IFL Orlando Pirates

Pirates Travel to Tulsa on Saturday

Published on May 26, 2023 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Orlando Pirates News Release


The 5-3 Massachusetts Pirates will face the 1-7 Tulsa Oilers for the first time on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. CT at the BOK Center.

The Pirates have the third best winning percentage in all of the Indoor Football League (.625) and are in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Oilers are currently tied for sixth in the East.

The Last Time Out:

The Pirates scored a touchdown on every possession (aside from running out the clock at the end of the game) in a 63-49 win over the Quad City Steamwheelers at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center in Worcester. The defense accounted for three stops including forcing Quad City quarterback E.J. Hilliard Jr. to fumble on the two-yard line while attempting to score. The game was tied at 35 all at halftime, but Massachusetts outscored the Steamwheelers 28-14 in the second half to establish the win.

Pirates' quarterback Anthony Russo was 17 of 22 passing for 228 yards and seven touchdowns on the evening. He also added a rushing touchdown. Running back Jimmie Robinson was the game's leading rusher with 11 carries for 49 yards. He caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and returned a kickoff 56 yards for a score.

Russo threw two touchdowns each to Isaac Zico (four receptions for 93 yards) Thomas Owens (five catches for 72 yards) and Darren Carrington (four receptions for 52 yards).

Kicker Josh Gable was a perfect nine for nine on extra point attempts. Defensively the Pirates held Quad City quarterback E.J. Hilliard Jr. to 27 yards on 13 carries with four short scoring runs, with the longest from two yards out. Linebacker Brendon White led the Pirates with nine tackles.

The Oilers lost their fourth consecutive game last Saturday, falling on the road to the Vegas Night Hawks, 46 to 32 at the Dollar Loan Center. Tulsa trailed 32-20 at the half and closed to within eight points to start the second half as Jeremy Reynolds kicked a 21-yard field goal, but would get no closer the rest of the way.

Quarterback Vincent Espinoza was 13 of 29 passing for 161 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Harvey Bennett had six carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. Receivers Alexis Robinson had three receptions for 51 yards and a score, Jonathan Nance pulled in four balls for 46 yards and Damion May had three catches for 41 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Jones and Jeremy Lewis each had seven tackles. Jones recovered a fumble and Lewis had a sack.

Team Stats: (Includes IFL Rankings)

The Pirates are averaging 51.1 points per game which is second in the Indoor Football League. They are also fourth with 250.8 yards per game. Massachusetts also averages 173.4 passing yards per contest (fourth). The offensive line has allowed only one sack all year which is second in the league. The offense also averages 17.4 first downs per game (fourth) and ranks first in third down conversions at 54.4 percent. Massachusetts scores 90.2 percent of the time in the Red Zone which is second in the IFL. On special teams the Pirates are number one in PAT conversions making 45 out of 47 for a percentage of .957.

Tulsa is scoring 36.6 points per game which is 13th in the IFL while their defense ranks 12th allowing 49.5 points per contest. The Oilers average 175.1 yards of offense each night (13th). The Oilers have connected on 12 of 28 field goals (.429) which is second in the league.

Players to Watch: (Includes IFL Rankings)

Pirates' running back Jimmie Robinson leads the IFL with 467 yards and 66.7 rushing yards per game. He has rushed 84 times (fifth) averages 5.6 yards per carry (eighth) and has 15 rushing touchdowns (fourth).

Robinson is tied for third in the league in scoring with 114 points while averaging 16.3 points per game (third). His 19 total touchdowns are tied for second in the league.

Robinson also leads the IFL with three kickoff returns for touchdowns. His 22.8 yards per return rank him seventh. He leads the league with 936 all-purpose yards and his 133.7 all-purpose yards tops the IFL.

In four games, Oilers kick returner Britto Tutt has an average of 26.7 yards per return which is best in the IFL. Teammate Joshua Crockett has an average of 23.5 yards per return which ranks him fifth. Crockett also has 329 all-purpose yards which is 10th in the league.

Pirates' quarterback Anthony Russo is 103 (third) of 170 (third) passing for a completion percentage of 60.6 percent. He has thrown for 1,198 yards (third) with 24 passing touchdowns (third), three interceptions and averages 171.1 passing yards per game (fifth) with an efficiency rating of 162.8. Russo's 1,232 yards of total offense rank him eighth in the league.

Oilers QB Vince Espinoza is 67 of 132 passing for 753 yards (50.8%) with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. Espinoza is averaging 150.6 passing yards per game.

Pirates' wide receiver Thomas is sixth in the IFL with 478 receiving yards. He has nine touchdowns (tied for 9th), has an average of 15.4 yards per catch (sixth) and 59.8 receiving yards per game (ninth).

Isaac Zico of Massachusetts has 45 receptions (second) with 473 yards (seventh), nine touchdowns (tied for ninth), makes 5.6 catches per game (fourth) while averaging 59.1 yards per game (tenth).

Massachusetts kicker Josh Gable has made four field goals (seventh) in 11 attempts (ninth) for 36.4 percent (eighth). His 57 kicking points are fourth best in the league while his scoring average of 7.1 points per game is fifth best among kickers. His PAT percentage of .957 is best in the IFL.

Oilers' kicker Jeremy Reynolds has made 12 field goals this season (first) in 28 attempts (first) for a percentage of 42.9 (fourth). His average of 7.4 points per game is second for kickers while his 59 total kicking points ranks third.

Pirates' Linebacker Brendon White has 41 tackles on the season (fifth) and averages 6.8 per game (fourth). Defensive back Momodou Mbye has 35.5 tackles on the season (eighth). Defensive lineman Ezekiel Rose has three sacks (tied for fifth). DB Harlan Miller has broken up seven passes (tied for sixth).

Tulsa's Jordan Jones has the most tackles in the league at 57.5. His 45 solo tackles and average of 8.2 per game are also best in the league. Jones also leads the IFL with three fumble recoveries. Teammate Kelvin Jenkins has recovered two. Gibson Ziah of the Oilers is fifth with eight tackles for a loss. Eric Sadler is tied for fifth in the league with three sacks.

The Coaches:

Mark Stoute is now 5-3 as the Head Coach of the Pirates. Stoute joined the organization in June of 2021 as a senior advisor. He served as Offensive Coordinator last season.

Stoute is the fifth head coach in Pirates history and has 27 years of coaching experience in the indoor game. He had his most success as a head coach from 2012 to 2016 with the Cedar Rapids Titans leading them to four-straight playoff appearances. After an impressive 2013 season, Stoute was named the IFL Coach of the Year.

Marvin Jones is the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Tulsa Oilers.

Prior to the Oilers he was the Head Coach of the Omaha Beef of Champions Indoor Football from 2019 through 2022, winning a title in 2021 and making the championship game the next season. In 2017 Jones was the Defensive Coordinator and eventual Interim Head Coach for the Colorado Crush. 2018 saw Jones move to the Cedar Rapids Titans of the IFL as Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.

As a player, Jones was an All-American linebacker at Florida State from 1990-1992. In 1992, Jones earned both the Butkus Award, as the nation's top linebacker and the Lombardi Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi. He earned Sporting News "College Football Player of the Year" in 1992, and a spot in the Florida State Football Hall of Fame in 2000, Jones was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

Following his collegiate career, Jones was selected fourth overall in the 1993 NFL draft by the New York Jets. Jones played 11 seasons for the Jets from 1993-2003, excluding the 1998 season. He appeared in 142 NFL games, compiling more than 1,200 tackles, with over 700 of those being solo.

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Indoor Football League Stories from May 26, 2023


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