Jerry Giese, Sioux City Journal (Mar. 07, 2010)
SIOUX CITY  It may have been Arlandus Hoods uniform number, but he didnt play like a zero Saturday night.

Hood, a 6-2, 215-pound wide receiver from the Green Bay Blizzard, had five touchdown catches for a squad that also converted two takeaways into TDs. The Blizzard, who had played in af2 (the minor league of the now defunct Arena League) the previous seven seasons, marked a successful Indoor Football League debut with a 69-61 win over the Sioux City Bandits in front of 3,104 fans who watched the home season opener at the Tyson Events Center.

Sioux City turnovers in the first and second quarters hurt, especially considering the rally from the double-digit deficit that started when Tommy Phelps recovered a fumble in the end zone in the first quarter that gave Green Bay a 20-0 lead. Coach Tommie Williams squad mounted an exciting fourth-frame comeback after recovering an onside kick, but failed to grab another in the closing seconds after losing quarterback James McNear threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game, an 11-yarder to Trae Johnson with 42 seconds remaining.

Penalties and turnovers, you cant have those in any game, whether its inside or outside, said Williams, whose team slipped to 1-1. Thats the reason we lost by eight points. We gave them 14 points. Take away the turnovers, I think we would have won the game.

Before McNear threw three first-half touchdown passes and rushed for another, he was blitzed by pressure on the teams second offensive series from Phelps, a 6-2, 255-pound linebacker and 6-4, 255-pound defensive end Jake Kileen. Phelps knocked the football out of McNears hands, then plopped onto it in the end zone.

McNear, the reigning IFL offensive player of the week, threw touchdown passes to T.J. Williams, Damon Mothershead and Johnson on consecutive possessions in his attempt to rally the Bandits from the double-digit deficit.

However, on the Bandits next possession, John Bentley fumbled a short catch and the ball bounced into the waiting hands of Maurice Simpkins, who returned the theft 15 yards to the Bandits 7-yard line.

Two plays later, Green Bay converted the takeaway, as Daniel Robinson caught a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a 48-21 lead.

Ends Andrew Powell and Darius Jones rushed McNear much of the game. Green Bays secondary also had better pass coverage than their counterparts from Sioux City, who saw Hood catch seven passes foe 166 yards.

That No. 0, we made him look like an All-American, Williams said. But it wasnt necessarily his speed, our secondary didnt play well. We have to find defensive backs who cover better. We cant have a shootout in every game or itll be a long season.

Twice in the third quarter, the Bandits pulled within 13, the latest at the 1:33 mark when McNear ran for a nine-yard touchdown. The TD, one of five this season for McNear, came two plays after Spetlar Tonga blocked a field goal and teammate Chris Reid returned it 23 yards to the Green Bay 9-yard line.

Sioux City also recovered an onside kick with 3:35 left in the game, trailing 69-54. Bentley had a 20-yard catch at the Blizzard 20-yard line with 1:34 left, but Powell deflected McNears next pass attempt. Johnson, a former Morningside College standout, caught his second touchdown pass five plays later, but Green Bay recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt.

The Bandits will play at Omaha Saturday night as IFL action continues.

Green Bay 69, Sioux City 61

Green Bay 27 21 7 14 -- 69

Sioux City 7 21 14 19 -- 61

First Quarter

GB: Arlandus Hood 31 pass from Jake Phillips (Tino Amancio kick) 13:55

GB: Hood 16 pass from Phillips (kick failed) 7:11

GB: Tommy Phelps fumble recovery in end zone (Amancio kick) 6:42

SC: T.J. Williams 22 pass from James McNear (Shane Hudnall kick) 2:35

GB: Hood 28 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 0:14

Second Quarter

SC: Damon Mothershead 13 pass from McNear (Hudnall kick) 9:30

GB: Eugene Holloman 12 run (Amancio kick) 7:26

SC: Trae Johnson 24 pass from McNear (Hudnall kick) 5:14

GB: Hood 36 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 3:49

GB: Daniel Robinson 17 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 1:34

SC: McNear 1 run (Hudnall kick) 0:04

Third Quarter

SC: T.J. Williams 28 pass from McNear (Hudnall kick) 12:25

GB: Hood 25 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 10:03

SC: McNear 9 run (Hudnall kick) 1:33

Fourth Quarter

GB: Robinson 3 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 12:26

SC: John Bentley 1 run (kick failed) 8:12

GB: Robinson 24 pass from Phillips (Amancio kick) 6:36

SC: McNear 1 run (pass failed) 4:06

SC: Mothershead 11 pass from McNear (Hudnall kick) 0:42

TEAM STATISTICS

GB SC

First downs 15 23

Rushes-yards 12-29 18-83

Passing yards 241 248

Passes 16-22-0 22-38-0

Total plays-yards 34-270 57-331

Penalties-yards 7-61 10-56

Fumbles-fumbles lost 0-0 3-2

Possession time 26:32 33:28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Green Bay  Eugene Holloman 5-14, Jake Phillips 5-12, Arlandus Hood 1-4, Cleveland McCoy 1-(-1). Sioux City  James McNear 9-67, John Bentley 9-16.

PASSING: Green Bay  Phillips 16-22-0 -- 241. Sioux City  McNear 22-38-0 -- 253.

RECEIVING: Green Bay  Hood 7-166, Daniel Robinson 4-43, McCoy 4-23, James Finley Jr 1-9. Sioux City  Bentley 8-81, Damon Mothershead 5-46, T.J. Williams 4-71, Trae Johnson 4-64, McNear 1-(-9).

TACKLE STATISTICS

Solo-Assist  Total

Green Bay  Maurice Simpkins 8-311, B.J. Hill 7-3  10, Tommy Phelps 6-2  8, Andrew Powell 2-3 5, Kendale Rayford 2-1  3, Mike Heard 1-2 3, Jacob Killeen 2-0  2, Derek Derdorff 1-1  2, Carlton Bailey 0-2  2, Darius Jones 0-2  2, Ellis Powers 0-1 -- 1. Sioux City  Marquell Will 4-2  6, Spetlar Tonga 3-2  5, Ernest Williams 3-1  4, Jaa Valentine 3-0  3, Chris Reid 2-1  3, Tasheem Acevedo 2-0  2, Sean Kelly 2-0  2, John Bentley 1-0  1, Teon Wilson 0-1  1, Joel Reaves 0-1  1.

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