Tulsa, Okla.- Tulsa Oilers Football, proud member of the IFL, host the Green Bay Blizzard
LAST TIME OUT Last week saw the Oilers take their furthest road trip of the season, venturing to Worcester, Massachusetts for the second meeting against the Pirates on the campaign and the last road game of 2023. The team couldn't leave the fortress that is DCU Center with a win, where the Pirates are a perfect 7-0, falling 43-24. Massachusetts got off to a hot start, scoring touchdowns on its five opening drives. Alexis Rosario scored his first-of-three touchdowns on the Oilers second drive to pull within a possession after a missed field goal on the opening opportunity allowed the Pirates to get out to a 14-0 lead. Andre Sale found Rosario for his second receiving score of the game. A second missed extra point kept the Pirates up by eight, before the Pirates added another touchdown. Sale connected with Joshua Crockett 34 seconds before the end of the half. The Oilers failed to succeed on the 2-point conversion, creating a two-possession deficit, despite scoring only one less touchdown. Thirty seconds after, Alec Bennifield found Isaac Zico on an eight-yard touchdown pitch and catch, closing the first half in scoring. Both defenses stood tall in the third quarter, with neither team finding points. Rosario completed his touchdown hatty with 7:34 left in the game, pulling Tulsa within 10 points - 34-24. The Pirates capped the scoring off with a touchdown and a field goal, closing the score 43-24. Rosario nearly capped off the night with his fourth TD grab of the contest, but it was overturned after review on the final play of the game.
FOCUS AHEAD July 1's tilt against Green Bay is the second-to-last game of the inaugural Oilers campaign. The season finale will come after the team's second bye week, hosting the Quad City Steamwheelers — the team Tulsa played in the first-ever home game in franchise history. While ball security has improved, the team will look to force more turnovers against both opponents. The defense has started slow each week, but strong second-half performances show an ability to slip the script with offensive help. The defense will have to step up in the absence of Kevin Moore, who has been granted bereavement leave.
HOW TO BLITZ THE BLIZZARD Green Bay are still alive in the playoff race, ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference and just one victory behind Sioux Falls — who hold the fourth-and-final playoff berth. The Blizzard are a team who can score in bunches but rank dead-middle of the league in scoring-per-game and defensive-scoring-per-game. A key to the game is the defense getting off to a hot start, with the unit showing it can be dominant once settled in. Taylor Hawkings and Kelvin Jenkins have an opportunity to step up in the absence of Kevin Moore and Britto Tutt against Max Meylor who has protected the ball well since taking the reins at quarterback, throwing just three picks. Jordan Jones and Tre Harvey will be tasked with slowing a rushing attack that often gets to the second level and ranks fifth in IFL rushing. The defensive line will need to help the two linebackers with reading option plays and containing Meylor who averages 35.3 rushing yards per game. Blizzard running back Terrence Smith is coming off a four-touchdown performance as well. Alexis Rosario will be an important part of the equation after catching three touchdowns last week and Andre Sale and the offense will need to get Jonathan Nance more involved. If the defense can continue to force turnovers on downs and the offense performs similarly to their game against San Diego on June 4, the Oilers give themselves a chance for the upset.
