Nebraska Danger Dominate First Half in 59-23 Victory
March 11, 2018 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Nebraska Danger News Release
The Green Bay Blizzard came to the Heartland Events Center looking to end their two game losing streak but ended up losing a third straight, after the Nebraska Danger blasted them 59-23.
Nebraska took the opening kickoff 30 yards, setting up a one-play drive when Gregory Dent caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Damien Fleming. After getting the ball back, Nebraska again used one play for Fleming to toss a 21-yard TD pass, giving them a 14-0 lead. The Blizzard defense couldn't find an answer for the Danger offense, who scored four times and led 28-7 as time ran out in the quarter.
"I'm very pleased with how we started the game. Our offense and defense both came out focused, which is exactly what you want after a bye week," said Nebraska Danger head coach Mark Stoute.
Things did not improve for Green Bay as the second quarter started. Danger defensive lineman, Xzavie Jackson, broke through the line of scrimmage and forced the ball out of Blizzard quarterback Christian Lemay's hands and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. The Danger kept the steamroller going throughout the quarter, getting points on the board three more times. Nebraska scored on every possession in the first half, racking up 194 yards of offense compared to Green Bay's 78. Nebraska's Fleming finally threw his first incomplete pass with under a minute left in the second quarter, as the Danger headed to the locker room with a 52-14 lead.
Green Bay received the ball to start the second half and brought out a new quarterback, Raymond Cotton, to lead the team. The Blizzard got the ball moving before the Danger defense forced them into a field goal situation, which Green Bay converted to make the score 52-17. The rest of the quarter play went back and forth between the two teams. The one exception was a 27-yard pass from Fleming to receiver Eric Thomas for a Nebraska score, extending their lead to 42 points.The Blizzard showed some offensive prowess at the end of the third quarter, marching down the field only to have the drive stalled by an illegal formation penalty.
A few plays into the fourth quarter, the Blizzard turned over the ball on downs for the fourth time. Jesse Scroggins then came out to take over at quarterback for the Danger. On his first play, he passed the ball backward for a lateral, which was then picked up by Angelo Pease and run up field for a first down. The drive ended with a missed field goal from kicker Brad Hatfield, turning the ball back over to the Blizzard at their own five-yard line. Green Bay then got the ball moving, with the help of some Nebraska penalties, including a pass interference call. This propelled the Blizzard to the Nebraska 18-yard line. Nebraska defensive back, Daniel Masifilo, snagged a Blizzard pass for an interception, ending the score threat by Green Bay. After a Nebraska turnover, the Blizzard scored quickly and cut the Nebraska lead to 36, 59-23.
"I thought we played well today. One thing we need to clean up is penalties. Seven flags for sixty yards is too many. We can get away with that now but against Arizona, Iowa and Sioux Falls that will come back to bite us," Stoute said.
The Danger next play at home on March 30 versus the Iowa Barnstormers at the Heartland Events Center.
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