Despite playing in front of the second-largest crowd in team
history, the Green Bay Blizzard dropped another heart-breaker, 44-32
to the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz in front of 6,576 fans Friday night
at the Resch Center. The Blizzard offense – which had come alive the
past two weeks – didn't come together, and the defense was simply
overmatched by the high-powered Oklahoma City offense.

The Blizzard started off strong by opening up a 12-0 lead in the
first quarter. The highlight of the quarter was a gorgeous rainbow
42-yard TD pass from QB Ronnie Gordon to WR/DB Bobby Boyer. The Yard
Dawgz came right back in the second quarter with a 33-yard TD pass
from QB Craig Strickland to WR/LB Anthony Dingle. The Blizzard was
able to extend their lead with a 13-yard TD pass from QB Gordon to
WR/LB Robert "Superman" Garth, and the first half would end with the
Blizzard holding an 18-13 lead.

The second half was dominated by the Yard Dawgz, as Strickland
tossed 4 more TD passes to 3 different receivers. In the 3rd quarter
OS Jarrail Jackson came on strong, hooking up with Strickland for TD
receptions of 22 yards and 8 yards.

The Blizzard, who had been firing on all cylinders in road wins the
past two weeks, seemed one step behind the Yard Dawgz all night
long. Miscues certainly didn't help, as K Wade Tydlacka went
scoreless on the night, missing all 5 of his PAT attempts and a FG
attempt. The Blizzard also committed 9 penalties, including a costly
call that took a TD reception by OS Randall Lane off the scoreboard.

Blizzard fans turned out in near-record numbers to show their
support for the Donald Driver Foundation for Hurricane Katrina
Relief. The "Coins for Katrina" promotion was a great success, and
the fans used their change-filled Morning Glory Dairy "Grip It. Sip
It." chocolate milk bottles as noisemakers all night long. The
raffle for Green Bay Packers memorabilia autographed by Bart Starr
and Donald Driver also had a strong response.

Most impressive of all were the exhilarating performances of the
Southern University Marching Band, who performed the National Anthem
before the game, then treated the fans to full sets at halftime and
after the game. The stands remained full even after the final gun,
as the fans were treated to a show the likes of which they had never
seen.

The fans were certainly behind their hometown Blizzard on Friday
night, but even a late scoring push couldn't get the Blizzard over
the top. The loss dropped the Blizzard to an even 2-2, while the
Yard Dawgz improved to a perfect 3-0.

Lane led all Blizzard receivers with 9 receptions for 111 yards and
2 TDs, and Boyer added 3 receptions for 67 yards and 1 TD. Gordon
finished the game 16 of 38 for 230 yards and 4 TDs, with no INTs.

WR/LB Anthony Dingle led Oklahoma in receiving with 10 catches for
118 yards and 2 TDs. Strickland went 19 of 33 for 248 yards and 6
TDs, also with no INTs.

The Blizzard hits the road again for the next two weeks, heading to
Louisville for a Saturday, April 29th meeting with the Fire, and
then on to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a Friday, May 5th tilt with the
Pioneers. When they finally return home, it will be for "Ladies
Night" on Saturday, May 13th against the Macon Knights.