Storm ends Blizzard's season again

The Sioux Falls Storm scored 26 unanswered points to defeat the Green Bay Blizzard 61-42 in the Indoor Football League’s United Conference championship for a second straight season on Saturday.

The Blizzard (12-4) led three times and scored on its first eight possessions before Xavier Jordan returned a Donovan Porterie interception 10 yards for a touchdown to give the Storm a 48-36 lead with 1 minute, 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

After making his first five field-goal attempts of the game, Green Bay kicker Adrian Trevino then missed a 52-yarder and the Blizzard was stopped on downs on its next drive while Sioux Falls (16-0) scored TDs.

Not including its kneel down at the end of the game, the Storm scored TDs on eight of its 10 offensive possessions. Quarterback Chris Dixon completed 14 of 20 passes for 231 yards with five TDs and added two more scores on the ground.

Blizzard running back La’Ron Council rushed for 83 yards on 24 carries and had two scores, including one on the opening drive of the second half that gave Green Bay a 33-28 lead. Porterie was 12 of 22 for 165 yards with a passing and rushing TD.

The Blizzard, who has lost in a conference championship four of the past six seasons, stopped the Storm on back-to-back series in the first half with a fumble recovery on a kick return and a long missed field goal to stay within 28-26 at the half.

Calming the Storm

ASHWAUBENON — An Indoor Football League offense averages about 10 possessions per game.

The Green Bay Blizzard likely will to need to score touchdowns on all of them when it plays the Sioux Falls Storm in the United Conference championship game Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Having already lost to Sioux Falls twice, the Blizzard (12-3) knows it has no room for error against the most efficient and highest-scoring team in the IFL.

“It’s tough to keep pace with that offense,” Blizzard coach Robert Fuller said. “They don’t shoot themselves in the foot, and that’s how they are able to beat a lot of good football teams.”

Read the rest

Tale of the tape

A detailed looked at the United Conference championship between the Blizzard and Storm, analyzing not only this season’s stats and trends, but also how things have played out in the previous four meetings over the last two years.

As the numbers show, Sioux Falls is an offensive juggernaut. You also have to remember the Storm’s numbers standout even against a Blizzard team that is no slouch offensively by any means as the No. 3 scoring team in the league.

Overall drive stats through 15 games

Sioux Falls

Possessions (Not including drives at end of first half or a game)

162 possessions, 131 TDs, 12 FGs, 7 MFG, 1 Blocked FG, 7 INT, 4 FUMB

Scored TDs on 81 percent of its drives

Green Bay

Possessions (Not including drives at end of first half or game)

170 possessions, 101 TDs, 15 FGs, 14 MFG, 2 Blocked FG, 18 INT, 5 FUMB, 1 Safety, 14 Downs

Scored TDs on 59 percent of its drives

-This just shows you how efficient Sioux Falls is on its offensive drives. You’ll also notice the Storm was never stopped on downs this season. It was 61 percent (54-for-88) at converting on third down and 91 percent (10-for-11) at converting on fourth down. The lone stop on fourth down ended in an interception.

Finals from first four matchups

Storm 57, Blizzard 38 from May 15, 2011

Storm 52, Blizzard 12 from July 9, 2011

Storm 73, Blizzard 43 from Feb. 26, 2012

Storm 66, Blizzard 39 from May 19, 2012

-More interesting than the finals is the scores heading into the fourth quarter, as the Storm had a two-touchdown lead by then each time. If the Blizzard is going to win, it’s going to have to be within one score entering the final stanza.

Combined stats from four games

Yards-1,208 SF to 764 GB

Sacks-8 SF to 3 GB

Turnovers-7 SF to 4 GB

Pts off TOs-35 SF to 3 GB

3rd Down-11-23 (48%) SF to 11-42 (26%) GB

4th Down-5-5 (100%) SF to 4-10 (40%) GB

-These pretty much show you how hard it is to get Sioux Falls’ offense off the field. Also, the sack count is the closest thing to measure QB pressure, but if QB hits were kept by the IFL, I’d venture to guess the Blizzard has totaled less than 10 knockdowns against Chris Dixon.

How offenses did in first-and-goal situations in four games

(Keep in mind first three were played at Sioux Falls with the narrow end zones)

Sioux Falls

15 first-and-goal opportunities (14 TDs, 1 FG)

G1-2 (2TDs)

G2-7 (6TDs, 1 FG)

G3-3 (3TDs)

G4-3 (3TDs)

Green Bay

13 opportunities (5 TDs, 3 FGs, INT, 2 FUMB, 2 DOWNS)

G1-4 (2 FGs, DOWNS, INT)

G2-2 (2 FUMB)

G3-3 (2TDs, DOWNS)

G4-4 (3TDs, FG)

-Given how shallow the end zones are at the Sioux Falls Arena, the success rate on first-and-goal situations will be huge. Even though the Blizzard is a run-heavy offense and has had a lot of success inside the 10, the shallow end zones mean defenders will be in more of an enclosed area and the threat of the play-action pass won’t be there the closer it gets to the goal line.

Possessions in the first four games

Sioux Falls

G1-12 possessions (8 TDs, 1 FG, 3 Stops)

G2-10 possessions (7 TDs, FG, 2 Stops)*Doesn’t include long MFG at end of first half

G3-10 possessions (9 TDs, FG)*" "

G4-10 possessions (9TDs, 1 Stop)*" "

Total: 33 TDs on 42 possessions (79%)

Green Bay

G1-13 possessions (3 TDs, 6 FGs, 4 Stops)

G2-11 possessions (TD, 2 FGs, 8 Stops)

G3-12 possessions (6 TDs, 1 FG, 5 Stops)

G4-11 possessions (5 TDs, 1 FG, 5 Stops)

Total: 15 TDs on 47 possessions (32%)

-This just shows you how efficient the Storm has been offensively against the Blizzard on a drive-by-drive basis.

The B.J. Hill factor

While he has never taken one back for a score against Sioux Falls, B.J. Hill has had ample opportunities for kickoff returns against the Storm, who haven’t been hesitant to kick it to him like most teams are.

Game 1-4 returns for 67 yards

Game 2-4 returns for 29 yards

Game 3-4 returns for 78 yards

Game 4-5 returns for 86 yards

Final analysis

After going through all the gaudy numbers above, Saturday’s game is going to come down to the big guys up front who don’t have any real measurable statistics – the offensive linemen. Coach Robert Fuller said the key to Sioux Falls’ offense is the guys protecting Chris Dixon. In order for the Blizzard to win, its going to have to get pressure on the three-time league MVP.

Meanwhile, the Blizzard offensive line really has to have its best game of the season, which is really saying something considering how dominant it has been all season. Green Bay doesn’t necessarily need to rush for over 100 yards, but it needs to average about 4 yards per carry and keep quarterback Donovan Porterie upright in the pocket.

Something else to keep in mind is Green Bay has never had a defensive or special teams’ TD against Sioux Falls. It has 14 D/STs scores on the season and maybe are do for one against the Storm that could change the momentum of the game.

Blizzard puts away Edge in final 6 minutes

ASHWAUBENON — The Green Bay Blizzard got its wish.

The Blizzard earned a third shot at the undefeated Sioux Falls Storm by defeating the Bloomington Edge for a third time this season in the quarterfinals of the Indoor Football League playoffs on Saturday.

Green Bay’s 51-30 victory over the Edge (10-5) at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena in front of 1,470 not only gives it a chance to redeem its two losses to the Storm, but sets up a rematch of last year’s United Conference championship game, which the Blizzard lost 52-12.

Read the rest

Playoff ponderings

La’Run Council

La’Ron Council broke the IFL single-season rushing records for yards (1,040), attempts (256) and touchdowns (32) in a 72-41 victory against Wichita on June 16 by rushing for 148 yards on 30 carries and five TDs.

Council became the eighth player in any indoor league to reach the 1,000-yard plateau (See the list). Marquette Smith of the Green Bay Bombers in 2000 was the first. The last player before Council to accomplish the feat? Fred Jackson, who is now with the Buffalo Bills. That’s a pretty good omen for Council’s future.

Council needed only 45 yards to break the IFL record, which he accomplished midway through the second quarter. However, he was able to get to a 1,000 and break the TD record because Andrew Verboncouer sustained an injury in the team’s walk-through and was held out.

All-IFL teams

With the league downsizing this season, earning a spot on the all-IFL squad was a lot tougher this season with only 16 squads.

Council was an obvious first team choice at running back. Other Blizzard players getting recognized were offensive lineman Seth Smalls and defensive back/kick returner B.J. Hill on the second team.

Hill, the special teams player of the year last season, had limited return opportunities this season. He still returned four kicks and one missed field goal for scores, while also setting a league record for kick return average in a season (23.3 yards).

Getting an Edge

The Blizzard’s playoff opponent on Saturday is a familiar one.

The Blizzard defeated Bloomington twice in a seven-day span this season. It won 69-56 at the Resch Center on April 28 and 34-21 at Bloomington on May 5.

The Edge is led by veteran quarterback Dusty Burk, who came out of retirement this season at age 32 and surpassed the 10,000-yard mark for his career. Burk was third in passing yards (2,849) and fourth in TDs (57) this season in the IFL.

Bloomington also has a dominant defense, which led the league in sacks (40) and forced fumbles (14) in addition to be third with 24 interceptions. However, half of those picks belonged to James Temple, who was released last week (Bloomington Pantagraph article).

The Edge still has three players left on its defense who earned league honors, including defensive end Jeff Sobol, linebacker Ameer Ismail and defensive lineman Antonio Ficklin, a former Blizzard player. Ismail led the league with 167 tackles this season.

The interesting thing about Bloomington is it only played a total of six teams over the course of a 14-game season. Only three of those games were against teams who finished with a winning record and all three resulted in losses (two against Green Bay, one against Wichita).

Receiving help

The Blizzard has run into a rash of injuries at wide receiver. After Desmond Tardy was placed on season-ending IR two weeks ago, Bryan Pray sustained a separated shoulder late in the game against Wichita that ends his season.

With Pray being placed on IR, the Blizzard signed Daryl Robinson out of Temple this week. Robinson was briefly with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks at the start of the season.

Playoff history

The Blizzard is 8-7 in the playoffs, including 4-2 at home. It would advance to its fifth conference championship game in its 10-year history with a victory against Bloomington, who is 0-3 in its previous trips to Green Bay.

The Edge (formerly known as the Extreme) is 2-5 all-time in the playoffs, including 0-3 since the inception of the IFL in 2009.

Playing in the old barn

This will be the first playoff game the Blizzard has hosted at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena. The Resch Center is being used by the Green Bay Gamblers junior hockey team for tryouts this week.

The Blizzard played its first game in team history at the BCA in its home opener this season, which it won 64-12 against Cedar Rapids on March 9. The last indoor football game played at the BCA prior to that was the Green Bay Bombers’ final home game in 2000 against the Dayton Skyhawks in the playoffs.

The BCA holds about 3,000 less people for indoor football compared to the Resch, so it should seem like a more intimate feel and make things a little bit louder. The scoreboard hanging a little lower and a different backdrop might also give B.J. Hill a chance for a return against veteran kicker Peter Christofilakos.

Council's record night stokes Blizzard's rout

ASHWAUBENON — It was tough to tell which team was playing for the right to host a playoff game and which one had nothing to gain in postseason seeding on Saturday.

With the No. 2 seed in the United Conference and a home game locked up, the Green Bay Blizzard (11-3) tuned up for the Indoor Football League playoffs with a 72-41 pounding of the Wichita Wild in front of 3,037 fans at the Resch Center in the regular-season finale.

"We wanted to finish strong and put an exclamation mark on the regular season," said Blizzard coach Robert Fuller, whose team will host the Bloomington Edge at Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday.

La'Ron Council provided that exclamation mark by playing his way into the IFL record books.

Read the rest

Blizzard breaks franchise-scoring mark

ASHWAUBENON — The Green Bay Blizzard will be at home when it starts the playoffs for a third straight season.

The Blizzard's 89-27 victory over the Reading Express on Friday in front of 2,532 fans at the Resch Center made sure of that.

Green Bay (10-3) broke a franchise record for points scored to secure the No. 2 seed in the United Conference and will host the Bloomington Edge when the Indoor Football League's postseason begins in two weeks.

Read the rest

Just a few additional items to mention that I didn't put in the P-G game article.

-The Blizzard rushed for 168 yards a week after rushing for a franchise-record 177 at Lehigh Valley. Andrew Verboncouer had 73 yards on eight carries, with Council tallying his 77 yards on 15 attempts. Green Bay now has 1,302 rushing yards on the season and can move into third all-time in IFL history with 62 yards next week. The top two teams (Billings in 2009 and Siux Falls in 2011) both had Chris Dixon at quarterback.

-Council now has 892 rushing yards on the season and can break the IFL single-season record with 45 yards against the Wichita Wild in the regular-season finale. His franchise-record five touchdown runs puts him at 27 on the season, which moved him into second in a single season in IFL history , where the league record in is 31. Council is also 16 carries away from breaking that IFL record.

-The Blizzard has yet to have a 100-yard receiver in a game this season, as John Halman had 83 yards, Bryan Pray had 79, Scott Burnoski 45 and Desmond Tardy 28. Those four guys are really unselfish and great blockers in the run game.

Running wild

This article for the P-G wasn't posted on its site for some reason and it was cut in half due to space issues of the hard copy version of the paper.

Seth Smalls figured he would need to work on his pass-blocking skills when he decided to give indoor football a try.

After playing in a triple-option offense in high school and a run-oriented attack at Coastal Carolina University, the offensive lineman assumed his experience as a run blocker wouldn’t be utilized much in the 50-yard game.

That was until he met Green Bay Blizzard coach Robert Fuller.

“I thought the indoor game was nothing but passing,” Smalls said. “I get here and coach Fuller tells me I need to work on my run blocking if I’m going to play for him.”

Following a 41-33 victory at Lehigh Valley last Saturday where the Blizzard set franchise rushing records for attempts (41) and yards (177), it’s easy to understand why Fuller placed an emphasis on the ground game at the start of the season.

Powered by a rushing attack that averages 94.5 yards per game and features the Indoor Football League’s leading rusher in La’Ron Council, Green Bay (9-3) finds itself in position to clinch a home playoff game tonight when it hosts the Reading Express (2-11) at the Resch Center.

“With coach Fuller being a former offensive lineman, I knew it would be a fun offense to play in,” Blizzard center Shannon Breen said. “Being able to run the ball is huge to show scouts and teams different stuff that you wouldn’t get to do with other teams.”

The Blizzard has a run-to-pass ratio of 58-42 this season and with two games remaining in the regular season has gained 1,134 rushing yards to eclipse the previous franchise record of 953 set in 2010.

“When I first came here I honestly wondered what the fans would think of our offense and how they would receive a balanced attack or a little bit of a run-first type of approach,” Fuller said.

“But I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people that come up to me after a game and tell me how much they enjoy seeing the running game in indoor football.”

With 815 yards on the season, Council is 122 shy of breaking the IFL record. He rushed for 119 yards last week to break the Blizzard’s single-game record for a third time this season and his 26 carries was a league high this year.

“He is an NFL talent, and I’d be awfully disappointed if he didn’t get a look from somebody,” said Fuller, who compared Council to Fred Jackson of the Buffalo Bills.

Fuller coached against Jackson when he played for the Sioux City Bandits in 2004 and 2005. He said one of the things Council shares with Jackson is a willingness to cover kicks and block on special teams.

“That sets La’Ron apart from the pack,”Fuller said. “There are a lot of great running backs out there. But he’ll do whatever is asked of him and do it to the best of his ability.”

Council has also made an impact in the run game when he reverses roles and acts a lead blocker for Andrew Verboncouer, like he did last week in order to allow Verboncouer to cap a drive with a TD.

“He deserved it because he was the workhorse on that drive,” Council said. “Whatever I can do to help my teammates, I’ll do it.”

Smalls feels unselfish plays like that is why Fuller’s running philosophy is successful.

“Everyone is involved in it,” he said. “It’s the wide receivers out there blocking their behinds off to get us those tough yards down the field and ultimately winning games. I just enjoy being here and playing in this scheme.”

Blizzard can't keep pace with Storm

ASHWAUBENON — The Green Bay Blizzard couldn't hold serve against the Sioux Falls Storm on Saturday night.

The Blizzard fell behind early against the defending Indoor Football League champions and never could make up the deficit in a 66-39 loss to the undefeated Storm in front of 3,886 at the Resch Center.

"It's a disappointing loss to not play as well as we would have hoped, but with the type of team that we have, we will bounce back," Blizzard coach Robert Fuller said. "We'll fight hard to get another shot at them."

Read the rest

Blizzard relishes shot at Storm

ASHWAUBENON — Imagine if the New England Patriots and New York Giants combined to form one team after meeting in the Super Bowl.

Envision that happening on the Indoor Football League's level and you can get an idea of what the Green Bay Blizzard (8-2) is up against when it hosts the undefeated Sioux Falls Storm (9-0) at the Resch Center on Saturday.

"Sioux Falls is loaded at every position and they don't really have a weakness on that football team at all," Blizzard coach Robert Fuller said.

Read the rest

Blizzard wins, looks to clean up play for Sioux Falls

ASHWAUBENON — The Green Bay Blizzard posted its highest point total of the season and picked up its 12th straight home victory on Friday night.

But shortly after upending the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 76-61 in front of 3,037 at the Resch Center, Blizzard coach Robert Fuller couldn't help but think about who it will have to beat for that streak to continue — the undefeated Sioux Falls Storm.

The defending Indoor Football League champions handed Green Bay a season-opening loss, and Fuller knows his squad is going to need an even better offensive performance next Saturday to keep pace.

Read the rest

Lardinois shines in Blizzard system

Jordan Lardinois saw an opportunity.

After being inactive in four of the first five games, Lardinois knew the rash of injuries the Green Bay Blizzard experienced on its defensive line was his chance to get in the rotation.

"I just went out there and took advantage of it," he said.

Read the rest

Listen to the latest edition of FrostBite

Mitch and Andrew discuss the victory at Bloomington and look forward to Friday's game against Lehigh Valley at the Resch Center. Blizzard coach Robert Fuller also stops by to talk about where the team is at entering the stretch run of the season.

Polar opposite game, same result

After Green Bay and Bloomington combined to score touchdowns on 10 straight possessions and a total of 125 points the week before at the Resch Center, it looked like two different teams playing when the Blizzard downed the Edge 34-21 on Saturday night.

Green Bay tallied six interceptions against Dusty Burk, including five picks in the second half of what was a Happy Cinco de Mayo for the Blizzard, who in collecting its first win at Bloomington in the all-time series also nailed down the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Edge this season.

Green Bay (7-2) currently is slated in the No. 2 spot in the IFL’s United Conference, leapfrogging Bloomington (7-3).

Pick 6

The first of the six interceptions, which matched Burk’s season total coming into the game, was made and returned for a TD by P.J. South in the second quarter. It was the Blizzard's first points of the game and tied the score at 7.

B.J. Hill and James Romain each had two INTs in the second half, and Aaron Moore had one.

La’Ron runs to another record

After breaking the single-game rushing record twice in three weeks, running back La’Ron Council broke the Blizzard’s single-season rushing mark of 597 yards that was set by Randy Bell in 2010.

Council gained 79 yards on 22 carries, giving him a league-leading 620 yards on the season.

Andrew Verboncouer also pitched in 20 yards on seven carries from the two series where he played the single-back role in the second quarter. As a team, Green Bay rushed for 95 yards on 36 carries.

Trying the bag of tricks

Playing the same team two weeks in a row, Blizzard coach Robert Fuller decided to pull out a trick play late in the first half that saw receiver Desmond Tardy –a former high school quarterback – attempt a pass as part of a double-pass play. It didn’t go quite the way it was drawn up, but it was something different for the same opponent.

Almost another happy return

B.J. Hill’s kickoff return for a score to start the second half was brought back due to a block in the back.

Line change

LeRoy Auguste got the start at left tackle for Seth Smalls. The two have rotated at the position, but Smalls has primarily been the one activated for games there in recent weeks.

Welcome to the team

With Rodney Cox and Zach Gallow being placed on season-ending injured reserve last week, the Blizzard signed defensive back Curtis Thomas to bolster its depth in the secondary.

But besides making two tackles on defense in his debut, Thomas also made an impact on the offensive side of the ball, catching two passes for 31 yards.

Thomas’ ability to play receiver was huge, considering John Halman was inactive, leaving Bryan Pray and Tardy as the only true WRs who dressed.

At 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, Thomas was listed as a safety coming out of Texas Southern for his NFL draft year in 2011, according to NFLdraftscout.com

Missed opportunities

This is by no means directed at kicker Adrian Trevino, who was 2-for-5 on field goals, including a couple of near misses on 45- and 51-yard attempts.

The missed opportunities refer to not being able to convert turnovers into touchdowns. Of the Blizzard’s six interceptions on the night, only one resulted in a TD, which came on the above-mentioned South return for a score.

Green Bay’s five picks in the second half resulted in a grand total of three points, which came after Aaron Moore recorded the fourth with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The first three interceptions of the half not only resulted in zero points, but the ensuing offensive drives almost resulted in the momentum switching to Bloomington's favor.

Following Hill’s first interception, the Blizzard had moved into Edge territory with a 24-14 lead when on the seventh play of the drive offensive lineman Nick Thornton-Jack went down with a leg injury.

With defensive lineman James McClinton substituting in for Thornton-Jack at right tackle, Bloomington’s Antonio Ficklin moved from nose tackle to defensive end and forced and nearly recovered a fumble by quarterback Donovan Porterie on third down, resulting in a 15-yard loss. Trevino then had to come in for the long, 45-yard attempt that missed just left.

Romain then came up with an interception on the ensuing Bloomington drive, but his return for a TD on the first play of the fourth quarter that would have made it 30-14 was called back due to an illegal block in the back.

Still, the Blizzard offense took over with the ball placed at midfield. However, a pair of holding penalties stalled the drive and moved Green Bay back to its own 8-yard line and eventually led to a 51-yard attempt that was just wide to the right by Trevino.

Still down only 24-14, the Edge had the momentum again, but two plays later Hill came up with his second interception. However, on fourth-and-one from its own 13, the Blizzard offense stalled again when Porterie was tackled for a loss on a naked bootleg.

Bloomington scored a touchdown three plays later to cut the deficit to 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Blizzard offense would respond on the ensuing drive when Porterie found Tardy for their second TD throw and catch of the game.

The fifth interception of the half that Romain corralled with about 2 minutes left resulted in a kneel down by Porterie to run out the clock.

Forward motion

The Blizzard hosts Lehigh Valley at the Resch Center 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Steelhawks (4-5), who are coming off a loss to Reading, are currently slated in the fourth and final spot for the playoffs in the United Conference with Chicago a half game back (4-6).

Blizzard edges Bloomington

ASHWAUBENON – The Green Bay Blizzard couldn’t have asked for a better start to the second half of its season. Read the rest

Below are things that didn’t make the printers from Saturday night’s victory

Quick hits

-69 points scored was a season-high total and the most allowed by the Bloomington defense this season.

-Green Bay took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series, where the home team has won each time so far.

-La’Ron Council has two 100-yard rushing games this season, while there has yet to be a Blizzard receiver to reach the 100-yard plateau.

-One would have thought Bloomington learned its lesson last season when B.J. Hill had four TD returns, but the Edge gave up a 55-yard score on a kickoff to Hill in the fourth quarter.

-Scary moment in the third quarter when newly-signed defensive back Zach Gallow collided with the wall and was slow to get up following a 25-yard touchdown catch by David Brown in the third quarter.

-Defensive back Kenny Viser made five tackles and showed his versatility when he caught  a 15-yard pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up Donovan Porterie’s 1-yard keeper.

-Each squad dropped interceptions. B.J. Hill and Greg Jackson each had picks in their sights near the goal line for the Blizzard, as did Edge linebacker Ameer Ismail.

The Hammer returns

After trying out for CFL teams and getting signed by the Calgary Stampeders, linebacker Greg Jackson returned to the team on Saturday and made a team-high eight tackles.

It was Jackson’s first game since the home-opener against Cedar Rapids on March 9. The University of Memphis alum was taken off the IFL other league transfer list on April 26, but his CFL rights remain with Calgary.

Stacking the D

While the Packers were busy loading up on defensive players in the draft across the street, the Blizzard also loaded up on defense on Saturday night.

Coach Robert Fuller opted to have 11 defensive players in his lineup and nine on the offensive side in addition to kicker Adrian Trevino. Green Bay dressed four defensive linemen (P.J. South, Jordan Lardinois, James McClinton, Junior Aumavae), two linebackers (Trevor Glomski and Greg Jackson) and five defensive backs (Aaron Moore, B.J. Hill, James Romain, Zach Gallow, Kenny Viser) to help offset the high-octane offense of Bloomington.

Meanwhile, the only offensive backup that dressed was quarterback A.J. Toscano, who held for Trevino on field goals and extra points.

It was an interesting move considering an injury to one of the three receivers or running back La’Ron Council would have pushed either Viser or Hill to offense in an emergency role. It could have also forced Glomski into the backfield on more downs than just short-yardage and goal line situations as a blocking fullback.

The benefits, though, were visible in the second quarter when a fresh defensive front got after quarterback Dusty Burk, recording all three of its sacks for the game. One had to wonder what would have happened if the half didn’t come up because the defense had the Edge on the ropes in the final 2 minutes of the second quarter.

Dusting off Burk

Coach Fuller said coming into the game that Dusty Burk was playing as well as he has ever seen him play and was concerned about the savvy veteran.

After being the team’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons, the 32-year-old quarterback was sharp again on Saturday night, completing 24 of 39 passes for 232 yards and seven TDs with no interceptions.

Burk was Bloomington’s quarterback for the better part of its existence, leading the franchise to a championship in 2008.

Familiar faces

Former Blizzard players Tim Mueller and Antonio Ficklin were suited up for the Edge.

Mueller, a St. Norbert alum who played the past two seasons with the Blizzard, was playing left tackle on the Bloomington offensive line. Ficklin, who last played with Green Bay in 2007, was uncharacteristically quiet, recording two tackles on the defensive line.

Playoff positioning

Based on its mantra of going 1-0 each week, the Blizzard coaches and players shouldn’t pay attention to the following.

With the victory, Green Bay (6-2) is now a half game behind Bloomington (7-2) for the No. 2 seed in the United Conference. Four teams make the playoffs in each conference this year in the 16-team IFL with the top two in each receiving home games. The Blizzard can virtually take a two-game lead over Bloomington with a win this Saturday because it would gain the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, the No. 4 seed still remains with Lehigh Valley, but things have gotten much tighter after the Steelhawks lost to Chicago on Saturday night.

United Conference standings

Sioux Falls 8-0

Bloomington 7-2

Green Bay 6-2

Lehigh Valley 4-4

Omaha 3-5

Chicago 3-6

Cedar Rapids 2-6

Reading 1-7

Green Bay (0-0) vs. Bloomington (7-1)

Last week is last week, and it's a new week with a new set of challenges. Listen to a new episode of FrostBite wtih Mitch and Andrew.

Blizzard cut down Slaughter

The Green Bay Blizzard took down the Chicago Slaughter, 63-36, on Friday night.

In the process, running back LaRon Council took down the franchise's single-game rushing record. Council tallied 104 yards on 19 carries to break the previous record of 98 set by Randy Bell in 2010.

It's a significant milestone for the 10th-year franchise, but also keep in mind the first seven seasons the Blizzard played in arenafootball2, which doesn't cater to the running game.

The 5,346 in attendance at the Resch Center was also the biggest crowd since the new owners took over for the 2010 season.

More to come over the weekend.

Jackson to CFL

It's official.

Linebacker Greg Jackson is headed up north. The second-year Blizzard linebacker was placed on the league-transfer list on April 12 and will be entering training camp with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.

Jackson played in the Blizzard's first three games of the season, tallying 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions.

Last season Jackson led the Green Bay defense and was third in the IFL with 113 total tackles. He also compiled seven sacks, forced a fumble, returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded a franchise-record 14 tackles against La Crosse on May 7.

Meanwhile, Trevor Glomski has taken over the Mac linebacker position for Jackson.

Back to Blizzness

After being out of the loop and unable to sit down for some updates over the past month, it’s time to hop back in the saddle during the stretch run of the season.

Following a crazy schedule to start the season that included four of the first five games being on the road and two byes in three weeks, the Blizzard will play its first home game in a month on Friday. It will also be the first at the familiar confines of the Resch Center since the home opener was at the Brown County Arena.

Also, listen to a new episode of FrostBite which incluces an interview with Blizzard coach Robert Fuller.

Here’s the cliff notes version about what to look for on Friday when the Blizzard (4-1) plays host to the Chicago Slaughter (1-5).

-Green Bay quarterback Donovan Porterie’s status

He sustained a pulled groin on the first drive last week at Cedar Rapids and played through it, completing 9-of-18 passes for 116 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, which were returned for scores. The pick-sixes were in part due to Porterie’s inability to step into his throws, but he showed a lot of toughness, especially during a quarterback sneak for a score in the fourth quarter. Receiver Scott Burnoski came in briefly during the first quarter and completed two passes, including a TD. As of this moment, the Blizzard doesn’t have a backup quarterback on the roster.

-Chicago’s running game

The Slaughter has a new receiving core this season and has been relying heavily on the ground game. In a 73-45 loss to the defending champion Sioux Falls Storm last Sunday, Chicago rushed for an astounding 132 yards on 38 carries. The ground game is led by former Illinois running back Daniel DuFrene, who in his second season with the team has 237 rushing yards and 11 TDs.

Quarterback Juice Williams, another former Illini player, also is a dangerous weapon as a runner under center. Williams splits time with Perry Patterson. The two combined last week to complete a dreadful 2-of-13 passes for 21 yards and three interceptions.

-Familiar with Fuller?

Chicago has a pair of players who Blizzard coach Robert Fuller coached in Fairbanks last season in running back Dre Gibbs and receiver Tony Taylor. However, both have been inactive the past two games (Won’t find out why until Friday). Gibbs was the leading rusher in the IFL last season.

-Don’t look at the Slaughter’s 1-5 record

Since both teams joined the IFL in 2010, Chicago is 4-2 against the Blizzard. Slaughter head coach and former Bear Steve McMichael does a good job of getting his team to play its best against Green Bay. Chicago has lost five straight since winning its season opener against Bloomington. However, its five losses came against teams that are a combined 15-7, and other than its last loss against the Storm, each defeat has been within single digits. Meanwhile, the Blizzard’s four straight victories have come against teams that are a combined 4-11.