Conquest Weekly
May 14, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
2008 Record:
3-3 (2-1 Home, 1-2 Road) - Streak: Lost 2 - Second Place, East Division, American Conference
Week 7 Recap:
The Albany Conquest dropped their second straight game, losing to the Daytona Beach ThunderBirds 62-53 Thursday night at the Ocean Center. After winning the coin toss, Albany elected to kick off to start the game, giving the ThunderBirds the ball first. Daytona Beach took advantage of the early possession on their first drive, scoring on a 6-yard TD pass from Daytona Beach QB Matt Bohnet to Lamar Hughes. Then the ThunderBirds came up with a defensive stop, forcing Albany to turnover the ball on downs in their first offensive series. Albany was behind the eight ball from that point on, spending the remainder of the game trying to close the gap. The ThunderBirds never trailed in this game and held a 35-27 lead going into the second half. Daytona took a two-possession lead when they sacked Cole, forcing a fumble that was returned by Tim Daniels 20-yards for a touchdown. Late in the third quarter, the Conquest finally created the defensive turnover they were looking for as Brandon Taylor intercepted a Bohnet pass off the net, leading to a 15-yard Cole TD pass to Bocage. Albany cut the lead to just two points with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter on another Bocage touchdown, but they would never come any closer.
Week 8 Preview:
Albany is looking to bounce back after suffering their first back-to-back losses of the 2008 season. The Conquest have a difficult stretch of facing East Division opponents in their next four games, including two games against the Pioneers. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is one of the hottest teams in af2, winning six straight games after an opening week loss at Quad City. The Pioneers are looking to continue their winning streak and their strong form at home. This week's game is the 19th All-Time meeting between Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with the Pioneers holding a 10-8 lead in the series; it is the first of three meetings during the 2008 regular season.
Week 8 Schedule:
(All games are broadcast LIVE on 88.3 FM The SAINT and on the Internet at www.albanyconquest.com)
Friday, May 16 - 7:00 pm - Wachovia Arena
@ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (6-1) - Streak: Won 6
First Place, East Division, American Conference
This week's game will feature two of the af2's top quarterbacks as former Albany QB Ryan Vena goes head-to-head with current Conquest general Dan Cole. Vena, who played three seasons in Albany (2002, 2003, 2006), still holds 12 different franchise records, including 12,013 career passing yards and 213 passing touchdowns. This season Cole narrowly outranks Vena in several offensive categories, as both lead high-powered offensive attacks into this high-stakes East Division showdown. Leading Passer: Ryan Vena (#5) - 4 GP, 86-for-125, 1,051 yards, 28 TDs, 124.0 QB rating. Leading Rusher: Jason Acquaye (#30) - 6 GP, 19 carries for 42 yards, 4 TDs, 2.2 yards per carry. Leading Receivers: J.J. Outlaw (#9) - 7 GP, 37 catches for 486 yards, 10 TDs, 13.1 yards per catch - & - Rich Musinski (#4) - 4 GP, 35 catches for 441 yards, 12 TDs, 12.6 yards per catch. Leading Tackler: William Ferguson (#22) - 40.0 tackles (34 solo, 12 assists), 1 INT, 2 Fumble Recoveries. Conquest Player of the Week: (Week 7)
Dan Cole - QB - #7 23-for-38 passing for 329 yards, 7 TDs, (1 rush, 6 pass) In spite of the loss, Conquest QB Dan Cole had yet another record-setting day on the field against Daytona Beach. Cole had a career-high 329 passing yards and 7 touchdowns (6 passing, 1 rushing) to lead Albany's offense. The Albany, NY native is averaging 262.3 passing yards and 5.2 passing touchdowns per game and is currently leading the team in rushing (92 yards, 4 TDs, 5.1 yards per carry). Cole leads the entire af2 in total offense yards per game (277.7) and pass attempts (224) and is second in the league in passing yards (1,574) and total offense yards (1,666); he is also tied for second in af2 in passing TDs (31) and total offensive plays (242).
Conquest Arrows:
- NOT COMING BACK - TE/OL Jacob Hobbs made quite an impression when he attended the NFL's New York Giants Rookie/Free Agent Minicamp last weekend. The Giants announced Monday that the UAlbany star has been signed to a contact for the 2008 season and will join the team for off-season workouts this weekend. Hobbs is the first ever Albany player to be signed by the Giants and will have a homecoming of sorts when the Giants open their 2008 training camp at the University of Albany campus.
- ALL-PURPOSE, ALL THE TIME - WR Chris Bocage continues to raise the bar on his individual performances as he set a career-high with 286 all-purpose yards last week against Daytona Beach. The rookie from USC has amassed 538 all-purpose yards and 8 touchdowns in his last two games, emerging as a significant offensive weapon.
- THE RED CROSS TEAM - WR Jared Jones and DS Clarence Curry are both on the mend and are currently questionable for this week's trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Jones suffered an injury in Albany's Week 3 win over Peoria and Curry was injured in practice leading up to their Week 5 game against Tennessee Valley; together they have missed seven games already this season. With Jones being Albany's top offensive threat and Curry the Conquest's leader in the secondary, getting either player back would be a big boost for the team.
- TACKLING MACHINE - DB Brandon Taylor has led the Conquest in tackles for almost the entire season so far. The rookie from the University of New Hampshire has 33.5 tackles (24 solo, 19 assists) in six games played and he is tied for the af2 lead in assisted tackles (19).
Albany Conquest Team Leaders:
Passing
-Attempts: Dan Cole (224)
-Completions: Dan Cole (126)
-Percentage: Dan Cole (56.2%)
-Yards: Dan Cole (1,574)
-Touchdowns: Dan Cole (31)
-Long: Dan Cole (45)
Receiving
-Receptions: Antwun Williams (36)
-Yards: Antwun Williams (518)
-Touchdowns: Antwun Williams (11)
-Yards/Catch: Antwun Williams (14.4)
-Yards/Game: Jared Jones (134.0)
-Long: Antwun Williams (45)
Rushing
-Attempts: Dan Cole (18)
-Yards: Dan Cole (92)
-Touchdowns: Dan Cole (4)
-Yards/Carry: Norman Bauer (7.4)
-Yards/Game: Dan Cole (15.3)
-Long: Dan Cole (40)
Kick Returns
-Attempts: Chris Bocage (20)
-Yards: Chris Bocage (463)
-Touchdowns: Chris Bocage & Jared Jones (1)
-Yards/Return: Chris Bocage (23.1)
-Yards/Game: Chris Bocage (115.8)
-Long: Jared Jones (55)
Field Goals
-Attempts: Jason Fralicker (2)
-Kicks Made: Jason Fralicker (1)
-Percentage: Jason Fralicker (50.0%)
-Long: Jason Fralicker (19)
Kickoffs
-Attempts: Jason Fralicker (53)
-Yards: Jason Fralicker (2,832)
-Yards/Kick: Jason Fralicker (53.4)
-Touchbacks: Jason Fralicker (17)
Defense
-Tackles: Brandon Taylor (33.5)
-Solo Tackles: Brandon Taylor (24)
-Assisted Tackles: Brandon Taylor (19)
-Sacks: Kevin Marchant (3.0)
-Tackles For Loss: Kevin Marchant (4.0-21 yards)
-Interceptions: Brandon Taylor (3)
-Pass Breakups: Five tied with (3)
-Forced Fumbles: Five tied with (1)
-Blocked Kicks: Damion DeRosia (1)
-Defensive Touchdowns: Brenton Brady & Brandon Taylor (1)
East Division Standings:
(AMERICAN CONFERENCE)
Team W L PCT Home Road Streak WB/Scranton 6 1 .857 3-0 3-1 W6
Albany 3 3 .500 2-1 1-2 L2
Manchester 1 5 .167 0-2 1-3 L5
Mahoning Valley 1 6 .143 1-3 0-3 L6
The Conquest are getting ready for a massive East Division clash with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers on Friday, May 16th at Wachovia Arena. The 7:00 pm kickoff in Pennsylvania will be the first of three meetings between Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. Albany's next home game will come in Week 9 as they host the Manchester Wolves on Friday, May 23rd at 7:00 pm at the Times Union Center.
Partial season ticket packages and single game tickets are now on sale for the 2008 Albany Conquest regular season. For more information please contact the Conquest at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyconquest.com.
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