Amarillo Dusters game notes
August 10, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Amarillo Venom News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Amarillo Dusters (9-8) at Memphis Xplorers (13-3)
Date: Friday, August 12th, 2005
Kickoff: 7:30 PM CST
Site: DeSoto Civic Center (8,444)
Officials:
Referee: Marc Curles
Umpire: Mark Baynes
Head Linesman: Rod Holloway
Line Judge: Chris Jamison
Back Judge: Brad Freeman
Radio: KPUR 1440 AM & internet broadcast at
www.dustersfootball.com
Donny Hooper Play by Play
Warren McCarty Color Commentary
Ray Boring Sideline Reporter
Tyler Hooper Field Mic
Series Record: 3rd Meeting (Memphis leads 2-0)
Streaks: Dusters W1, Xplorers W3
Coaches: Danton Barto, Memphis Xplorers
Steve Perdue, Amarillo Dusters
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dusters: Warren McCarty
Office (806) 322-7277
Cell (806) 584-5674
Xplorers: Eric Hills
Office (662) 342-1755
Cell (901) 212-4768
THE STAKES: The Dusters and Xplorers face off for the 3rd time this season, and the 2nd time in the DeSoto Civic Center. The Xplorers handed the Dusters their first-ever home loss at Toyota Field on April 8th. The Dusters then traveled to Memphis on May 14th, and battled the Xplorers in a hard-fought 46-40 contest. The Xplorers prevailed in that game as well. The Dusters are a mystery team at this point, as they snapped a franchise-record 4-game losing streak with their upset win over the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz last weekend. Meanwhile, the Xplorers are riding a 3-game winning streak and a well-earned bye week in the first round of the playoffs. The Xplorers will be searching for their first-ever playoff victory, while the Dusters look to advance to the Conference finals against the winner of the Rio Grande Valley vs. Tulsa matchup.
COACH PERDUE'S THOUGHTS ON MEMPHIS:
"Nobody outside of Amarillo thought we could do it against Oklahoma City, but we believed in each other. We went to war, especially in the fourth quarter. We found something in each other that we didn't have over the past month. We aren't blind to what is waiting on us when we get off that plane. We've gone toe to toe with Memphis twice, and both times they got us. We don't want it to happen again. We aren't supposed to win this game. Memphis is rested, and we are banged up and bruised. They are 13-3, and we are 9-8. We'll be on the road for the 5th straight week. They are on a 3-game winning streak, and they have demolished their last three opponents. They are disciplined, they are talented, and they are very well coached. Coach Barto and those guys do a great job, and we respect them. When you break it all down, it comes down to the fact that we believe in Dusters football, and we believe in us. We'll go to Memphis and we'll give em' hell."
KENDRICK WALKER RETURNS A KICK VS. MEMPHIS
DUSTERS INTERNET RADIO BROADCAST A HUGE SUCCESS
The Amarillo Dusters are developing a huge fan base nationwide, as the number of listeners for the game broadcast over the website has doubled since the season opener. "We have lots of players' families listening in across the country, and we've received dozens of e-mails from fans nationwide who are just interested in the Dusters and curious about us as an expansion team, " said Dusters play by play broadcaster Donny Hooper. "We have a unique broadcast for this level of football, in that we have a 15-year veteran football official as our sideline reporter (Ray Boring). He offers tremendous insight as to what is actually happening on the field. Tyler Hooper runs the parabolic field mic, so much like an NFL radio broadcast, our listeners can actually hear the quarterback bark the snap count, and try to draw the opponent offsides. Warren McCarty brings so much knowledge of the arena game to the broadcast, and helps the listener âsee' the routes and visualize the play itself. And mixed in with all of that, we have a great time and cut-up as much as we can. We have so much fun, and I think it makes our broadcast fun to listen to." The broadcast can be heard locally on 1440 AM The Score, Amarillo's ESPN Radio affiliate. Fans can also tune in via the Dusters website at www.dustersfootball.com.
KEY MATCHUP: LINE PLAY
Both teams possess excellent skill position players at the Quarterback, Offensive Specialist, WR/DB, and Defensive Specialist positions. The likely key to the game will be who wins the battle up front. Featuring af2 sack leader Khreem Smith, the Xplorers had 36 sacks in the regular season, while allowing only 16. The Dusters pass rush has come alive in the past two weeks, as the Dusters have had 7 sacks in the past two games. The Dusters are led by 2-way lineman Joe Massey, who had 6.5 sacks during the regular season and set the af2 record for blocked kicks in a season with 8.
DUSTERS INJURY REPORT & ROSTER MOVES
WR/LB Craig Fulton Jr. Shoulder Short-Term IR (dislocation)
WR/LB Marcus Owens Finger Activated from Short-Term IR
OL/DL Markevius Woods Hamstring Short-Term IR
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