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The Billings OUTLAWS were shocked by the same team they pounded the week before.
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By MIKE ZIMMER
Gazette Sports Editor Travonti Johnson was feeling greedy Saturday night.
The Billings Outlaws safety tied a United Indoor Football single-game record with three interceptions, returning one of them 39 yards for a touchdown in the Outlaws' 72-38 romp over the Sioux City Bandits in front of 3,976 fans at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark.
But Johnson was more concerned with the two interceptions he didn't get.
"I should have had five," smiled the 6-foot-21/2, 200-pound rookie who has been tagged with the nickname "Tuff" by Outlaws coach Heron O'Neal. "I dropped two, and one of them I would have taken back for a score. "It's only my second game of indoor ball, so I'm definitely glad I got three. But I'm still mad about those other two."
Johnson's return for a touchdown - which saw him dart in and out of traffic up the middle of the field - came with 15 seconds left in a first half completely dominated by Billings.
The Outlaws held Sioux City to just two field goals and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half. Meanwhile, Billings quarterback Chris Dixon was near-perfect, throwing for 154 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
Johnson's touchdown gave Billings a 47-9 lead.
"I said from the day we signed Tuff that he could be the best safety in the UIF," said O'Neal. "And tonight he played like it. He was making plays all over the field ... you can see why he was on the (New York) Giants' practice roster for most of last season. He's a superior player.
"And that (interception) return ... that was ridiculous the way he split the field like that and just ran away from everybody."
Led by linebacker Travis Salter, the Outlaws defense set the tone early.
After Jeff Hastings missed a field goal on the game's opening possession, Salter sacked quarterback Chad Kapanui for a safety on Sioux City's first offensive play of the game.
On the Bandits' second possession, Salter dumped receiver Tommy Hofer for a five-yard loss on a reverse on fourth-and-three from the Billings 19.
Two plays later, Dixon hit Robert Reed with a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 16-0, and the rout was on.
By the time Sioux City scored its first offensive touchdown - with 2:41 left in the third quarter - the score was 47-18 and the lead grew to 60-18 before the Bandits tallied three late touchdowns.
"I was playing on an emotional high tonight," said Salter, who had 15 tackles in the game despite leaving with a slight concussion with 71/2 minutes left. "A good friend of mine passed away this week, and that was definitely on my mind. I wasn't going to let anything slow me down tonight. I had a lot of adrenalin pumping in that first quarter."
Jacquwan Brackenridge added 11 tackles and Roderick Hill nine for the Billings defense.
Dixon finished the game 19 of 26 for 264 yards and six touchdowns. In two games this season, Dixon has thrown for 14 TDs and just one interception.
Reed caught eight passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, including a 37-yard bomb on which Dixon hit him in stride and Reed hauled it in despite being blanketed by a Sioux City defender.
Anthony Candler also caught two TD passes, and Willie Austin and Charles Anthony each caught one. Eddie Linscomb rushed for 26 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 34 yards.
Despite the lopsided score, O'Neal said the Outlaws could have played much better.
"I was disappointed with our second half," said the coach. "I thought we let up a little bit, especially on defense. We made some mistakes in the secondary that we need to get fixed in a hurry. And we didn't get much production from our defensive ends tonight ... those guys have to be more consistent.
"Offensively, we put up a lot of points but I wasn't thrilled with our execution. Even though the points were about the same, I thought we executed a lot better in the first game.
"We'll get back to work Monday, correct our mistakes and move forward. We played OK tonight, but our guys know they can play better."
Billings is 2-0 on the season, outscoring its two opponents by 142-68. Sioux City is now 1-1.
The Outlaws and Bandits meet again this Friday in Sioux City. The Outlaws return home in two weeks for a potential battle of unbeatens with three-time defending UIF champion Sioux Falls on April 5.
Billings 72, Sioux City 38
Sioux City 0 12 6 20 - 38
Outlaws 16 31 7 18 - 72
First quarter
Billings - Travis Salter safety, 10:54.
Billings - Eddie Linscomb 7 run (Jeffrey Hastings kick), 7:39.
Billings - Robert Reed 10 pass from Chris Dixon (Hastings kick), 4:08.
Second quarter
Billings - Hastings 51 field goal, 12:58.
Sioux City - Zac Gradoville 21 field goal, 9:12.
Billings - Anthony Candler 4 pass from Dixon (Hastings kick), 7:28.
Sioux City - Steven Rush 48 kickoff return (kick failed), 7:05.
Billings - Robert Reed 37 pass from Dixon (Hastings kick), 5:46.
Billings - Willie Austin 5 pass from Dixon (Hastings kick), :34.
Billings - Travonti Johnson 39 interception return (Hastings kick), :15.
Sioux City - Gradoville 37 field goal, :06.
Third quarter
Sioux City - Zach Malacek 2 run (kick failed), 2:41.
Billings - Candler 14 pass from Dixon (Hastings kick), 1:07.
Fourth quarter
Billings - Charles Anthony 11 pass from Dixon (kick failed), 12:43.
Sioux City - Tommy Hofer 5 pass from Chad Kapanui (Malacek pass from Kapanui), 6:06.
Billings - Jason Peters 2 run (kick failed), 4:00.
Sioux City - Jamison Burns 1 run (pass failed), 2:07.
Sioux City - Kaylon Price 31 pass from Kapanui (run failed), :53.
Billings - Anthony 10 kickoff return (kick failed), :41.
Individual statistics
Rushing - Sioux City: Malacek 7-20, Kapanui 5-11, Burns 3-3, Tommy Hofer 1-(-2). Billings: Linscomb 9-26, Peters 4-17, Dixon 1-0.
Passing - Sioux City: Kapanui 26-40-3 - 271. Billings: Dixon 19-26-0 - 264.
Receiving - Hofer 6-59, Price 5-96, O.J. Simpson 5-68, Burns 5-26, Malacek 4-15, Rush 1-7. Billings: Reed 8-130, Candler 5-49, Austin 2-40, Linscomb 2-34, Anthony 1-11, Peters 1-0.
Leading tacklers - Sioux City: Chris Reid 8, John Zevenbergen 7, Spetlar Tonga 7, Alex Ardley 7. Billings: Travis Salter 15, Jacquwan Brackenridge 11, Roderick Hill 9.
Attendance - 3,976. |
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Sterling Savings Bank Presents:
Two "Unmasked and Undefeated" Teams at the Metra This Saturday Night!
This time last year the Bandits and the Outlaws were 0 and 2. Now both will fight to be 2 and O and in a tie for 1st Place in their Conferences!
The Bandits, in their first game, beat up on their quarterback from last season who now plays for the Wichita Wild, the newest UIF expansion club with lots of Division 1 talent to draw from. They did it with defense, running the ball well and accurate passing (13 of 17).
"It will be tough" said Billings Outlaw Quarterback, Chris Dixon. "Their linebacker, Tonga is mean and physical. If Willie (Austin) and Reed don't block him we will be in for a long night."
"The Bandits new quarterback, Chad Kaanui, is from Hawaii, but he won't be looking to give away any leis to our fans this week" stated Outlaws Coach Heron O'Neal, "this will be a physical hard fought game".
The Metra says that there are only about 100 lower bowl seats left and weekday walkup traffic has been building for the holiday weekend.
After Charles Anthony's fantastic Rookie debut, look for the Outlaws to increase his playbook and use more of his speed.
Each week, Chris Dixon and the Chris Dixon Foundation for Kids (CDFK.Net) will invite kids from group homes or kids from family shelters to come and enjoy the game.
Candy is good for you! Especially if you are a returning UIF All Star that delivers the best field position for your team in Indoor Football! Anthony Candler will get his first start after the Sports Medicine Professionals worked him over the last few days to get him ready for this week’s important game.
After Saturday's contest, both teams will travel to Sioux City for a rematch. You can watch this game live on the big screen at the "Sports Page" on Broadwater with other Outlaw fans, or you can watch it on your computer if you have a hi speed connection.
Work Out with the Outlaws! If you want to get or stay fit stop by the Sports Plex and check out the $100,000 of brand new exercise and weight equipment at B-Fit. Ask one of the Outlaws to spot you while you rip off your best bench press or your steepest incline on the treadmill!
Tickets are available at the Metra 406 256-2400 Ask for Sue or Jan to set you up with the best seats in the house!
jcook@nwamg.com
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By JOHN LETASKY
Of The Gazette Staff
The Billings Outlaws might not have liked how they started, but the end result was impressive Saturday night at MetraPark Arena.
Behind a solid second half, the Outlaws opened the 2008 United Indoor Football league season with a 70-37 victory over the Omaha Beef in front of 4,158 fans. Last year, the Outlaws got off to an 0-4 start in their inaugural year in the UIF.
New receiver Willie Austin, who came to the Outlaws after spending five stellar seasons with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, hauled in nine balls for 136 yards and three touchdowns. One of Austin's better moments came with 4:15 left in the third quarter when he caught a 31-yard touchdown from quarterback Chris Dixon. Austin beat his defender and made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone.
"He's a big target and not hard to throw to," said Dixon, who was 23 of 32 with eight touchdown passes and just one interception for 306 yards. "I could find him. It's still a lack of communication right now, but when film time comes we'll work it out."
For the most part, Outlaws coach Heron O'Neal said he was happy with how the first game played out.
"I definitely was impressed," he said. "With some of the rookies we had, we didn't know what to expect. Dixon kept his composure early when we struggled and made plays."
Billings led only 13-7 after the first quarter and the game was tied 22-22 with six minutes left in the second after a 56-yard field goal from Omaha's Ricky LeBeda.
After another LeBeda field goal in the closing seconds of the first half, the Beef didn't score again until 3:44 remained in the fourth period.
Travonti Johnson and Steve Brennan led Billings with 51/2 tackles apiece. The Outlaws defense, helped by a big unsportsmanlike penalty, also held when the Beef advanced to Billings' one-yard line 5:07 left in the third period. The big defensive outing by the Outlaws also included two safeties.
The Beef's last touchdown was scored on the final play when the Billings defense was called for offsides with just seconds remaining in the game. Everything seemed to pause, and an alert Jamar Day ran it in from seven yards out.
O'Neal gave some credit to his defensive line and said "we made a couple adjustments at halftime and simplified some things."
From the 22-22 deadlock, things started clicking for the Outlaws as they scored three plays later for a 29-22 lead. Dixon found Charles Anthony with a pass and Anthony carried defenders with him to the Beef's seven-yard line. On first-and-goal, Dixon fired an incomplete pass. On the next play he found Eddie Linscomb for a 7-yard touchdown and the Outlaws were up 29-22 with 4:04 left before the break.
The Beef started their next possession at their own five-yard line and a penalty pushed them back to the three. Quarterback James McNear then threw a pass that was intercepted by Courtney Miller. Eight plays later on third-and-goal from the one, Dixon found Robert Reed for a one-yard touchdown pass and Billings was up 35-22.
Although Billings looked dominant in the second half, Dixon said the Outlaws must work hard in practice before their next game March 22, when they host the Sioux City Bandits.
"We started slow in the beginning if you looked at it," said Dixon. "You can't be satisfied. We put up 70, but we know we can get better.
"We have 13 games and need to keep going."
Outlaws 70, Beef 37
Omaha 7 18 0 12 - 37
Outlaws 13 22 16 19 - 70
First quarter
Billings - Chris Dixon 5 run (kick failed), 6:47.
Omaha - Kenny Horton 29 pass from Chad Schmigel (Ricky LeBeda kick) 5:07.
Billings - Willie Austin 21 pass from Dixon (Aaron Glavin kick) 1:33.
Second quarter
Omaha - Schmigel 5 run (kick failed) 14:50.
Billings - Anthony Charles 28 pass from Dixon (Galvin kick) 14:14.
Billings - Eugene Phillips safety, 12:38.
Omaha - Mike Nizzi 34 pass from James McNear (kick failed) 11:00.
Omaha - LeBeda 56 field goal 6:00.
Billings - Eddie Linscomb 7 pass from Dixon (Galvin kick) 4:04.
Billings - Robert Reed 1 pass from Dixon (kick failed) :16.
Omaha - LeBeda 39 field goal :01.
Third quarter
Billings - Mike Bazemore safety 13:45.
Billings - Linscomb 12 pass from Dixon (Galvin kick) 11:39.
Billings - Austin 31 pass from Dixon (Galvin kick) 4:15.
Fourth quarter
Billings - Linscomb 3 run (kick failed) 10:55.
Omaha - McNear 9 run (pass failed) 3:44.
Billings - Austin 12 pass from Dixon (Galvin kick) 2:41.
Omaha - Jamar Day 7 run (No PAT attempted) :00.
Individual statistics
Rushing - Omaha: James McNear 8-45, Jamar Day 5-9. Billings: Eddie Linscomb 10-20, Chris Dixon 3-12.
Passing - Omaha: James McNear 17-25-1 - 188, Chad Schmigel 1-5-0 - 29. Billings: Chris Dixon 23-32-1 - 306.
Receiving - Omaha: Kenny Horton 6-80, R.J. Rollins 4-21, Javon Bell 3-16, Mike Nizzi 2-69, Jamar Day 2-28, David Horne 1-3. Billings: Willie Austin 9-136, Charles Anthony 7-90, Robert Reed 3-43, Eddie Linscomb 3-28, Anthony Candler 1-9.
from UIF website:
BILLINGS 70, OMAHA 37
At
Billings, MT
The Billings Outlaws defeated the Omaha Beef 70-37 Saturday evening at Rimrock Auto Arena. Billings was led by QB Chris Dixon and their defense. Dixon completed 23 of 31 passes, throwing for 306 yards and eight touchdowns; he also rushed for 12 yards and another touchdown. The Outlaws’ defense forced three fumbles (recovered one), intercepted a pass, broke up five passes and had three sacks. Omaha was led by QB James McNear and DB Kyle Whitehurst. McNear completed 17 of 25 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown; he also ran for 45 yards and a touchdown. Whitehurst led the team with 6.5 tackles and a pass break up. This weekend, Billings has a bye while Omaha hosts Bloomington.
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