Game Preview: Tulsa Oilers at Iowa Barnstormers
June 21, 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, move their attention to the Iowa Barnstormers in search of closing in on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
LAST TIME OUT Tulsa rid themselves of their losing streak last week with a home win over Sioux Falls. The Storm opened the scoring via the first drive of the game on a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Draysean Hudson to make it 7-0 with 12:44 in the first. Tulsa responded with a 2-yard passing touchdown to Alexis Rosario with 10:19 to go in the opening quarter, making it 7-7. KeShawn Williams punched in a 7-yard rushing score for Sioux Falls to put the Storm back up 14-7 with 7:17 remaining in the first quarter. Tulsa's Joshua Crockett picked up his first touchdown of the day thanks to a 15-yard catch and score with 5:12 to go in the first frame, pushing the game to a tie at 14-14. Williams for the Storm recorded another rushing touchdown to conclude the first quarter scoring on a 3-yard carry to go up 21-14 with 2:48 to go in quarter one. Tulsa outscored Sioux Falls 17-0 in the second frame. Rosario picked up a 13-yard catch for a touchdown with 12:36 to go in the half, followed by the first field goal of the day by Michael Hall in the fashion of a 21-yard kick through the uprights to make it 24-21 Oilers with 3:56 to go in the quarter. After a fumble recovery by Tre Smalls, Tulsa marched down and scored on a 11-yard receiving score by Jarrod Ware Jr. with 0:54 left in the half to make it 31-21 Tulsa. Jonathan Nance started the second half with a 12-yard receiving touchdown to make the Oilers cushion 38-21 with 13:41 to go in the third. After another Hudson touchdown for Sioux Falls, Nance would respond with an 8-yard catch and score for his second of the day to make it 45-28 Oilers while 7:29 remained in the third frame. Williams forced himself in the endzone again for the Storm to make it 45-35 and then with 0:39 to go in the third quarter, Crockett for Tulsa snagged a 7-yard pass for a touchdown to make the game 52-35, Oilers. The Storm made it a 52-41 game on another Hudson touchdown but Hall would tack on his second field goal of the game, this time from 31 yards to bring the game's final score to 55-41 Tulsa.
FOCUS AHEAD No more Joshua Crockett or Michael Hall for the remainder of the season. Let's not sugar coat it, the Oilers will not be able to fill this void easily and that should not be the goal, especially with Crockett because you do not replace players like him you just find new ways to be productive. Now that Tulsa is in the win column again, they can breathe normally again. The math still shows Tulsa is in the mix for the final playoff spot, but a victory in Iowa is almost a requirement for this to be the case. This can be labeled possibly the most important game regarding the playoffs the franchise has ever seen and it will look like that on the field Saturday night.
HOW TO "FLY OVER" IOWA IN THE EAST The Iowa Barnstormers are ahead of the Oilers by one placing in the standings but simply because they have a game in hand (4-7) over Tulsa (4-8). A very apparent story line in this game is that the Oilers will face their former QB as of this season, Daniel Smith. Emotions will certainly be high for Smith going up against his former team but this will also be an advantage for Tulsa who knows the tendencies and possibly, the weaknesses of Smith to try and exploit. The Barnstormers have thrown a handful of interceptions this season, 11 in fact. Smith is a QB that can move in space well once he gets past the line of scrimmage but if you can suffocate his ability to have an obvious route out of danger you can succeed.
Tulsa will head on the road for the final time on Saturday, June 22 at 7:05 p.m. CT to face the Iowa Barnstormers at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
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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