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This weekend's games could see the playoff fates decided for a whole bunch of teams:
And of course there are the hopes and dreams of the Little Rock Thunder in this my first season in the IFL. To stay alive in the playoff chase we have to find a way to beat the Tigerhawks in Tulsa.
My frustrations and disappointments have been well documented in these match previews and to be perfectly blunt I still have no idea what I have with this team.
I'm pretty sure that a lack of chemistry and poor cohesion is hurting me on the field as are my clearly insufficient game-planning skills.
But does that really matter when, with three games to go, Little Rock is still playing meaningful football this late in the season? While it would be great to be in Orlando's shoes I guess all I can really hope for is to play a game where a victory gets me one game closer to the post-season. And that's exactly what I do have.
Of course to keep the dream alive I have to beat Tulsa twice in one season and we haven't done that since the 2027 campaign. Making matters worse is that the last five meetings have been decided by one score. With the Thunder beating the Nighthawks in OT in Week 11 anyone with even a modest amount of superstition would be nervous. And when it comes to superstition I am many things but modest is not one of them.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Little Rock DE Mickey O'Donnell vs Tulsa OT Tracy Fisk
The Thunder have been without their best defensive lineman for six games but were able to go 4-2 during that stretch with two rookies starting at DE. O'Donnell's return to the lineup should be a match-up issue for Nighthawks OT Tracy Fisk who has given up 8 sacks on the season as well as his backup rookie Josh Norton who has given up 5 sacks on 130 pass plays.
Tulsa QB Mario Gurley & WR Shannon DeAngelis: After 14 seasons and four clubs Gurley is still getting the job done and is on pace to set a career record for passing yards and will finish close to career best completion percentage. Indeed he has already thrown a career best 22 TDs and set a career mark of 7.2 yards per pass attempt, over 1.3 yards higher than his career average of 5.86 coming into this season. A big part of his rejuvenated play is the emergence of 4th year WR Shannon DeAngelis who has not only flourished in his own right but created more opportunities for the rest of the receiving corps by drawing double coverage. DeAngelis should pass the 1000 yard receiving mark this week (he only needs 5 yards to reach that milestone) and he has an outside shot of breaking the 100 reception barrier if he finishes the season strongly.
The biggest risk for Tulsa however is Gurley's ball security and with a career-worst 13 INTs and a staggering career-worst 16 Fumbles so far this year the Nighthawks need their veteran QB to eliminate errors, which leads us to....
Tulsa RB Rich "Sugar" Stavros: There's a lot to love about the former 1.1 but incredibly it has been five full seasons since he has eclipsed the 1000 yard rushing mark. The last time he did it was way back in 2026 when Stavros set a team record with 6.61 yards per carry on his way to 1057 rushing yards. That shouldn't be an issue this year though as he needs just 83 yards in the last three games to reach that milestone. Stavros is averaging over 108 yards from scrimmage per game this season but was limited to just 84 yards when these teams last met. Look for that to change dramatically this week as the Nighthawks try to control the ball and minimise errors by hitting the Thunder with a "Sugar" Rush (see what I did there?)
Little Rock K Mickey Mayer: The normally reliable Mayer has had an off year converting on just 70% of his FG Attempts after going 86.1% last year. In Week 11 against Tulsa Mayer missed three kicks in regulation (the last of which was from 34 yards out with 3 seconds left) before winning the game with a booming 59 yard attempt in the third OT possession. Coincidentally that was the kicker's first successful 50+ yarder for the season. We don't know what Head Coach R.J. Rasmussen was thinking when he sent Mayer out on the field but that improbable kick was the miracle we needed to keep our playoff hopes alive. Look for Mayer to redeem himself with a more consistent effort this week in Tulsa.
Little Rock RBs Dave Cassidy and Jeff Meyer: The veteran RB tandem are on pace for 2000 rushing yards and 775 receiving yards between them, a staggering 170 yards per game. Last week against Houston Little Rock toned down the rushing but Cassidy stepped up with the first 100 yard receiving game of his career. With Tulsa's defense ranked 26th in both rushing yards and yards per carry look for the Thunder to continue the Dave and Jeff Show.
Point Spread:
Little Rock by 1
Head to Head:
This will be the 58th meeting of the teams and Little Rock leads the series 29-28.
Last Meeting:
Week 11, 2031: Little Rock 27 def Houston 24 (OT) in Little Rock
Columbia (7-6) at West Virginia (9-4)
West Virginia wins the AC East if they can beat Columbia
Madison at Dakota (9-4)
Dakota can win the NC North with a win in this game
Cleveland (9-4) at Iowa City (9-4)
Both teams need this win in order to have a chance at clinching the AC North
Newark (10-3) at Vermont (2-11)
Newark clinches a playoff berth with a win
St Louis (7-6) at Murfreesboro (7-6)
A must-win game for both teams if they want to take the division crown. Both teams have almost no chance at a wildcard berth so the only way to the playoffs is by winning the division.
Portland (3-10) at Anchorage (9-4)
Anchorage needs the win in order to hold on to its lead over LA in the AC West
Salt Lake City (8-5) at Calagary(6-7)
The defending champions need to beat the Stampeders to keep the (fading) dream of back-to-back titles alive.
Massachussets (5-8) at Orlando (13-0)
The Pirates need a win to clinch the division and secure home field advantage through the playoffs.
Texas (6-7) at Georgia (5-8)
Both teams need the win. Texas is in control in the NC South but the slim chances of the Generals will take a dramatic turn for the better if they can upstage the Trojans.
And of course there are the hopes and dreams of the Little Rock Thunder in this my first season in the IFL. To stay alive in the playoff chase we have to find a way to beat the Tigerhawks in Tulsa.
My frustrations and disappointments have been well documented in these match previews and to be perfectly blunt I still have no idea what I have with this team.
I'm pretty sure that a lack of chemistry and poor cohesion is hurting me on the field as are my clearly insufficient game-planning skills.
But does that really matter when, with three games to go, Little Rock is still playing meaningful football this late in the season? While it would be great to be in Orlando's shoes I guess all I can really hope for is to play a game where a victory gets me one game closer to the post-season. And that's exactly what I do have.
Of course to keep the dream alive I have to beat Tulsa twice in one season and we haven't done that since the 2027 campaign. Making matters worse is that the last five meetings have been decided by one score. With the Thunder beating the Nighthawks in OT in Week 11 anyone with even a modest amount of superstition would be nervous. And when it comes to superstition I am many things but modest is not one of them.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Little Rock DE Mickey O'Donnell vs Tulsa OT Tracy Fisk
The Thunder have been without their best defensive lineman for six games but were able to go 4-2 during that stretch with two rookies starting at DE. O'Donnell's return to the lineup should be a match-up issue for Nighthawks OT Tracy Fisk who has given up 8 sacks on the season as well as his backup rookie Josh Norton who has given up 5 sacks on 130 pass plays.
Tulsa QB Mario Gurley & WR Shannon DeAngelis: After 14 seasons and four clubs Gurley is still getting the job done and is on pace to set a career record for passing yards and will finish close to career best completion percentage. Indeed he has already thrown a career best 22 TDs and set a career mark of 7.2 yards per pass attempt, over 1.3 yards higher than his career average of 5.86 coming into this season. A big part of his rejuvenated play is the emergence of 4th year WR Shannon DeAngelis who has not only flourished in his own right but created more opportunities for the rest of the receiving corps by drawing double coverage. DeAngelis should pass the 1000 yard receiving mark this week (he only needs 5 yards to reach that milestone) and he has an outside shot of breaking the 100 reception barrier if he finishes the season strongly.
The biggest risk for Tulsa however is Gurley's ball security and with a career-worst 13 INTs and a staggering career-worst 16 Fumbles so far this year the Nighthawks need their veteran QB to eliminate errors, which leads us to....
Tulsa RB Rich "Sugar" Stavros: There's a lot to love about the former 1.1 but incredibly it has been five full seasons since he has eclipsed the 1000 yard rushing mark. The last time he did it was way back in 2026 when Stavros set a team record with 6.61 yards per carry on his way to 1057 rushing yards. That shouldn't be an issue this year though as he needs just 83 yards in the last three games to reach that milestone. Stavros is averaging over 108 yards from scrimmage per game this season but was limited to just 84 yards when these teams last met. Look for that to change dramatically this week as the Nighthawks try to control the ball and minimise errors by hitting the Thunder with a "Sugar" Rush (see what I did there?)
Little Rock K Mickey Mayer: The normally reliable Mayer has had an off year converting on just 70% of his FG Attempts after going 86.1% last year. In Week 11 against Tulsa Mayer missed three kicks in regulation (the last of which was from 34 yards out with 3 seconds left) before winning the game with a booming 59 yard attempt in the third OT possession. Coincidentally that was the kicker's first successful 50+ yarder for the season. We don't know what Head Coach R.J. Rasmussen was thinking when he sent Mayer out on the field but that improbable kick was the miracle we needed to keep our playoff hopes alive. Look for Mayer to redeem himself with a more consistent effort this week in Tulsa.
Little Rock RBs Dave Cassidy and Jeff Meyer: The veteran RB tandem are on pace for 2000 rushing yards and 775 receiving yards between them, a staggering 170 yards per game. Last week against Houston Little Rock toned down the rushing but Cassidy stepped up with the first 100 yard receiving game of his career. With Tulsa's defense ranked 26th in both rushing yards and yards per carry look for the Thunder to continue the Dave and Jeff Show.
Point Spread:
Little Rock by 1
Head to Head:
This will be the 58th meeting of the teams and Little Rock leads the series 29-28.
Last Meeting:
Week 11, 2031: Little Rock 27 def Houston 24 (OT) in Little Rock