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Bossier/Shreveport Battle Wings game notes

April 6, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Tulsa Talons (0-1)
at Bossier/Shreveport Battle Wings (0-1)
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2005
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Century Tel Center (12,500)
National Anthem: Guest singer; Colors presented by Airline High School ROTC
Coin Toss: Head Referee
Officials: Referee - Drew Myers; Umpire - Ben Young; Head Linesman - Dick Wittenberg; Line Judge - Chris Jamison;
Back Judge - Brad Freeman
Radio: KWKH 1130 AM (Charlie Chitwood)
Local TV: None (KWHB - TV47 in Tulsa)
Series Record: Tulsa leads all-time series 5-1
Last Meeting: TULSA 65, BATTLE WINGS 59; at Tulsa (May 8, 2004)
Streaks: Tulsa has won the last four games. 'Wings last defeated Tulsa April 13, 2002 @ CTC
Coaches: Battle Wings - Keith Barefield (5-12, 2nd season)
Talons - David Alexander (0-1, 1st season)

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Xplorers: Allison Webb - (918) 294-1000 (office)
Battle Wings: Charlie Chitwood - (903) 665-2645 (office); (903) 240-1599 (cell)

THE STAKES: Both teams find themselves off on the wrong foot after their season-openers. Bossier lost in grand fashion, 63-24 to Mid-West Division rival Memphis while Tulsa was shocked on the road by expansion Amarillo, 62-55. The 'Wings were hoping for a 2-0 start at home, but today find themselves looking for solid play against one of the league's perrenially-strong clubs. Tulsa has a division full of tough road trips, and the Talons don't want to wander too far away from Central Valley, a 33-20 victor over Bakersfield on opening weekend.

THE SERIES: Tulsa has had the upper hand in five out of six games played between the two franchises, but may have had it toughest win, 65-59, over Bossier last May in Oklahoma. Battle Wings' OS Bo Smith had a coming-out party in Tulsa, scoring Bossier's final 7 TD's on five scoring receptions and two KO returns. Tulsa led the entire game, but had to answer the bell repeatedly after Smith tallies brought the 'Wings within six or seven points. The two teams scored four TD's in a 24-second span of the game's final minute. Bossier last won against Tulsa in 2002, a 27-14 victory at the CTC.

THE IFs:
If Bossier/Shreveport defeats Tulsa, it would:
· snap a four-game losing streak to Tulsa dating to 2002.
· snap a five-game losing streak dating from last season.
· give the 'Wings their first victory over a ranked opponent in 2005 (Memphis was #2 in Pre-season poll, Tulsa 6th).
· send the 'Wings on their long road trip to Quad City next week on a winning note.
· allow Battle Wings to pursue first-ever two-game winning streak at home to start a season.

BOSSIER/SHREVEPORT (0-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/03 MEMPHIS* L 63-24
4/09 TULSA 7:00
4/16 @ Quad City* 7:30
4/23 AMARILLO* 7:00
5/02 @ Rio Grande Val. 7:30
5/07 BAKERSFIELD 7:00
5/14 FLORIDA 7:00
5/21 @ Oklahoma City* 7:30
6/04 @ Albany 6:30
6/11 @ Macon 6:30
6/18 OKLAHOMA CITY* 7:00
6/25 @ Amarillo* 7:00
7/09 RIO GRANDE VAL. 7:00
7/15 @ Bakersfield 9:00
7/23 QUAD CITY* 7:00
7/30 @ Memphis* 7:00

TULSA (0-1)
Date Opponent Time Result Score
4/1 @ Amarillo L 55-62
4/9 @ Bossier 7:00
4/23 @ San Diego
4/30 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00
5/7 CENTRAL VALLEY 7:00
5/13 @ Bakersfield
5/21 MACON 7:00
5/28 BAKERSFIELD 7:00
6/4 @ Central Valley
6/11 @ Rio Grande Valley
6/18 SAN DIEGO 7:00
6/25 ARKANSAS 7:00
7/9 @ Memphis
7/16 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 7:00
7/23 AMARILLO 7:00
7/30 @ Oklahoma City

HEAD COACHES: The Battle Wings' Keith Barefield is back at the drawing board after last week's disappointing loss to Memphis. With a brand-new staff, the work might not be so daunting. The winningest football coach in Missouri football history has re-tooled his team as well won't settle for less than success at the professional level.... Tulsa skipper David Alexander made the move from front office exec to sidelines, but like Barefield has a wealth of football experience under his belt. The 40-year-old Broken Bow, OK native played 10 years in the NFL for the Eagles and Jets, starting in 108 consecutive games during that timespan. As a first-year head coach at the professional level, Alexander's transition comes a little easier with a team that went 13-3 in 2004 before falling in the second round of the playoffs.

LAST SERIES MEETING: TULSA 65, BOSSIER/SHREVEPORT 59 (5/8/04) – Battle Wings OS Bo Smith had his coming-out party in Tulsa, breaking loose for seven consecutive TD's against the Talons. Smith caught six passes for 114 yards and 5TD's while mixing in two kick-off returns of 57 and 55 yards for scores. On the night, Smith had 252 total yards - 138 on KO returns alone. Tulsa's back-to-back scores in the second quarter to take a 27-12 lead ended up proving the difference in this one. After Smith tallied on the first of two kick returns for touchdowns with 3:12 remaining in the first half, the two teams traded punches the remainder of the game. The only semblance of a defensive stop came when Bossier forced Tulsa to kick a 49-yard field goal with 11:34 remaining in the game. The two teams combined for 588 yards total offense and added another 355 return yards on all kicks.

SERIES NOTABLES: Only Bo Smith, Reggie Perkins and Heard Robinson remain among the Battle Wings' skill-position players from last year's squad. Perkins re-joins the squad for Saturday's game after serving out a one-game suspension levied from an incident at last season's regular-season finale in Arkansas. Tulsa's roster has been revamped as well, but six "skillies" are back - WR/DB Jermaine Thaxton, QB Ben Bowling, FB/LB Corky Martin, WR/LB Shan Jordan and WR/LB Toby Moeves. Also returning is the Talons top receiver from a year ago, OS Robert Reed. The Mississippi alumn finished 6th in the league in receptions (106) and fourth in receiving TD's (34), but had only three catches for 22 yards against the Battle Wings.

FAMILIAR FACES: Along with the Battle Wing players from area collegiate football programs, fans of southern football teams will see a number of familiar names on the Tulsa roster. Talon OS Robert Reed (Mississippi), Donovan Morgan (Pearl River CC), Ahmad Willis (Northwestern State) and Eric Dotson (Miss. State) played their college ball in the region....Battle Wings' defensive coordinator Richard Britt is looking forward to this game - he was the Talons' defensive consultant and special teams coach last year.

TOP RETURNING PERFORMERS:
BATTLE WINGS
Player Rank Category Stat
Bo SmithBo SmithBo Smith 778 ScoringScoring (TD's)Receiving TD's 210 pts.210 pts.29
Bo SmithBo Smith 910 Kick Ret. YardsMFG Ret. Yds. 22.9 ypr22.9 ypr
Bo Smith T10 MFG TD Return 1
TALONS
Player Rank Category Stat
Robert Reed 46105 TD ReceptionsReceptionsMFG ReturnsScoring 341066/14.8ypr212 pts
Corky MartinAhmad WillisTy Ardoin 1010T9T6T611 RushingRush AttemptsRushing TD'sFumbles ForcedFumbles ForcedTackles 164 yds.52133369.5

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how BOSSIER and TULSA finished statistically in 2004:
Statistical 'WINGS TALONS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 10 49.3 1 57.6
Scoring Defense 24 54.2 12 46.1
Total Offense 24 216.9 7 267.9
Total Defense 20 276.5 9 239.9
Pass Offense 24 188.1 8 251.1
Pass Defense 20 252.7 16 228.6
Rushing Offense 3 28.9 18 16.8
Rushing Defense 19 23.8 1 11.3
Scoring (Non-Kick) T15 97 TD's 1 135TD's
Scoring (Kicking) 6 6.8 T12 6.0
Pass Rating 21 96.8 1 116.1
Pass Def. Rating 20 111.3 8 100.6
Kickoff Returns 5 20.9 22 18.0
MFG Returns 4 21.9 17 15.9
Turnover Margin T16 -5/-0.31 3 +15/0.94
Field Goals T2 12 T24 3
PAT Kicking 7 .793 18 .707
Sacks By 23 10 5 30
Sacks Against 8 16 4 7
First Downs 25 206 8 254
Opp. First Downs 20 260 19 259
Penalties 15 59.6 21 68.4
Opp. Penalties 13 58.4 20 62.8

BATTLE WINGS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/LB Schexnayder Infection ST-IR
OL/DL Phillips Left Knee LT-IR
WR/DB Parham Hamstring LT-IR
WR/DB Harris Quad Pull LT-IR

BAREFIELD BITES:

Battle Wings head coach Keith Barefield on the season opener: "We did learn last year not to get too excited about the results of the season's first game (when the 'Wings beat Birmingham and won only four of the next 15). Memphis probably isn't as good as we made them look and we're probably not as bad as we looked. There was a lot we saw we feel can be corrected pretty quick. We need to correct those pretty quick, too."
Barefield on the status of C/NG Mike Homewood: "Homewood was having his toe examined again this week. He tried to go back into the game Sunday, but just couldn't run on it at all. It's pretty easy to say we missed him on the field."
Barefield on the center situation: "We lost two starting-quality centers within a week (Ryan Porter left camp and Homewood was injured). The rookie (Robert Aguirre) hasn't been with us long enough to throw out there yet. In our offense, the center calls all the blocking schemes. It was a bad spot for us to suffer and injury like that so early in the game."
Barefield on the Tulsa Talons: "Here comes another very good football team that we have to be ready for. They have a new coach there and some changes, but they have a good new quarterback and some of the same talented receivers. We played well against them last year in Tulsa. It would be nice to know we'll do the same thing again this time, only with enough defensive stops to win the game."

BO KNOWS RECEIVING: The Battle Wings' OS Bo Smith started the season within reach of a number of career receiving records. Sunday, his five catches moved him past former Battle Wing Sean Cangelosi into 3rd place all-time in receptions. The Miami native is also closing in on a number of other team records:
· 46 receptions to move into 2nd all-time in career receptions,
· 170 receiving yards to move into 2nd-place all-time in career receiving yards,
· 5 TD receptions to move into 1st-place all-time in receiving TD's,
· 30 MFG return yards to move into 2nd-place all-time in career MFG return yardage and 60 MFG return yards to move into 1st-place all-time,
· 34 KO return yards to move into 2nd-place all-time in KO return yardage.

DROPBACK: The Battle Wings scored on their very first play from scrimmage, then lost starting C/NG Mike Homewood on the second offensive snap. QB Caleb Slover struggled with the snap from both reserves and the 'Wings didn't score an offensive touchdown after midway through the second quarter, losing 63-24 to visiting Memphis. It was the first home-opening loss for Bossier since the 2001 season.

FORWARD MOTION: The Battle Wings make ready for next week's road opener with the Quad City Steamwheelers in Davenport, IA. The contest will be the first between the two teams since the 2002 season, when Bossier won at the Century Tel Center, 54-52. The Battle Wings have played QC two other times - both in Iowa - losing both times (39-34 in 2002, 55-43 in 2001).

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS: Bossier's offense hopes to start some good trends this week against a Talon squad that features almost as many new players as the Battle Wings. Five turnovers doomed the Bossier offensive unit in last week's game against Memphis - the 'Wings had the ball for only 29 snaps compared to Memphis' 50 offensive plays.

ONLY THE BEST MADE IT BACK: OS Bo Smith and WR/DB Reggie Perkins may be the better known of the returning Battle Wings due their scoring capabilities, but six other members of the 2004 squad are on the roster as well. Kevin Thomas, Quincy Myles, Kendal Shello and Kareem Marshall - all OL/DL - and DS Heard "Trae" Robinson survived the challenges of this season's training camp. K Brian Hazelwood came out of retirement for last year's final game and rejoins the team for his first full season of arena football.

NOT THE ONLY KICKER IN THE FAMILY: Hazelwood, the former Mississippi State Bulldog standout, had an addition to the family on Monday - right on schedule. Allison Riley Hazelwood was born at 2:03 p.m. CST and weighed in at 7lbs., 11 oz. and 20 inches in length. Both young Allison and mother Jenny ar reportedly in xcellent shap following the young lady's delivery and the proud papa already has his first child decked out in Battle Wings togs. Congratulations to the Hazelwood family on the new addition!

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Battle Wings OS Bo Smith: Break-out season in 2004 makes Smith one of the most-watched players in af2 this season. Twice, the Miami, FL speedster scored 5 TD's in a game - including in the 'Wings blowout victory at Memphis - and @ Tulsa, he scored 7 TD's. A dangerous return man as well, this could be the season he makes another step up the ladder...

Talon OL/DL Spencer Conley: The fourth-year vet from Trinity Valley CC (TX) caused two fumbles in last week's game against Amarillo and should be closely watched by a Battle Wings' O-Line that's trying to get to 100 per cent.

KEY DATES IN TEAM HISTORY: The Battle Wings have played Tulsa before on the season's second weekend. In 2002, Bossier earned its only victory over the Talons, 27-14 at the Century Tel Center before a crowd of 4,632.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Week Opp. Player
1 MEM Brian Jones, MEM

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Week Opp. Player
1 MEM Joe Wesley, BOS

U.S. ARMY IRONMAN AWARD
Week Opp. Player
1 MEM Terrence Quattlebaum, MEM

RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
4/4/05 Activating from league suspensionAssigned from re-callable re-assignmentAssigned to re-callable re-assignmentRe-assignedTraded to OKC (for future considerations) Reggie PerkinsPaul CanningsShaddrick McAfeePaul CanningsYork FriersonRicky Davis

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