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Austin Wranglers game notes

May 12, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Austin Wranglers News Release


AUSTIN WRANGLERS (8-5) vs. ORLANDO PREDATORS (7-6)

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2004, 2 P.M. CENTRAL, FRANK ERWIN CENTER

WRANGLERS RADIO

All Austin Wranglers football games can be heard on Z102, 102.3 FM, with veteran sports radio announcer Craig Way 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 Sunday's game and take phone calls on The Zone 1300 AM with Bucky Godbolt Monday night, 7-8 p.m.

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.

Jay Gruden
Orlando Predators
Head Coach/Director of Football Operations

One of the most successful players and head coaches in AFL history, Jay Gruden returns for his second stint with the Orlando Predators as Head Coach and Director of Football Operations. Gruden returned to the post last summer, after the tragic death of Fran Papasedero in a June 19, 2003 automobile accident.

He began his AFL career in 1991 as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Storm. Over the next six seasons, Gruden led the Storm to a 9-1 record and MVP honors. Gruden left the playing field after the 1996 season, signing a three-year contract to become offensive coordinator of the expansion Nashville Kats. During his first season in that capacity, Nashville won an expansion-record 10 games. Gruden was credited with developing Andy Kelly into one of the top quarterbacks in the League.

With the untimely death of his close friend Papasedero, Gruden reluctantly agreed to assume the head coaching duties of the Predators three weeks after the season ended. For his professional career, Gruden has posted some incredible numbers. As a head coach, he owns a 43-23 record and has won a pair of titles. He ranks in the top 10 in career passing stats with more than 20,000 yards, close to 400 touchdowns and four AFL titles. A two-time All-Arena selection and one-time League MVP, Gruden won 15 of 19 post-season starts. He was 84-25 (.770) as a starting quarterback and 10-5 (.667) as an assistant coach. Counting his 43-23 (.651) record as the head coach with the Predators, Gruden takes an all-time AFL record of 137-53 (.721) into the 2004 season. He was the first person in AFL history to win an AFL title as both a player and a coach. During the 2002-03 season, Gruden became the only active player to was a member of the AFL Hall of Fame.

LAST WEEK

Austin, TX—The mothers of the Austin Wranglers have got to be proud, as their inaugural season looks as if it will land them in the playoffs. Their 48-36 victory over their interstate rival has all but solidified a playoff spot as well as leaving the Dallas Desperados on the outside looking in.

In a game filled with penalties and Dallas mishaps, Austin played opportunistic football by capitalizing off the Desperados' mistakes. After owning a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, WR/LB Darryl Hammond recovered an arrant kick that bounced off the top upright giving possession back to Austin. Austin never looked back as Wranglers QB John Kaleo connected with WR/DB Charlie Davidson for the two-score lead after two pass interference calls on the Dallas secondary. Former Desperado OL/DL Tom Briggs got a pair of sacks and was awarded the ADT Defensive Player of the Game. Even though Dallas had more total offensive yardage in the contest, their 11 penalties cost them 81 yards and essentially the game. Austin gets to stay at home for another week as they host the Orlando Predators who are also vying for playoff position. Dallas looks to rebound as they visit the 9-4 Chicago Rush.


Box Score 1 2 3 4 Final
Austin 14 14 14 6 48
Dallas 7 8 7 14 36

2004 STATISTICAL COMPARISON

AUS ORL
First Downs 272 234
Total Yards Gained 3,732 3,346
Average per Game 287.1 257.4
Net Rushing Yards 329 469
Average per Game 25.3 36.1
Net Passing Yards 3,403 2,877
Average per Game 261.8 221.3
Kickoff Returns 68 69
Average Yards per Return 16.5 15.1
Time of Possession 32:16 29:49
Touchdowns 96 82
Points Scored 683 617

THE WRANGLERS ARE...
Record
5-2 At home
3-3 On the road

3-0 Against Eastern Division
2-2 Against Central Division
3-2 Against Southern Division
0-1 Against Western Division

5-2 With a spread of seven or more points
3-3 With a spread of six or fewer points

8-3 When Kaleo throws one or fewer INTs
0-2 When Kaleo throws two or more INTs

WRANGLERS STOPS

Stops on 4th down 8
Stops in Red Zone 11
Interceptions 5
Fumble recoveries 16
Field Goals 8
MFG 7
End of Half Stops 7
Total Stops on the Season 62
Average Stops/Game 4.8

WRANGLERS SCORING

Touchdowns No. # of players
Total Touchdowns 96 20
Receiving touchdowns 73 14
Rushing touchdowns 20 8
Return touchdowns 3 3

Miscellaneous scoring________________________
Field Goals 6/15 1
K-PATs 76/87 1
Two-point Attempts 6/9 4

WRANGLERS TO WATCH

OS TACOMA FONTAINE – In his first AFL season he is having a huge impact on the Wrangler offense. He has been the team leader in all-purpose yards in seven of the ten games he has played this season. In Week 13, he made four catches for 83 yards, breaking 1,000 receiving yards on season. His numbers have situated him in the top 20 in the league for most all-purpose yards with 1,390 total, and in the top 10 for most receiving yards in the league with 1,034 yards. On the season, he has registered 66 catches for 21 touchdowns and 128 points, which ranks him in the top 20 for leading scorers, nonkickers, in the league.

TE/DE AARON HUMPHREY – This AFL rookie and Texas-Ex has become essential to the Wranglers defense. In Week 13, he made several key tackles, including a stop in the third quarter when he nailed a Dallas kickoff returner, downing the ball on the Dallas four yard line. His numbers against Dallas totaled three solo tackles, one of those for a loss. This defender is also in the top 25 in the league for most fumble recoveries and top 15 in the AFL for most forced fumbles. On the season, he has accumulated 11.5 tackles, eight solo, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery which he took back for a Wranglers touchdown.

FB/LB DERYL LANE – This eight-year AFL veteran is working up a storm on both sides of the line. In Week 13 on defense, he made one assist, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Offensively in Week 13, he rushed seven times for 14 yards and a touchdown. His carries hit a franchise record for most rush attempts in a game during the 2004 season. He is in the top 50 leading rushers in the AFL with 16 attempts for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively this season he has accumulated four tackles, two solo, one pass defensed and two quarterback hurries.

PREDATORS TO WATCH

DS KENNY MCENTYRE – In his seventh AFL season, he continues as one of the top defenders in the league on 2004. After making two interceptions in Week 13, he has jumped to the top of the league in most interceptions with nine for 123 yards, bringing one back for a touchdown. With two Defensive Player of the Year awards under his belt in 2000 and 2001, his consistency comes as no surprise. He is in the top 10 in the AFL for most combined tackles with 68.5 total, 62 solo. On the season, he has also accumulated 8 passes defensed, four fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

WR/LB CORY FLEMMING – This eight-year AFL veteran is still strutting his stuff on the field and making huge impressions offensively. In Week 13 he snagged five passes for 56 yards and one touchdown, as well as four kick returns for 53 yards, totaling 109 all purpose yards on the game. This helped bump him to the number-two spot in the league for most receptions with 106 catches this season. With 1,318 total yards, he is also ranked in the top five in the league for receiving yardage leaders and yards from scrimmage.

QB JOEY HAMILTON – This AFL rookie has stepped up to lead the Orlando offense in 2004. He is the seventh ranked quarterback in the league, behind Austin's John Kaleo, with 188 completions out of 296 attempts for 2,259 yards and 46 touchdowns. His game goes beyond passing as he has been a strong rusher for the Predators. In his first meeting with the Wranglers, Hamilton tried to sneak into the end zone for a touchdown but was called out of bounds at the one yard line, which gave the Wranglers the win. Since then, Hamilton has become the 15th ranked rusher in the league with 24 carries for 106 yards and five touchdowns.

ATTAINABLE MILESTONES
* Denotes Rookie


OL/DL TOM BRIGGS
· 5 sacks from 40 total career
· 3.5 tackles from 165 total career

WR/LB DARRIN CHIAVERINI*
· 6 receptions from 50 career receptions
· 15 yards from 450 career receiving yards
· 4 touchdowns from 15 career touchdowns
· 6.5 tackles from 25 career tackles

WR/DB CHARLIE DAVIDSON
· 4 receiving touchdowns from 100 career receiving touchdowns
· 6 receptions from 85 receptions on the season
· 1.5 tackles from 310 career tackles
· 4 tackles from 35 tackles on the season


WR/LB DARRYL HAMMOND
· 2 receptions from 720 career receptions
· 5 receptions from 45 receptions on the season
· 18 yards from 375 receiving yards on the season
· 3 touchdowns from 15 touchdowns on the season

QB JOHN KALEO
· 37 completions from 2,150 career completions
· 5 touchdown passes from 425 career touchdowns
· 4 touchdowns from 75 touchdown passes this season
· 8 completions from 300 completions on the season
· 98 yards from 3,500 passing yards this season

DS CEDRIC WALKER
· 6 tackles from 535 career tackles
· 100th regular-season career AFL contest
· 2 pass breakups from 80 career breakups
· 3 interceptions from 25 career interceptions
· 4 tackles from 65 tackles on the season

WRANGLERS ROSTER NOTES


ROUND TWO—The Austin Wranglers kicked off this year's inaugural performance in a Week Two contest against the Orlando Predators at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando. In an overtime performance, the Wranglers handed Orlando their second-consecutive loss when Predators QB Joey Hamilton stepped out of bounds short of the endzone on a two-point conversion attempt for the win. With the score settling 49-48, Austin notched the first win of their 2-0 start.

SLOW ORLANDO'S ROLL—Orlando has won four of their last five games and handed the New Orleans VooDoo their first defeat in the New Orleans Arena in Week 14. With a good defensive performance in the latter half of the season, Orlando will have to contend the Wranglers second-ranked offense that has been consistently producing, putting up an average of 52.5 points per game this season and posting an average of 287.1 yards per game. Orlando is fighting for a league-record 13th consecutive playoff berth, but has to battle a Wranglers team that came up with a crucial win against Dallas last Sunday to advance their own pursuit for the playoffs.

IT'S ALL POINTS ON THE BOARD—Although QB John Kaleo threw for a season-low 128 yards, his only game posting fewer than 200 yards this season, his Week 14 performance was his second-straight game without an interception. At the half, Kaleo had only completed eight passes for 70 yards, but in true Arena Football style, the Wranglers led the Desperados, 28-15, going into the intermission. The 13-point advantage is the largest lead they have carried going into the second half all season. The Wranglers were also able to maintain control of their game by sacrificing only 35 yards on five penalties. Dallas struggled creating a deficit of 81 yards on 11 different penalty calls.

MAKING THE PLAY—With only 15 completed passes on the game, QB John Kaleo made each reception count, completing 30 percent of those for touchdowns. Of the four different receivers catching touchdown passes, two scored every time they touched the ball. WR/LB Darrin Chiaverini made two catches, both touchdowns and OL/DL Ramon Richardson made only one reception on the game for a touchdown. Among the other notable reception: touchdown ratios, WR/LB Darryl Hammond posted three receptions for one touchdown and WR/DB Charlie Davidson had five catches for a touchdown.

BIG GUYS IN THE ENDZONE—With several high-scoring performances in their inaugural season, some unlikely players have brought in points for the Wranglers. Five linemen account for a total of 60 points in the Wranglers 96-touchdown performance this season. OL/DL Jeremy Beutler leads the linemen in scoring, rushing the ball for a touchdown five times and making one reception in the endzone. Tom Briggs and Ramon Richardson have each scored off of a pass from QB John Kaleo. TE/DE Aaron Humphrey recovered an opponent's fumble and brought it back for a touchdown and former Wranglers lineman Jamarr Ward picked up a fumble for a score, as well.

POINT OF CONTENTION—2003 AFL Lineman of the Year, Tom Briggs, had another exceptional performance in Week 14 against his former team. Briggs brought down the Dallas quarterback two times for a loss of seven yards. With those two sacks, he now leads the AFL with 7.5 on the season and holds a career total of 35, moving him to sixth place on the AFL's all-time career sack list.

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.

2004 AUSTIN WRANGLERS SCHEDULE

Week Date Opponent Time/Results
1 BYE
2 Friday, February 13 @ Orlando Predators W 49-48
3 Sunday, February 22 TAMPA BAY STORM W 56-48
4 Friday, February 27 @ Colorado Crush L 37-35
5 Sunday, March 7 CAROLINA COBRAS W 56-55
6 Sunday, March 14 INDIANA FIREBIRDS L 64-41
7 Thursday, March 18 @ Detroit Fury W 70-58
8 Sunday, March 28 PHILADELPHIA SOUL W 65-60
9 Saturday, April 3 @ Los Angeles Avengers L 81-70
10 Sunday, April 11 GEORGIA FORCE W 42-26
11 Sunday, April 18 @ Tampa Bay Storm L 58-52
12 Sunday, April 25 NEW ORLEANS VOODOO L 63-59
13 Saturday, May 1 @ Grand Rapids Rampage W 40-27
14 Sunday, May 9 DALLAS DESPERADOS W 48-36
15 Sunday, May 16 ORLANDO PREDATORS 2:00 p.m.
16 Sunday, May 23 @ Georgia Force 2:00 p.m.
17 Sunday, May 30 @ New Orleans Voodoo 3:00 p.m.

GAMES IN ALL CAPS ARE HOME GAMES PLAYED
AT THE FRANK ERWIN CENTER
All game times and locations are subject to change



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 12, 2004


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