Birmingham Steeldogs game notes

Published on May 17, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Alabama Steeldogs News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Birmingham Steeldogs (3-3)
at Tennessee Valley Vipers (1-5)
Date: Saturday, May 20, 2006
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Site: Von Braun Center (6,642)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss:
Officials: Rusty Winn (Referee), Chris Hughes (Umpire), Rod Holloway (Head Linesman), Mike Shirey (Line Judge), Rod Skelton (Back Judge)
Radio: WAPI-1070 AM (Matt Coulter and Roger Shultz)
TV: None
Series Record: TVV 9-2
Last Meeting: TVV, 67-64, June 19, 2004 @ TVV
Streaks: Birmingham L1, Tennessee Valley L4
Coaches: Ron Selesky (22-16; 1-1 playoffs, 3rd Season
Overall; 3-3, 1st Season in Birmingham)
Chris Williams (1-5, 1st Season)

THE STAKES: The af2's inaugural rivalry has been on hiatus for nearly 700 days, ever since the Vipers abstained from af2 competition during the 2005 season. Despite the obvious motivation of beating a rival, both teams need the victory this week. The Steeldogs are itching to climb back above the .500 mark, while the Vipers are desperate to break their four-game losing streak.
THE SERIES: Doesn't exactly require a PhD to see that the series record is lop-sided in favor of the Vipers, six straight to begin the rivalry will do that. Since the August 3, 2002 playoff victory in Huntsville, Birmingham has kept the match-up much tighter. Since the 2002 postseason, the Vipers lead the series 3-2, with Birmingham picking up victories both home and away.
THE IFs:
If Birmingham defeats Tennessee Valley, it would...
- Be the Steeldogs' third win over Tennessee Valley
- Even the Steeldogs' road record at 2-2
- Put the Steeldogs back over .500 at 4-3 on the season
- Give Birmingham a 2-1 record in the South Division


BIRMINGHAM (3-3, Lost 1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/8 EVERETT 7:00 W 41-36
4/14 RIO GRANDE 7:00 L 43-44
4/21 @ Louisville 6:30 L 40-62
4/29 @ South Georgia 6:30 W 40-34
5/5 LOUISVILLE 7:00 W 63-60
5/13 @ Florida 6:30 L 44-62
5/20 @ Tennessee Valley 7:30 ---
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/27 MACON 7:00 Tied 4-4
6/3 @ Everett 9:30 BHM 1-0
6/10 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:00 Tied 2-2
6/17 @ Memphis 7:00 BHM 3-2
6/24 FLORIDA 7:00 FLA 5-3
7/8 @ Rio Grande 7:00 Tied 1-1
7/15 @ Macon 7:00 Tied 4-4
7/22 MEMPHIS 7:00 BHM 3-2
7/29 TENNESSEE VALLEY 7:00 TV 9-2

TENNESSEE VALLEY (1-5, Lost 4)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/1 MEMPHIS 7:30 L 25-47
4/8 @ South Georgia 6:30 W 58-50
4/15 @ Memphis 7:00 L 21-56
4/22 MACON 7:30 L 55-58
4/29 @ Arkansas 7:00 L 56-62
5/6 FLORIDA 7:30 L 37-76
5/20 BIRMINGHAM 7:30 --- TVV 9-2
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/27 LOUISVILLE 7:30 2-0
6/3 @ Florida 6:30 3-2
6/10 BAKERSFIELD 7:30 1-0
6/17 @ Bossier-Shreveport 7:00 5-1
6/24 QUAD CITY 7:30 3-6
7/8 @ Quad City 7:30 3-6
7/15 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:30 2-0
7/22 @ Macon 6:30 4-3
7/29 @ Birmingham 7:30 9-1

HEAD COACHES:
RON SELESKY, BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS
Head Coach Ron Selesky is an Arena Football League and af2 coaching veteran. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Columbus Destroyers in 2005 under Head Coach Chris Spielman. Prior to that, Selesky spent the 2004 season on the sidelines for the Carolina Cobras, beginning the year as the team's defensive coordinator before finishing the season as the head coach.

Selesky earned af2 Coach of the Year honors in 2002, guiding the expansion Albany Conquest to a regular-season mark of 13-3 and a Northeast Division title. He spent the 2001 season as the head coach of the Louisville Fire, leading the team to a 6-10 mark.

Selesky spent the 2003 season as head coach and director of football operations for the Buffalo Destroyers, prior to the team relocating to Columbus, Ohio. He also served as the director of player personnel and assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1997 to 1999. With the Storm, his teams compiled a 31-11 regular season record and earned a berth in the 1998 ArenaBowl.

CHRIS WILLIAMS, TENNESSEE VALLEY VIPERS
Chris Williams is 1-5 in his first season as head coach of the Tennessee Valley Vipers. He went 25-8 in two seasons as the head coach of the Odessa Roughriders. He has also served as an assistant coach in af2 with the Birmingham Steeldogs and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers.

He also has high school coaching stops during his coaching career. He most recently served as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Selma (AL) High School before going to Odessa.

A graduate of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Alabama, Williams was an outstanding running back during his high school playing days. He still ranks in the top five in all-time rushing yards at the school. Williams played the fullback position during his college playing days. He enjoyed his best year as a collegian, when as a junior, he rushed for 437 yards and 5 touchdowns at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Williams also spent one season at the University of West Alabama, rushing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in 1993. Williams played professionally in the Football League of Europe. In his most productive season he rushed for 1,089 yards and 21 touchdowns playing fullback for the Munich, Germany franchise.

LAST SERIES MEETING: June 19, 2004: After winning their first regular-season tilt in overtime against the Vipers in Birmingham weeks earlier, the Steeldogs dropped a heartbreaker in Huntsville, 67-64.
SERIES NOTABLES: This is the 12th meeting between the two teams, the Steeldogs oldest series. These two teams made up the first match-up in af2 history.

In the most significant game played between the two teams since the af2's debut back on March 31, 2000, the Steeldogs dropped the Vipers for the first time, 65-51, in the first round of the af2 playoffs on August 3, 2002 in Huntsville.
FAMILIAR FACES:
Vipers head coach Chris Williams was an assistant coach with the Steeldogs during the 2002 season.

Three current Vipers players cut af2 their teeth with the Birmingham Steeldogs: Johnny Anderson (2001-02), Jimmi Henson (2002-04) and Kendrick Rogers (2005).

Current Steeldogs kicker Alex Walls was the Vipers' kicker during part of the 2004 season.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
STEELDOGS
Player Rank Category Stat
Kerry Wright t-5th Scoring 78 pts
Kerry Wright 2nd All Purpose 179.4 p/g
Kerry Wright t-5th Scoring (TDs) 13
Kerry Wright 2nd Yards Per Catch 18.3
Kerry Wright 2nd Reception Yards 605
Kerry Wright 1st Rec. Yds/Gm 121.0
Kerry Wright t-7th Receiving TDs 12
Kerry Wright 10th FG Returns 2-21
Kerry Wright t-5th Kick Returns 19-271
Kerry Wright t-3rd Kick Return TDs 1
Mareno Philyaw 1st Yards Per Catch 24.0
Robert Kent 1st Offense Per Play 11.2
Terrell Browden t-6th Rushing 13.4 p/g
Terrell Browden t-7th Rush Attempts 21
Terrell Browden t-6th Rushing TDs 6
Terrell Browden t-4th Rushing Yards 67
Theo Sanders 9th Rush Attempts 20
Theo Sanders 8th Rushing Yards 63
Ryan Hawk t-6th Total Offense 1315 yds
Ryan Hawk 10th Offense Per Play 7.3
Ryan Hawk t-8th Total Off Yards 263.0 p/g
Ryan Hawk 7th Passing Avg/Gm 260.6
Ryan Hawk t-1st Yards/Completion 14.2
Ryan Hawk t-8th Yards/Attempt 7.5
Ryan Hawk 8th Passing Yards 1303
Alex Walls t-5th Field Goals Attp 7
Alex Walls t-6th Field Goals Made 2
Allyn Sheffield t-5th Interceptions 3
Michael Gholar t-2nd INT Rtn Yds 27
Jordan Brumbaugh t-9th Tackles For Loss 4.0
Eric Thomas t-3rd Fumbles Rcvd 0.5 p/g
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Steeldogs and Vipers stack up:
Statistical BIRMINGHAM TENN. VALLEY
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 15th 45.2 3rd 42.0
Scoring Defense t-9th 49.7 t-9th 58.7
Total Offense 3rd 303.7 8th 193.8
Total Defense 10th 262.8 9th 263.2
Pass Offense 5th 274.2 10th 175.4
Pass Defense 9th 237.0 8th 236.7
Rushing Offense 3rd 29.5 4th 18.2
Rushing Defense 22nd 25.2 18th 26.5
Pass Rating 11th 97.3 6th 67.4
Pass Def. Rating 9th 100.4 14th 99.8
Kickoff Returns 21st 28-370 12th 47-933
MFG Returns 12th 10.5 13th 9.0
Turnover Margin t-4th +3 3rd -7
Field Goals t-12th (3-8) .375 t-20th (1-11) .090
PAT Kicking 15th 22-31 (.709) 19th 21-32 (.656)
Sacks By t-10th 7-33 t-14th 9-60
Sacks Against t-7th 5-27 t-7th 16-93
First Downs 12th 110 7th 80
Opp. First Downs t-12th 108 5th 111
Penalties 7th 52-364 8th 56-350
Opp. Penalties 22th 50-356 8th 59-420

STEELDOGS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/DB Donald Amaker Torn ACL Out (Season)
OL/DL Myron Powe Knee Out
WR/LB Bradly Chavez Knee Out
OL/DL Samuel Fakunle Hamstring Out

DROPBACK
ESTERO, Fla. - Magic Benton scored five touchdowns and the Florida Firecats outscored the Birmingham Steeldogs 14-3 in the fourth quarter on their way to a 62-44 victory at Germain Arena on Saturday night.
The second-ranked Firecats have now won five straight games and improve to 5-1 on the season. Birmingham's record falls to 3-3, their winning streak snapped at two games.
The game's momentum, which had been fairly even throughout the first half as the two teams traded each other touchdown-for-touchdown, shifted to the Firecats with four seconds remaining before halftime. Alex Walls' kickoff attempt careened off of Benton and into the hands of Florida's Britney Tellis, who returned the wayward bounce 35 yards for a score, giving the Firecats a 42-35 lead at the break.
Birmingham capitalized on Florida's lone turnover to begin the second half, as QB Ryan Hawk plunged into the endzone from one-yard out to pull the Steeldogs to within a point at 42-41. But Walls' extra point was blocked by Antonio Dingle.
The Steeldogs had a golden opportunity at the beginning of the fourth quarter to keep the game in check. Trailing 48-41 with the ball resting on the Florida five-yard line, Birmingham failed to gain positive yardage on three plays, settling instead for a Walls field goal. The Firecats responded with a touchdown pass from Chris Wallace to Tellis from 46 yards out and the final quarter rout was on.
Wallace finished with 254 yards passing on 18 of 29 attempts. He tossed seven touchdowns and just one interception. Benton hauled in 11 passes for 133 yards.
Hawk had yet another solid outing under center. The former Ohio Bobcat threw a team-record 47 passes, completing 28 for 262 yards and five touchdowns. Hawk has now thrown for 1,565 yards this season, good enough to make him the team's fifth all-time leading passer in just his sixth game.
Birmingham's Kerry Wright led the receiving corps with 11 catches for 79 yards and one score. Former Troy Trojan Mareno Philyaw caught seven passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence Story reeled in six passes for 75 yards and two scores.
The two teams combined to commit 25 penalties for 248 yards.
Birmingham continues their two game road swing next Saturday night as they renew their bitter rivalry with the Tennessee Valley Vipers at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

FORWARD MOTION: The Steeldogs return home to the BJCC to face the Macon Knights in another South Division match-up.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

IN THE TRENCHES: The Vipers have allowed 16 sacks so far this season. The Steeldogs have been sacked only five times. With Vipers' quarterback Ryan Schneider recovering from a rib injury, Tennessee Valley will have a tall order trying to contain the Steeldogs young and talented defensive line. On the flip side, the Steeldogs offensive line has been very solid, allowing quarterback Ryan Hawk ample time to see the field and make plays.

HAWK FLYING HIGH: Ryan Hawk continues to exhaust statisticians around the af2, averaging over 260 pass yards per game. Already the Steeldogs' fifth most productive passer in team history through only six games, Hawk is threatening to throw for more than 4,200 yards this season. If he reached that mark, he would become the 10th all-time leading passer in af2 history.

FAMILY REUNION: Three former Steeldogs players and one former Steeldogs coach are now Vipers. Chris Williams. Who piloted the Steeldogs offense in 2002 is the Vipers' head coach. Johnny Anderson, Jimmi Henson and Kendrick Rogers have all suited up for the Steeldogs in past years. Just recently, the Vipers released two former Steeldog quarterbacks: Roger Linn and Kenton Evans.

KEY DATES IN TEAM/LEAGUE HISTORY:
MAY 29, 2004: Birmingham's first home victory over the Tennessee Valley Vipers, 36-30, in overtime at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Kerry Wright (BIR)
2 RGV Dwight Counter (RGV)
3 Louisville Brett Deitz (LOU)
4 SGA Mareno Philyaw (BIR)
5 Louisville Kerry Wright (BIR)
6 Florida Magic Benton (FLA)

IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Bradly Chavez (BIR)
2 RGV Terrell Browden (BIR)
3 Louisville Terrell Browden (BIR)
4 SGA Chris McKinney (SGA)
5 Louisville Lance Taylor (LOU)
6 Florida Brittney Tellis (FLA)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 Everett Jordan Brumbaugh (BIR)
2 RGV Bobby Keyes (BIR)
3 Louisville Dwayne Lefall (LOU)
4 SGA Jordan Brumbaugh (BIR)
5 LOU Michael Gholar (BIR)
6 Florida Cory Bailey (FLA)

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