Game Preview: Tulsa Oilers at Green Bay Blizzard
May 9, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release
Tulsa, Okla. - Tulsa Oilers Football, a proud member of the IFL and powered by Community Care, will head to Green Bay for the first time ever to face the Green Bay Blizzard in a matchup between two playoff positioned teams on May 11.
LAST TIME OUT The Oilers hosted the Shark in Week Eight. Jacksonville opened the game's scoring with the first two touchdowns making it 14-0. Tulsa found themselves on the board from a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Jarrod Ware Jr. to make it 14-7 Sharks, 1:58 remaining in the first quarter. The Sharks bit back to make it 20-7 on a 4-yard catch by Tamorrion Terry with 5:45 left in the half. Tulsa brought the game to 20-14 thanks to Ware again after an 8-yard rush past the goal line with 0:53 to go in the second quarter, concluding the scoring through the first half. Tulsa received the ball at half and gained their first lead of the night on a 36-yard catch and score by Jonathan Nance down the right sidewall to make it 21-20 Oilers with 13:07 to go in the third. Kamrin Solomon recorded a 7-yard touchdown catch to give the Sharks the lead back 27-21 with 9:27 left in the third quarter. Daniel Smith hit double digits on the season in rushing touchdowns as his tenth of the year went for 9-yards up the middle to give Tulsa a 28-27 edge with 6:48 remaining in the third frame. Jacksonville scored again thanks to Solomon on a 6-yard reception, to bring the game's score to 34-28 Sharks at the end of the third. Smith connected with Nance again, this time for 8-yards for a touchdown making it 35-34 Oilers with 13:14 in the fourth. A rushing score from Fred Payton Jr. on a 1-yard push gave Jacksonville a 40-35 advantage and then with 4:19 to go in the game, Michael Hall nailed a 26-yard field goal for Tulsa to make it 40-38 Sharks. The Sharks scored one last time to put the game out of reach and despite a last-second touchdown from Ware on a 7-yard catch and run into the endzone, Tulsa would lose 47-44 making their record 3-3 and handing the Sharks their first win in the IFL, advancing to 1-5.
FOCUS AHEAD There is no denying it, Tulsa suffered their worst loss of the season last week. An 0-5 Jacksonville team was able to pull out an upset win on the road against the Oilers but there was some much provided help from other teams in the league. Although Tulsa dropped their second straight home game, Iowa managed to top Quad City and Sioux Falls downed Green Bay, to keep the Oilers standing in fourth place not having moved at all in the Eastern Conference standings. Tulsa will see the return of Jordan Jones at LB after serving his one-game suspension. The Oilers will have a chance to earn their most impressive win of the season thus far, if they defeat the Blizzard who sit in front of them in third place. Jarrod Ware Jr. finally hit his stride in the running department last Saturday, while also tallying up multiple touchdowns. This could potentially open up confidence for the Oilers to rely more on a strong running game to lead to opportunities to try new things in the passing department. These questions will be answered in Wisconsin this weekend.
HOW TO "THAW OUT IN GREEN BAY" A proven defense is what Green Bay has through this portion of the season. While being plus four in the turnover department, they also only allow 34 points per game making it difficult on teams that get a slow start to manage their way back into a game. The Blizzard have not been a strong team in the kicking game, being only seven for twenty-one, Tulsa has a real chance to put up zeros defensively on drives if they can force Green Bay into making tough decisions in bad field position. The Oilers fourth down conversion rate defensively needs to improve from last weekend if they want to go on runs throughout the game. A victory over the Blizzard is a guaranteed spot in third place in the East.
Tulsa will hit the road to face the Green Bay Blizzard at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday, May 11 at 3:05 p.m. CT.
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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Indoor Football League Stories from May 9, 2024
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