Austin Wranglers game notes

Published on March 15, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Austin Wranglers News Release


AUSTIN WRANGLERS (3-2) vs. DETROIT FURY (2-3)

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2004, 6:30 P.M. CENTRAL, THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS

WRANGLERS TELEVISION

All Austin Wranglers' inaugural-season away games will be televised live in Austin on Time Warner Cable Channel 77. All the action will begin at 6:30 p.m. with News8Austin sports anchor Jeff Power calling the action, and The Zone's Erin Hogan providing color commentary. The game will then be available on Central Texas On-Demand Channel 1301, Monday, free to Time Warner Cable Digital subscribers.

WRANGLERS RADIO

All Austin Wranglers football games can be heard on Z102, 102.3 FM, with veteran sports radio announcer Dave Garrett calling the play-by-play and Wranglers assistant general manager and NFL veteran Glyn Milburn handling the color announcing. Head Coach Skip Foster will analyze Thursday's game and take phone calls on The Zone 1300 AM with Bucky Godbolt Monday night, 7-8 p.m.

WRANGLERS DAY OUT

Every Tuesday you can find the Wranglers out in the Austin community. This past Tuesday the players were out at the Children's Hospital of Austin. Both the players and the children enjoyed the experience and the Wranglers are excited to get back out into the community this season.

On Tuesday, March 23, players will be reading at an Austin Independent School District elementary school. For information on covering Wranglers Day Out, contact the Wranglers Media Relations Department.

HEAD COACHES

Skip Foster
Austin Wranglers
Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Skip Foster is making his AFL head coaching debut with the Austin Wranglers this season. Foster, deemed the second most winning coach in arenafootball2 history, will also act as the Wranglers offensive coordinator.

Prior to joining the Wranglers, Foster served as the head coach for the 2003 af2 Champion Tulsa Talons. Foster lead the team to a 13-3 regular season record while accumulating 3,995 yards in total offense, 3,679 yards passing and 316 yards rushing. This offensive effort also concluded with Tulsa outscoring their opponents 823-690 in regular season play. The Talons totaled 745 yards in offense and outscored their postseason opponents 179-130 on their way to winning the 2003 ArenaCup. During his three years with Tulsa, Foster made history when he led his team to the National Conference Central Division Championship for two straight seasons and won the ArenaCup in 2003. Foster was the only af2 coach to go undefeated at home over three consecutive regular seasons.

Foster compiled a record of 82-39-2 at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas before moving to the Talons. Foster played for six Conference Championships during his 12 seasons as the head coach of the Red Ravens. In 1990, Foster led Coffeyville to a National Championship and an undefeated season. He was selected as Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Coach of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.

After serving as an assistant to his father, Dick Foster, for four seasons at Coffeyville, Skip took over the head coaching duties where Dick won a National Championship in 1983. They are the only father/son pair in the National Junior College Athletic Association to win a national championship at the same school. Skip played football for his father from 1979-1980 at Coffeyville. A graduate of Missouri Western State College, Foster earned a Bachelor of Science in Education.

Tom Luginbill
Detroit Fury
Head Coach

As part of the only father-son coaching tandem in the Arena Football League, he and his father Al, Luginbill steps into his first head coaching position in the AFL with the Fury after serving most recently as Fury assistant head coach in 2003. Last season, Luginbill helped reverse the Fury fortune from 1-13 in 2002 to 8-8 in 2003, and helped guide the franchise to their first-ever playoff victory. The regular season mark tied the AFL's single-season record for largest turnaround.

Prior to joining the Fury in 2003, Luginbill coached four different teams in four years. In 2002, Luginbill guided he expansion Dallas Desperados to a 7-7 record and a 1-1 record in the 2002 ArenaBowl playoffs. Under Luginbill, the Desperados set the record for most points ever scored by an expansion team in the AFL, and finished as the number one rated red-zone offense. Luginbill's scoring offense also ranked fourth in the league, averaging 53 points a game, and his passing offense finish the regular season ranked second in touchdowns and completions. Luginbill got his head coaching break in 2000, with the Tennessee Valley Vipers of arenafootball2 where he led the Vipers to a 10-6 record and a berth in the 2000 ArenaCup Championship. He also coached in the XFL, serving as the quarterback's coach for the XFL Champion Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001, where he coached league MVP and current Pittsburgh Steelers QB Tommy Maddox.

Prior to his coaching days, Luginbill played quarterback in the AFL for two seasons with the Florida Bobcats (1997) and the Texas Terror (1996). Luginbill played his college ball at Palomar Junior College, Georgia Tech and Eastern Kentucky University, starting at quarterback for all three schools. He received his Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Eastern Kentucky in 1996 and went on to earn a Master's degree in Health and Physical Education from Marshall University in West Virginia.

Born Jan. 3, 1974, Luginbill is the son of current Fury General Manager Al Luginbill. In the offseason, Tom and his wife, Tennille, reside in Auburn Hills.

LAST WEEK

AUSTIN, Texas—In a game between a winless Indiana team and the red hot expansion Austin Wranglers, it was a game that most fans felt comfortable going to. Most thought as they would leave the Frank Erwin Center they would be experiencing the same sensation as the past two home games before. This is why they play the game.

The Indiana Firebirds, a seven point underdog, came away with a 64-41 victory over the Wranglers, at one point scoring 41 unanswered points. Rookie quarterback and former Florida State Seminole Adrian McPherson went 11-20 for two touchdowns, while running in for three scores. Wrangler QB John Kaleo struggled on the day, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once in the end zone. Indiana was down 19-7 at one point early in the second quarter, but went on a scoring spree thanks to a productive offense that capitalized off of Austin's mishaps. On one bizarre play, K Tony Dodson attempted a field goal to close out the half. The kick missed wide left, and Firebird WR Evan Hlavacek fielded the ball off the net and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to close the half. Much of the rest of the game went Indiana's way as they made the most of their opportunities and prevailed in stunning fashion. Indiana, now 1-5, hosts Georgia next as the 3-2 Wranglers make the trip to Detroit to take on the Fury.

Detroit Fury fell to the New Orleans Voodoo, 31 – 45.

WEEK SIX STATISTICAL COMPARISON


AUS DET
First Downs 21 20
Net Yards Rushing 28 22
Net Yards Passing 299 305
Total Offensive Plays 53 44
Total Net Yards 337 327
Third-Down Conversions 5/9 5/7
Forth-Down Conversions 2/4 0/0

THE WRANGLERS ARE...
Record
2 -1 At home
1-1 On the road

1-0 In Eastern Division
0-2 In Central Division
2-0 In Southern Division

1-1 With a spread of 7 or more points
2-1 With a spread of 3 or fewer points
1-1 When the Wranglers score first

3-0 When Kaleo throws one or fewer INTs
0-2 When Kaleo throws two or more INTs

WRANGLERS TO WATCH

OL/DL JEREMY BUETLER – This lineman is one to watch on both sides of the line. On defense in Week Six he registered 1.5 total tackles and three quarterback hurries, as well as a blocked extra point kick which was returned by teammate WR/DB Charlie Davidson for two points. Offensively he came off the line to rush three times for eight yards, which brings his season total to 14 rushing attempts for 48 yards and one touchdown, which ties him at fourteenth among the AFL's leading rushers.

WR/LB BRANDON DANIELS – Bringing his game to a new level, this player is making headway on both sides of the line with only two games under his belt. Defensively in Week Six, he registered a tackle and a pass breakup, which brings his season total to 12 total tackles and one pass defended. Offensively, he accumulated seven catches for 70 yards in Week Six, which brings his season total to 12 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown. His only rushing attempt for the season was in Week Six with a one-yard push into the endzone for a touchdown.

WR/LB TACOMA FONTAINE – This two-way rookie is stepping up and continuing to make a strong impact on final scores; in only two games he has registered four touchdowns. In his second game for the 2004 season he led the team in kickoff returns with three returns for 26 yards in Week Six. He also led the Wranglers in receiving yards with eight catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, recording his first 100-yard receiving game of his 2004 season. After only two games he has accumulated 11 catches for 159 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season.

FURY TO WATCH

WR/LB THABITI DAVIS – In his second season, this two-way player has been making his presence felt on offense. In Week Six, he had eight catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, making it his second 100-yard receiving game this season. He ranks in the AFL Top 20 for receiving yards with a season total of 397 yards on 26 receptions and five touchdowns, with an average gain of 15.3 yards per reception.

QB ANDY KELLY – This eleven-year veteran currently holds the AFL's all-time single game record for most passing yards in a game with 375. In Week Six, he continued his success with 312 passing yard performance, completing 24 of 40 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions, bringing his season total to 125 completions of 216 attempts for 1,400 yards and 23 touchdowns. With Kelly running the show, the Fury lead the AFL in total yards per game, passing yards per game and first downs per game. Going into the 2004 season, Kelly held AFL records in Most Touchdown Passes, Career; Most Yards Gained, Career; Most Passes Completed, Career; and Most Passes Attempted, both Season and Career.

FB/LB DAWAN MOSS – This rookie is a threat on both sides of the ball this 2004 season. He leads the team in rushes with a total of 12 carries for 37 yards and one touchdown, including two rushes for 21 yards in Week Six. Defensively, he accumulated 2.5 tackles including a sack for a five yard loss, which brings his season total to two sacks for a loss of 10 yards. On the season defensively, he has racked up 12 total tackles, nine solo, and one interception.

ATTAINABLE MILESTONES


OL/DL TOM BRIGGS
· 4 sacks from 35 total career
· 2 tackles from 150 total career
· 2 games from 100th regular-season career AFL contest

OS SHANNON "SKINNY" CULVER
· 884 yards from 4,000 career receiving yards
· 20 catches from 250 career receptions
· 15 receiving touchdowns from 75 career receiving touchdowns

WR/DB CHARLIE DAVIDSON
· 2 receptions from 350 career receptions
· 1 games from 100th regular-season career AFL contest
· 11 receiving touchdowns from 100 career receiving touchdowns
· 5 tackles from 300 career total tackles

WR/DB-OS TACOMA FONTAINE
· 6 touchdowns from 10 career receiving touchdowns
· 41 yards from 200 career receiving yards
· 14 catches from 25 career receptions

QB JOHN KALEO
· 562 passing yards from 24,000 career yards
· 64 completions from 2,000 career completions
· 28 touchdown passes from 400 career touchdowns
· 58 pass attempts from 3,300 career attempts

DS CEDRIC WALKER
· 8.5 tackles from 500 career tackles
· 7 games from 100th regular-season career AFL contest
· 6 pass breakups from 80 career breakups
· 3 interceptions from 25 career interceptions

WRANGLERS ROSTER NOTES


BULL'S EYE—With his performance against Indiana, QB John Kaleo had his second outing that resulted in more than 300 passing yards (309). His 2004 performance has him ranked third in the AFL in completion percentage, connecting on 69.2 percent of his passes. Twenty-five of his 126 completions for the season have come on third-down. Consequently, he is the AFL's top-ranked passer in the category, completing 73.5 percent of his third-down attempts.


SKILLS—With 120 yards receiving in Week Six, WR/DB-OS Tacoma Fontaine was the third Wranglers receiver to rack-up more than 100 yards in a game. OS Skinny Culver and WR/DB Charlie Davidson each had 100+-yard games versus Tampa Bay (113) and at Orlando (151), respectively. After his seven-reception performance against Indiana, Davidson is now tied for the sixth-ranked receiver in the AFL with 39 catches for 411 yards.


UTILITY PLAYERS—Brandon Daniels and Brent Browner, originally listed as defensive specialists on the Wranglers roster, have taken on two-way roles on game day. For the past two contests, Daniels has been serving at wide receiver/linebacker and Browner has been assigned as a wide-out in addition to his usual duties at defensive back. In his new role, Daniels has scored three touchdowns for the Wranglers and has become the first Wrangler to score a touchdown both rushing and receiving. Browner's impact on offense was felt as he made two receptions for first downs versus Indiana.


RED-HOT ZONE— The Wranglers offense is ranked second in the AFL red-zone scoring. The unit has scored a touchdown on 22 of 24 possessions inside the 10-yard line for 153 total points. The Wranglers defensive unit also kicks it up in the red zone, ranking second in the league. The team has only allowed for 17 touchdowns when the opponents reach inside the 10-yard line.


SPECIAL DELIVERY—Wranglers kicker Tony Dodson leads the AFL in touchbacks, sending the ball into the stands 18 times so far this season. The coverage team also controls opponents' field position, stuffing their returners inside the 10-yard line on average.


TRULY OFFENSIVE— Skip Foster's offensive unit has continued to produce. Six weeks into the season, the Wranglers rank second in the AFL in total offense averaging 289.2 total yards per game and 269.2 passing yards per game (2nd in AFL). In a pinch, the offense comes through, converting on nine of 13 in fourth-down tries, ranking second in the AFL.

AUSTIN WRANGLERS SINGLE-GAME AND SEASON TICKETS

The Austin Wranglers have released single-game tickets for the team's 2004 inaugural season. Tickets are available for as little as $8 through Texas Box Office by calling 477.6060, logging on to www.texasboxoffice.com, visiting the Frank Erwin Center's Red River box office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., or visiting any HEB grocery store.

Season tickets and group tickets are still available through the Wranglers ticket office by calling 233.7800. All fans that purchased a season ticket package after that date can pick their tickets up at the Erwin Center Red River box office with photo identification.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 15, 2004


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