Dayton prepares for Guard matchup
July 7, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Dayton Bulldogs News Release
DAYTON, Ohio - The âNew Season' has begun. Every team in the National Indoor Football League playoffs starts anew.
The good thing about Dayton playing the Fayetteville Guard is that the Warbirds did not meet the North Carolina team this past NIFL regular season.
The worst part may be the Warbirds (8-6) going into the Guard lair, on Saturday, where Fayetteville has won five of their last six games, losing only once by six to Odessa at Crown Coliseum (5,200 capacity), under new head coach Mike Siani.
"I have a lot of respect for coach Siani," said Dayton head mentor Matt King. "I think he's the best all round coach in the league because of his offensive schemes...and he also has good personnel.
"They are the hottest team in the league so they are a team to concern ourselves with," King added.
SAME GAME, DIFFERENT DAY
So what does Dayton have in mind for the Guard? About the same type of game, according to King, that got the Warbirds seven legitimate wins (the 8th was a forfeit from New Jersey) during the regular season.
The two teams have not played each other this season, but each has played common opponents eight times. The Warbirds are 5-3 against those common teams and Fayetteville is 3-5.
Dayton is 4-0 against the likes of Montgomery, Cincinnati, River City and Rome, and 1-3 on the road, the only road win coming at Montgomery, 55-48.
Fayetteville, on the other hand, is 3-1 at home against the same teams and 0-4 on the road. The only loss was a 60-57 score to the Rome Renegades. The Guard won the three games at home by a margin of 22 games and Dayton lost its three road games by only an average of 9.3 points.
RAGE WAS TOUGH OPPONENT
Against the toughest team on the list, the River City Rage (10-4), the two teams fared well. Dayton lost by 11 at the Rage and won at home by 21 points, while Fayetteville lost by three at City and won at home by 9. That is a minus-10 and 6, respectively, for each of the teams.
Dayton won both games against Montgomery by a 6.5-point margin and the Guard split against the Maulers by a net margin of plus-28.
What does all this mean? It speaks to what the teams have done that is somewhat relative. In other words, it looks like a draw at this point. Focus for the visiting Dayton team will be utmost in coach King's scheme.
BELLISARI AT TOP OF HIS GAME
That focus, offensively, will be with quarterback Steve Bellisari and how he directs the troops. Against the common opponent Montgomery, the team Dayton defeated twice, Bellisari was 31 of 50 passing with no interceptions, 289 yards and six touchdowns. He ran the ball 29 times for 81 yards and two TDs.
"We will come out and play hard so we can advance in this situation," said King, who said Bellisari is anxious to play this game. "He's always ready and this will be a good challenge for him and the rest of the team."
GROUND GAME âBIRDS' GAME
Keith Brooks, who took over for Pepe Pearson, will be the featured back for the Warbirds. Brooks had two outstanding games on the road. At Cincinnati on April 23 he had 15 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown and at Tri-Cities on May 27 he had 14 totes for 78 yards and a score. His biggest touchdown night was at Rome when he had four TDs on only 39 yards rushing.
Beside Fayetteville, looking for Brooks and Bellisari on the ground, they will have to contend with receiver Maurice Lee from up top. His receiving has been outstanding and he had two fantastic games at Montgomery where he corralled nine passes for 96 yards and three touchdowns. At home against River City, in the last game of the season, he had six catches for 90 yards and three TDs.
Besides Lee, Dayton has outstanding pass catchers in Sam Crenshaw, Billy Back, Jon Cain, Cory Jurious, and Brooks. Crenshaw moved to wide receiver from defensive back last week and against River City had five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
DEFENSIVE BACKS COULD SURPRISE
Defensively, the Guard will have to contend with Brandon Tisdale, Ryan Terry and Tyress Lawless in the trenches. These linemen have accounted for 83 total tackles, 18 of the 20 team sacks and 27 tackles for loss.
Lighting up the middle on defense was Yusef Kelly in the Warbirds last game. A relative newcomer to the position and the team, he is a converted running back who coach King saw as a potential standout at linebacker. He didn't disappoint against River City, one of the best teams in the league. He had 7.5 tackles, one sack, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
The defensive backs are led by Arden Banks, who was the league's top passes defended player with a total of 23, and was named to the NIFL All-Star team. Newcomer Kevin Johnson joins the DB troupe along with Harold Jacobs, William Harris, Milt Bowen and Ron Folds.
This game comes down to the Warbirds' offense against one of the better defenses, but Dayton can play a little defense too.
#
For additional information about Centurion Sports Management, LLC, the NIFL, ticket purchasing information, or corporate sponsorship information, please visit our website at www.centurionsportsmanagement.com or call 863-687-8110. Additional information about the NIFL can be found at the league website, www.nationalindoorfootballleague.net or call 888-422-9682.
National Indoor Football League Stories from July 7, 2005
- Prentice Purnell named NIFL All-Star - NIFL
- Generals Gearing-up for Summer Camp - Lincoln Capitols
- Roughnecks ready for home stretch - West Texas Roughnecks
- Dayton prepares for Guard matchup - Dayton Bulldogs
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.
