2018 United Bowl

The 2018 United Bowl was the championship game of the 2018 Indoor Football League season. It was played between the Sioux Falls Storm and the Iowa Barnstormers. The game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

2018 United Bowl
Sioux Falls Storm Iowa Barnstormers (11–3) (11–3) 38 42 Head coach:  Kurtiss Riggs Head coach:  Dixie Wooten
1 2 3 4 Total Sioux Falls 0 17 14 7 38 Iowa 7 14 7 14 42
Date	July 7, 2018
Stadium	Wells Fargo Arena
Location	Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
MVP	Iowa WR Ryan Balentine
United States TV coverage
Network	YouTube and MC-22
Announcers	Rich Roste[1] (Storm)

This was the Sioux Falls Storm's ninth consecutive United Bowl appearance;[2] prior to the game, they held a United Bowl record of 6–2. This was the Iowa Barnstormers' first United Bowl appearance after joining the IFL in 2015 from the Arena Football League.

Venue

The game was played at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, as the Iowa Barnstormers had the home field advantage by cause of being the higher seeded team in the playoffs.

Background

2018 Indoor Football League
	W	L	PCT	PF	PA	GB	STK
y-Iowa Barnstormers	11	3	.786	648	493	—	W1
x-Arizona Rattlers	11	3	.786	746	567	—	W1
x-Sioux Falls Storm	11	3	.786	724	577	—	W5
x-Nebraska Danger	4	10	.286	525	592	7	L9
Cedar Rapids Titans	3	11	.214	543	733	8	L1
Green Bay Blizzard	2	12	.143	421	645	9	L4

y - clinched regular season title

x - clinched playoff spot

Sioux Falls Storm

The Storm began the season with a 39–33 loss to the Arizona Rattlers before embarking on a four-game win streak, including a 52–40 victory over the Barnstormers on March 18. After another loss to the Rattlers on April 16, the Storm won seven of their final eight games, finishing the season with a record of 11–3, earning third place.[3] On June 23, the Storm defeated the Rattlers in the first round of the playoffs in overtime by a score of 69–68, earning their place in the United Bowl for the ninth consecutive year.[2]

Iowa Barnstormers

The Barnstormers opened the 2018 season on February 25 with a 41–20 victory over the Green Bay Blizzard. After losing two of their next four games, including a 52–40 loss to the Storm on March 18, the Barnstormers won eight of their final nine, with their only loss being against the Storm by a score of 51–49. The Barnstormers finished the season with a record of 11–3, earning first place and home field advantage in the playoffs.[4] In the first round, the Barnstormers defeated the Nebraska Danger 42–17 to reach the 2018 United Bowl.[5]

Box score

	1	2	3	4	Total
Storm	0	17	14	7	38
Barnstormers	7	14	7	14	42

at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa

• Date: July 7, 2018
• Game time: 7:05 p.m. CDT

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SFX IWA 1 07:36 10 45 7:24 IWA Butler 6-yard touchdown reception from Powell, Gable kick good 0 7 2 13:18 6 37 2:36 SFX Brown 11-yard touchdown run, Bergner kick good 7 7 2 12:17 1 42 0:22 IWA Ballentine 42-yard touchdown reception from Powell, Gable kick good 7 14 2 06:30 8 42 4:49 SFX Powell 2-yard touchdown reception from Brown, Bergner kick good 14 14 2 05:08 2 28 0:59 IWA Ballentine 23-yard touchdown reception from Powell, Gable kick good 14 21 2 00:04 8 20 4:08 SFX 28-yard field goal by Bergner 17 21 3 09:32 8 40 5:17 SFX Brown 1-yard touchdown run, Bergner kick good 24 21 3 04:49 6 45 3:54 IWA Powell 3-yard touchdown run, Syrovatka kick good 24 28 3 00:30 5 29 3:19 SFX Brown 11-yard touchdown run, Bergner kick good 31 28 4 09:10 8 29 5:58 IWA Ballentine 4-yard touchdown reception from Powell, Gable kick good 31 35 4 03:27 8 40 4:54 SFX Brown 3-yard touchdown run, Bergner kick good 38 35 4 00:13 5 37 2:30 IWA Tyler 8-yard touchdown run, Gable kick good 38 42 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. SFX IWA

References

1. "Radio Broadcast". Sioux Falls Storm. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
2. Borg, Zack (June 24, 2018). "Wild Night In The Desert Sends Storm Back To United Bowl". KDLT. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
3. "2018 Sioux Falls Storm Schedule". Sioux Falls Storm. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
4. "2018 Iowa Barnstormers Schedule". Indoor Football League. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
5. Schaeffer, Jon (June 22, 2018). "Barnstormers heading to the United Bowl with 48-17 Victory over Nebraska". WOI-DT. Nexstar Broadcasting. Retrieved June 26, 2018.