Post by alecs on Jul 19, 2024 19:17:34 GMT -8
Oilers 44, Pirates 24
7/19/24 --
TULSA, OK - After suffering elimination at the hands of the Steamwheelers last week, the Oilers entered their final regular season game against the playoff-bound Pirates with nothing to gain in 2024 even with a victory. The vigor that the home team played this game with gave no indication of that fact whatsoever. Led by Andre Sale, the offense showed great efficiency against a sturdy Pirates defense, setting the tone for their defense to follow suit with several key plays to further put Massachusetts in a hole. The end result, a thoroughly dominating 44-24 victory for the Oilers over the Pirates.
The Pirates opened the game with the football and looked to have the game's first touchdown on a one-yard keeper by Alejandro Bennifield. A keen challenge from Tulsa identified a false start on the Pirates and wiped those points off the board. Massachusetts would settle for a Henry Nell 22-yard field goal to start the scoring. After a Pirates rouge, the Oilers were able to put together a scoring drive, with Jarrod Ware Jr. providing a six-yard touchdown catch from Andre Sale. The first quarter came to a close, with the Oilers ahead by an unusual score line of seven to four.
A third-down sack of Bennifield contributed to an Oilers defensive stand, forcing a 56-yard field goal miss from Nell and awarding Tulsa possession. Bennifield would leave the game following that hit and did not return. Sale led the charge again down the field, this time finding D'Marcus Adams for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Things went from bad to worse for the Pirates, with a fourth down pass from backup quarterback Connor Degenhardt intercepted by Taylor Hawkins. Tulsa turned that takeaway into more points on a three-yard pass from Sale to Tyrone Howell, the third different Oiler to score a touchdown on as many possessions. Driving deep inside the one-minute warning, Massachusetts was at last able to come up with a six-point scoring play, with Degenhardt legging out a two-yard rushing touchdown. Just as quickly as that slight momentum shift appeared, it faded equally as quickly, as eight seconds later Sale connected with Ware for a rapid response 21-yard touchdown pass with very little time on the clock. A nearly perfect first half propelled Tulsa to a 26-10 halftime advantage.
Tulsa began the second half with the ball, running more than five minutes off the clock and expanding its lead with a 27-yard field goal from Ross Moore. On another lengthy drive to follow, the Pirates struck back with Jimmie Robinson's first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run. Those were the only two finished possessions of the quarter, and with 15 minutes remaining, the Oilers remained convincingly ahead 29-16.
With a fourth down and goal to open the quarter, Sale fired touchdown pass number five, going a second time to Adams from four yards out. Adams would complete the "Octopus" by hauling in the ensuing two-point conversion to run the lead up to 20 points. Tulsa then forced the Pirates to go for a fourth and six to keep any hope of a comeback alive, but Degenhardt's pass could not find Isaac Zico. The Oilers continued to fire on all cylinders as Sale found Alexis Rosario for a 24-yard touchdown pass to go up 44-16. With just under five minutes to go, Degenhardt provided the Pirates a slight life line with his second rushing score of nine yards, with a drop kick from Nell narrowing the deficit back to 20. The Oilers went four and out on their next possession, giving the Pirates a minute on the clock for an endgame score. A series of endzone passes could not find the waiting hands of any Pirates players, and time ran out on the Pirates as a result. Oiler fans got the dream home finale, an invigorating blowout of the Pirates by count of 44 to 24.
Andre Sale was the "Man of the Match" for the Oilers in victory, going 20 out of 31 passing for 191 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. Jarrod Ware Jr. rushed four times for 14 yards and added nine catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Alexis Rosario led the Oilers with seven catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while both receptions for D'Marcus Adams went for touchdowns. Jordan Jones spearheaded the defense with nine tackles, Noah Lyles and Chima Dunga each logged a sack, and Taylor Hawkins had the game's lone takeaway with his interception.
Before departing in the second quarter, Alejandro Bennifield went four of seven passing for 38 yards. Connor Degenhardt came into the game and completed 13 of 20 passes for 108 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. He added two rushing touchdowns on four carries and 16 yards. Jimmie Robinson rushed nine times for 20 yards and a touchdown, adding a team-leading nine receptions for 64 yards. Teo Redding and Darren Carrington each had three receptions for Massachusetts. Matt Elam and Lamont Bishop co-led the Pirates with five tackles each in the defeat.
Tulsa played with an edge on both sides of the ball this evening, as evidenced by their 202-156 yards gained advantage. They were also plus-one in the turnover department and committed no turnovers themselves. A recurring theme this season, penalties hurt the Pirates badly, tonight getting flagged 11 times for 76 yards. In comparison, Tulsa committed seven penalties costing them 51 yards.
Tonight marks the first triumph for the Oilers over the Pirates in franchise history. They played competitively in the reverse fixture at Lowell back on May 25 as well, losing that game by a narrow 23-22 final. The Pirates still lead the Oilers all-time three games to one after taking the first two meetings last season.
The Pirates (8-8) will now wait for tomorrow's action to establish their path in the upcoming IFL Playoffs. Their positioning (third or fourth seed), along with their next destination (Green Bay or Frisco) will depend on the outcomes of three games: Quad City/Jacksonville, Iowa/Frisco, and Green Bay/Sioux Falls. The Pirates would remain the third seed with a Jacksonville win over Quad City, which would still make it possible for Massachusetts to host a potential Eastern Conference Final matchup if Quad City upsets its opponent in the first round next week. The Oilers (6-10) miss the playoffs but notch a season-ending home win which they hope will contribute to forward momentum heading into 2025.
All IFL games this season will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
7/19/24 --
TULSA, OK - After suffering elimination at the hands of the Steamwheelers last week, the Oilers entered their final regular season game against the playoff-bound Pirates with nothing to gain in 2024 even with a victory. The vigor that the home team played this game with gave no indication of that fact whatsoever. Led by Andre Sale, the offense showed great efficiency against a sturdy Pirates defense, setting the tone for their defense to follow suit with several key plays to further put Massachusetts in a hole. The end result, a thoroughly dominating 44-24 victory for the Oilers over the Pirates.
The Pirates opened the game with the football and looked to have the game's first touchdown on a one-yard keeper by Alejandro Bennifield. A keen challenge from Tulsa identified a false start on the Pirates and wiped those points off the board. Massachusetts would settle for a Henry Nell 22-yard field goal to start the scoring. After a Pirates rouge, the Oilers were able to put together a scoring drive, with Jarrod Ware Jr. providing a six-yard touchdown catch from Andre Sale. The first quarter came to a close, with the Oilers ahead by an unusual score line of seven to four.
A third-down sack of Bennifield contributed to an Oilers defensive stand, forcing a 56-yard field goal miss from Nell and awarding Tulsa possession. Bennifield would leave the game following that hit and did not return. Sale led the charge again down the field, this time finding D'Marcus Adams for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Things went from bad to worse for the Pirates, with a fourth down pass from backup quarterback Connor Degenhardt intercepted by Taylor Hawkins. Tulsa turned that takeaway into more points on a three-yard pass from Sale to Tyrone Howell, the third different Oiler to score a touchdown on as many possessions. Driving deep inside the one-minute warning, Massachusetts was at last able to come up with a six-point scoring play, with Degenhardt legging out a two-yard rushing touchdown. Just as quickly as that slight momentum shift appeared, it faded equally as quickly, as eight seconds later Sale connected with Ware for a rapid response 21-yard touchdown pass with very little time on the clock. A nearly perfect first half propelled Tulsa to a 26-10 halftime advantage.
Tulsa began the second half with the ball, running more than five minutes off the clock and expanding its lead with a 27-yard field goal from Ross Moore. On another lengthy drive to follow, the Pirates struck back with Jimmie Robinson's first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run. Those were the only two finished possessions of the quarter, and with 15 minutes remaining, the Oilers remained convincingly ahead 29-16.
With a fourth down and goal to open the quarter, Sale fired touchdown pass number five, going a second time to Adams from four yards out. Adams would complete the "Octopus" by hauling in the ensuing two-point conversion to run the lead up to 20 points. Tulsa then forced the Pirates to go for a fourth and six to keep any hope of a comeback alive, but Degenhardt's pass could not find Isaac Zico. The Oilers continued to fire on all cylinders as Sale found Alexis Rosario for a 24-yard touchdown pass to go up 44-16. With just under five minutes to go, Degenhardt provided the Pirates a slight life line with his second rushing score of nine yards, with a drop kick from Nell narrowing the deficit back to 20. The Oilers went four and out on their next possession, giving the Pirates a minute on the clock for an endgame score. A series of endzone passes could not find the waiting hands of any Pirates players, and time ran out on the Pirates as a result. Oiler fans got the dream home finale, an invigorating blowout of the Pirates by count of 44 to 24.
Andre Sale was the "Man of the Match" for the Oilers in victory, going 20 out of 31 passing for 191 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. Jarrod Ware Jr. rushed four times for 14 yards and added nine catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Alexis Rosario led the Oilers with seven catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while both receptions for D'Marcus Adams went for touchdowns. Jordan Jones spearheaded the defense with nine tackles, Noah Lyles and Chima Dunga each logged a sack, and Taylor Hawkins had the game's lone takeaway with his interception.
Before departing in the second quarter, Alejandro Bennifield went four of seven passing for 38 yards. Connor Degenhardt came into the game and completed 13 of 20 passes for 108 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. He added two rushing touchdowns on four carries and 16 yards. Jimmie Robinson rushed nine times for 20 yards and a touchdown, adding a team-leading nine receptions for 64 yards. Teo Redding and Darren Carrington each had three receptions for Massachusetts. Matt Elam and Lamont Bishop co-led the Pirates with five tackles each in the defeat.
Tulsa played with an edge on both sides of the ball this evening, as evidenced by their 202-156 yards gained advantage. They were also plus-one in the turnover department and committed no turnovers themselves. A recurring theme this season, penalties hurt the Pirates badly, tonight getting flagged 11 times for 76 yards. In comparison, Tulsa committed seven penalties costing them 51 yards.
Tonight marks the first triumph for the Oilers over the Pirates in franchise history. They played competitively in the reverse fixture at Lowell back on May 25 as well, losing that game by a narrow 23-22 final. The Pirates still lead the Oilers all-time three games to one after taking the first two meetings last season.
The Pirates (8-8) will now wait for tomorrow's action to establish their path in the upcoming IFL Playoffs. Their positioning (third or fourth seed), along with their next destination (Green Bay or Frisco) will depend on the outcomes of three games: Quad City/Jacksonville, Iowa/Frisco, and Green Bay/Sioux Falls. The Pirates would remain the third seed with a Jacksonville win over Quad City, which would still make it possible for Massachusetts to host a potential Eastern Conference Final matchup if Quad City upsets its opponent in the first round next week. The Oilers (6-10) miss the playoffs but notch a season-ending home win which they hope will contribute to forward momentum heading into 2025.
All IFL games this season will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
-AS