Blitz Back in First Place for Week Eight

Published on May 17, 2004 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


The Memphis Xplorers (3-3) will be in town on Saturday, May 22nd for a 7:00pm start. The first 2,000 fans 12 and under will receive a #3 Steve Wofford replica jersey, courtesy of KGET-TV 17, K-Lite 105.3 and ADT Security Services. The Xplorers are in second place in the Mid-South Division of the American Conference after a 37-33 victory at home over the Arkansas Twisters.

Last week

Blitz 39 vs. San Diego Riptide 36 Attendance: 4,086

Bakersfield native Brian Walker booted at 34-yard field goal as time expired to snap a tie score and give the Blitz a 39-36 victory over divisional rival San Diego on Saturday night. His second field goal of the evening propelled Bakersfield to 4-2 on the season and back into a first-place tie with Hawai'i. QB Chad Elliott was 23-of-29 for 228 yards and four touchdowns and completed nine of his first 10 passes in leading the Blitz to a 19-0 lead early in the second quarter.

In the huddle

· LB/FB Nick Onaindia was named the U.S. Army Ironman of the Game for the second straight week.

· The post-game "Jersey Off Our Backs" raffle and auction raised $5,075 for the Boys & Girls Club of Bakersfield. The team wore the special U.S. Armed Forces Day jerseys during the first half.

· OS Rennard Reynolds averaged over 29 yards per kickoff return on Saturday night. He leads all players (with more than one return) with a 23.3 average. He also leads all receivers with a 16.1 yards per catch average.

· With OL/DL Kenny Williamson out of the lineup last weekend, WR/LB Eric Mahanke performed the long snapping duties.

· After going the first four games without a missed field goal (MFG) return, the Blitz have three MFG in the last two weekends.

Quotes of the Week

"It's the life of a kicker. You're either loved or hated. I'm loved tonight." - Blitz K Brian Walker, moments after making the game-winning kick against San Diego on Saturday.

Practice

The following is the Blitz practice schedule for this week:
Tuesday 5:30 – 7:00pm Centennial Garden (open to media)
Wednesday 5:30 – 7:00pm Centennial Garden (open to media)
Thursday 4:30 – 6:00pm Centennial Garden (open to media)
Friday 5:00 – 6:00pm Centennial Garden (open to media)

Radio and Television

Tune in each and every Thursday night from the Holiday Inn Select for the "Indoor War Report" with Head Coach Rick Van Horne. The IWR is a weekly live talk show that discusses news and notes from the Blitz and the af2, and airs exclusively on KGEO AM 1230 with the "Voice of the Blitz" Kevin Bartl. Each show features a visit from Blitz players, prizes, and specials from the Holiday Inn Select, which is located next door to Centennial Garden.

All games, home and away, can be heard on KGEO AM 1230 with "Countdown to Kickoff" starting at 6:45pm. All home games as well are televised live on Bright House Networks Ch. 21, with a replay of the game starting at 1:00pm the following Sunday afternoon.

af2 Individual leader board Player Stat Rank Category
Team 5,536 5th Attendance
Brian Walker 37 points t-7th
Scoring (Kicking) 5 t-2nd Field Goals
Chad Elliott 272.3 yd/gm 2nd
Passing yards 1,642 3rd
Total offense 113.5 6th
Pass Rating
Eric Mahanke 47 t-6th Receptions
Delvin Myles 3 t-1st Forced Fumbles
Kevin Carroll 2 t-4th
Forced Fumbles 3.5 t-10th
Tackles for a loss
Nick Onaindia 3.0 t-10th Sacks

This week's matchup: The Blitz are in the Top-10 in five team categories, while Memphis ranks in the Top 10 in 10 categories, including Kickoff Returns, in which they rank first.

Blitz Xplorers
Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 15th 47.5 pts/gm 10th 49.2 pts/gm
Scoring Defense 11th 44.0 pts/gm 13th 47.4 pts/gm
Total Offense 8th 272.8 yd/gm 21st 204.0 yd/gm
Total Defense 16th 264.2 yd/gm 6th 220.8 yd/gm
Pass Offense 4th 266.0 yd/gm 22nd 180.2 yd/gm
Pass Defense 16th 240.2 yd/gm 5th 197.8 yd/gm
Rushing Offense 25th 6.8 yd/gm 9th 23.8 yd/gm
Rushing Defense 18th 24.0 yd/gm 16th 23.0 yd/gm
Scoring (Non-kick) 15th 244 pts t-18th 212 pts
Scoring (Kicking) t-7th 37 pts t-16th 32 pts
Pass Rating 4th 113.5 23rd 82.5
Pass Def. Rating 18th 110.9 7th 97.6
Kickoff Returns t-16th 18.2 yd/ret. 1st 27.7
MFG Returns 14th 17.7 yd/ret. 11th 19.5 yd/ret.
Turnover Margin t-19th - .67 17th - .40
Field Goals 5th 41.7% 15th 25.0%
PAT Kicking 22nd 68.8% 5th 85.3%
Sacks By 5th 11 t-19th 5
Sacks Against t-12th 6 t-9th 5
First Downs 14th 88 23rd 68
Opp. First Downs 13th 86 t-3rd 73
Penalties 20th 396 yds 3rd 234 yds
Opp. Penalties 16th 376 yds 18th 396 yds
Red Zone Offense 11th 75.6% 20th 65.8%
Red Zone Defense 17th 78.4% t-23rd 85.2%

Pro-rated season tickets and group outings for the Blitz are on sale now by contacting the Blitz office at 716-BLITZ (2548) or by stopping by the Bakersfield Sports Entertainment office located at Centennial Garden. The Garden box office is open Monday through Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm and opens at noon this Saturday. For up-to-date information on the Blitz, log on to www.bakersfieldblitz.com.

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