Fever looks to bounce back at Bemidji
May 9, 2014 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Tri-Cities Fever News Release
The Tri-Cities Fever came within a few plays of knocking off Intense Conference front-runner Nebraska last Saturday night.
But being a few plays short, the Fever now knows it could be a few plays away from having its season stop short of reaching its goal of reaching the playoffs.
The Fever sit at 3-6 with five games left in the regular season, and the players know one more loss will all but end the season without a playoff berth.
"We have to come out and win them all," said Fever defensive back Lionell Singleton. "I think we are playing well, we just need to continue to make some adjustments."
The first of those five games is Saturday night against league-newcomer Bemidji (5-4). Kickoff is 5:05 p.m.
Bemidji has its own predicament with five games left as it trails Cedar Rapids (8-1) by three games for the final playoff spot in the United Conference.
"They are good team with an explosive offense," said Fever running back Keithon Flemming of the first meeting between the two teams.
The Fever has won two of its last three games since starting the season 1-5. In those three games, the Fever has scored more than 60 points twice.
During this recent stretch, Fever offense seems to falling into place behind the return of Houston Lillard. Lillard has completed 58 of 82 passes for 573 yards and 16 touchdowns in those three games. He has throw just one interception.
It's the Fever defense that has struggled as of late. Nebraska scored on its first 10 possessions, including nine touchdowns before the Fever made its only stop late in the fourth quarter. Two weeks earlier, the Fever allowed 62 points to winless Green Bay.
"We just need to clean some things up a little bit," Singleton said.
After this, the Fever returns home to host Texas, then plays back-to-back games against Wyoming before finishing the season against Colorado. The season finale against Colorado could be for the final conference playoff spot.
However, it could not mean anything if the Fever cannot find a way to come out on top prior to the June 14 game.
"We have faced a lot of adversity this season," Flemming said. "It would make a great story if we could come back and make the playoffs."
The Fever ranks fourth in the IFL in scoring at 50.0 points per game, Bemidji is sixth at 47.1 ... The Fever ranks seventh in scoring defense allowing 54.3 points per game, Bemidji is fifth (43.9) ... The Fever is second in the IFL in touchdowns scored with 61 ... Bemidji is third in the total offense (251 yards per game), the Fever is fifth (240.3) ... Bemidji leads the league in passing yards with 1,565, while Tri-Cities is second with 1,471 ... Flemming is third in scoring TDs with 13 ... In just five games, Lillard ranks sixth in the league in passing yards with 931 and is fifth in pass completions with 92 ... Bemidji receiver Ryan Balentine is second in the league in receiving yards per game at 79.4 and ranks first in reception yards with 635. He also has 10 receiving touchdowns.
• Discuss this story on the Indoor Football League message board...
Indoor Football League Stories from May 9, 2014
- Fever looks to bounce back at Bemidji - Tri-Cities Fever
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
