Wheelers fall at home to Oilers in a tight Eastern Conference duel

In an Eastern Conference Friday night bout, the Quad City Steamwheelers dropped their second straight game, their first at home, 36-34, to fall to 6-2. However, despite the loss, the sQUAD remains in first place in the conference, but their hold on the conference weakens as teams move ever closer. 

On their opening drive to start the game, defensive lineman Chima Dunga, the former Tulsa Oiler, got the Wheelers into good field position with his short but effective kick return. With Demry Croft starting at quarterback again for Quad City, he capped off the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to receiver Keyvan Rudd in the back of the endzone to take an early 7-0 lead.

MVP-candidate quarterback TJ Edwards II, on the Oilers' first drive, showed why he is one of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks, and on a third and goal from the twelve, Edwards II faced pressure but scrambled his way in for a touchdown, but a missed PAT made it 7-6. The Wheelers' offense was rolling to start the game, though, and drove right back down. Facing a third and goal from the three-yard line, Croft kept it himself for the touchdown, and after Kyle Kaplan's PAT, Quad City took a 14-6 lead.

The Tulsa offense continued to show why they are one of the league's best offenses. On yet another third and long, Edwards II found wideout Sheldon Augustine in the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown, which made it 14-13. On the following drive, Croft yet again kept it himself on a scramble and into the endzone from eight yards out for a touchdown, which extended the Wheelers' lead to 21-13. However, the next four drives, two from each team, saw four missed field goals in the second quarter, before TJ Edwards II kept it himself for the late touchdown with three seconds left, but Quad City led 21-19 into halftime.

The Tulsa drive fizzled out of halftime due to a Qaadir Sheppard sack that lost ten yards and forced a missed field goal. However, on the following drive, the first and only turnover of the game happened when Croft was stripped on a keeper and Tulsa recovered in Wheeler territory. The Oilers converted on the turnover when Edwards II found the wideout Jerminic Smith in the endzone for a seven-yard score that gave Tulsa the 26-21 lead. The Steamwheelers' offense reclaimed the 28-26 lead on the next possession, after Croft kept it himself from nine yards out.

Tulsa followed that drive with a field goal that gave them the 29-28 lead. On the ensuing Steamwheelers' drive, they faced a third and fourth down from the Oilers' one-yard line, but two Croft quarterback sneaks failed to get in, and the offense turned it over on downs, a costly drive and a crucial turning point in the game. The Oilers scored their next drive on a fourth down from the eight-yard line, which extended their lead to 36-28, a score that held for almost the rest of the game. After another turnover on downs, another Tulsa missed field goal gave the Wheelers the ball back. The sQUAD drove the ball down the field, and with 30 seconds left, Jordan Vesey took the handoff into the endzone for a touchdown, but another Vesey run on the reverse was stopped at the goal line, and the two-point try was no good, sealing an Oilers' win.

In his second start of the season, Demry Croft went 8/12 passing for 59 yards and a touchdown, adding 61 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Deion McShane took two handoffs for 27 yards, and Vesey ran for 11 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jarrod Ware Jr. caught four passes for 28 yards, while Keyvan Rudd caught one pass for six yards but for a touchdown. On the defensive side, linebacker Bubba Arslanian recorded 11.5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Defensive lineman KeShaun Moore tallied seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, and defensive lineman Qaadir Sheppard also totaled two tackles for loss and a sack. 

Following the loss, the sQUAD will use their bye week next week to rest and re-energize for a two-week southwest road trip. They travel to Oklahoma for a rematch against Tulsa on May 30 at 7:05 p.m. and an out-of-conference game against the San Antonio Gunslingers on June 7 at 6:05 p.m.