Orioles Stomp the Monsters in Week 9 (Game Note #2)

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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Kali Edsall

Director of Strategic Communication

edsallkr@dukes.jmu.edu | @kali_edsall

Game Recaps

Quarterback Russell Wilson separated the men from the boys Sunday night as the Oklahoma City Orioles triumphed over the Memphis Monsters 189.50 to 154.48. Wilson, the difference maker for the Orioles, passed for 282 yards, two touchdowns and added a single rushing touchdown, accumulating 40.28 points. Not to be outdone by Wilson, QB Marcus Mariota aided in the defeat with 313 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, contributing 36.92 points. WR Julio Jones and Mike Wallace both had notable performances for the Orioles, each pitching in 26 points and combining for over 200 receiving yards. Bringing in ten points on the night, the Orioles defense racked up four sacks and one interception. Across the ball, RB Melvin Gordon led the Monsters with 37.10 points coming in just ahead of QB Philip Rivers with 33.70. The Orioles shift to 5-4 on the season, move to 5th in the rankings while the Monsters slip into last place with a record of 2-7.

 

Matchup Preview

  • The Oklahoma City Orioles and Orlando Blooms are both sitting at 5-4 on the season.
  • Both the Oklahoma City Orioles and Orlando Blooms are looking to extend a three-game win streak.
  • The Blooms, 4th, sit just one spot above the Orioles, 5th, in the rankings after week nine.
  • The quarterback matchup between the Orioles and Blooms will be one to keep an eye on. Oklahoma City QB Russell Wilson had a stellar game along with teammate Marcus Mariota in week 9 combining for nearly 600 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. The Orlando Blooms also made a statement in week 9 as well with Dak Prescott and Blake Bortles combining for five passing touchdowns. Both the Orioles and the Blooms look for their quarterbacks to make an impact in the pass game for their respective teams in week 10.
  • Both the Orioles and Blooms receiving core will have to find open routes down field to dominate in the receiving game as no wide receiver is expected to have a breakout game due to the strong coverage by both defenses. Last week, the Orioles WR’s Julio Jones and Mike Wallace combined for over 200 receiving yards compared to the Bloom’s receiving core, consisting of Demaryius Thomas and Steve Smith, who barely put up 100.
  • The defense matchup should make for a close game as both defenses only allowed for ten points against opponents in week 9.
  • To remain a contender in the game, both offensive lines will need to hold their blocks along with efficient play by the quarterbacks in the pocket to counteract the blitz as both the Orioles and Bloom’s defenses accounted for four sacks in their previous games.

 

Oklahoma City Orioles Season Notes

  • The Orioles are up three spots in the rankings after week nine, currently sitting at 5th.
  • Oklahoma City made a trade with the Harrisonburg Valley Bees, releasing RB Mark Ingram to pick up TE Greg Olsen.
  • RB Damien Williams was added to the roster for week nine but has since been benched.
  • RB Thomas Rawls is continuing to recover from a left leg injury, however, Rawls is expected to return in week eleven when the Orioles take on the Columbia Salamanders.
  • RB Giovani Bernard has been added to the starting lineup for week ten against the Orlando Blooms.
  • Oklahoma City has dropped RB Bilal Powell.
  • WR Julio Jones had eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in week 9, making this the fifth time this season he has had at least 100 receiving yards.
  • With four catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, WR Mike Wallace has had at least 100 yards receiving in his last two games.
  • TE Greg Olsen marked the seventh-highest score among tight ends this week with 52 receiving yards and one touchdown, combining for 16.20 points.
  • The Orioles defense’s ten points in week nine ranks them sixth among defenses.
  • The Oklahoma City Thunder is off to its best start in franchise history, sitting at 6-1 on the season, aided by a remarkable performance by Russell Westbrook in the seventh game.
  • Cushing, Oklahoma, home to one of the world’s key oil hubs, is recovering after multiple buildings were substantially damaged during a 5.0 magnitude earthquake. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission plans to shut down or reduce the level of 54 disposal wells believing that there is a correlation between the wells and earthquakes.
  • In the 2016 Presidential Election, Republican nominee Donald Trump won Oklahoma to aid in his successful pursuit of the presidency.