IFL 2025 Week 8: What We Learned
- offthewallfbpod
- May 13
- 9 min read
Another thrilling week of IFL action is in the books!
We had the last undefeated team take their first L of the season, we had a hell of a game between two top notch Western Conference teams and each conference's standings are starting to tighten up and take shape.
But what did we learn in IFL Week 8?
Quad City Steamwheelers @ Green Bay Blizzard
Result: 47-25 Green Bay
What We Learned: Green Bay is dangerous when they can run the ball & Quad City is a VERY different team without Daquan Neal
For Green Bay, this was a good bounce back from last week when they just got boatraced in Tulsa. They were not able to get a ground game going against the Oilers and some astute, handsome bloggers posted about how they need to be more intentional with that to be successful — and they did just that!
RB Kimo Clarke had a strong game, with 16 carries for 76 yards & a 2 TDs, and they were able to use that to open up the passing game for Max Meylor to get things going through the air. This Blizzard offense is coming together a little slower than last year but are starting to look familiar.
Backup QB TJ Davis hauled in a couple of TDs while getting reps at WR and the defense was able to take advantage of their matchup with Quad City’s QB situation to dominate and get the win.
This was a big win for Green Bay that was much needed to get back above .500 and help close the gap a bit with Quad City, but this game is a little deceiving on the surface:
Quad City starting QB Daquan Neal did NOT start this game — presumably to an injury but nothing too serious — and backup Demry Croft got the start in this one and just looked off.
7/20 passing for 49 yards & 2 INTs is just not good. Croft was so off that they had to bring in Neal to spark the offense and get SOMETHING going, but as soon as the game was in hand for Green Bay, they pulled him again and let Croft finish.
A loss is a loss, but I wouldn’t put a ton of weight on this one for Quad City. Daquan Neal is obviously the difference maker and MVP of the team and should hopefully be back.
Iowa Barnstormers @ Tulsa Oilers
Result: 62-57 Tulsa
What We Learned: Tulsa nearly let this one slip away & Iowa has to start better
Heading into this game, this one seemed like one of the most lopsided matchups of the weekend. Tulsa’s recent form has been incredible and just looked to be the better team from top to bottom in comparison to Iowa… and they showed that in the first half, and even the first 3 quarters of this game.
They were up 32-17 at half time and then 54-23 early in the 4th quarter — but they let Iowa get back into this game with some boneheaded plays and questionable decision making. Tulsa let a 31-point 4th quarter lead evaporate and were an onside kick away from one of the most unbelievable collapses in football history.
TJ Edwards had a really good game for the Oilers — 11/16 for 130 yards, 5 passing TDs & 3 rushing TDs, but had a couple of turnovers in the 4th quarter that made this game so much closer than it had any business being.
The Oilers did enough to win this one, but the way this one went down kinda makes me nervous for how this team is going to be able to perform in similar spots down the stretch.
For Iowa, they nearly pulled off an all-time come back to steal this one in Tulsa — and they probably would have if they are able to start these games off on a better foot.
1st drive of the game - 4 & Out - Turnover on Downs
2nd drive of the game - 3 & Out - Missed FG / Punt
They had 7 plays on offense and were down 13-0 right out of the gate.
QB James Cahoon completed less than 50% of his passes for 160 yards & 5 TDs, but the turnover bug got them yet again for another multi-interception game and it felt like Iowa was beating Iowa more than Tulsa was in this game.
Once again there was very little emphasis on running the ball at all during this game, let alone when it was early and they needed to get their offense in a rhythm. A LOT of things had to go their way to get back in this one (kick return TD, onside kick recovery, INT return TD, bad playcalls by Tulsa).
Now just imagine if they improve the non 'lucky' stuff that they can control on the offensive side of the ball and how that could have dramatically changed this game for them.
Bay Area Panthers @ Arizona Rattlers
Result: 53-48 Arizona
What We Learned: Arizona gambled with the roster and won big time & Bay Area is already craving the rematch
This was one of the most anticipated matchups of the entire arena & indoor football weekend and it absolutely delivered — with a twist.
Leading into this game, the Arizona Rattlers healthy scratched their All-IFL kicker Dawson Evitts in favor of fielding an extra skill position player — according to the Rattlers broadcast team. This meant that the Rattlers were going for 2 after every touchdown and had DB Ethan Caselberry handling kickoff duties…
…and I’ll be damned it kinda worked? They ended up going 2/7 on 2 point conversions, so it wasn’t a perfect plan but clearly having the extra position player on the roster for the game did some good. The kickoffs were also a little unorthodox (which makes sense considering they didn’t have an actual kicker doing them) and caused a little bit of chaos and disrupted the timing of the Bay Area kick return team.
QB Dalton Sneed had a great game in this one, going 17/28 for 187 yards & 5 Passing TDs, along with 2 more on the ground. He had multiple clutch 4th touchdown passes that kept the Rattlers on top in this one and for long enough to get the big win.
For Bay Area, they were in this game up until the very end. They were trading blows with Arizona up until they had a 4 & Out turnover on downs that allowed the Rattlers to go up double digits with less than a minute to go.
They were able to get things going on the ground with a couple of different options and were able, and QB Josh Jones was able to get 5 total TDs on the day. WR Josh Tomas was able to continue to make a name for himself on the ground in this one as well, with 6 carries for 27 yards & 2 TDs.
This felt like a preview of an inevitable playoff matchup between the two teams that will be a delight when the time comes. But first we’ll get the regular season rematch in June in San Jose.
San Antonio Gunslingers @ Vegas Knight Hawks
Result: 55-27 Vegas
What We Learned: The Vegas Knight Hawks are BACK & San Antonio’s QB experiment is still ongoing
I’ve been waiting for this type of game from Vegas ALL YEAR and we finally got it (against a bad San Antonio team but hey we’ll take it for now).
Ja’Rome Johnson got the start at QB and looked great in this one. 11/18 for 159 yards passing with 2 TDs & no INTs — and another 91 yards & 2 TDs on the ground (!!). Very reminiscent of his MVP campaign last year.
But the player of the game for Vegas was definitely RB Antonio Wimbush — who had 15 carries for 81 yards & 4 TDs, and was an absolute menace in the red zone. They were able to pitch him the ball multiple times and just let him go to work, and he was bebopping and scatting through the defense.
This Vegas team is finally starting to look like the squad we thought they were and it is happening a perfect time. The difference between 4-2 & 3-3 is massive and they are looking primed for a run over these next couple of weeks.
For San Antonio, they took a chance at QB but it just didn’t work out for them. They brought in QB Zach Reader and he got the start here, but just had a dreadful start to the game: 2/4 for 9 yards & 2 INTs
He eventually got pulled for Guy Myers, who had been starting the past couple of weeks and the offense started to normalize — but by that time Vegas started cooking and they were on a tear.
WR NyQwan Murray had a massive game, hauling in 8 catches for 109 yards & 2 TDs and is proving to be the North Star for this offense. Now, they just need somebody else to step up with him in the passing game.
This Gunslingers team is in trouble and in need of a spark offensively — and I think that spark probably comes to them if they stick to their Guy (pun intended) with Myers at QB going forward.
Massachusetts Pirates @ Tucson Sugar Skulls
Result: 46-27 Tucson
What We Learned: Tucson just might be good & It’s might be time to have a tough conversation in Massachusetts
It might be time to have the talk with your friends, family & neighbors..
Are the Tucson Sugar Skulls good? Defensively they played a really great game and were able to shut down the Pirates passing game and really limit what they were able to do on offense. This Tucson team has been playing really good defense all year and the offense is finally playing up to a similar level to really lay it on teams like they did in this one.
Jorge Reyna played pretty well in this one despite a couple of turnovers, but Tucson was able to take over this game with the rushing attack.
RB Jamyest Williams really helped control this game on the ground, with 12 carries for 87 yards & 3 TDs, and the Sugar Skulls were able to get points from every phase of the game — Offense, Defense & Special Teams — en route to a big win over the Pirates.
For Massachusetts, it might be time to have the talk about QB1. Kenji Bahar has looked rough passing the ball all season and has shown glimmers of hope from time to time, but just hasn’t been able to show the signs of progression that you would hope for.
He holds on to the ball for a long time and the offense play calling seems to be really limited. Tucson was able to jump his routes multiple times and was able to return one early in this game for a quick TD.
9/28 for 105 yards & an INT
He does lead the league in Rushing TDs, but so many of those have come from the ‘Tush Push’ formation from one or two yards out — so it is a heavily inflated stat at this point.
RB Pooka Williams had a really great game in this one, but unfortunately it got overshadowed by the poor QB play. Do the Pirates turn to Felix Harper soon? He has IFL experience and proved to be a very good reliever for Bay Area last season. You drop him into a team with these weapons and he could make it work.
Northern Arizona Wranglers @ San Diego Strike Force
Result: 40-29 San Diego
What We Learned: Still not convinced with San Diego’s offense & Northern Arizona just can’t catch a break
Heading into this game, I there was a decent chance that Northern Arizona could have stolen a victory here. A struggling San Diego team still finding their way was the perfect set up for a revitalized Wranglers offense to strike and potentially get their first win of the season.
..but then the first drive of the game happened and their new QB Kaleb Lowe got absolutely ROCKED into the boards and was taken out of the game due to injury.
Insert QB CJ Fowler and the same struggles that we saw with this offense all year before Lowe was signed emerged yet again. I really want this Wranglers team to be competitive, but the offensive line play has been really, really bad and Fowler just has not been able to throw a good ball consistently.
He has the athleticism to be a difference maker, but the whole ‘throwing the ball’ thing is holding him back from being a good QB in this league.
For San Diego, it looks like they are starting to get back into the swing of things and score 40+ once again. WR John Maldonado is looking healthy and was making a big impact in this game with 8 catches for 103 yards & a TD, and WR Gourney Sloan was able to get back in the mix after missing a couple weeks worth of action as well.
QB Nate Davis was able to throw 4 TDs to 4 different WRs and the offense is starting to get in rhythm.
I really, really would like to see them be more intentional with getting Ed Vander the ball on the ground. He is one of the most efficient ball carriers of the last few seasons in the IFL and they were only able to get him a couple of touches.
They had him in a few positions where he was the blocking up back in the red zone, when he needs to be the guy with the ball in his hands. Send him in high motion, get him the ball with a full head of steam and just watch him bulldoze his way to the end zone!
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