GREEN BAY, Wis. — It was Kids Night at the Resch Center, and the Green Bay Blizzard did not disappoint. Green Bay improved to 4-0 all-time against the Tulsa Oilers, taking them down in a wild overtime thriller, 74-68.
Here’s how it all went down.
The game started with a bang as T.J. Davis returned the opening kickoff to the 4-yard line. Max Meylor capitalized right away, punching it in for a rushing touchdown to give the Blizzard an early 7-0 lead. But things heated up quickly when JuJu Augustine responded by returning Tulsa’s opening kickoff for a touchdown of his own. A missed extra point by new Oilers kicker Rio Ramirez kept Green Bay in front, 7-6.
The Blizzard offense didn’t slow down. Meylor connected with Lowell Patron Jr. for another score to make it 14-6. Tulsa answered quickly, with quarterback T.J. Edwards launching a bomb to Phazione McClurge. This time, Ramirez nailed the extra point, cutting the lead to 14-13 with 3:42 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Meylor turned a near disaster into magic. As he stepped up in the pocket and took off toward the end zone, he lost the ball—but it bounced right back to him like a basketball. He scooped it up, spun through a defender, and found paydirt to put Green Bay up 21-13.
Tulsa kept rolling. Edwards hit Cole Blackman for a touchdown to pull the Oilers within one, 21-20. As expected, it was an offensive showcase early—and it stayed that way. Meylor tossed another touchdown, this time to Harry Ballard III, pushing the lead to 28-20. Ballard had three scores the last time he faced Tulsa at the Resch Center a year ago.
But the Oilers struck fast. Edwards found Augustine for a touchdown to make it 28-27. Green Bay went for it on fourth-and-1 with a “tush push,” but got stuffed—marking the first defensive stop and turnover of the game. Tulsa capitalized, taking their first lead of the night as Edwards found Blackman again to go up 33-28.
Green Bay answered quickly. Meylor connected with Davis for another score to make it 35-33. Still, the Oilers wouldn’t be denied. Augustine snagged his third touchdown of the half to put Tulsa back on top, 40-35.
With time winding down, Green Bay got one more shot before the break. Andrew Mevis, the reigning IFL Special Teams Player of the Week, drilled a 42-yard field goal to send the Blizzard into halftime trailing just 40-38.
Tulsa opened the second half with the ball and kept the momentum going. Edwards connected with McClurge for another score, extending the lead to 47-38. Green Bay responded with a more methodical drive, chewing nearly five minutes off the clock before Kymani “Kimo” Clarke punched in his IFL-leading 10th touchdown of the season, cutting the deficit to 47-45.
Edwards answered with a rushing score of his own—his seventh total touchdown—to push the Oilers' lead to 54-45 with 1:31 left in the third quarter.
Green Bay opened the fourth with the ball, and Clarke powered in his second touchdown of the day to make it 54-52. But Edwards kept the pressure on, running in another touchdown to extend the Tulsa lead to 61-52 with 8:53 to go.
The Blizzard kept fighting. Clarke scored his third touchdown of the night, thanks to a push from his teammates across the goal line, narrowing the gap to 61-59. Then came one of the biggest moments of the game: Mevis drilled a deuce, tying the game at 61 with 5:50 left.
Tulsa responded once again. Edwards capped off his incredible night with his ninth total touchdown, putting the Oilers up 68-61 with just 43 seconds remaining.
With the game on the line, Meylor delivered. He led a clutch drive, finding the end zone to tie the game at 68-68 and send it to overtime.
In OT, the Tulsa offense finally stalled. The Blizzard defense came up with their best series of the night, forcing the Oilers to settle for a field goal attempt. Defensive lineman Allen Henry made the play of the game, blocking the kick and giving Green Bay a chance to win it.
Needing just a touchdown to seal the win, the Blizzard leaned on their star. Clarke got the handoff and powered his way in, clinching a thrilling 74-68 win for Green Bay.
The Blizzard (2-2) now get a much-needed bye week before hitting the road to face the Massachusetts Pirates on April 27—a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Championship. Tulsa (1-2) will return home next week to face the San Antonio Gunslingers, a team they beat 28-20 in the season opener.