AFL Playoff Push Approaching for Orlando Predators
June 23, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Orlando Predators News Release
Recent losses to Jacksonville and Tampa Bay aside, the Orlando Predators (8-5) are on pace to qualify for the Arena Football League playoffs for a record 19th-consecutive season. Saturday's matchup with South Division-foe Georgia is just the start of a crucial postseason push for the Preds.
After taking on the Force (8-6) this weekend, the Predators host the Pittsburgh Power (7-6) on Friday, July 1 when all veterans, nurses, teachers, firefighters and police officers will be granted free admission, courtesy of Dan Newlin.
The Predators return to the Amway Center on Saturday with a new single-season team record. Interceptions last week in the third quarter by Marlon Moye-Moore and Rayshaun Kizer gave Orlando 31 on the year, surpassing the 29 interceptions logged by the 1992 Predators. Kizer broke his own team record for interceptions in a season against Tampa Bay when he picked off his 13th pass of the season. Travis Coleman has eight interceptions on the year and Moye-Moore has seven.
The Preds defense has allowed just 27 of 73 third-down attempts (No. 2 in AFL) to opposing teams and rank No. 7 in scoring defense (50.9) and No. 9 in total defense (284.2). They'll be facing off against a Georgia team that features an impressive quarterback-wide receiver combo in Brett Elliot and Maurice Purify.
Elliot ranks No. 5 in total offense (286) and passing yards (282.7) per game. Purify ranks fourth in the league in scoring with a league-best 40 touchdown receptions. He's averaging 17.3 points per game and has 116 catches for 1,430 yards in 2011.
The last time these teams met up in back in April, Preds quarterback Nick Hill scored the final touchdown of the night on a 23-yard run to put Orlando ahead for good with 38 seconds to play. Kizer closed the door on Georgia two plays later when he intercepted Darnell Kennedy on an underthrown pass which fell short of the end zone.
This time around Hill is going against the No. 10 pass defense (265.2) and No. 11 scoring defense (53.4) in the league. Robert Durham ranks No. 6 in tackles per game (6.3) and Tracy Belton averages 5.6 tackles per game for Georgia. Belton leads the Force with eight interceptions on the year. Jerry Turner has six sacks for the Force and has recovered three fumbles while Ahmad Hawkins is averaging 1.86 pass defenses per game and has seven INTs.
Hill, who set a new single-season team record for rushing yards (347), continues to rank near the top of four different offensive categories. Hill leads the league with an average of 324.6 yards of total offense per game. As a team, the Preds rank No. 2 in the league in fourth-down conversions (21 of 34).
T.T. Toliver, Robert Quiroga, Bobby Sippio, and Josh Bush are each averaging over 12.3 yards per catch for Orlando, who has the No. 1 rated offense in the league at 318.8 yards per game.
Georgia holds a 9-7 lead in the all-time series after winning four of the first six meetings between the teams from 2002-04. After splitting the season series in 2005, the Force defeated Orlando 60-58 to advance to ArenaBowl XIX. The two franchises split the ensuing six meetings that followed from 2006-2008.
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