UIF Sioux Falls Storm

Storm Can Tie Record for Most Consecutive Wins in Professional Sports History

June 29, 2007 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Sioux Falls Storm News Release


The Sioux Falls Storm of United Indoor Football (UIF) will entertain the Colorado Ice (5-7) this Saturday at the "Storm Shelter." The Ice is looking to break a three game losing streak and currently tied for third place with the Omaha Beef in the Western Conference. With the Storm's 76-45 beating of Lexington last Saturday, they secured home field for United Bowl III should they make it. The win was also the Storm's 32nd straight victory. With a victory over Colorado, the Storm will tie the record for most consecutive wins in professional sports history with 33. The record is currently in possession of the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. The game is scheduled for a 7:05 PM kickoff. The game can be heard LIVE on 1320 KELO AM or by logging on to www.siouxfallsstorm.com and clicking on "Listen LIVE."

When Colorado and Sioux Falls met for the first time in their history this year on May 5th, it was a showdown of the top two teams in the Western Conference. Sioux Falls entered the game with a record of 5-0 and Colorado entered at 4-2. The Storm crushed the Ice 49-20 and the Ice hasn't been the same since. The Ice has only managed one win since falling to the Storm. The Storm and Ice met again on June 2nd in Fort Collins, where the Storm manhandled the Ice by a score 51-17. The Storm held the Ice to only three points in the entire second half.

The Storm offense continues to light up the scoreboard. The Storm are the #1 scoring offense (51.9 points/game) and rank #3 in total offense (251.8 yards/game) in the UIF. The Storm "Lightning Strike" offense has also converted the most first downs (218) in the UIF this year. Storm quarterback Terrance Bryant was a force last week accounting for eight touchdowns as he threw six touchdowns and ran for two more. Bryant has rushed for 165 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Storm offense welcomed the return of all-purpose back James Jones. In his first game back in a Storm uniform, Jones led the team in all-purpose yards with 153. Wide receiver Leon Hall Jr. had a career day setting a career high in touchdown receptions. Hall Jr. hauled in five touchdown passes, one of which was wiped out due to a penalty. He finished the game with 6 receptions for 95 yards and four touchdowns.

Just like the Storm offense knows how to put points on the scoreboard, the Storm defense knows how to keep points off the scoreboard. The defense has been nothing short of spectacular this season. The Storm defense owns #1 ranking in both points and yards allowed. The second half is where the defense is at its best allowing just 11.6 points per second half. The defense has been terrific at stuffing the run allowing only 43.1 rushing yards per game. Linebacker Mark Blackburn is a force in the middle and is leading the league in tackles per game with 7.5. Blackburn has tallied 89.5 total tackles and has been involved in 110 tackles this season. The front three has been relentless to the quarterback this year. Defensive ends Nate Fluit (11.5 sacks) and Leif Murphy (10.5) hold the top two spots for sacks in the UIF. As a team, the Storm has recorded 31 total sacks. The Storm team single season record for sacks is 34, which was set last year. Defensive back Justin Landis set a career high last week when he intercepted three passes. Landis now has 11 interceptions in his career, which moves him into 5th place on the Storm's all-time list.

In last weekend's game vs. Bloomington, not much went right for the Ice. The 40-15 loss sent them to their fifth defeat in the last six games. The Ice has struggled on the offensive side of the ball this year ranking 10th in points scored (29.4 points/game) and 8th in total offense (189 yards/game). Since making the switch at quarterback to Matt Guitterrez, the team has struggled in the win column as Guitterrez is 1-5 as the starter. He has thrown for 778 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. The pass protection hasn't been there this year for the Ice as they have allowed a league high 35 sacks. That's 9 more than the next closest team. Running back Eugene Reed has been the bright spot of the offense. Reed ranks third in the UIF averaging 51.6 rushing yards per game. The top two wide receivers for the team are Mike Jones and Tim Pope. Jones is Guitterrez's go-to guy as he leads the team in receptions (42) and yards (389). Pope has been the red zone threat hauling in ten touchdown receptions.

The Colorado Ice defense has been the strength of the team. After week 6, they were statistically ranked the #1 defense in the UIF. The Storm defense has since claimed that spot. The defense has given up the 3rd fewest points (35.0 points/game) in the UIF this year. Linebacker Ryan Palmer leads the charge for the defense with 72.5 tackles, which ranks third in the league. Defensive back Travis Garcia has snagged five interceptions and forced three fumbles. The pass defense is ranked 6th, but has been hampered by an inconsistent pass rush. The defense has only gotten to the quarterback 11 times this entire year. Only Sioux City has gotten there fewer times.

The Storm will host the Eastern Conference leading Rock River Raptors on July 7th at the "Storm Shelter" in what may be a preview of United Bowl III. The game theme will be "USA Pride/Military Appreciation Night". Individual tickets can be obtained by visiting the Arena Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet, calling Ticketmaster at 334-8181, or purchasing from ticketmaster.com. Join "The Biggest Show in Town" as the Storm look for three championships in a row in 2007.



United Indoor Football Association Stories from June 29, 2007


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