Fayetteville Ends 'Birds Year
July 11, 2005 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Dayton Bulldogs News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Warbirds' mission was disastrous.
When you don't execute in the first 15 minutes of a National Indoor Football League playoff game, your chances of survival in the Southern most reaches is reduced.
Dayton (8-7), in its first-NIFL season was successful, but in this game -two sacks, forcing a near-impossible 62-yard field goal- a four-downs and out situation inside the 10 yard line and a fumble after a great catch and run by your best receiver was the downfall in the 'Birds 78-63 loss to the Fayetteville Guard (8-7), in an opening round NIFL post-season fray.
Each turnover cost Dayton a touchdown by Fayetteville. Spotting a team 21 points is like giving your neighbor 15 strokes in golf, because you can't give a handicap on the road, especially in a place like Crown Arena where nearly 3,000 delirious souls of the Guard chanted raucously.
"MISCONDUCT" IN 1ST QUARTER
What the Warbirds did in the first quarter was misconduct and there was no time for head coach Matt King to reprimand his troupes until halftime.
"We just got behind and couldn't catch up and that's credit to their team," said King who was impressed with Fayetteville coach Mike Siani's defensive line. "They are the best in the league. They were very active and always gave us pressure and havoc."
Quarterback Steve Bellisari, who studied the objectives of the mission but failed to have his wingmen hold up early, finally got in rhythm. He finished an 8-play drive for 34 yards with Keith Brooks covering the last 7 for the score.
The big play on the next score for Dayton was 28-yard pass by Bellisari to Jonathan Cain. That set up a 1-yard burst by Brooks.
The third score of the second quarter was just as difficult as Fayetteville's line play on defense held its ground on the battlefield. Bellisari had 1st and goal at the Guard one-yard line. Two rushes and an incomplete pass seemed like a futile attempt, but then Steve, who carried the ball 13 times for 55 yards in the game, belted over from one at 4:23 of the second.
CAIN NEW FOUND RECEIVER "I can't say enough about Steve," said King. "He along with Jon Cain should have been the offensive players of the game for us. Cain was exceptionally good and I think it's because we brought him along slow and I felt he just was a different receiver in this game."
Being outscored by 14 (or two touchdowns) in the third didn't help the Warbirds' cause. By the end of the third quarter, it was the Guard leading 61-35.
Dayton couldn't just close the gap soon enough to get close. Every time the Warbirds scored, the Guard retaliated with a charge of its own, thanks in part to some unnecessary turnovers.
TURNOVERS TOO COSTLY Two fumbles and an interception led to Fayetteville scores in the second half and in the end, Fayetteville converted on 12 of 16 possessions and Dayton could muster only 8 of 15.
In the end, Dayton had scored more 60 points for the fifth time this season, but they had also given up the 2nd-most in one game this inaugural season (78). They squandered away 81 at Cincinnati in the fourth game of the season.
"They (the Guard) wouldn't let us back in the game and that's what is tough," the 28-year-old King said. "They were extremely prepared, good coaching and used the running back well."
King made reference to Wilmont Perry, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound back out of the Arena Football League's Columbus Destroyers. He had 85 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. "We just couldn't bring him down. He was really impressive."
BROOKS PROVES WORTH
Running back Keith Brooks did yeoman's work, scoring three times from 7, 1 and 2 yards out. He ended with the same number of carries as Bellisari (13) and collected 40 yards.
Defense was nearly non-existent. Matador defenses are none-withstanding in the NIFL and despite an interception, forced fumble and pass breakup by KJ Johnson, the newcomer out of West Georgia by way of Clemson; there were no other outstanding individuals.
Offensively, Bellisari was 14 of 18 for 206 yards and four touchdown passes. Three of those went to Lee for 35, 5 and 25 yards. Bellisari went to his former Ohio State teammate a total of 11 times, and Lee caught six of those tosses for 92 yards, his 3rd-best game in yardage this season.
"This group never gave up; we battled the entire 60 minutes," added King. "I thought our second-half adjustments got us some points, but I think I went to the onside kick too soon. I tried two in the last minute when we had a 14 and 15-points deficit and neither were good."
This was Lee's third game in which he had corralled three TD passes. His season-best was 15 catches, 136 yards and 4 TDs against Cincinnati on May 21. He ended the season with 925 yards on 77 catches that included 20 end zones.
KELLY, BOWEN PLAY 2-WAYS
Cain, a 6-foot-3 receiver out of Wilmington (Ohio) College and Dunbar High School, had five catches for 72 yards and one TD, a 7-yard grab in the 3rd quarter. This was Cain's best effort of the season, although he had played sparingly.
Other performances were notable including newcomer Yusef Kelly, who played both linebacker and running back -his natural position. Kelly carried the ball twice for 17 yards and scored in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard burst.
The former Clemson standout also was at linebacker where he led the team with seven total tackles, including 4 solos.
Defensive back Milt Bowen had a pair of tackles but also moved to wide receiver where he had two grabs for 40 yards, with a long of 24 yards.
"This is a tough and hearty group," King said of his troupe. "We were really struggling after the first quarter when we caught some injuries. I couldn't get Milt (Bowen) to come out; none of them gave up."
What most don't realize is that Sam Crenshaw went down on the second series of the game for Dayton when he ran a route up the middle and tore his right hamstring. "He was wide open, by himself about 30 yards down field and I just saw his leg give way," said a disappointed King. "Since being move to receiver, he's been fantastic and he's also our long snapper and backup defensive back. What can I say-that really hurt."
EARLY INJURIES HURT 'BIRDS In the first quarter alone, defensive back Arden Banks, a league leader in passes defended, continued to play with a concussion, Bowen had sprained an ankle and was gimpy all night, and Johnson hurt his back. "We only had Anthony Tyus for a long snapper and he'd never done it and the guys were struggling with the press coverage.
"Some things you can't control like injuries, but I think we could have been a little better prepared physically," King exclaimed. "The biggest thing I would like to figure out is how to win on the road."
Dayton was 1-5 overall on the road - excluding the forfeit by New Jersey - and 6-1 at home. The Warbirds won at Montgomery, 55-48, May 7 (middle of the season) and lost only to Beaumont, 48-40, in the first game of the season at home in the E.J. Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University.
VIDEO NEVER ARRIVED Better prepared meant having a tape or video of Fayetteville's last game, and the Warbirds did not, despite wending the Guard a tape nearly a week and a half before the game. "I don't even have the game tape today," said coach King, two days after the game. "I think I could have made some different adjustments had I known a few more things from a fresher video."
Tape or no tape, coach King and his staff, which included defensive coordinator Carl Allen, special teams-offensive assistant Mike Savino, line coach Tom Schwab, linebacker coach Shane English and secondary coach Paul Williams.
"This was a close team and we related well with each other," King said, "It was a young staff who stuck together. I'm just happy with this season."
King's first real adventure into indoor football and it was a successful one.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from July 11, 2005
- Fayetteville Ends 'Birds Year - Dayton Bulldogs
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- Dayton fails to stop Fayetteville offense - Dayton Bulldogs
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