Following the end of their four-game winning streak, the Bay Area Panthers hit the road for the next two games, starting Saturday with the Duke City Gladiators at the Rio Rancho Events Center.  

The Panthers misfired in all three phases in a 43-42 loss to the San Diego Strike Force on Father's Day. Special teams allowed a kick return for a touchdown along with a missed field goal on the final play, the defense allowed a pair of Nate Davis touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and the offense could not get one final first down that would have ended the game.  

Duke City fell to 1-10 after dropping a 53-39 decision to Vegas, prompting a coaching change. Fred Griggs was let go and replaced by respected veteran Kelly Locklin. Despite the poor record, the Gladiators have been in a lot of games: three of the four losses at home by seven points or fewer and road defeats include a one-point defeat at San Antonio and giving Arizona a scare before falling by two.  Coaches around the league have commented that Duke City has a lot of talent but so far have been unable to find consistency over four quarters.  

The Panthers' defense ranks third in the IFL by giving up 37.7 points per game while Duke City is 13th in offense at 37.1 points per game. The Gladiators are 12th in both rushing and passing while using six different quarterbacks.  

The Bay Area offense is eighth at 46.4 points per game while ranking second in rushing offense behind only Frisco. The Duke City defense is eighth at 45.1 points and 12th against the run. The numbers suggest we can expect the Panthers to rely on the formula of establishing the run to set up the pass.  

Daquan Neal is the league's leading rusher with 496 yards with 14 touchdowns after running for four scores against San Diego. Shane Simpson leads all running backs in touchdowns with 18 and is second among backs in rushing yards.  

The Panthers are favored by 14 points with a 5:05 kickoff on Saturday from the Rio Rancho Events Center.