Miami Morays vs. New Jersey Xtreme preview
May 13, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Miami Morays News Release
Rematch: Miami Morays (5-2) will take to the field against the New Jersey Xtreme (0-7) on Ford Allen Field at the Miami Arena...Sunday, May 15th, 3:05 p.m. ET.
This will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. The Morays first game in franchise history was on the road against the Xtreme at the Continental Airlines Arena on March 19th.
The Morays emerged with a 44-18 victory in the lopsided game. Quarterback Derrick Vickers ran for one touchdown and threw two two touchdown passes to Ethenic Sands, while Leroy McFadden rattled off three touchdown runs of 2, 4, and 33 yards. Vickers finished by going 13-17 for 94 yards, McFadden rushed nine times for 56 yards, and Ethenic Sands caught four balls for 65 yards.
The Morays defense held the Xtreme to just 50 yards of total offense and Lashawn Pugh registered two safeties in the game. Overall, the Morays defense got to the quarterback four times and only gave up one defensive touchdown. Linebacker Jimmy Williams made a impact in his professional debut, registering a total of nine tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Last Games: The Morays (5-2) never trailed in the first half of last game, getting strong play from the special teams, keeping the Hawgs (6-2) pinned on the five-yard line on two kickoffs in the first quarter. Running back Ben Labelle got the Morays to a 22-20 lead as the half expired by scoring three touchdowns, including a 14-yd touchdown catch to start the scoring off.
But the Hawgs answered right back on their first possession in the third quarter behind a Brad Lee 2-yd touchdown run. Lee finished the game with four touchdowns, including a 7-yard run with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter that put the Hawgs up 40-29.
The Hawgs soon after extended to their lead to 17 and 24 points on another Lee touchdown and a 16-yd interception return by Micah Simmons.
Derrick Vickers 1-yd pass to Ethenic Sands with :31 seconds left in the game was able to keep both players scoring streaks alive, and Vickers finished the game 13-28 for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Labelle had 4 rushes for 22 yards and four catches 44 yards, and led the Morays in rushing, catches and receiving yards.
Xtreme Last Game: The River City Rage of the NIFL wound up the first half of the 2005 season Sunday night at Family Arena by trouncing the visiting New Jersey X-treme in a special Mothers Day game; against a team showing a game face that only a mother could love.
The Rage took advantage of New Jersey's poor play calling, bad center snaps, penalties and overall dismal performance to dominate on both sides of the ball and record an impressive 62-13 victory, improving their record to a league leading 6-1 in the Atlantic East Conference. New Jersey's woes continued, as the team remained winless at 0-7.
Moray Leaders: Derrick Vickers and Ethenic Sands are making an impact on the offensive side of the ball for the Morays. Vickers is fifth in the league with a 109.0 quarterback rating, third in passing yards, and third in total offense. In seven games, he has completed 125 of 190 passes for 1376 yards, with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Despite an offense that spreads the ball around and possesses many weapons, receiver Ethenic Sands is also making an impact on the league leader charts by averaging 4.86 catches a game which leaves him ranked seventh in the NIFL.
On the defensive side of the ball, Defensive end Lashawn Pugh is tied for second in the league with two forced fumbles, and Jimmy Williams is tied for first in the league with three fumble recoveries. Arpedge Rolle is tied for third in the league with six sacks.
Xtreme Leaders: The only Xtreme player in the top 10 in any category is Earl Biddy, who is tied for eighth in the league with seven tackles for a loss.
Head-to-Head: Number is the ranking in the 22 Team NIFL and/or yards per game.
Miami New Jersey
Scoring Offense: 7th (47.6) 22nd (14.6)
Scoring Defense: 4th (37.7) 22nd (57.3)
Total Offense: 6th (253.1) 22nd (114.3)
Total Defense: 1st (164.7) 20th (251.1)
Pass Offense: 5th (191.0) 22nd (75.7)
Pass Defense: 2nd (132.3) 17th (168.3)
Rushing Offense: 14th (62.1) 18th (82.9)
Turnover Margin: 7th (+.71) 21st (-2.71)
Sacks By: 2nd (17) 20th (2)
Sacks Against: 20th (13) 22nd (31)
First Downs: 5th (124) 19 (64)
Penalties: 12 (53.4) 21st (97.1)
Red-Zone Offense: 1st (85.7 %) 22nd (32 %)
Red-Zone Defense: 4th (59.4 %) 22nd (84 %)
Will this be Final?: The NIFL adjusted the schedules once again, with the change effecting the Morays home schedule opponents. Replacing the Dayton Warbirds on June 4th will be the Daytona Beach Hawgs. The game was originally supposed to be against the Lakeland Thunderbolts.
Past and Future: The schedule and standings so far:
MIAMI MORAYS (5-2)
Date: Opponent: Result:
March 19 @ New Jersey W 54-18
March 26 @ Lakeland W 58-45
April 2 LUBBOCK W 53-13
April 9 @ Lakeland W 35-31
April 16 @ Kissimmee L 51-48
May 1 DAYTONA BEACH W 58-53
May 7 @ Daytona Beach L 37-53
May 15 NEW JERSEY
May 21 KISSIMMEE
May 28 @ Rome
June 4 DAYTONA BEACH
June 12 EVERETT
June 17 @ Everett
June 25 FAYETTEVILLE
The Web: www.miamimoraysfootball.com is the place to go for the latest team news, statistics, player profiles, game notes, standings, and a live scoreboard to follow the game (when available).
www.nationalindoorfootballleague.net offers the latest in league news and notes, updated standings, scoreboards, and much more.
Next Home Game: The Morays head to Daytona on May 7th before returning home to Ford Allen Field at the Miami Arena to take on the New Jersey Xtreme on May 15th for a 7:05 pm. Kickoff. Tickets are available at the Miami Arena Box Office or through Ticketmaster. For additional information about the Miami Morays, please call Mark Fischel at 305-374-8950 X308 or visit us at www.miamimoraysfootball.com
Schedule Changes: With the addition of the Dayton Warbirds to the NIFL, the visiting teams have changed for two games. Replacing the Lakeland Thunderbolts on June 4th will be the Dayton Warbirds, and replacing the River City Rage on June 25th will be the Fayetteville Guard.
Atlantic South: The Morays will be competing for the bragging rights for the state of Florida by competing against fellow first-year expansion teams Daytona Beach Hawgs, Kissimmee Kreatures, and the Lakeland Thunderbolts in the Atlantic South Division.
Media Contact: Morays Media Contact: Mark Fischel (954)296-4362
Mark@miamimoraysfootball.com
Head Coach: Heading up the Miami Morays is NFL Hall-of-Famer Larry Little. This is Coach Little's first year coaching an indoor football team.
Little's previous professional experience was as the head coach of the Ohio Glory in the World Football League in 1992.
Larry Little was previously the head coach for North Carolina Central University from 1993 to 1998, compiling a record of 33 wins and 32 losses, and at his alma-mater Bethune-Cookman College from 1983 to 1991, where he compiled a record of 43-49-1. Little led Bethune-Cookman to two MEAC titles in 1984 and 1988, and was named the MEAC Coach of the Year in 1984.
Little spent 13 seasons in the NFL, 12 of which were with the Miami Dolphins. He was a member of the Dolphins Super Bowl championship teams in 1972 and 1973, and he was named to the Pro Bowl five times. He was inducted into the NFL Hall-of-Fame in 1993, the same year that he was inducted in the Dolphins Ring of Honor at Dolphins Stadium.
Got to Coordinate: Assisting Coach Little in his duties will be two very experienced indoor football coaches in Ray Isaac. Asst. Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Ray Isaac brings several years of knowledge as a former player and coach. In 2003, Isaac served as the offensive coordinator with the Myrtle Beach Stingrays and as head coach with the Greenville Riverhawks. Ray also spent time as a quarterback with the Cleveland Thunderbolts, Memphis Pharaohs, and Charleston Swamp Foxes. Isaac attended Youngstown State and led them to their first Division I-AA championship.
Isaac made his debut and earned his first victory as a Head Coach in the week one game against the New Jersey Xtreme. Isaac filled in for Coach Little who missed the game due to the passing away of his brother David.
Home-Grown: The Morays roster consists of eight players who attended Florida colleges. Attending University of Florida was Arpedge Rolle and Steven Bell. Matriculating from Florida State University was Donald Heaven, graduating from FAMU was Salofi Nua. Bethune-Cookman had Antwon Robinson and Jimmy Williams attending, Daniel Hernandez attended Florida Atlantic University, and University of Miami graduate Ethenic Sands.
Take a Load Off: Moray opponents are going to be very sore after dealing with the Morays backfield, which consists of two players, Ben Labelle and Leroy McFadden, who weigh a combined 515 pounds.
Sure-Handed: The Morays receiving corps will consist of two players with previous indoor football experience in NIFL All-Star Kevin Heard, formerly of the Huoma Bayou Bucks, and University of Miami stand-out Ethenic Sands, who spent parts of last season with the Florida Firecats in the af2. Rounding out the receivers are two tall natives of Miami in 6'3 James Robinson and 6'4 Patrick Rouzard.
Florida Guard: The state of Florida stands on guard for the Morays. The offensive line consists of linemen who all played for colleges in the state of Florida. Steven Bell attended University of Florida, Donald Heaven attended Florida State University, and Salofi Nua attended FAMU.
Get the QB: The Morays defensive line will be a combination of old and new experience. Bringing the experience to the first line of defense will be Kai Zeigler, Lashawn Pugh, and Deryl Lane. All three have previously played together with the Myrtle Beach Stingrays. New faces to the indoor game will be two graduates of Florida colleges. Arpedge Rolle of the University of Florida and Daniel Hernandez of FAU will be making their professional football debuts this season.
Patrol the Middle: Backing the line or dropping into coverage are two hard-hitting linebackers. Jimmy Williams of Bethune-Cookman brings a physical style to the game and will be entering his first season of indoor football. Lernard Mack is an experienced player with a nose for the ball and has previous NIFL experience.
Last Line of D: The Morays boast a defensive backfield that has extensive experience in the indoor game. Antwon Robinson, Fred McCants, Roosevelt Williams, and Quincy Sorrell all have one or more seasons under their belt, and they will be counted on in an offensive-minded league to keep a comfortable distance between the teams on the scoreboard.
Use your Foot: Booting the ball this season will be Michael Elorreaga. Coming out of Earlham College in the North Coast Athletic Conference, Elorreaga was a pre-season All-American and also held punting duties.
I Know You: The Morays coaching staff has some familiarity with the roster. Players who previously played for Coach Ray Isaac were Travis Wilson, Kai Zeigler, Lashawn Pugh, Lernard Mack, Vic White, and Fred McCants.
Support the Kids: Don't forget about the Morays Youth Football Pass! Every child who was registered to play with a youth football program last season in Dade County is eligible for the program, which allows a youth football participant to receive a free season ticket or game-night ticket for all 2005 regular season Morays games with the purchase of a matching adult season or individual ticket. Interested parties can contact the Morays at 305-374-8950 X308 for details.
National Indoor Football League Stories from May 13, 2005
- Guard turns table early on Friday 'Fright Night' - Fayetteville Guard
- Former Auburn great Charlie Trotman to suit up as Maulers quarterback - Montgomery Bears
- Maulers Move Dinner With The Maulers - Montgomery Bears
- NIFL's best getting even better - West Texas Roughnecks
- Miami Morays vs. New Jersey Xtreme preview - Miami Morays
- Moray weekend festivities in store this Sunday - Miami Morays
- Renegades Add Avrillen to roster - Rome Renegades
- Kreatures face unknown in Guard - Kissimmee Kreatures
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