Fever gets Beef tips for weathering Storm

KENNEWICK -- The Tri-Cities Fever heads into South Dakota to take on the Indoor Football League juggernaut Sioux Falls Storm in Saturday's United Bowl (5:05 p.m. kickoff).

The Storm, at 15-1, is not unbeatable.

The Omaha Beef knocked off the Storm 41-37 in the teams' final regular-season game.

What did the Beef do to win that game?

"We took care of the ball and were able to move the ball rushing," said Omaha coach Andy Yost. "Their defensive line is one of the best in the league. We were able to move the ball against them. They don't do anything fancy."

And good things happened to the Beef too.

"Then you add a little luck," Yost said. "We had a special teams touchdown on a returned field goal."

The Storm was leading 37-35 in the waning seconds of the game, facing 4th-and-19 at its own 11.

Forced to kick a 53-yard field goal to extend its lead, Sioux Falls kicker Parker Douglass' long attempt was short. Omaha's Cortney Grixby fielded the ball in the end zone and came out.

A Storm defender grabbed Grixby's leg at his own 4, but Grixby pitched the ball to teammate Diezeas Calbert, who ran it back 46 yards untouched for the winning TD.

"They had their big guys on the kicking team out there," Yost said. "They were trying to keep us from blocking the field goal. The problem was we had our speedy return team out there. We had an advantage on them."

The Beef also kept Sioux Falls to 37 points.

"If you can get a pass rush, you've got a chance," Yost said. "(Sioux Falls quarterback) Chris Dixon didn't like throwing when he was being rushed."

But, Yost cautioned, you have to keep Dixon in check too.

"If you get him moving, his feet get nervous," Yost said. "If you get him moving but don't get to him, then you've got another problem. He's so quick and can run."

Like any good Indoor Football League team, defense has to stop an offense every now and then.

"The trick to them is getting a couple of stops," Yost said.

Which is always the goal for the Fever defense, said Cleveland Pratt, Tri-Cities' special teams and defensive backs coach.

"We always shoot for a goal of four or five stops in a game," Pratt said, "and then we have a chance."

But Yost cautions about falling behind.

"If they get up early on you, you're in trouble," he said.

This story was originally published July 15, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Fever gets Beef tips for weathering Storm."