Week Three Full of Great Match-Ups
Published on April 7, 2006 under United Indoor Football Association (UIF) News Release
Omaha, Nebraska - United Indoor Football (UIF) will kickoff its third week of hard-hitting indoor action on Saturday, April 8 with four games and another on Sunday, April 9.
The weekend gets kicked off in Sioux Falls as one of the most intense rivalries in the UIF is re-ignited when the Sioux City Bandits battle the Storm at 7:05 PM. The Defending UIF Champion Storm (2-0) are off to a dominating start as they are averaging the most points scored per game (48.5) in the UIF. The Storm is also allowing the second least amount of points (24.5) and leading the league in average margin of victory (24.0). Sioux City (0-2) has lost two heartbreakers after falling in the final seconds to both Ft. Wayne and Omaha. The Bandits defense ranks 4th in points allowed per game (32.0) and are led by linebacker Spetlar Tonga, who is third in the UIF with 15 tackles. This will be the first match-up between the two 1-29 rivals since last season's inaugural United Bowl I championship game. The Bandits and Storm will meet 4 times this season.
Another 7:05 kickoff that could turn into an intense rivalry will be in Bloomington as Rock River visits the US Cellular Coliseum. Both Rock River and Bloomington are coming off lopsided losses in Week 2. Rock River (1-1) dropped their home-opener with a 49-20 loss to Sioux Falls. Luke McArdle saw his first action of the season and caught 6 passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Bloomington (1-1) opened US Cellular Coliseum by falling to Ft. Wayne by a 51-28 score. Week 1 Offensive Player of the Week, Dusty Burk, threw for 141 yards by completing 14 of 34 passes for 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Extreme is the first expansion team in the UIF and the Raptors have relocated from last season. This will be 1 of 3 meetings in 2006 for the two Midwest Division teams.
With a 7:30 pm EST kick-off, Ft. Wayne will look to improve their record to 3-0 as they host the winless Ohio Valley Greyhounds at War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne. Ohio Valley (0-2) lost their first home opener in team history last Sunday as Evansville defeated the Greyhounds 36-34. Matt Kohn connected on 23 of 31 passes for 179 yards, 3 TD's and one interception. Ft. Wayne (2-0) returns home after dominating Bloomington 51-28 in Week 2. The Freedom are giving up the 3rd least points per game in the UIF (25.0) and have the UIF's leading tackler, Lewis Carter, leading their impressive defense. Offensively, Rocky Harvey is at mid-season form. This season he has racked up 168 yards rushing and 4 TD's. He has also added a TD passing in Week 1.
The final Saturday match-up will take place in Peoria as the Rough Riders welcome Lexington to town. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM CST. Both Lexington and Peoria are coming off of their bye week. Lexington (1-0) opened the season with a 38-24 home victory over Ohio Valley in Week 1. Eddie Eviston went an impressive 16-of-22 passing for 182 yards and 4 TD's in Lexington's Week 1 victory. Champ Kelly tallied 9 tackles for the Horsemen defense as they only gave up a total of 192 yards in Week 1. Peoria (0-1) lost their home opener two weeks ago with a 44-40 loss to Bloomington. In that game, Phil Taylor Jr. caught 5 passes for 45 yards and 1 TD. This will be one of two match-ups between these two teams, with the second game coming on June 24, 2006 when the Rough Riders travel to Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY to battle the Horsemen once again.
Sunday will see one game as Omaha battles Evansville at the Omaha Civic Auditorium at 3:30 PM CST. Both Evansville and Omaha are coming off of road wins that notched their first victory of the season. Omaha (1-1) battled Sioux City until the final seconds to prevail 38-35. RJ Rollins scored three 4th quarter touchdowns to lead the comeback, as Omaha was down by 12 early in the 4th quarter. For his efforts Rollins was named UIF Offensive Player of the Week. Defensively, linebacker Chris Eads had 8.5 tackles to lead all players and was named UIF Defensive Player of the Week. Evansville (1-1) had a hard fought battle as well by defeating Ohio Valley 36-34. The BlueCats offense was led by Dale Jennings who had 4 receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns; he also rushed for another touchdown and added 67-yards in kick returns.
United Indoor Football Association Stories from April 7, 2006
- Evansville Plays at Omaha on Sunday - Evansville BlueCats
- Beef Look To Make It Two In A Row - Omaha Beef
- Week Three Full of Great Match-Ups - UIF
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