NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Birmingham Steeldogs game notes

May 3, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Alabama Steeldogs News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Louisville Fire (2-2)
at Birmingham Steeldogs (2-2)
Date: Friday, May 5, 2006
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT
Site: BJCC Arena (16,000)
National Anthem: Cornerstone Schools Choir
Coin Toss: Mike Davis, UAB Head Basketball Coach
Officials: Marc Curles (Referee), Mark Baynes (Umpire),
Dirk Bell (Head Linesman), Larry Neal (Line Judge), Tony Ross (Back Judge)
Radio: WAPI-1070 AM (Matt Coulter and Roger Shultz)
TV: None
Series Record: LOU 4-3
Last Meeting: LOU, 62-40, April 21, 2006 @ LOU
Streaks: Birmingham W1, Louisville W2
Coaches: Ron Selesky (21-15; 1-1 playoffs, 3rd Season
Overall; 2-2, 1st Season in Birmingham)
Tommy Johnson (27-23, 4th Season)

THE STAKES: Birmingham is beginning to roll after a dominating effort in Albany, Ga., last weekend. The score might not indicate it, but the Steeldogs were unstoppable, especially along the line of scrimmage. Tightening up the turnover bug will be key in giving the Steeldogs their first two-game streak since 2004. Louisville has parlayed their success from an April 21 win over Birmingham into another win last weekend versus Green Bay.
THE SERIES: Louisville leads the all time series 4-3, having won the last meeting on April 21 in Louisville, 62-40. Once upon a time, Birmingham used to dominate the Fire, who were once coached by current Steeldogs head man, Ron Selesky.
THE IFs:
If Birmingham defeats Louisville, it would...
- Even Birmingham's record against the Fire
- Give Birmingham its first two-game winning streak since 2004
- Give Coach Selesky his 22nd overall coaching victory


BIRMINGHAM (2-2, Won 1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/8 EVERETT 7:00 W 41-36
4/14 RIO GRANDE 7:00 L 43-44
4/21 @ Louisville 6:30 L 40-62
4/29 @ South Georgia 6:30 W 40-34
5/5 LOUISVILLE 7:00 ---
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/13 @ Florida 6:30 FLA 4-3
5/20 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30 TV 9-2
5/27 MACON 7:00 Tied 4-4
6/3 @ Everett 9:30 BHM 1-0
6/10 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 Tied 2-2
6/17 @ Memphis 7:00 BHM 3-2
6/24 FLORIDA 7:00 FLA 4-3
7/8 @ Rio Grande 7:00 Tied 1-1
7/15 @ Macon 7:00 Tied 4-4
7/22 MEMPHIS 7:00 BHM 3-2
7/29 TENNESSEE VALLEY 7:00 TV 9-2

LOUISVILLE (2-2, Won 2)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 @ Wilkes-Barre/Sctn 6:00 L 37-45
4/14 MANCHESTER 6:30 L 34-39
4/21 BIRMINGHAM 6:30 W 62-40
4/29 GREEN BAY 6:00 W 45-39
5/5 @ Birmingham 7:00 --- LOU 4-3
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/13 @ Quad City 7:15
5/20 ALBANY 6:00
5/27 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30
6/3 WILKES-BARRE/SCTN 6:00
6/10 SPOKANE 6:00
6/17 @ Albany 6:00
6/23 @ Manchester 6:30
7/8 MEMPHIS 6:00
7/15 QUAD CITY 6:00
7/22 @ Florida 6:30
7/29 @ Green Bay 7:30

HEAD COACHES:
RON SELESKY, BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS
Head Coach Ron Selesky is an Arena Football League and af2 coaching veteran. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Columbus Destroyers in 2005 under Head Coach Chris Spielman. Prior to that, Selesky spent the 2004 season on the sidelines for the Carolina Cobras, beginning the year as the team's defensive coordinator before finishing the season as the head coach.

Selesky earned af2 Coach of the Year honors in 2002, guiding the expansion Albany Conquest to a regular-season mark of 13-3 and a Northeast Division title. He spent the 2001 season as the head coach of the Louisville Fire, leading the team to a 6-10 mark.

Selesky spent the 2003 season as head coach and director of football operations for the Buffalo Destroyers, prior to the team relocating to Columbus, Ohio. He also served as the director of player personnel and assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1997 to 1999. With the Storm, his teams compiled a 31-11 regular season record and earned a berth in the 1998 ArenaBowl.

TOMMY JOHNSON, LOUISVILLE FIRE
Louisville Fire head coach Tommy Johnson, was born in Rome, Ga., and raised in Niceville, Fla. He began his football career as a player at DeFuniak Springs (Fla.) High School. He later transferred to Niceville High School. Johnson then attended the University of Alabama, where he played defensive back. His senior class at U of A was known for having the most wins in a four-year time period (45-5-1). In 1992, he played on the Crimson Tide squad that defeated the University of Miami for the National Championship. Johnson then continued his football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a year.
In 2001, Johnson began his coaching career with the Fire as defensive coordinator. After two seasons as defensive coordinator Johnson was named head coach three games into the 2003 season, when the Fire made the late run winning two of those three games. In 2004, Johnson led the Fire to its first winning season (9-7), first af2 play-offs appearance and first play-off victory over Quad City 52-47. Since Johnson was named head coach, the Fire has winning record of 12-9-0.

LAST SERIES MEETING: April 21, 2006: Louisville defeated Birmingham, 62-40, in Louisville.
SERIES NOTABLES: Birmingham's first road victory of 2001 came at Louisville on April 14. The Steeldogs defeated Ron Selesky's Fire squad 39-21.
FAMILIAR FACES: Steeldogs Head Coach Ron Selesky was the Fire's first head coach back in the 2001 season. Tommy Johnson was one of his assistants. Johnson is a former University of Alabama defensive back, one of the cornerstones of the vaunted 1992 National Championship team. Lance Taylor, a Fire receiver/defensive back, played with the Crimson Tide during the Franchione/Shula eras.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
STEELDOGS
Player Rank Category Stat
Kerry Wright 5th Scoring 16.5 ppg
Kerry Wright 3rd All Purpose 172.0 p/g
Kerry Wright t-5th Scoring-TDs 11
Kerry Wright t-5th Yards/Catch 18.6
Kerry Wright t-6th Reception Yards 446
Kerry Wright t-6th Rec. Yds/Gme 111.5
Kerry Wright t-6th Receptions TDs 10
Kerry Wright 9th MFG Returns 10.5
Kerry Wright 9th Kick Returns 14-221
Kerry Wright t-2nd Kick Return TDs 1
Mareno Philyaw 2nd Yards/Catch 28.0
Lawrence Story 9th Yards/Catch 16.9
Robert Kent 1st Offense/Play 11.2
Robert Kent 1st Pass Yds/Catch 18.2
Robert Kent 2nd Compltion/Pct. 71.4%
Robert Kent 1st Pass Yds/Attp 13.0
Terrell Browden 6th Rushing 13.8 y/gm
Terrell Browden 6th Rushing Yards 13.8 ypg
Terrell Browden 10th Yards Per Rush 13.8
Theo Sanders 5th Rushing 13.8 y/gm
Theo Sanders 5th Rushing Yards 14.8
Theo Sanders 10th Rushing Attmpts 14.8
Ryan Hawk 10th Passing Yards 994
Ryan Hawk 2nd Pass Yards/Comp 14.4
Ryan Hawk 10th Total Offense 249.8 y/g
Ryan Hawk 10th Total Off. Yds 249.8
Alex Walls t-5th Field Goals Attmp 6
Jordan Brumbaugh t-6th Sacks 3.0
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Steeldogs and Fire stack up:
Statistical BIRMINGHAM LOUISVILLE
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 20th 41.0 15th 44.5
Scoring Defense 8th 44.0 5th 40.8
Total Offense 4th 300.5 17th 245.2
Total Defense 12th 263.0 9th 251.0
Pass Offense 9th 264.0 15th 231.5
Pass Defense 10th 231.0 8th 226.5
Rushing Offense 2nd 36.5 17th 13.8
Rushing Defense 22nd 32.0 18th 24.5
Pass Rating 16th 93.7 7th 113.8
Pass Def. Rating 8th 92.6 5th 84.0
Kickoff Returns 19th 19-263 9th 18-345
MFG Returns 12th 10.5 13th 10.3
Turnover Margin t-11th +1 t-6th +3
Field Goals t-15th (1-6) .167 1st (4-6) .667
PAT Kicking 17th 11-17 (.647) 2nd 22-24 (.917)
Sacks By t-8th 7-33 t-8th 7-47
Sacks Against t-9th 5-27 3rd 2-20
First Downs t-15th 68 14th 70
Opp. First Downs t-12th 74 5th 70
Penalties 4th 33-193 7th 36-212
Opp. Penalties 20th 28-179 11th 37-266

STEELDOGS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/DB Donald Amaker Torn ACL Out (Season)
OL/DL Myron Powe Knee Out
WR/LB Bradly Chavez Knee Out
OL/DL Samuel Fakunle Hamstring Out

DROPBACK Mareno Philyaw caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in a dazzling debut as the Birmingham Steeldogs defeated the South Georgia Wildcats, 40-34, at the Albany Civic Center.
With the win, Birmingham put the brakes on a two-game losing skid, evening their record at 2-2. The Wildcats dropped to 0-4 on the season thus far.
Trailing 23-21 late in the third quarter, Philyaw hauled in his second touchdown pass of the night, a 37-yarder from Ryan Hawk, to put the the Steeldogs on top, 28-23. South Georgia responded with a field goal by Dan Burnett from 28 yards out to pull the Wildcats to within two points. But the Steeldogs responded with two consecutive touchdowns, a 16-yard bullet from Hawk to Kerry Wright and a one-yard plunge by Terrell Browden, to put the Wildcats away for good.
The score was deceptive as the Steeldogs dominated the 'Cats in virtually every statisical category. Birmingham finished with 358 yards of offense on 50 plays to just 202 yards on 40 plays for South Georgia. Ryan Hawk, whose brother A.J. was drafted hours before by the Green Bay Packers during the NFL Draft, finished 15 of 27 for 218 yards and and two scores, having sharing time with backup Robert Kent in the second quarter. Kent finished with 91 yards on 5 of 7 passing and scored two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Steeldogs easily overpowered the Wildcats in the trenches, collecting four sacks, five tackles for loss, numerous hurries, an intentional grounding call and a blocked field goal. WR/DB Allyn Sheffield was spectacular, finishing with two interceptions and some very timely tackles. His diving interception on the Wildcats' first offensive play of the game set the tone for the rest of the defense.
The Steeldogs once again got off to a slow start in the first quarter. After easily driving the ball down the field on their first two possessions, the Steeldogs came up empty on both trips. A missed field goal by Alex Walls and a fumble near the goal line by Lawrence Story prevented Birmingham from jumping on the Wildcats early. South Georgia's Dan Burnett drilled a 27-yard field goal at the end of the opening quarter to give the 'Cats a 3-0 lead to begin the second period.
Reserve QB Robert Kent sparked the Steeldogs on the ensuing drive, firing a short pass to Philyaw, who rumbled 45 yards into the endzone for the team's first points of the game. It was the first career pass for Kent and the first reception for Philyaw, who rejoined the team this week after being cut from the training camp roster.
South Georgia reeled off 13 unanswered points on their next two drives, pushing their lead to 16-7 late in the quarter. But the Steeldogs refused to quit as Kent dove into the endzone from four yards out on the Steeldogs next drive to narrow the gap to 16-14. Then, after stopping South Georgia on three plays deep in their own territory, the Steeldogs blocked a Burnett field goal attempt, setting up their next drive inside the Wildcats' five-yard line.
Two plays later, Terrell Browden bowled through the defensive line and into the endzone, giving the Steeldogs their first halftime lead of the season.
The game was briefly interrupted after South Georgia's final touchdown when a scuffle broke out between a few players from both teams. Five Wildcats and two Steeldogs were ejected and the game was delayed for roughly five minutes. It was the second such incident in as many weeks for the Wildcats.
FORWARD MOTION: Birmingham hits the road next week for the third time this season. The Steeldogs will bus down to Fort Myers to take on the Florida Firecats on Saturday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
RYAN HAWK: Hawk is six yards shy of 1,000 yards passing. Should he achieve that mark, he will become the sixth Steeldogs quarterback to reach that mark. Birmingham has not had a QB throw for more than a 2,000 yards since Jeff Aaron in 2004.

THE ORANGE CRUSH: After a tough outing in Louisville a couple of weeks ago, the Steeldogs dominated in the trenches at South Georgia. The defensive line caused or contributed to four sacks, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, numerous quarterback hurries, a blocked field goal and an intentional grounding call.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:
MAY 5, 2001: Birmingham blasted Lafayette, 60-49, in Louisiana. It was the beginning of a streak that saw the Steeldogs win eight of their next nine games.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Kerry Wright (BIR)
2 RGV Dwight Counter (RGV)
3 Louisville Brett Deitz (LOU)
4 SGA Mareno Philyaw (BIR)

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Bradly Chavez (BIR)
2 RGV Terrell Browden (BIR)
3 Louisville Terrell Browden (BIR)
4 SGA Chris McKinney (SGA)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Jordan Brumbaugh (BIR)
2 RGV Bobby Keyes (BIR)
3 Louisville Dwayne Lefall (LOU)
4 SGA Jordan Brumbaugh (BIR)

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from May 3, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Alabama Steeldogs Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central