The San Antonio Commanders will host the Orlando Apollos in the second week of the inaugural Alliance of American Football season on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The San Antonio Commanders won its inaugural game of The Alliance last Saturday night when it defeated the San Diego Fleet, 15-6. Orlando beat the Atlanta Legends 40-6 at home in their season-opener. Both teams will look to improve to 2-0 on the season in their first non-conference games in team history.
Key storylines:
• HEAD COACHES: San Antonio’s Mike Riley and Orlando’s Steve Spurrier will face off for the first time ever as head coaches. The two combine for 340 FBS wins, 19 All-American selections and 18 bowl victories.
• San Antonio’s Defense vs. ORLANDO’s Offense: Orlando’s offense took The Alliance by storm last Saturday when it scored 40 points against Atlanta. Led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert, the Apollos’ offense will showcase a balanced attack that has the potential to score quickly. On the other side of the ball will be the San Antonio defense. The unit didn’t allow a touchdown in the 15-6 win over San Diego in week 1. The defense, coordinated by former Baylor Bears’ head coach Jim Grobe, forced a league-high three interceptions and tallied six sacks.
• AREA 51: The key matchup to watch on Sunday will be San Antonio’s secondary vs. Orlando’s receivers. San Antonio’s DBs, dubbed “Area 51”, by safety Orion Stewart, will be tasked with covering the Apollos’ receiving corps that had four players with multiple receptions in week 1.
• HOME SWEET DOME: Over 27,000 people filed into San Antonio’s Alamodome to witness the Commanders’ historic victory in its inaugural game. The 27,857 marked the highest in The Alliance in the opening week, and a strong home field advantage will be expected for the Commanders again. Sunday’s contest will mark San Antonio’s last home game before a 4-game road trip.
• OFF TO THE RACES: San Antonio’s running back room has been strong since its inception, but it will get even stronger this week as runnng back Trey Williams is projected to return from injury this week. He would complement San Antonio’s stable of running backs that carried the ball 29 times for 125 yards in week 1.
Photo Courtesy: AAF/San Antonio Commanders (AAF/Getty Images)