.”

The Coyotes face perennial arch-rival Inglewood Blackhawks this Saturday at 6 p.m., at historic Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“Hats off to (defensive coordinator) Coach (Lawrence) Coffey and the Darkside Defense – they kept us in this game,” Coach Miller said. “Our defense played their tails off and frankly deserved a shutout.”

Miller purposely took an intentional safety with eight minutes left to effectively flip the field – then relied on his red-hot defense for the win.

Veteran edge rusher Kelvin Cain led the Coyotes with 3 tackles, 4 assisted tackles, and 1 tackle for loss.

Rookie Justin Sykes turned heads with a sizzling performance – 3 tackles, 2 assisted tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 tackle for loss.

Linebacker Justin Taylor recorded 1 tackle, 6 assisted tackles, and 1 fumble. His scoop-and-score fumble recovery came off a blistering hit from rookie linebacker Phineas Yi.

“It might’ve been an ugly win,” said Coach Miller, who notched his 99th Coyote victory.

“But it sure beats a pretty loss.”

The six-time champion SoCal Coyotes are the 2021 California Non-Profit of the Year, and the national standard of American developmental football.

The Coyotes’ organization provides elite athletes a professional environment that refines and showcases their skills through trademarked processes similar to the NBA’s G-league and MLB’s minor-league systems.

Additionally, the Coyotes’ 501c3 and award-winning ‘Above the Line™’ leadership programs impact the social, mental and physical growth of more than 50,000 youth annually through remedial curriculum, training camps, clinics and symposia.

NFL executives have named the SoCal Coyotes organization America’s #1 Developmental Football Program™ for its national, scalable brands, community outreach programs, 10-year operational track record, verifiable data, youth curriculum, sales, public-private sector alliances, and measured results.