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Columbus Destroyers game notes

February 24, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Columbus Destroyers (1-2) vs
Dallas Desperados (2-1)
Date: Sunday, February 29, 2004
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (ET).
Site: Nationwide Arena (17,171)
Officials: Referee – Pat Garvey; Umpire – Paul King; Head Linesman – Rod Pearson; Line Judge – James Mello; Back Judge – Greg Steed; Supervisor – Jim Lapetina.
Radio: Columbus' flagship station WAZU-107.1 FM "The Big Wazoo will broadcast the game live with Marty Bannister handling the play-by-play duties and Greg Frey supplying color commentary.
Television: The game will be televised live on NBC Sports (channel 4 in Columbus) Alan Bestwick, Mike Pawlawski
Series Record: Sunday's contest will be the first-ever between the Destroyers and Desperados
Last Meeting: NA
Series Streaks: NA.
Coaches: Destroyers, Earle Bruce (1-2 in 2004, 14-18 overall). Desperados, Will McClay (1-1 in 2004, 1-1 overall).


OVERVIEW: The Columbus Destroyers and Dallas Desperados enter week four of the regular season as two teams heading in opposite directions. The Destroyers opened up the 2004 season with an emotional victory over the Indiana Firebirds in the team's inaugural season opener. During the ensuing two weeks, Columbus has lost two games in a row, including a loss on the final play of the game to Carolina in week two and a forgettable performance last week in Philadelphia. The Desperados dropped their season opener to Carolina before claiming two victories in a row over Philadelphia and New York. Dallas came out on top of a closely contest game last week in New York with the turning point coming on a late interception of New York quarterback Aaron Garcia by Dallas defensive specialist Jermaine Jones, giving Dallas an 11-point lead which they would never relinquish. The Destroyers are in search of a victory to get back to the .500 mark, while the Desperados seek their third victory in as many weeks.
Glen
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the Destroyers and Desperados.


COLUMBUS DESTROYERS
Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/7 at Indiana 7:00 W-54-48/W1
2/13 CAROLINA 7:00 L-53-54/L1
2/21 at Philadelphia 7:30 L-34-56/L2
2/29 DALLAS 3:00
3/5 at Arizona 9:00
3/13 PHILADELPHIA 7:00
3/20 at New York 7:00
4/4 ORLANDO 12:00
4/10 NEW YORK 7:00
4/18 at New Orleans 3:00
4/25 TAMPA BAY 12:00
5/1 at Carolina 7:30
5/9 GEORGIA 3:00
5/14 GRAND RAPIDS 7:00
5/22 at Dallas 8:30
5/29 at Las Vegas 4:00

DALLAS DESPERADOS
Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 CAROLINA 3:00 L-41-67/L1
2/15 PHILADELPHIA 4:00 W-51-47/W1
2/22 at New York 3:00 W-56-44/W2
2/29 at Columbus 3:00
3/6 Grand Rapids 8:30
3/14 at Carolina 3:00
3/21 Los Angeles 4:00
4/4 at Philadelphia 12:00
4/10 San Jose 8:30
4/18 at Arizona 3:00
4/25 at Orlando 12:00
5/2 New York 3:00
5/9 at Austin 3:00
5/16 at Chicago 3:00
5/22 Columbus 8:30
5/30 Tampa Bay 4:00

THE IFS...
If Columbus defeats Dallas, it would...

· Give Columbus their first-ever win over the Dallas franchise.
· Give Columbus their first-ever home victory.
· Get Columbus back to the .500 mark
· Give Columbus their first win over an Eastern Divisional rival.
· Give Columbus a 1-2 record against divisional opponents.


LAST WEEK: Last Saturday, the Destroyers traveled to Philadelphia to face the expansion Soul for the first-ever meeting between the two franchises. With the aid of a 26-0 run midway through the contest, the Soul upended the Destroyers, 56-34 at the Wachovia Spectrum to claim their first victory in franchise history. The two teams traded scores through out the first half, however the Destroyers settled for field goals while the Soul found the endzone on all three of their second quarter possessions to take a nine point lead into the break. Philadelphia opened up the second half scoring on their opening possession of the third quarter, finding the endzone for their second of four consecutive unanswered touchdowns to establish a lead which they would never relinquish. Browder faked a pitch to wide receiver/linebacker Ricky Ross and found wide receiver/linebacker Derin Graham on a fade pattern in the back of the endzone for the score. Following a defensive stop, the Soul would add another touchdown to take a 22-point lead into the fourth quarter, which ended up to be the margin of victory for the Soul. Destroyers quarterback Ryan Vena completed 13-of-24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns with one interception before being lifted in favor of backup John Rayborn late in the second half. Rayborn finished 9-of-13 for 122 yards with one touchdown and one interception in just over one quarter of play. Wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White led the Destroyers in receiving for the second week in a row after recording eight catches for a career-high 141 yards and one touchdown in a losing effort. The Soul were led by quarterback Nick Browder, who completed 18-of-22 pass attempts for 228 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions before being named Offensive Player of the Game. Wide receiver/linebacker Sean Scott led Philadelphia's aerial attack with five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, followed by offensive specialist Tyronne Jones who caught five balls for 52 yards and a score.
NEXT WEEK: Following Sunday's game versus the Desperados, the Destroyers travel to Arizona to face the Rattlers on Friday, March 5 at America West Arena. In four series meetings, the Rattlers hold a 3-1 all-time series advantage over the Destroyers.

LAST SERIES MEETING: Sunday's game will be the first between the Destroyers and Desperados.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
No games to date

THE COACHES:
Columbus – Earle Bruce, 4th season (1st with Destroyers) 1-2 in 2004; 14-18 overall
Earle Bruce returns to the Area Football League as head coach and general manager for the Columbus Destroyers. Bruce landed his first collegiate head coaching job at the University of Tampa in 1972, where he fashioned a 10-2 record, including a win in the Tangerine Bowl. He took over at Iowa State University from 1973-1978, where he guided the Cyclones to eight wins in each of his last three seasons. Bruce succeeded long-time coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State in 1979 and went on to compile an 81-26-1 record from 1979-1987 in Columbus. He led the Buckeyes to two outright Big Ten titles (1979, 1984) and two co-championships (1981, 1986) and was named the 1980 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Following his tenure in Columbus, Bruce coached at the University of Northern Iowa in 1988 before taking over the Colorado State University program from 1989-92. He led the Rams to their best season in school history, a 9-4 record that included a win in the Freedom Bowl. Bruce began his coaching career in the AFL during the 1993-1994 seasons with the Cleveland Thunderbolts. He spent the 1994-1995 seasons with the St. Louis Stampede, making theirs the best record of an expansion football team at 9 and 4 and taking them to the playoffs. In 2001 Bruce coached the Iowa Barnstormers in the AF2 League.

Dallas – Will McClay, 1st season (1st with Desperados) 2-1 in 2004; 2-1 overall
Will McClay is in his first season as head coach of the Dallas Desperados after spending the past two seasons as the team's defensive coordinator. McClay, who remains the team's defensive coordinator, took over for former head coach Joe Avezzano following his resignation on February 5. Prior to joining the Desperados, McClay was the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars (2001) and player personnel director for the XFL's Orlando Rage (2001). He has also spent time as defensive coordinator/director of player personnel for the Grand Rapids Rampage (1998-99) and Anaheim Piranhas (1997). McClay began his coaching career with the Detroit Drive in 1993 before serving as defensive coordinator for the Milwaukee Mustangs (1995) and Florida Bobcats (1996). Prior to his coaching career, McClay spent four seasons as a player in the Arena Football League as a member of the Detroit Drive, winning three ArenaBowl titles in the process.

Recent Roster Moves (most recently first)
Date Action Player
2/19 Signed off Practice Squad Tony Locke
2/18 Signed off Practice Squad Antwon Jones
2/18 Placed on Injured Reserve Prentice Taylor
2/17 Placed on Injured Reserve Jason Collins-Baker
2/13 Signed off Practice Squad Titcus Pettigrew
2/13 Signed to Practice Squad Tony Locke
2/12 Placed on Injured Reserve Ryan Sloth
2/12 Signed to Practice Squad Antwon Jones
2/12 Signed off Practice Squad Matt D'Orazio
2/12 Signed off Practice Squad Jason Collins-Baker
2/12 Signed off Practice Squad Titcus Pettigrew
2/12 Signed off Practice Squad LaKendrick Jones
2/10 Released Alex Houston
2/10 Waived Tony Locke
2/10 Placed on Injured Reserve Kenny Jackson
2/3 Signed to Practice Squad Titcus Pettigrew
2/3 Signed to Practice Squad LaKendrick Jones
2/3 Signed to Practice Squad Matt D'Orazio
2/3 Signed to Practice Squad Jason Collins-Baker
2/3 Acquired via trade Marcus McKenzie
2/2 Waived Phil Taylor
2/2 Waived Hunter Adams
2/1 Signed Prentice Taylor
1/30 Signed Carey Clayton
1/30 Signed Kenny Jackson

INJURY REPORT: Offensive/defensive lineman Richard McCleaskey remains on injured reserve after suffering an elbow injury midway through this year's training camp. Following the Destroyers' season opener in Indiana, offensive/defensive lineman Kenny Jackson and wide receiver/defensive back Ryan Sloth were both placed on IR. In week two wide receiver/defensive back Jason Collin-Baker suffered a season-ending torn ACL and the following week in practice defensive specialist Prentice Taylor suffered a dislocated shoulder, resulting in the team placing him on IR.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Prentice Taylor Shoulder IR
Jason Collins-Baker Knee IR
Ryan Sloth Knee IR
Kenny Jackson Knee IR
Richard McCleskey Elbow IR

MILESTONES:
K Steve Videtich: Three weeks ago, Videtich connected on 6-of-8 PATs in the Destroyers' win over Indiana. With his fifth PAT of the game, Videtich became only the second player in league history to reach 1,000 points in a career (kicking).

DS JoJo Polk: Last week Polk led the Destroyers in tackles with 5.5 in the team's loss at Philadelphia. In the process, Polk surpassed 200 total tackles for his career and currently has amassed 203.5 in his career.

WR/LB Cornelius White: Two weeks ago, White recorded 10 catches for 106 yards and two scores in the Destroyers loss to the Cobras. With his first catch of the game, White surpassed 2,000 receiving yards for his career. White added 144 yards receiving last week in Philadelphia, giving him 2,245 yards in his career.

OS CoCo Blalock: Two weeks ago versus the Cobras, Blalock surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for his career after gaining 38 yards on three catches. Entering this week's play, Blalock has 1,089 receiving yards in his three-plus year career.

OL/DL Tony Plantin: Needs 1.5 sacks to reach 10 for his career.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Destroyers and Desperados match up after three weeks of play.

2004 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category Columbus Dallas
Scoring Offense (Rank) 47.0 (11) 49.3 (T9)
Scoring Defense 52.7 (T16) 52.7 (T16)
Total Offense 273.0 (4) 251.7 (12)
Total Defense 267.7 (13) 261.0 (12)
Touchdowns Scored 19 (11) 21 (T5)
Pass Offense 252.3 (4) 231.0 (11)
Pass Defense 235.7 (10) 241.7 (11)
Passing Touchdowns 12 (T8) 14 (6)
Rushing Offense 20.7 (T8) 20.7 (T8)
Rushing Defense 32.0 (17) 19.3 (9)
Rushing Touchdowns 3 (T14) 6 (T4)
Field Goal Percentage 42.9% (T8) 0.0% (T17)
Field Goals Made 3 (T4) 0 (T17)
Interceptions 2 (9) 1 (17)
Kickoff Returns 19 (3) 18 (6)
Kickoff Return Average 20.7 (5) 18.7 (9)
Turnover Margin -2 (T13) -5 (T18)
Sacks By 0 (T17) 3 (9)
Sacks Against 0 (T1) 4 (14)

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Prior to the 2004 season, Destroyers wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White might not have been mentioned among the top receivers in the Arena Football League, despite putting up solid numbers in his six-year career. Through three games this season however, White has established himself as a legitimate go-to receiver and placed himself among the league's elite receivers. Last week in Philadelphia, White led the team in receiving for the second week in a row recording eight catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. His 141 yards receiving were a career-high. Entering week four, White has recorded 22 catches (T-3rd in AFL) for 295 yards (6th in AFL) and four touchdowns.







SEDRICK THE ENTERTAINER
Through three games this season, Destroyers wide receiver/linebacker-turned return specialist has established himself as one of the top kick returners in the Arena Football League. Two weeks ago versus the Cobras, Robinson electrified the home crowd, returning his second kick for a touchdown in as many games. In three games Robinson has returned seven kickoffs (T-8 in AFL) for 206 yards (7th in AFL) and two touchdowns (T-1 in AFL). His 57-yard return in week one at Indiana tied the longest kick return in the AFL this season and his average of 29.4 yards per returns is currently second in the league.

DIGGING OUT OF A HOLE
It's common to use the phrase "never over till it's over" in Arena Football and the so far this season have tried to test that theory. Columbus has put themselves in a come-from-behind situation in two of their first three contests this season. The Destroyers posted a 26-point fourth quarter to edge the Indiana Firebirds by six points in week one after facing a double digit deficit entering the fourth quarter. Last week the Destroyers once again faced a double digit deficit entering the fourth quarter at Philadelphia and were able to score two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game, however came up short in their bid for a comeback.



FINISHING STRONG
The Destroyers have proven thus far this season that at times it's not necessarily how you start, but it's how you finish is what counts. Through three weeks, the Destroyers have been outscored 124-98 through the first three quarters of play, however have gotten stronger as the games progress. Columbus has outscored their opponent in the fourth quarter 43-34 including six fourth quarter touchdonwns.

POSITIVE TURNOVER RATIO=POSITIVE RESULTS
It's no secret that teams who win the turnover battle in any sport typically come away with the win. Arena Football is no exception. Seven teams in the AFL possess positive turnover ratios through three weeks of play. Of those seven teams three are undefeated (Chicago/3-0; San Jose/2-0; New Orleans/3-0). All seven have a cumulative record of 13-6.

TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE
Destroyers wide receiver/linebacker Sedrick Robinson's 54-yard touchdown return two weeks ago versus Carolina was his second on the season and gave Columbus four returns for touchdowns to date (2 kick return, 2 INT return), which is currently tops in the Arena Football League.

HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN
Columbus welcomed Arena Football two week's ago for the Destroyers inaugural home opener with a record-setting crowd. The sellout crowd of 17,171 fans in attendance was the most in franchise history, dating back to when the team played out of Buffalo, NY.

JUST FOR KICKS
Entering the 2004 season, kicker Steve Videtich ranked second all-time in field goals attempted (262), field goals made (130) and fourth all-time in field goal percentage (49.6). Three weeks ago, Videtich became surpassed the 1,000 point barrier for his career. Only one other player in league history has duplicated that feat among kickers (Mike Black).

CAREER KICKING
Player Category Stat/Rank
Mike Black Career FGs made 174/1
Steve Videtich Career FGs made 133/2
Kenny Stucker Career Fgs made 118/3
Daron Alcorn Career FGs made 99/4
Remy Hamilton Career FGs made 90/5

BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
WEEK OPPONENT PLAYER
One Indiana Brett Bech (IND)
Two CAROLINA Cornelius White (CLB)
Three Philadelphia Nick Browder (PHI)
Four DALLAS
Five Arizona
Six PHILADELPHIA
Seven New York
Eight ORLANDO
Nine NEW YORK
Ten New Orleans
Eleven TAMPA BAY
Twelve Carolina
Thirteen GEORGIA
Fourteen GRAND RAPIDS
Fifteen Dallas
Sixteen Las Vegas

US ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME
WEEK OPPONENT PLAYER
One Indiana Sedrick Robinson (CLB)
Two CAROLINA Wilky Bazile (CLB)
Three Philadelphia Ricky Ross (PHI)
Four DALLAS
Five Arizona
Six PHILADELPHIA
Seven New York
Eight ORLANDO
Nine NEW YORK
Ten New Orleans
Eleven TAMPA BAY
Twelve Carolina
Thirteen GEORGIA
Fourteen GRAND RAPIDS
Fifteen Dallas
Sixteen Las Vegas

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
WEEK OPPONENT PLAYER
One Indiana Anthony Derricks (IND)
Two CAROLINA Damon Mason (CAR)
Three Philadelphia Joe Todd (PHI)
Four DALLAS
Five Arizona
Six PHILADELPHIA
Seven New York
Eight ORLANDO
Nine NEW YORK
Ten New Orleans
Eleven TAMPA BAY
Twelve Carolina
Thirteen GEORGIA
Fourteen GRAND RAPIDS
Fifteen Dallas
Sixteen Las Vegas

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

COLUMBUS DESTROYERS

QB Ryan Vena: Led the Destroyers to a week-one victory in Indiana after completing 19-of-25 pass attempts for 202 yards and four touchdowns. In af2 last season as a member of the Albany Conquest, Vena was the league leader in passing yards (4,460), total offense (4,634), completions (345), and was second in pass attempts (513), touchdown passes (85) and completion percentage (67.3).

WR/LB Cornelius White:
Led the Destroyers in 2003 with 63 receptions and was second on the team with 760 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Through three games, White is the Destroyers leading receiver, having caught 22 balls (T-3rd in AFL) for 295 yards (6th in AFL) and five touchdowns.



DS JoJo Polk:
A three-year veteran who last season set the Destroyers record for tackles in a single season (86.5/5th in AFL) in his first season with the team. Three weeks ago, Polk had one interception which he returned four yards for the game-winning touchdown.

DALLAS DESPERADOS

WR/LB JASON SHELLEY:
A two-year veteran who has established himself as a go-to receiver for the Desperados this season. Shelley currently leads the Desperados in receiving having caught 22 balls (T-3rd in AFL) for 253 yards (9th in AFL) and six touchdowns.

FB/LB Duke Pettijohn:
A fullback/linebacker who is in his third season in the Arena Football League. Pettijohn is one of Dallas' top two way players, leading the team in tackles with 11.5 (10 solo) on the season. Offensively, he leads Dallas with six rushes for two touchdowns and is second in rushing yards with 15 on the season.







HOME .............................................................................. 0-1
AWAY .............................................................................. 1-1
FRIDAY ........................................................................... 0-1
SATURDAY ..................................................................... 1-1
SUNDAY ......................................................................... 0-0
VS EASTERN .................................................................. 0-2
VS CENTRAL .................................................................. 1-0
VS WESTERN ................................................................ 0-0
VS SOUTHERN ............................................................... 0-0
FEBRUARY ...................................................................... 1-2
MARCH ............................................................................ 0-0
APRIL ............................................................................... 0-0
MAY .................................................................................. 0-0
SCORE FIRST ................................................................. 0-0
OPPONENT SCORE FIRST ........................................... 1-2
AHEAD AT HALF............................................................. 0-1
BEHIND AT HALF .......................................................... 1-1
TIED AT HALF ............................................................... 0-0
AHEAD AFTER THREE QT ............................................ 0-1
BEHIND AFTER THREE QT .......................................... 1-1
TIED AFTER THREE QT ................................................ 0-0
PLUS TURNOVER RATIO ............................................. 1-0
EVEN TURNOVER RATIO ............................................ 0-1
MINUS TURNOVER RATIO ........................................... 0-1
MORE TOTAL OFFENSE ............................................... 0-1
LESS TOTAL OFFENSE ................................................. 0-2
OUTCOME 7 POINTS OR LESS ................................... 1-1
OUTCOME 3 POINTS OR LESS ..................................... 0-1
OVERTIME ........................................................................ 0-0
PLAY ON NBC ................................................................. 0-0
NOT ON NBC .................................................................. 1-2

2004 DESTROYERS TEAM LEADERS

Passing: Ryan Vena: 54-80/635 yards/11 touchdowns
Receiving: Cornelius White: 22 catches/295 yards/5 TDs
Rushing: Ryan Vena: 9 rushes/24 yards/1 TD
Kick Returns: Sedrick Robinson: 7 returns
Kick Return Yards: Sedrick Robinson: 206 yards
Tackles: JoJo Polk: 13.5 total tackles

2004 DESTROYERS GAME HIGHS

Pass Attempts: Ryan Vena-31 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Pass Completions: Ryan Vena-22 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Passing Yds: Ryan Vena-256 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Passing TDs: Ryan Vena-5 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Receptions: Cornelius White-10 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Receiving Yds: Cornelius White-141 at PHI/Feb. 21
Receiving TDs: Cornelius White-2 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Rushes: Ryan Vena-5 at IND/Feb. 7
Rushing Yds: Ryan Vena-21 at IND/ Feb. 7
Rushing TDs: (Vena, Wood, Perry)-tied with 1
Kick Returns: (Robinson, Blalock)-tied with 4
Kick Return Yds: Sedrick Robinson-117 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Tackles: JoJo Polk-5.5 at PHI/Feb. 21
Pass Deflections: (multiple players)-tied with 1
Interceptions: (White, Polk)-tied with 1/Feb. 7

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