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.