Sports stats



Dallas Desperados Game Notes

May 20, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Dallas Desperados News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Dallas Desperados (10-6) vs. Georgia Force (8-8)
Series Record: Desperados hold 1-0 lead.
Last Meeting: Dallas 56, @ Georgia 55.
Series Streak: Desperados won only meeting.
Coaches: Joe Avezzano (18-14, 2nd Year) Marty Lowe (14-16, 2nd Year)
Radio: KTCK, The Ticket (1310-AM) George Dunham, Greg Williams KRVA (Spanish, 1600-AM) Victor Villalba
TV: NBC Sports (Ch. 5 in Dallas-Ft. Worth) Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Marty Snider

Season Series: This week's game will mark the second time these two franchises have faced each other. The Desperados claimed a 56-55 victory two weeks ago in Georgia.

Series Notables:

* The 55 points surrendered by Dallas tied the sixth fewest points allowed this season.
* The Force scored 29 fourth quarter points to erase a 16-point deficit at the end of the third period.
* The victory was the second of three consecutive road wins for the Desperados.
* Dallas was out-gained by 105 total yards in the first meeting.

A Desperados Win Would:

* Allow Dallas to take a 2-0 series advantage.
* Advance the Desperados to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Avengers.
* Mark Dallas' second straight first round playoff victory.
* Give the Desperados a 2-0 all-time home playoff record.
* Improve Dallas' record at Reunion Arena this spring to 6-3 and all-time to 7-3.
* Mark only the second team the Desperados has beaten twice this spring (Chicago is the other).

THIS WEEK

The Desperados open the drive to ArenaBowl XVII by hosting the Georgia Force on Sunday at Reunion Arena.

NEXT WEEK

The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. If the Desperados win, they will advance to play the fourth seeded Avengers in Los Angeles on June 1. A Force victory sends them to top seeded San Jose on May 31.

www.dallasdesperados.com

For breaking news, press releases, statistics and rosters, visit the official website of the Dallas Desperados, www.dallasdesperados.com. Updated daily, www.dallasdesperados. com has the most extensive information on upcoming games. The Desperados website is also a great place to find information on players and coaches, order tickets for upcoming games and purchase Desperados merchandise.

HEAD COACHES Joe Avezzano (18-14, 2nd Year)

After establishing himself as one of the top assistant coaches in the NFL, Joe Avezzano made a name for himself last spring as an Arena Football League head coach. Avezzano led the expansion Desperados to a 7-7 regular season record and a trip to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

This success helped the club win the prestigious Commissioner s Award. Avezzano was the Dallas Cowboys special teams coach from 1991-2002, earning NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year honors three times. Before coming to Dallas, he coached collegiately at Texas A&M (1985-88), Oregon State (1980-84), Tennessee (1977-79), Pittsburgh (1973-76), Iowa State (1969-72) and Florida State (1968). He starred at guard for Florida State before being drafted by the Boston Patriots.

Marty Lowe (14-16, 2nd Year)

Marty Lowe is in his second season at the Force helm after taking over the head coaching duties six game sinto the 2002 season. Under his direction, Georgia was victorious in five of their final eight games of the 2001 season. He began his indoor coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Nashville Kats in 2000. In 2001, he became the Kats offensive coordinator while coaching the teams wide receivers and quarterbacks. The University of Louisville graduate spent two season playing in the Arena Football League, one season with the St. Louis Stampede (1996) and another with the Texas Terror (1997). He rounded out his coaching background by serving as an assistant coach at Louisville from 1997 - 98.

LAST WEEK

The Dallas Desperados won the Central Division crown by defeating the Grand Rapids Rampage 62-51 at Van Andel Arena. The victory sucured a No. 5 playoff seeding and a first round home game for Dallas.

The Rampage took only four plays to take the early advantage as Clint Dolezel hooked up with Terrill Shaw on a seven-yard scoring pass. Dallas quickly answered with a 10-yard Jim Kubiak-to- Shannon Culver touchdown pass. Grand Rapids then put together a seven play drive, culminated by a six-yard Dolezel scramble for the touchdown. Early in the second period, the Desperados tied the score when Kubiak found Dialleo Burks in the end zone from four yards out.

Two plays later, Dolezel found Willis Marshall down the left sidelines with a 42-yard scoring pass. Kubiak was intercepted in the end zone on Dallas' next possession, and the Rampage cashed in with a one-yard Ricky Ross touchdown run for a 28-14 lead with one minute remaining in the first half. The Desperados quickly drove to a six-yard Kubiak-to-Culver touchdown toss. Three plays later, Tom Briggs sack Dolezel, forcing a fumble that Briggs recovered in the end zone as the first half expired to tie the score at 28- 28.

Dallas then opened the second half with a 28-yard Kubiak-to- Burks touchdown pass for a 35-28 lead. Grand Rapids responded quickly as Dolezel and Shaw connected on a four-yard touchdown pass. Three plays later, Kubiak found Shawndel Tucker down the rist sidelines with a 32-yard scoring pass. On fourth-and-goal from the Dallas one-yard line, Travis McDonald tied the score with a one-yard scoring plunge.

Two minutes into the final frame, Kubiak against hooked up with Culver, this time from 17-yards out for the touchdown. The lead remained six points after the ensuing PAT snap sailed over Kubiak's head. Dallas' defense was then able to force the Rampage into a 47-yard Brian Gowins field goal for a 48-45 score.

The Desperados took a 10-point lead with a 12-yard Kubiak-to- McCullough touchdown pass with 1:50 remaining in the game. Dallas again forced Grand Rapids into a field goal attempt, but Tim Martin blocked Gowinns 27-yard attempt. After running 30 seconds off the clock, Kubiak found Luke Leverson down the middle with a 34-yard touchdown pass on third-and-six to give the Desperados a 62-45 lead. Marshall returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for the touchdown as the clocked expired to close out the game. Game MVP Kubiak set the AFL single-season passing yards record holder on a nine-yard pass to McCullough in the second quarter. Kubiak finished the year with 4,764 passing yards.

VS. THE FORCE

Following is a look at how several Desperados have fared against the Force during their careers:

OS Dialleo Burks - five catches for 61 yards and two scores in one game.

DS Tim Denton - four tackles, an interception and a pass defensed in one game.

DS Jermaine Jones - four tackles and a pass defensed in one game.

QB Jim Kubiak - 21-of-29 for 258 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in one game.

WR/DB Luke Leverson - four catches for 50 yards, two mfg returns for 18 yards and a pass defensed in one game.

WR/DB Will Pettis - seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown and one carry for a two-yard touchdown in one game.

WR/LB Jason Shelley - tw catches for 44 yards and a score, a carry for 0 yards and three tackles in one game.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 20, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Dallas Desperados Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central