Game Preview: Quad City at Tulsa
July 14, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release
Tulsa, Okla. - Tulsa Oilers Football, proud member of the IFL, ready themselves for a final matchup against the Quad City Steamwheelers at the BOK Center Saturday, July 15,at 7:05 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT Tulsa lost at home on the final play of the game 58-55 to the Green Bay Blizzard. Tulsa jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a 24-yard touchdown run from Dalton James. Jonathan Nance snagged a four-yard grab from Andre Sale in the back of the end zone, advancing the Oilers to a 14-6 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter. Josh Crockett high-pointed a 17-yard toss from Sale with 2:12 left, sending the Oilers into the first quarter break with a 20-6 lead. Ka'Ronce Higgins scored his first touchdown in the BOK Center with 10:56 left in the half, corralling a slant pass from Sale and charging into the end zone. Higgins' score gave Tulsa a 27-12 lead. Sale found Nance for the second time in the evening with 1:07 remaining, floating a 17-yard pass into the SEC product's hands to put Tulsa ahead 35-26. Meylor added another goal-line touchdown rush to his stat line as the first half expired, cutting the Oilers' lead to 35-34 at the break. The Oilers' defense halted Green Bay on its opening drive of the second half before scoring on their own via a deceitful 10-yard touchdown run by Sale to put the Oilers up 42-34 with 4:27 left in the third quarter. James rushed for his second touchdown of the game, a seven-yard effort just 2:34 into the final quarter, putting Tulsa up 49-42. Sale and Nance linked up for the third time in response, setting the Oilers up 55-50 with just 1:15 remaining. A freak tip-and-catch play from Green Bay put the Blizzard in scoring position, allowing a late touchdown tally from Newbold to place Green Bay up 56-55 with three seconds remaining. Another successful two-point play from Green and Meylor closed the score line 58-55. A broken-up Hail Mary pass halted Tulsa's chance at a comeback as time expired.
FOCUS AHEAD Saturday's game against Quad City will finalize the inaugural 2023 Tulsa Oilers schedule, and nothing is more important than winning THIS game. Tulsa seeks to finish the season on a high note and solidify its first home victory of the season. This will be the eighth and final home game of the year, and it will be the second home game against the Quad City Steamwheelers, the first occurring back on April 15, the first home game in franchise history. Improvements in scoring distribution have been one of the key aspects the Oilers are looking to build on leading into the final week. Offensive scoring production from the passing game and the running game, as well as improvement in the kicking game, have allowed Tulsa to get back to being a 50+ point scoring team. The Oilers will need to match this progression in other ways, such as the defensive side of the ball, against a good Quad City team that can strike quickly.
HOW TO "ROCK THE BOAT" Quad City will be motivated as they are in a position where they have the potential to finish in either second, third, or fourth in the conference based on this final week's result. The Steamwheelers' astounding 1,380 rushing yards will be something to take notice of, as the rover position with Tre Harvey and the linebacker position with Jordan Jones will have to make a big impact in keeping the ground game in check. Quad City can be an enigma at times, they can strike quickly, but they tend to occupy a lot of possession time in a game, Tulsa will need to manage this the best they can in order to control the pace of the game. The last time these two teams met, Quad City put up 68 points, Tulsa's defense will be looking for vengeance this time around and will be the most important aspect of team success in the upcoming matchup.
Tulsa Oilers Football Season and Group Tickets are on sale now! Call the front office at 918-632-7825 or visit www.tulsaoilersfootball.com for more information.
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