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It’s self-explanatory: a bunch of football players crack jokes, but more often than not, the punchlines are at the expense of their teammates — a roast, if you will. Sometimes, long-lasting nicknames are created.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ quarterback Jorge Reyna received the nickname “Brucie,â€� a character played by actor Brucie is the backup quarterback to Sandler (Paul Crewe) and can’t throw the football, blaming his “buttered fingersâ€� on eating popcorn.

“One of the defensive lineman, when I didn’t have a haircut, just kept calling me Brucie,� Reyna said. “After that, it just stuck. I just gotta rock with it. I don’t have popcorn on my hands though.�

Reyna has been among the in-season improvements for the Sugar Skulls. The IFL veteran signed with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ after the Sugar Skulls started 0-2 and dealt with inconsistencies at quarterback. Reyna has played for the Vegas Knight Hawks, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Rattlers and the San Diego Strike Force, the team the Sugar Skulls are hosting Saturday night at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Arena at 6:05 p.m.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Game 1 starter Jordan Ambrose completed 6 of 18 passes for 65 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Game 2 starter E’Mond Caldwell completed 7 of 24 passes for 54 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions. The Sugar Skulls had more interceptions than passing touchdowns to start the season.

Sugar Skulls head coach Billy Back had to make a change, so he signed free agent quarterbacks Larry “Trippâ€� Harrington and Reyna, “and the rest is history,â€� Reyna said. The 6-1, 200-pound Harrington, who is Reyna’s backup and field-goal holder, is now ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s leading receiver with 21 catches, 221 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Harrington-Reyna tandem gave ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ a shot in the arm and helped the Sugar Skulls win their first game of the season, a 44-24 road win over in-state rival Northern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wranglers.

“It’s funny, they’ll call each other out in our group messages,â€� Back said of Reyna and Harrington’s competitive relationship. “They go at each other in practice in a joking manner. Even in the game against ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Tripp said, ‘Hey, look for me. So-and-so can’t guard and I’m going to be open.’ ... It’s a comfort level knowing we’ve got a guy that is going to get open and knows the offense.â€�

Reyna said the Sugar Skulls are “more of a cohesive group and it’s been a fun experience.�

“As a collective group, we got energized,� Reyna said. “We understand our end goal. When we came in, it was a perfect fit. The guys accepted us, the guys were energized and were willing to help any way they can. It’s more credit to the team than just us two.�

Reyna has thrown the 13th-most passing yards (581) in the IFL this season to go along with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 193 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Reyna grew up in Southern California — Long Beach, Compton and Downey — and now lives near football powerhouse St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. Reyna’s first love was baseball. If Reyna never found football, he would “1,000%� pursue a career in baseball as a shortstop.

“There’s no question about it,� Reyna said. “I love baseball and I love the thinking part of the game. I was a young kid and I didn’t want to get in trouble hitting someone. ... My dad introduced me to football at an early age, since he was a defensive end. Ever since then, I told my dad that I loved to hit and loved the physicality. Since then, I haven’t looked back.�

The 6-1, 205-pound Reyna briefly followed his father’s footsteps as a kid and played defensive end, then moved to linebacker and running back.

“One moment, I threw the ball one time and I noticed how the cheerleaders liked it,� Reyna said. “I was like, ‘Dang, I think I should be a quarterback. This is kind of fun.’�

Reyna played three seasons at Downey High School before ending his prep career at Pasadena High School. Reyna signed with West Los Angeles College, the same junior college program that produced Hall of Fame wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and quarterback Warren Moon.

In 2017, he signed with the Fresno State Bulldogs under head coach Jeff Tedford, who was most known for his decade-long tenure coaching the Cal Golden Bears and producing quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Keenan Allen, defensive lineman Cameron Jordan and running backs Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett and Jahvid Best.

Playing for Tedford at Fresno State “was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,� Reyna said. The quarterback was voted team captain as a senior in 2019 and completed 236 of 365 passes for 2,655 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His 64.7% passing rate ranked No. 22 in college football.

“Now I’m playing with (Lynch’s) younger brother (Sugar Skulls running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch), which is cool,� Reyna said. “We have some conversations about that.�

Reyna and Sapp-Lynch were also teammates in San Diego in 2022 and were a part of high-scoring battles with the Sugar Skulls. In ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 69-65 win over the Strike Force in 2022, Reyna completed 16 of 24 passes for 204 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Since joining the IFL four seasons ago, “the league has definitely progressed from when I first started,� Reyna said.

“It’s going into a really good direction,â€� he added. “The talent pool is getting way better. The information I gathered from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, San Diego and Vegas is invaluable to me.â€�

Reyna and the Sugar Skulls are at the halfway point of the IFL season — and a fork in the road following a wishy-washy start. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (3-5) is trending towards falling out of the IFL playoff picture after two straight losses following wins over the defending league champion ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Rattlers and the Massachusetts Pirates.

One week, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is handing the Rattlers their first loss of the season. Another week, the Sugar Skulls are scoring 28 points at home against a two-win San Antonio team. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ will have a chance to get its season back on track against Reyna’s former team.

“We take accountability,� Reyna said. “We watched the film very closely and became honest with ourselves. From there on, we developed a plan to get back on track, but we also understand that it’s a challenge.

“How are we going to respond to the challenge of getting back on track?�