af2 Amarillo Venom

Amarillo Dusters game notes

May 12, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Amarillo Venom News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (2-3) at Amarillo Dusters (1-4)

Date: Saturday, May 12th, 2007

Kickoff: 7:30 pm CST

Site: Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum

Officials:

Referee: Mark Windham

Umpire: Michael Cooper

Head Linesman: Wayne Bernier

Line Judge: Chad Lorance

Back Judge: Michael Bailey

Radio: KWTS 91.1 FM

Internet Feed: www.dustersfootball.com

Broadcaster: Nat Hall, Play-by-Play

Series Record: OKC leads series 3-2

Streaks: OKC L1, Amarillo L4

Coaches: John Fitzgerald, Yard Dawgz

Steve Perdue, Dusters

THE STAKES: The Dusters have lost four consecutive games, and look to regain their stride and climb back into the win column. The Dusters have the chance to capture their 20th all-time victory at home, as they currently stand 19-10 at Cal Farley Coliseum. After losing a heart-breaker at Lubbock on Saturday, the Dusters face a must-win game against their division rivals.

The Yard Dawgz suffered a disappointing loss to their cross-state rivals, the Tulsa Talons, at home on Saturday night. The Yard Dawgz are currently 2-3, and in third place in the NFC Central Division.

Last season the Yard Dawgz and Dusters split the series, with each team winning on the road. The Yard Dawgz prevailed 61-44 on April 15th, while the Dusters returned the favor in Oklahoma City on April 29th with a 58-56 victory.

COACH PERDUE'S THOUGHTS ON THE DAWGZ:

"OKC has some weapons offensively, and they can rush the passer. We've got to prove to ourselves that we can win a close game. We've got to finish a game, and put the opponent away when we have the chance. We are still making too many mental mistakes. It's not physical. This is a great rivalry, and I expect it to be a war Saturday night. "

DUSTERS HEAD COACH STEVE PERDUE

'BERG' AMONG af2 LEADERS IN RECEIVING STATS:

Dusters' rookie receiver Steve Bergeski has made an impressive splash in af2. He is ranked 2nd in af2 in receiving yards per game, averaging 116 per contest. He is ranked 3rd overall in af2 with 583 receiving yards, trailing only Tiger Jones from Louisville and Magic Benton in Florida. The Dusters leading receiver in 2006 was Jon Roberson III, who is currently a member of the Dallas Desparados. Bergeski needs only 10 receiving yards to eclipse Roberson III's production from 2006.

KEY MATCHUP: QUARTERBACK PLAY

Oklahoma City quarterback Stan Hill and Amarillo quarterback Steve Panella are both looking to bounce back from disappointing performances last week. Hill went 16 of 35 for 269 yards and 2 interceptions in a disappointing loss to the Tulsa Talons at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday. Panella went 15 of 31 for 237 yards and an interception in a heart-breaking loss to the Lubbock Renegades in Lubbock. Hill is completing 63% of his passes on the season, but has tossed 7 interceptions in 5 games. Panella has only 3 interceptions in 167 attempts, but is completing only 52% of his passes. Both teams need a solid performance from their quarterback in order to walk away from the Amarillo Civic Center victorious on Saturday night.

DUSTERS COACHING STAFF

Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator: Steve Perdue

Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Jim Beverly

Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs Coach Quinn Cairo

DUSTERS DEPTH CHART VS. OKLAHOMA CITY

OFFENSE

QB Steve Panella Dustin Johnson

WR Craig Fulton Jr. Derek Watson

WR Jonah Russell

WR Steve Bergeski

FB Rich Bellina

G Adrian Limbrick

C Sione Ohuafi Adrian Limbrick

TE Vinnie Olson

DEFENSE

DB Aaron Williams Craig Fulton Jr.

DB Jahmal Fenner

DB Terrell Mingo

JB Pat Lindsey

MB Eric Hall

DE Jon Sessler Sione Ohuafi

NG Nala Saluni

DE David Ihedigbo

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Jacob Felton H Steve Bergeski KR Craig Fulton Jr.



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