Arkansas Diamonds Vs Austin Turfcats Game Notes
March 18, 2010 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Arkansas Diamonds News Release
Austin Turfcats (0-1)
at Arkansas Diamonds (2-0)
Date: Saturday, March 20th
Kickoff: 7:05 PM CT
Site: Verizon Arena
National Anthem: Lauren Clark
Coin Toss: Travis Douglas
Officials:Travis Douglas (Referee),
Lin Hart (Umpire)
Mark Huffman (Head Linesman),
Mark Bailey (Line Judge)
Brandon Harrell (Back Judge)
Radio: Creative Sports Network (Mike Harrison)
TV: None
Series Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: First meeting of the teams in the new league.
Streaks: Two game winning streak
Coaches: Danton Barto (2-0; 0-0 playoffs, First Season)
THE STAKES: Coach Barto is looking for his third straight win in the IFL and looking for a second straight home win for the Diamonds.
THE SERIES: With the start of a new season, the series between these two teams is to be established. This game is the start of the series between these two teams in this league.
THE IFs:
If Arkansas defeats Austin, it would...
Give Arkansas a 1-0 series record with Austin
Give Arkansas a 2-0 home record in 2010
Give Danton Barto a 3-0 record as an IFL head coach
Give Arkansas a three-game regular season winning streak
Give Arkansas its second home, third IFL win in team history
The Arkansas Diamonds Report
Arkansas Diamonds with a Strong Start of 2 and 0
By: J. Hurley
With the win over the San Angelo Stampede Express last Friday the revamped Arkansas Diamonds move to 2 and 0 to start the season. Being the only team in the Lone Star East that is undefeated maybe a small victory this early in the season but should do wonders for momentum and confidence in this three home game stretch. In addition getting wins now might be of extra importance with a majority of the Diamonds road games coming at the end of the season.
Overall the team looked good in their home opener against the San Angelo Express Stampede. The offense they moved the ball well against the Express defense and they were able to put up six by working holes in the Stampede secondary. Special teams looked good with Poole and Blalock putting up nearly 100 return yards. Unfortunately the secondary is an area where the Diamonds defense struggled early in the game. Mychal Carrillo was able to get free in the secondary for big gains up until the 3rd quarter. With any luck the adjustments made to the secondary at halftime will carry over the next weekend when Arkansas plays the Austin Turf Cats.
Austin will be playing their second road game of the season after coming off a loss at Corpus Christi of 51-36. The Turf Cats had turnover problems from the start of their first offensive drive and by the end of the game they had given up the ball six times. But poor ball handling was not the only thing that hurt the Turf Cats; penalties cost them almost 150 yards. This is the Turf Cats first year in the IFL after moving over from the SIFL at the end of the 2009 season. In the first season in the SIFL in 2009 they went 10-2 and placed second at the end of the year. They have a fairly deep roster that is fed by many of the smaller colleges in Texas as well as a few players from Sunbelt. In their second road game they will be facing a tenacious undefeated Arkansas Diamonds team fresh off a home opener win they are looking to end week three with another W.
HEAD COACH:
Danton Barto capped his second season with the Manchester Wolves in 2009 with a second consecutive trip to the arenafootball2 league playoffs. In 2008, he lead the team to its most successful campaign in franchise history, when the Wolves advanced all the way to the American Conference championship game as the seventh-seeded wild card team before falling to the eventual ArenaCup champions. Barto, who is legendary as both a coach and a player in arena football, has established himself as one of the top coaches in the history of the af2. Prior to the 2009 season, which was the af2 10th anniversary season, he was voted the fourth best head coach of all time by his peers, the media and the fans nationwide. He entered last season as the fourth-winningest coach in the league and by season's end he was the third most successful of all time. Barto joined the Wolves after serving as the head coach of the Arena Football League's Las Vegas Gladiators in 2007. Over the previous five years, he was the head coach of the af2 Memphis Xplorers and crowned his tenure there with honors as the af2 Coach of the Year and the ArenaCup Championship in 2005. During the 2004-05 season, Barto had the highest winning percentage of any coach in the af2.  In each of his first four years with the Xplorers, his teams improved their number of victories with each successive season. On the way to af2 Coach of the Year honors and the ArenaCup Championship in 2005, he led the team to its best season in franchise history with a 13-3 regular season mark and the Midwest division title.  As a professional player, Barto enjoyed a five-year career in both the AFL and the Canadian Football Leagues. In the AFL, he played for the Connecticut Coyotes, Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs, Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Ottawa Rough Riders. During a stand-out collegiate career from 1990 to 1993, he became a legend at the University of Memphis. Barto is the only player in Tigers history to be named to the All-America team in three different seasons, and he still holds the record for career tackles with 473 hits. Moreover, he was nominated twice for the prestigious Dick Butkus Award given annually to the nation's most outstanding linebacker. The Memphis Tigers recognized his accomplishments in 2008 by granting him the high honor of induction into the university's Hall of Fame. Barto, who is a native of Niceville, Florida, maintains a permanent residence in Collierville, Tennessee with his wife, Rachel, and their 11-year-old son, Will.
LAST SERIES MEETING: This is the first meeting between these two teams in this league.
SERIES NOTABLES: No stats available
FAMILIAR FACES: With a new coaching staff and team, the Diamonds are looking to become known in the Arkansas area.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
DROPBACK: Diamonds won their second game of the season against San Angelo 33-26.
FORWARD MOTION: Next game for the Diamonds will be against Abilene at home in Little Rock, Ar
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