The Florida Stingrays knew what they needed to do against the Mississippi Mudcats Saturday night at the Lee Civic Center.

They had just fallen victim to the American Indoor Football League’s (AIFL) most lethal offense a week earlier in Mississippi 72-27. The first-place team in the Southern Division of the Western Conference averages 77 points per game.

Stingrays coach Bryan Jernigan stressed that if his team was going to have a chance at squeaking out their first win they would have to rattle Mudcats quarterback Tommy Jones, who is averaging 265 yards a game.

Despite sticking to the game plan in the first half, the Stingrays, abandoned the plan of action as the game wore on and surrendered their second straight loss to the Mudcats 63-22.

“The second half we couldn’t get ahead, and once we let someone get ahead, we can’t catch back up,” said Jernigan. “Once we saw that they got that little bit of a lead, we started to break down.”

The Stingray defense set the tone early by forcing the No. 1 scoring offensive team to set up for a field goal, but the botched attempt turned into a touchdown for the Mudcats (3-0).

“The whole defense stepped up tonight,” said Jernigan. “If it wasn’t for the defense, the first half would not have been as close as it was.”

The offensive unit for the Stingrays helped the defensive effort by equalizing the score, 7-7, as new starting quarterback Antone Gadsden hooked up with wide receiver Ray Denson.

Denson and Gadsden connected for the second time in the second quarter. Fort Myers graduate and former Stingrays quarterback turned kickoff returner and running back, Ryan McCutcheon, ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to bring the Stingrays within five.

Kicker Frank Berardi pitched in with a field goal bringing the score to 20-16.

The Stingrays (0-4) had a chance to take the lead on a Terrence Simmons catch, but officials called it back due to holding on Florida’s offense.

“Those flags kill us,” said Jernigan. “The guys start breaking down once the offense starts breaking down. The defense can’t be out there the whole game.”

That same possession was intercepted by the Mudcats. The next Stingrays drive came to an early end with a fumble. The costly turnovers led to a 31-16 Mississippi lead.

“We need to get quarterbacks and receivers on the same page,” added Jernigan.

With less than twenty seconds left in the first half, Kendell Newson leaped out of the playing field over the wall to make the catch for the third touchdown, but that would be the last points posted on the scoreboard for the Stingrays as Berardi missed the extra point.

The Stingrays seemed to fall apart after halftime, while Mississippi’s offense was brought back to life.

Mudcats quarterback Jones was protected much better leading to touchdown after touchdown. The Stingray defense could not keep up with their speedy receivers, and several turnovers by the Stingrays’ offense forced the defense to stay on the field the majority of the second half.

Jernigan said the key to the Stingrays earning their first victory is teamwork.

“It’s not the offense, it’s not the defense,” he said. “We all have to come together as one. Like the guys say, ‘This is one heartbeat.'”

Jernigan and his team have a bye next weekend which means they have two weeks to prepare for their next game on April 18 in Augusta, Ga. The Stingrays look to redeem themselves against the August Colts who beat the Stingrays 49-35 on March 22.