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Columbus Destroyers game notes

April 13, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Columbus Destroyers (3-6) vs
New Orleans VooDoo (7-2)
Date: Sunday, April 18, 2004
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Site: New Orleans Arena (15,375)
Officials: Referee – Steve Pamon; Umpire – Jeff Car; Head Linesman – Brent Durbin; Line Judge – Tom Symonette; Back Judge – Tony Lombardo.
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.
Series Record: The Destroyers travel to the Big Easy to meet the VooDoo for the very first time.

Last Meeting: This week's meeting will be the first between the Destroyers and the VooDoo.
Series Streaks: The Destroyers have yet to square off against the expansion New Orleans VooDoo.
Coaches: Destroyers, Earle Bruce (3-6 in 2004, 16-22 overall). VooDoo, Mike Neu (7-2 in 2004, 13-10 overall).


OVERVIEW: The Columbus Destroyers kicked off their inaugural season with a win in Indiana, but fell into a six game skid resulting in a 1-6 record after seven weeks of play. After their bye week in week eight, though, the Destroyers have come on strong, winning two in a row at home, beating the Orlando Predators, the team's first home win this season and last week avenging a loss earlier this season against the New York Dragons. The Destroyers thus have, not only their first winning streak of the season, but also their first since February 22 of last year. The Voodoo welcomes the Destroyers as a team exceeding expectations for an expansion franchise in 2004. New Orleans began the season with three consecutive victories and went on to post a 7-1 mark through eight games. The Voodoo, however, suffered their second loss of the season last Friday in lopsided defeat, 57-24 at the hands of the Orlando Predators. The Destroyers aim for three in a row and the Voodoo look to return to their winning ways against a hot Destroyers team.

THE SERIES: Both the Columbus Destroyers and the New Orleans VooDoo are starting anew this year. The Destroyers made the move from Buffalo, New York and the VooDoo are the newest members of the Arena Football League. Being their first year in existence, the VooDoo have yet to face the Destroyers, making Sunday's meeting the first-ever between the two franchises.
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 L-35-51/L3
3/5 at Arizona 9:00 L-42-65/L4
3/13 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 L-41-43/L5
3/20 at New York 7:00 L-41-62/L6
4/4 ORLANDO 12:00 W-55-46/W1
4/10 NEW YORK 7:00 W-65-55/W2
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

NEW ORLEANS VOODOO
Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 at Philadelphia 3:00 W-42-34/W1
2/14 INDIANA 3:00 W-41-40/W2
2/22 at Georgia 3:00 W-55-52/W3
2/29 at Las Vegas 3:00 L-30-50/L1
3/7 TAMPA BAY 12:00 W-43-55/W1
3/12 DETROIT 8:00 W-31-45/W2
3/18 at Arizona 9:00 W-49-45/W3
3/27 CAROLINA 8:00 W-31-48/W4
4/9 at Orlando 7:30 L-24-57/L1
4/18 COLUMBUS 3:00
4/25 at Austin 3:00
5/1 at San Jose 10:30
5/9 ORLANDO 3:00
5/15 GEORGIA 8:00
5/23 at Tampa Bay 3:00
5/30 AUSTIN 4:00

THE IFS...
If Columbus defeats New Orleans, it would...

 Give Columbus their third win in a row.
 Give Columbus their second road win this season.
 Give Columbus their 4th victory on the season.
 Give the Destroyers a 1-0 edge in the series.
 Give Columbus a 4-6 overall record.
 Knock New Orleans out of first place in the division.
 Give the Destroyers their first three-game winning streak since February 22 of last year.
 Prevent the Destroyers from falling to 3-7 on the season.



LAST WEEK: Last Week the Columbus Destroyers picked up their second home win in a row and their third win of the season when they took their revenge against the New York Dragons 65-55. QB Ryan Vena led the Destroyers in passing with 17 of his 23 passes finding their way into the hands of his receivers, five of them going the distance, for a total of 265 yards. WR/LB Cornelius White led Columbus receivers with six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. WR/DB Gunnard Twyner caught his first pass of the season with the Destroyers on a 36-yard touchdown strike from Vena. Twyner ended the game with three receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns. DS JoJo Polk earned defensive player of the game honors for the second week in a row with his team-leading four solo tackles and one forced fumble. AFL veteran QB Aaron Garcia led the dragons with 26 completions, 330 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 attempts. OS Kevin Swayne led the Dragons in receptions and yards with 107 yards on seven caught balls and two touchdowns. After both teams' opening drives when both teams fail to score, they traded touchdowns for the first three quarters of the game. The decisive play came early in fourth when Garcia fumbled the ball only to have it scooped up by the waiting hands of FB/LB Wilmont Perry. The turnover resulted in one of OS Sedrick Robinson's two rushing touchdowns to take a 14-point lead. The Destroyers never looked back after that to win their second home game straight and to gain some momentum heading into this weeks match-up with the VooDoo.

NEXT WEEK: Following Sunday's game in New Orleans, the Destroyers will head back to Columbus to take on the Tampa Bay Storm on Sunday, April 25 at Nationwide Arena.

LAST SERIES MEETING: The Destroyers and VooDoo have yet to meet on the field. This is the first meeting between the two franchises.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date/Location Score
April 10, 2004/ NO TBD

THE COACHES:
Columbus – Earle Bruce, 4th season (1st with Destroyers) 2-6 in 2004; 15-22 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.

New Orleans – Mike Neu, 2nd season (1st with VooDoo) 7-2 in 2004; 13-10 overall
Mike Neu enters his second year as a head coach and his sixth year coaching in the AFL. In 2002 he led the Carolina Cobras to their second straight playoff appearance and their first ever playoff win. Before serving as the team's head coach he was Carolina's offensive coordinator where he improved a 3-13 Cobras team to 7-7. Prior to his move to Carolina, Neu led the AF2's Augusta Stallions to 14-4 mark and the American Conference title. His accomplishments won his AF2 Coach of the Year accolades.

INJURY REPORT:. In week two wide receiver/defensive back Jason Collins-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. In week four, in the Dallas game, Antwon Jones suffered a sprained knee, leaving him on IR for a minimum of two weeks. At Arizona, Jarrail Jackson was placed on IR following an stain in the arch of his foot prior to Titcus Pettigrew being placed on IR with a shoulder injury suffered at home versus the Soul. Kelron Sykes was placed on IR after hyper extending his knee versus Orlando.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Kelron Sykes Knee IR
Titcus Pettigrew Shoulder IR
Antwon Jones Knee IR
Jarrail Jackson Foot IR
Prentice Taylor Shoulder IR
Jason Collins-Baker Knee IR

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

2004 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category Columbus New Orleans
Scoring Offense (Rank) 46.7(T11) 43.2 (18)
Scoring Defense 53.3 (17) 42.6 (2)
Total Offense 247.7 (14) 229.8 (18)
Total Defense 271.1 (16) 256.1 (6)
Touchdowns Scored 57 (T16) 54 (18)
Pass Offense 228.7 (12) 200.7 (19)
Pass Defense 237.4 (8) 233.0 (7)
Passing Touchdowns 34 (16) 32 (18)
Rushing Offense 19.0 (9) 29.1 (4)
Rushing Defense 33.7 (T17) 23.1 (13)
Rushing Touchdowns 16 (T9) 17 (8)
Field Goal Percentage 35.0% (14) 35.7% (13)
Field Goals Made 7 (T8) 5 (T12)
Interceptions 7 (T7) 4 (T15)
Kickoff Returns 66 (1) 46 (T16)
Kickoff Return Average 18.1 (9) 18.4 (8)
Turnover Margin -0.22 (T11) -0.22 (T11)
Sacks By 3 (19) 4 (18)
Sacks Against 6 (T7) 4 (T3)

Recent Roster Moves (most recently first)





Date Action Player
4/9 Signed off Practice Squad Tyronn Johnson
4/9 Signed to Practice Squad Chuck Hython
4/9 Placed on IR Jason Walters
4/6 Signed off Practice Squad Jay McDunogh
4/6 Placed on IR Kelron Sykes
4/5 Signed to Practice Squad Tyronn Johnson
4/2 Waived Demont Smith
4/2 Waived Tyronn Johnson
4/2 Signed Matt Anderle
4/2 Signed to Practice Squad Jay McDunogh
4/1 Activated from IR Titcus Pettigrew
4/1 Placed on IR Chris Angel
4/1 Placed on IR Ricky Wood
4/1 Signed to Practice Squad Patrick Humphery
3/30 Signed Del Lee
3/27 Waived John Rayborn
3/18 Signed off Practice Squad Jason Walters
3/18 Signed Gunnard Twyner
3/16 Released Tony Plantin
3/15 Placed on IR Titcus Pettigrew
3/10 Signed to Practice Squad Jason Walters
3/10 Signed off Practice Squad Lavar Glover
3/9 Placed on IR Jarrail Jackson
3/3 Placed on IR Antwon Jones
3/3 Signed off Practice Squad Matt D'Orazio
3/3 Activated from IR Richard McCleskey
2/28 Signed Thomie Venisee
2/28 Signed to Practice Squad Demont Smith
2/28 Signed to Practice Squad Lavar Glover
2/28 Waived Kenny Jackson
2/28 Activated from IR Kenny Jackson
2/27 Signed Corey Hill
2/27 Signed to Practice Squad Matt D'Orazio
2/24 Waived Tony Locke
2/24 Waived Donovan Arp
2/24 Waived Matt D'Orazio
2/24 Waived Corey Hill
2/24 Activated from IR Ryan Sloth
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
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 six 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 versus New York, White led his team in receiving yards and receptions, gaining 116 yards on six catches with two touchdowns. Entering week 11, White has recorded 59 catches (10th in AFL) for 854 yards (7th in AFL) and 18 touchdowns (tied-12th in AFL).

TWICE IS NICE, THRICE IS FINER
The Columbus Destroyers are at the beginnings of a winning streak after consecutive home wins over the course of the past two weeks. This run is the first streak the team has had since February 22 of last year when they beat the Georgia Force for their third straight win. The Destroyers hope to ride the wave of momentum that has been gaining behind them and best the Voodoo to get their third straight win.

SMOKING GUNNARD
Offensive specialist Gunnard Twyner blasted his way back with the Destroyers last week with three catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns in his second game back with the team. Twyner was a member of the Buffalo
Destroyers last season, howver suffered a season-ending injury late in the season. Twyner led the Destroyers last year in scoring with 96 points and was second in receiving behind WR/LB Cornelius White with 56 catches for 846 yards. He also holds the single season Destroyers record with a 15.1 yards per catch average.

WINNING TURNOVERS WINS GAMES
The Columbus Destroyers have had zero turnovers in the last two games. They have also picked off two passes and recovered two opponents' fumbles. They have won both of their last two games. They have scored 21 points off of these four turnovers. The only time when they did not find the end zone was after a DS Del Lee's interception with only eight seconds left in the game two weeks ago versus Orlando.

DEFENSE EARNS FIRST GOOSE EGG
The Destroyers defense registered its first shut-out quarter last week when they blanked the Dragons in the first quarter. The Destroyers halted the Dragons only drive of the quarter on the one yard-line when FB/LB Wilmont Perry forced a fumble by Dragon FB Rodney Filer. The loose ball was scooped up by OL/DL Wilky Bazile for a touchback, thus squashing any hope for a Dragons first-quarter score.

NOT PICKY WITH PICKS
The Columbus Destroyers has, as a team, seven interceptions to its credit, all coming at the hands of six different players. WR/LB Cornelius White, DS JoJo Polk (who has two), WR/DB Ryan Sloth, WR/DB Titcus Pettigrew, DS Del Lee and DS Lavar Glover all have interceptions this season



A FAMILIAR FACE
When the Destroyers travel to New Orleans to face the Voodoo, a familiar face will grace the sideline in a Voodoo uniform. Voodoo Quarterback John Rayborn appeared in four games and started two for the Destroyers this season, completing 50-of-85 pass attempts for 553 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions before being waived on March 27. Rayborn was signed to the Voodoo practice squad on April 5 before being signed to the active roster on April 12.

NEW ORLEANS TIES
Current Destroyers fullback/linebacker Wilmont Perry and offensive specialist Gunnard Twyner will be heading back to familiar territory when Columbus treks their way to New Orleans this weekend. Perry was a 5th round selection of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, spending the 1998-99 seasons with the team. Twyner spent portions of the 1997-98 seasons with the Saints on the team's practice squad as a wide receiver before entering the AFL.


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 Cornelius White (CLB)
Five Arizona Sherdrick Bonner (AZ)
Six PHILADELPHIA Ricky Ross (PHI)
Seven New York Aaron Garcia (NY)
Eight ORLANDO Ryan Vena (CLB)
Nine NEW YORK Gunnard Twyner
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 Wilky Bazile (CLB)
Five Arizona Wendall Gaines (AZ)
Six PHILADELPHIA Sean Scott (PHI)
Seven New York Richmond Flowers (NY)
Eight ORLANDO Sedrick Robinson (CLB)
Nine NEW YORK Cornelius White
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 Chris Angel (CLB)
Five Arizona Bo Kelly (AZ)
Six PHILADELPHIA Joseph Todd (PHI)
Seven New York Terrance Joseph (NY)
Eight ORLANDO JoJo Polk (CLB)
Nine NEW YORK JoJo Polk
Ten New Orleans
Eleven TAMPA BAY
Twelve Carolina
Thirteen GEORGIA
Fourteen GRAND RAPIDS
Fifteen Dallas
Sixteen Las Vegas

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

COLUMBUS DESTROYERS

OS Sedrick Robinson: Robinson has wowed crowds all this season, scoring touchdowns by any means necessary. He has three rushing, three returns and four receptions for touchdowns. The only person on the team to outscore Robinson is WR/LB Cornelius White. He leads the team in all and kickoff returns with 31 for 698 yards and is third on the team in receptions with 24 and 327 yards.

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 nine games, White is the Destroyers leading receiver, having caught 59 balls (tied 10th in AFL) for 854 yards (7th in AFL) and 17 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. In week two, Polk had one interception, which he returned four yards for the game-winning touchdown. He is leading the team with 41.0 tackles (15th in AFL) through ten weeks of play and leads team with 8 passes defended.

WR/DB Gunnard Twyner: Led the Destroyers last year in receiving through nine games before missing the rest of the season with a collarbone injury. Ended the season second in receptions (56), first in yards (846) and in scoring with 96 points. He still holds the individual season record of 15.1 yards per catch average. In his first game with the Destroyers this season he caught three passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

NEW ORLEANS VOODOO

FB/LB Dan Curran: Leads the VooDoo and the league in rushing yards, rush attempts and rushing touchdowns. He has amassed 194 yards on 44 carries and 13 touchdowns.

OS Aaron Bailey: He has 53 receptions for 765 yards to lead the team in receiving. He also leads the team in scoring with 132 points this season on 22 touchdowns good for 5th in the AFL.

WR/DB Lamont Moore: Moore has picked-off two interceptions thus far this season. The interceptions have been returned for a total of 28 yards, and both of them were returned for touchdowns.

DS Chris Pointer: Leads team in tackles with 47.0 (10th in AFL and eight pass break-ups.







HOME .............................................................................. 2-3
AWAY .............................................................................. 1-3
FRIDAY ........................................................................... 0-2
SATURDAY ..................................................................... 2-3
SUNDAY ......................................................................... 1-1
VS EASTERN .................................................................. 1-5
VS CENTRAL .................................................................. 1-0
VS WESTERN ................................................................ 0-1
VS SOUTHERN ............................................................... 1-0
FEBRUARY ...................................................................... 1-3
MARCH ............................................................................ 0-3
APRIL ............................................................................... 2-0
MAY .................................................................................. 0-0
SCORE FIRST ................................................................. 1-1
OPPONENT SCORE FIRST ........................................... 2-5
AHEAD AT HALF............................................................. 1-3
BEHIND AT HALF .......................................................... 1-3
TIED AT HALF ............................................................... 1-0
AHEAD AFTER THREE QT ............................................ 2-1
BEHIND AFTER THREE QT .......................................... 1-5
TIED AFTER THREE QT ................................................ 0-0
PLUS TURNOVER RATIO ............................................. 3-2
EVEN TURNOVER RATIO ............................................ 0-1
MINUS TURNOVER RATIO ........................................... 0-3
MORE TOTAL OFFENSE ............................................... 0-3
LESS TOTAL OFFENSE ................................................. 3-3
OUTCOME 7 POINTS OR LESS ................................... 1-1
OUTCOME 3 POINTS OR LESS ..................................... 0-2
OVERTIME ........................................................................ 0-0
PLAY ON NBC ................................................................. 0-1
NOT ON NBC .................................................................. 3-5


2004 DESTROYERS TEAM LEADERS

Passing: Ryan Vena: 118-182/ 1,522 yards/23 touchdowns
Receiving: Cornelius White: 59 catches/854 yds/17 TDs
Rushing: Ryan Vena: 27 rushes/69 yards/6 TD
Kick Returns: Sedrick Robinson: 31 returns
Kick Return Yards: Sedrick Robinson: 698 yards
Tackles: JoJo Polk: 41.5 total tackles

2004 DESTROYERS GAME HIGHS

Pass Attempts: John Rayborn-41 at NY/ March 20
Pass Completions: Ryan Vena-22 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Passing Yds: Ryan Vena-265 vs NYD/April 10
Passing TDs: Ryan Vena-5 vs CAR/Feb. 13 and NYD/ April 10, John Rayborn-5 at NY/ March 20
Receptions: Cornelius White-11 at NY/March 20
Receiving Yds: Cornelius White-154 at NY/March 20
Receiving TDs: Cornelius White-3 vat NY/ March 20
Rushes: Ryan Vena-7 at ARIZ/Mar. 5
Rushing Yds: Ryan Vena-25 at ARIZ/ Mar. 5
Rushing TDs: Ryan Vena- 2 at ARIZ/ Mar 5 & vs PHI Mar. 13, Sedrick Robinson- 2 vs. NYD/ April 10
Kick Returns: CoCo Blalock-5 at NY/ March 20, Sedrick Robinson-5 vs. NYD/ April 10
Kick Return Yds: Sedrick Robinson-117 vs CAR/Feb. 13
Tackles: Chris Angel-7.5 vs PHI/ March 13
Pass Deflections: JoJo Polk-3 at NY/March 20
Interceptions: 1 (6x) last-JoJo Polk vs. ORL/ April 4

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