Week 7 af2 news & notes

by af2 Press Release
May 9, 2001 - arenafootball2 (af2)

af2 Press Release

Week 7 Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Friday, May 11
Lafayette Roughnecks @ Wichita Stealth, 8:30
Tennessee Valley Vipers @ Pensacola Barracudas, 8
Macon Knights @ Carolina Rhinos, 7:30
Saturday, May 12
Greensboro Prowlers @ Norfolk Nighthawks, 7
Rochester Brigade @ Richmond Speed, 7:30
Roanoke Steam @ Charleston Swamp Foxes, 7:30
Tallahassee Thunder @ Columbus Wardogs, 6
Florida Firecats @ Augusta Stallions, 7
Iowa Barnstormers @ Jacksonville Tomcats, 7:30
Quad City Steamwheelers @ Tulsa Talons, 8:30
Peoria Pirates @ Birmingham Steeldogs, 8:30
Louisville Fire @ Memphis Xplorers, 8:30
Arkansas Twisters @ Bossier City Battle Wings, 8
Lincoln Lightning @ Baton Rouge Blaze, 8:30

Week 6 results

Norfolk Nighthawks 39, Roanoke Steam 29
Tallahassee Thunder 60, Florida Firecats 45
Carolina Rhinos 38, Rochester Brigade 14
Jacksonville Tomcats 41, Pensacola Barracudas 38
Quad City Steamwheelers 55, Bossier City Battle Wings 43
Peoria Pirates 48, Iowa Barnstormers 34
Augusta Stallions 62, Columbus Wardogs 10
Richmond Speed 61, Macon Knights 46
Greensboro Prowlers 52, Charleston Swamp Foxes 21
Wichita Stealth 48, Lincoln Lightning 37
Tulsa Talons 65, Louisville Fire 37
Arkansas Twisters 49, Memphis Xplorers 28
Tennessee Valley Vipers 67, Baton Rouge Blaze 17
Birmingham Steeldogs 60, Lafayette Roughnecks 49

Attendance
* Total Attendance for Week 6 was 64,539, an average of 4,610 fans/game
* Total overall attendance 2001 season is 364,987 fans at 70 total games, an average of 5,214 fans/game.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The league office of arenafootball2 announced Tuesday that Jacksonville Tomcats OS Anthony Bright was named Player of the Week for Week 5.

Bright (6'1, 170, Valencia CC) broke a Jacksonville Tomcat single game receiving record and helped his team to a 41-38 win over the Pensacola Barracudas. Bright had 230 yards receiving, eight receptions and two touchdowns on the evening. The 230 yards is the third highest receiving output in af2 history. Bright opened the Jacksonville scoring by catching a 46-yard touchdown pass from Jeff McCrone in the first quarter. Then, with fifteen minutes remaining in the game, McCrone again hooked up with Bright, this time for a 20-yard score to tie the game at 38. The Tomcats eventually won the game on a field goal. Bright is now second in af2 in touchdown receptions (13), and fourth in the league in scoring.

Previous players named Player of the Week this season were:
Week 1-Jermaine Alfred (Augusta)
Week 2-Jeff Townsley (Richmond), Dee Jefferson (Greensboro)
Week 3-Craig Cole (Quad City)
Week 4-Matt Pike (Louisville)
Week5-Jarrail Jackson (Tulsa)

IRONMAN OF THE WEEK

The league office of arenafootball2 announced Tuesday that Wichita Stealth WR/DB Willie Grissom was named Ironman of the Week for Week 4.

Grissom (5'11, 195, Oklahoma State) turned in his best performance of the season on both sides of the football. On offense, Grissom caught five passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including the backbreaking 30-yard touchdown pass to seal the game for the Stealth in the fourth quarter. Defensively, Grissom was all over the field, intercepting two passes and returning one nine yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. On the evening, Grissom also tallied four tackles and defended two passes. The Stealth, behind Grissom's performance, improved their record to 3-2 and moved into a tie for third place in the Midwest division.

Previous players named Ironman of the Week this season were:
Week 1-Derrick Reeves (Augusta)
Week 2-Cedric Buchannon (Birmingham)
Week 3-Mike Chandler (Charleston)
Week 4-Cedric Buchannon (Birmingham)
Week 5-Jeremy Wilkinson (Quad City)

FORD TOUGHMAN OF THE GAME

A new honor this season, the Ford Toughman of the Game will be awarded to the player(s) who display the get-it-done attitude that allows their teammates to succeed. The kind of unselfish players that this award will honor are those players who make the big block for a touchdown, make the game-saving tackle or continually give up their body so that other players can get the impressive statistics. The list of players who receive this honor will be kept throughout the season and at the end of the season a Ford Toughman of the Year will be announced.

Week 6
OL/DL Stephan Holloway (Roanoke)
WR/DB Anthony Dixon (Florida)
FB/LB Mesiah Porter (Tallahassee)
OL/DL Jose White (Jacksonville )
FB/LB Kawonza Swan (Pensacola)
WR/LB Scott Hvistendahl (Quad City)
QB Sherard Poteete (Bossier City)
OL/DL Carl Wisnieski (Peoria)
OL/DL Garry Howe (Iowa)
OL/DL Glenn Mitts (Augusta)
WR/DB Marcus Whitehead (Macon)
OL/DL Chris Feggins (Richmond)
OL/DL Jeremy Johnson (Wichita)
QB Steve Luedtke (Lincoln)
FB/LB Corky Martin (Tulsa)
LB/RB Jesse Allen III (Memphis)
OL/DL Troy Davis (Baton Rouge)
FB/LB Robert Gordon (Tennessee Valley)
OL/DL Kendal Shello (Lafayette)
OL/DL Williams Mayes (Birmingham)

AFL's Week 4 statistics of 2000 af2 Graduates

Florida Bobcats:
FB/LB Curtis James (Tennessee Valley): 4 rushes, 5 yards, 2 TD

Los Angeles Avengers:
K Brian Reaves (Pensacola): 1-4 FG attempts

Nashville Kats:
FB/LB C.J. McClain (Arkansas): 3 tackles, 1 for a loss of 3 yards; 1 QB hit

Carolina Cobras:
WR/DB Carl Bond (Tallahassee): 4 receptions, 43 yds, 1 TD; 4 kick returns, 27 yds; 1 MFG, 14 yds

OL/DL Silas DeMary (Norfolk): 4 receptions, 35 yds; 1 tackle

Milwaukee Mustangs:
FB/LB Lawrence Lewis (Richmond): 4 rushes, 26 yds, 1 TD; 3 tackles; 1 QB hit

WR/DB Kahlil Carter (Arkansas): 2 receptions, 20 yds

New York Dragons:
WR/DB Shon King (Quad City): 9 receptions, 65 yds, 3 TD; 2 tackles; 1 pass deflection

Indiana Firebirds:
DS Cornelius Coe (Quad City): 14 tackles (11 unassisted); 1 pass deflection

Grand Rapids Rampage:
DS Jo Jo Polk (Tulsa): 1 INT, 20 yd return; 4 tackles; 2 pass deflections

Houston Thunderbears:
FB/LB Matt Kinsinger (Augusta): 2 tackles

OL/DL Sean McNamera (Quad City): 1 tackle

League News

Quad City set to tie all-time undefeated streak record A battle of undefeated teams hardly needs any extra fuel to stoke the fires within the competitive spirits of the players, but Saturday's game couldn't have any more on the line than it does.

The Quad City Steamwheelers (5-0) will travel to the Tulsa Talons (5-0) to try and tie the all-time professional football undefeated streak of 25 games. The 1921-23 Canton Bulldogs set the all-time record by going 22-0-3. The Steamwheelers have a 24-0 record since the inception of arenafootball2, but this week's matchup is the team's toughest test this season.

Quad City has outscored its opponents 294-76 this season, but its opponents have a combined record of 6-19 with only Peoria (3-2) posting a winning record.

Tulsa's opposition hasn't been much stronger than the Steamwheelers'. The Talons have outscored their opponents 249-185, but Tulsa's five opponents have a combined record of 8-17 with only Wichita (3-2) posting a winning record.

Fans can listen to the Quad City-Tulsa matchup on the internet at either: www.steamwheelers.com/listenlive.shtml or at www.bestoftulsa.com/tulsatalons/live_broadcast.shtml.

For the Record

Macon QB Will Burch will likely become the all-time passing yardage leader this week when the Knights play the Carolina Rhinos. With 207 yards passing in Week 6, Burch improved his career total to 4,358 yards (3,124 last season). That leaves him 60 yards shy of breaking the league record of 4,417 yards, set last season by former Arkansas QB Jon Nielsen. Right behind Burch is Birmingham's Chris Windsor, who has been neck-and-neck with Burch for the all-time mark throughout the season. Last week, Windsor had 208 yards passing, giving him 4,330 career yards, 88 shy of breaking Nielsen's record. Birmingham plays Peoria this week.

The scrambling ability of Baton Rouge QB Herb Tyler has put the first-year af2 player on track to set the league's all-time rushing record. Averaging nearly 30 yards per game (29.2), Tyler leads the league with 117 yards on 30 attempts. Tyler leads the list of four players-Memphis' Jeremy Scruggs (116 yards, 32 carries), Carolina's Randy Sullivan (110, 14) and Memphis' Quentin Cradle (107, 24)--who are all on pace to break the all-time rushing record set by Richmond's Bobby Phillips (322) from 2000-01.

Birmingham OS Wayne Thomas needs to score just nine points this week to become the all-time leader in points scored in the league. Thomas had two touchdowns last weekend, pushing his season total to 84 and his career total to 276. Fromer Quad City OS Shon King set the league record last season with 284 points.

Thomas and Tennessee Valley OS Kelly Fields are in a battle to see who will become the league's all-time receiving yardage leader-a record that will likely be set this weekend. Field currently has 580 yards this season, giving him a career total of 2,027 (1,447 last season) and leaving him 60 yards shy of setting the league record (2,086 by former Tallahassee OS Carl Bond). Thomas, who has 376 yards this season and 2,019 for his career, needs just 68 yards this week to break Bond's record.

Lincoln WR/DB Heath Staples leads the league in tackles with 44. Staples has more unassisted tackles (26) than all but 11 players have in total tackles.

Jacksonville WR/DB Russell Parker has 29 tackles this season, improving his career total to 106 (77 in 2000) and elevating him from tied for eighth in all-time tackles to fifth. He needs 2 more tackles to pass former Tennessee Valley OL/DL David Knott at the No. 4 spot for all-time tackles.

The Steamwheelers' 55-43 victory against Bossier City in Week 6 kept alive the team's 24-game winning streak, dating back to the 19-0 championship 2000 season. The victory means Quad City is now tied for the second-longest undefeated streak (Chicago Bears, 1941-43, 23-0-1 in its run) and can tie the longest undefeated streak in pro football history this weekend if it either defeats or ties Tulsa this week. The longest known undefeated streak is 25 consecutive games (3 ties) by the Canton Bulldogs from 1921-23, which Quad City could eclipse. If it keeps winning, Quad City would then take a shot at breaking the record on May 19 at the Tennessee Valley Vipers. Quad City defeated Tennessee Valley 68-59 in the ArenaCup 2000 championship. Quad City's winning streak is the longest in professional football history (17-0 Miami Dolphins, 1972-73; Chicago Bears, 1933-34).

Milestones

Carolina QB Randy Sullivan tied the 2001 record for most rushing yards in a game with his 63 last week (six carries). Sullivan's total tied Memphis FB/LB Jeremy Scruggs for the 2001 high and is No. 2 all time in league history (79, Richmond's Bobby Phillips, 2000).

Bossier City QB Sherard Poteete hit WR/DB Val Morris for a 49-yard completion, tying the longest completion. The Poteeete-Morris completion was the fourth 49-yard completion in the history of the league.

Tulsa K Tony Dodson converted one of his two 56-yard field goal attempts last week, setting the season record for the longest field goal. Dodson's kick is the second longest in league history, trailing only the 58-yarder by former Jacksonville K Jim Tarle (2000).

Tulsa's Jarrail Jackson tied the league record with his 58-yard kickoff return-the longest return possible in af2. Jackson is the second player this season (Macon's Sheddrick Risper) and the fourth in the history of the league to post a 58-yard kickoff return.

Notable & Quotable

• Lafayette coach Buford Jordan on his team's lack of first-half production: "It's not by choice that we're a second-half team. It's not fun having to play like that. I really thought we'd put two halves together. We've just got to get started from the beginning."

• Tennessee Valley coach Bret Munsey on playing Pensacola: "This will be a huge test for us. They have lost three very close games. They could easily be 5-0 right now."

• Pensacola DS Derric Coakley on last week's loss to Jacksonville: "I hate losing. It's an awful feeling and I am tired of feeling that way."

• Carolina coach Earnest Wilson on his team's stingy defense: "All of those guys are stepping up. Our guys have a lot of pride in what they're doing."

• Greensboro coach Gary Tufford on his team's upset of previously-undefeated Charleston last week: "This was a sweet victory. (Saturday night) this team learned how to win and they learned how to put people away."

• Norfolk QB Steve Fill on his team's first win of the season last week: "It's a new beginning. The piano, anchor and monkey are off our backs. This was huge, we've got a new coach [Mike Buck], a new offense and new record."

• Rochester coach Mark Saunders on his team's 1-4 record: "I'm still very enthusiastic about the season and believe we have a shot of turning this thing around and get back on track to win some games."

• Tallahassee WR/DB James Dickerson on leading the league in scoring: "It's great, but I would prefer if we were leading in wins."

• Iowa coach Art Haege on his team's loss last week: "Anything we gained last week with the win over Memphis [in Week 5] was lost at Peoria [in Week 5]. We are going to make some changes to get this thing in the right direction."

• Tulsa DS Itis Atkinson on playing Quad City, which will tie the record for longest undefeated streak in pro football history with a tie or win: "We recognize their record and all of the hype built up around the game. We just have to remain focused and stick to the fundamentals in order to win."

• Lincoln coach Jose Jefferson on his team's approach this week: "We are going to have to stop the Blaze running game. We are ranked 27th in the league in rushing defense and they have the No. 1 rated rusher in the af2. If we can contain [Baton Rouge QB] Herb Tyler, look for the Lightning to be coming back to Lincoln with a victory."

LAFAYETTE ROUGHNECKS (2-3) @ WICHITA STEALTH (3-2)
FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ 8:30 PM ET

ROUGHNECKS ... OS Donald Richardson returned to action last week after being out for two due to a sprained left ankle and had six catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. ... Have outscored their opponents 110-47 the second half of the past three games, but have only one win to show for it because they have been outscored 106-42 in the first half of those games. ... OL/DL Kendall Shello leads the team in sacks with five, including two last week. ... STEALTH ... DS Darius Ellison leads the league with five fumble recoveries. ... WR/DB Pat Norris is tied for the league lead in tackles for loss with five. ... OL/DL Jeremy Johnson leads the team in sacks with 6.5, which is the third-highest total in the league.

TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS (5-0) @ PENSACOLA BARRACUDAS (2-3)
FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ 8 PM ET

VIPERS ... Set team record with 67 points in last week's victory and have scored at least 50 points in four of five games this season. ... QB Matt Sauk threw for 371 yards last week, breaking the team record previously set by former QB Bryan Snyder. ... K Michael Proctor booted a 49-yard field goal last week, breaking the team record of 43 yards he set last season. ... BARRACUDAS ... WR/DB Robert Stromas leads the team in both receiving touchdowns (4) and tackles (30) and interceptions (2). ... OL/DL Jason Czap is third in the league with four tackles for loss. ... DS Derric Coakley has a team-high 7.5 sacks, which is second in the league.

MACON KNIGHTS (2-3) @ CAROLINA RHINOS (4-1)
FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ 7:30 PM ET

KNIGHTS ... QB Will Burch is third in the league with 1,234 passing yards. ...DS Elton Davis leads the team with 10 passes broken up. ... Have recorded 10 interceptions this season, but the Carolina offense has thrown only one all season. ... RHINOS ... Have outscored opponents 47-0 in the third quarter of the last four games. ... WR/DB James Scott had nine catches for 99 yards and four touchdowns last week, breaking previous team records for both receptions in a game (8 previously) and touchdown receptions (3). ... WR/DB Mike Holaren's 24-yard run last week was a new team record.

GREENSBORO PROWLERS (3-2) @ NORFOLK NIGHTHAWKS (1-4)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 7 PM ET

PROWLERS ... WR/DB Terry Moseby had 12 tackles, a forced fumble and eight passes defensed in lat week's upset of Charleston. DS Dee Jefferson leads the team with four interceptions. ...OS Demeco Archangel is second in the league averaging 202.2 all-purpose yards per game. ... NIGHTHAWKS ... DS Chris Pointer leads the team in tackles (26) and interceptions (3). ... In his first game as Norfolk head coach, Mike Buck moved QB Steve Fill back into the starting role last week and Fill responded by completing 13-of-14 attempts including two touchdowns. ... FB/LB Darnell Wilson leads the team with four sacks, which is fifth in the league overall.

ROCHESTER BRIGADE (1-4) @ RICHMOND SPEED (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 7:30 PM ET

BRIGADE ... WR/DB Aaron Fix leads the team in tackles (18) and interceptions (3) and has the only defensive touchdown (37-yard interception return) despite playing in just four games. ... The team is seeking its first road victory in team history. ... OS Derek Baker leads the league with 1,099 all-purpose yards, an average of 219.8 per game. ... SPEED ... OL/DL Bo Thomas had two sacks last week in his Richmond debut. ... With five touchdowns last week, WR/DB Jeff Townsley is second in the league in scoring with 90 points. ... Are seeking to score at least 60 points in their third consecutive game for the first time in team history.

ROANOKE STEAM (1-4) @ CHARLESTON SWAMP FOXES (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 7:30 PM ET

STEAM ... DS Loren Johnson is second in the league in tackles (36) and third in the league for tackles for loss (2). ... OS Antoine Calloway leads the league in receptions (46) and is No. 8 in overall scoring (66 points). ... QB Roy Johnson is fifth in the league in rushing with 88 total yards. SWAMP FOXES ... With two more touchdown passes, QB Ray Isaac will break the team record of 26 set by former QB John Craven last season. ... With one more sack, OL/DL Preston Vinson will tie the team record for most in a season (4.5). ... Charleston currently has as many wins (4) as it did in the entire 2000 season.

TALLAHASSEE THUNDER (2-3) @ COLUMBUS WARDOGS (0-5)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 6 PM ET

THUNDER ... WR/DB James Dickerson has caught at least one pass for 30 yards or more in every game this season, including last week when he had a team-high 191 yards receiving on 12 receptions. ... OL/DL Ernest Certain has at least one sack in three straight games. ... WR/LB Mesiah Porter and DS Kevin Cleveland are tied for the team lead in tackles (24). ... WARDOGS ... OS Ty Butterfield is sixth in the league in receptions (39). ... K Stan Whitlock is tied for the fifth in the league with five field goals despite playing in just three games. ... Columbus seeking its first win in team history.

LINCOLN LIGHTNING (2-3) @ BATON ROUGE BLAZE (3-2)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 8:30 PM ET

LINCOLN...Have lost two straight games for the first time this season...DS David Johnson ranks 3rd in af2 in interceptions with 5 for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns...Have two player in the top three in the league in tackles, Heath Staples (1st) and David Johnson (3rd)...OS Damon Benning has the second most return yards in af2 (308)...QB Josh Luedtke has completed over 55% of his passing attempts and thrown for over 1,000 yards in five games...Lincoln has 11 interceptions on the season, which is the 3rd most in af2...Lightning rank 27th in af2 in rushing defense giving up 42 yds/g...BATON ROUGE...Coming off their worst performance of the season last week in losing to Tennessee Valley by 50 points...QB Herb Tyler leads af2 in rushing and rushing touchdowns, averaging 29 yp/g and scoring 7 touchdowns...K Danny Boyd has converted 17 of 19 PAT's and just under 50% of his field goal attempts on the season...OL/DL Quincy Sorrell is 4th in the league in tackles (32).

ARKANSAS TWISTERS (1-4) @ BOSSIER CITY BATTLE WINGS (1-4)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 8:00 PM ET

ARKANSAS...Notched their first victory of the season last week on the road at Memphis...Twisters secondary tied a franchise record with 5 interceptions in the game...WR/LB Lennie Johnson tied a Twisters season record with 3 touchdown receptions last week...2nd in af2 with 16 sacks on the season...QB Ricky Hebert completed passes to eight different receivers last week, and had 5 passes of 30-yards or more...WR/DB Ted Alford is tied for 4th in af2 in fumble recoveries with 4...Twisters rank 6th in passing offense, averaging 234 ypg...BOSSIER CITY...Turned in a strong performance last week on the road against the defending champion Steamwheelers in losing by 12...K Marty Kent has converted on 40% of his field goal attempts (2nd in af2) and 87% of his PAT's...OL/DL Michael Moncrief is tied for 2nd in af2 with 4 tackles for a loss on the season...Moncrief spent time in the Twisters organization in 2000...OL/DL Chris Sibley has recovered 3 fumbles on the season (3rd in af2).

LOUSVILLE FIRE (1-4) @ MEMPHIS XPLORERS (0-5)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 8:30 PM ET

LOUISVILLE...Dropped their 3rd straight road game last week at Tulsa...OL/DL Jason Thorne is tied for 2nd in af2 with 4 tackles for a loss...FB/LB Alan Campos had 1.5 sacks in last weeks game...QB Matt Pike leads the team in both passing and rushing...Rank 6th in af2 in pass defense, giving up only 176.0 ypg...Fire rank 26th in af2 in scoring (104 points)...Rank 2nd in af2 in missed field goal return yardage (27.5 ypg)...MEMPHIS...Remain the only winless team in af2...Lead af2 in rushing offense, averaging 60 ypg on the ground...FB/LB Quentin Cradle ranks 1st in kickoff return average (29.0 ypg)...Xplorers have given up 19 sacks on the season (2nd highest total in af2)...One of two af2 teams to convert all of their PAT attempts (12-12).

PEORIA PIRATES (3-2) @ BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 8:30 PM ET

PEORIA...Have their first two-game winning streak of the season after defeating Iowa at home last week...OL/DL Shawn Wright has forced 2 fumbles on the season (2nd in af2)...OL/DL James Jackson has 3 tackles for a loss putting him in a tie for 3rd in af2...DS Shedric Harris ranks in the top ten in tackles (28) and passes defended (12)...Rank 1st in af2 in rushing defense yielding only 4.0 ypg...Lead af2 in two point conversions (5)...Have recovered 14 fumbles on the season (2nd most in af2)...BIRMINGHAM...Win last week over Lafayette was the Steeldogs' 3rd consecutive road win of the season...OS Wayne Thomas needs just 9 points to become af2's all-time leading scorer...OL/DL William Mayes set a Birmingham team record with 3 sacks last week in Lafayette, the Steeldogs as a team set a record with 5 total sacks...The 3 road victories already eclipses last years road win total of 2...DS Adlai Trone and Terrance Harris have a combined 7 interceptions on the season...Have intercepted 13 passes on the season (most in af2).

QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (5-0) @ TULSA TALONS (5-0)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 8:30 PM ET

QUAD CITY...Won their 24th straight game last week at home against Bossier City...Their next win will tie the all-time consecutive winning streak in professional football...Have won their five games by an average of 44 points...QB Jay McDonaugh threw his first interception of the season last week, McDonaugh is 3rd in af2 in QB rating (130.5)...Set a team record last week with 5 quarterback sacks...Lead the league in sacks (17)...OS Craig Cole currently ranks 5th in all-purpose yards (172.0 ypg)...K Brion Hurley is 2nd amongst kickers in scoring (42 points)...Have scored 14 rushing touchdowns on the season (most in af2)...TULSA...Off to their best start in franchise history winning their 5th straight game last week...Team scored 9 touchdowns last week in their win over Louisville (most in team history)...K Tony Dotson's 56-yard field goal last week tied him for the second longest field goal in af2 history (58 yards is the longest)...OL/DL Corky Martin has recovered 4 fumbles on the season (tie for 2nd in af2)...Winner of this game will take sole possession of the Midwest division.

IOWA BARNSTORMERS (1-4) @ JACKSONVILLE TOMCATS (4-1)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 7:30 PM ET

IOWA...Road woes continued after losing last week to Peoria by 14...QB Anthony Buich had another strong performance in his 2nd af2 start connecting on 20-32 passes and 5 total touchdowns...WR/LB Mitch Allner intercepted a pass for the 2nd consecutive game...Have 73 first downs on the season (4th most in af2)...OS Gerrick Bivins ranks 9th in receiving (33 receptions)...Looking for their first road victory of the season...JACKSONVILLE...Beat Pensacola last week to notch their 4th victory of the season...OS Anthony Bright earned af2 Player of the Week accolades after his 230-yard receiving performance (3rd most in af2 history)...QB Jeff McCrone ranks 2nd in passing yards (1,303) and total offense (260.0 ypg)...DS Russell Parker has 29 tackles on the season (tied for 7th in af2)...Tomcats rank 2nd in passing offense (260.8 ypg) and allow only 214 ypg game on defense.

FLORIDA FIRECATS (1-4) @ AUGUSTA STALLIONS (5-0)
SATURDAY, MAY 12 @ 7:00 PM ET

FLORIDA...Lost last week on the road at Tallahassee 60-45...K Wes Virgilio became the youngest professional football player when he took the field last week...DS Anthony Jones leads the team in tackles with 20...Firecats have only gained 5 turnovers on the season, least amount in amongst af2 teams...Are the only af2 team yet to convert on a field goal attempt this season (0-12)...AUGUSTA...One of four undefeated teams remaining in af2...If the Stallions win, it would be their 11th consecutive home win, which would tie the current record held by Quad City...Lead af2 with a +18 turnover margin, causing 23 turnovers and have given up the ball only 5 times this season...Head Coach Mike Hold played against Florida Coach Jim Jensen back in 1993, Jensen played with the Miami Hooters and Hold with the Orlando Predators...OL/DL Glen Mitts and Clarence Williams lead af2 in fumbles forced (2).

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