Firecats Game Notes
August 1, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Florida Firecats (11-5, 4-3) vs. South Gerogia Wildcats (10-6, 4-2)
Date: Saturday August 4th 2007
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Germain Arena
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Referee
Officials:
Referee: Marc Curles
Umpire: Mark Baynes
Head Linesman: Mitch Geier Line Judge: Larry Neal
Back Judge: Barry Hendon
Internet: www.FloridaFirecats.com, www.ABC-7.com & www.NBC-2.com
TV: NONE
Series Record: 6-5 FLA
Last Meeting: 47- 40 SGA 7/07/07
Streaks: FLA Lost 1; SGA Lost 2
Coaches: Kevin Bouis (38-10) 3rd Season
Derek Stingley (23-19) 3rd Season
(Regular Season Coaching Records)
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Firecats: Dave Parks, 239-273-4969
Email: dpfirecats@aol.com
Wildcats: Bobby Jackson, 229-869-6928
Email: bjackson@mchsi.com
THE STAKES: It's win or go home time in the af2. Florida has made the playoffs each of the past 6 seasons and have only once (2003) not won at least one playoff game.
THE SERIES: The Firecats have a 6-5 series advantage over the Wildcats. This will be the 1st time they have ever met in the post-season.
THE IF's:
If Florida defeats South Georgia, it would ...
- Advance the Firecats to the 2nd Round
- Give the Firecats a 12-5 record
- Give Coach Bouis his 3rd playoff win
Florida Firecats (11-5, 4-3; WON 1)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 Oklahoma City 7:30 WIN 55-22
4/06 @ Texas 8:00 WIN 54-13
4/13 @ Tennessee 8:30 WIN 61-34
4/21 WB Scranton 7:30 LOST 58-36
4/28 Tennessee 7:30 LOST 39-38
5/05 @ Albany 4:00 WIN 56-51
5/12 @ South Georgia 7:30 LOST 49-38
5/19 Mahoney Valley 7:30 WIN 62-26
6/02 Alabama 7:30 WIN 29-21
6/09 @ Tennessee 8:30 WIN 53-37
6/16 Manchester 7:30 WIN 49-27
6/23 Albany 7:30 WIN 64-41
6/30 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 WIN 69-38
7/07 South Georgia 7:30 LOST 47-40
7/14 @ Alabama 8:00 WIN 55-44
7/28 @ Manchester 7:00 LOST 45-40
South Georgia Wildcats (10-6, 4-2; LOST 2)
Date Opponent Result Score
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 Arkansas 7:30 W 47-31
4/7 Louisville 7:30 W 77-53
4/12 @ Alabama 8:00 L 54-57
4/21 Tenn Valley 7:30 W 64-42
5/5 @ Rio Grande 8:30 L 42-45
5/12 Florida 7:30 W 49-38
5/20 @ Arkansas 4:00 W 40-37
5/26 @ Bossier 8:00 W 60-46
6/2 Corpus Christi 7:30 W 46-44
6/9 WB/Scranton 7:30 L 62-70
6/16 @ Tenn Valley 8:30 W 68-65
6/30 @ Manchester 7:00 L 57-80
7/7 @ Florida 7:30 W 47-40
7/14 Texas 7:30 L 61-71
7/21 Alabama 7:30 L 54-64
HEAD COACH:
Kevin Bouis is set to begin his 3rd year as head coach and 6th year overall with the Florida Firecats. In his 1st 2 seasons at the helm he guided the team to a 27-5 regular season record going 13-3 in 2006 & 14-2 in 2005 (the af2's best record that year). Last year the Firecats captured their 3rd straight South Divisional Championship. 2006 also marked the 2nd straight season that Florida had home field advantage in the playoffs. 2006 also saw the Firecats play in their 3rd straight American Conference Championship game. As the defensive coordinator, Bouis helped coach the Firecats to an Arena Cup Championship in 2004. That year Kevin's Defense was ranked #1 in total defense, #1 in pass defense, #3 in rush defense & #2 in scoring defense(38.2 pts/g).
Stifling defense has been a signature of the Firecats since Bouis arrived in 2002 when the Firecats finished 5th in scoring defense (38.1 pts/g), 5th in rushing defense and 7th in pass def rating on their way to their 1st arena cup appearance and the American Conference Championship. In 2003 his defense to finished 2nd in scoring defense (39.2 pts/g), 7th total defense and 4th in pass def rating.
He is a former player for the National Indoor Football League's Mississippi Firedogs. He helped his team win two League championships, 2000 and 2001, winning All-NIFL honors. In three seasons with the Firedogs (99-01), Bouis totaled 30 defensive turnovers, 23 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries. In 2000 and 2001 Bouis led the team in tackles and interceptions. He won the honor of being the IPFL defensive player of the week in 2000. In 1999, Bouis helped the Firedogs qualify for the first round of the playoffs in their inaugural season (9-7). During his tenure with the Firedogs he registered 189 tackles including 81 in 2000.
As a player at the University of Texas El Paso/University of Kentucky, Bouis was furnished with a full scholarship and was a two-year varsity letterman in Football at UTEP, who started as a true freshman and sophomore. He then transferred and completed his college football career at the University of Kentucky.
Bouis holds a B.A. in Education from UK and has an M.B.A. from William Carey College.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ken Mastrole is in his 3rd year as coordinator after leading the Firecats to the championship as QB in 2004. in 2006 Mastrole's offense ranked #1 in the af2 scoring nearly 60 points per game. He played his college ball at Maryland & Rhode Island also had stints with the Chicago Bears in the NFL, The Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe & the Detroit Fury in the AFL.
Assistant Head Coach OL/DL & FB/LB: Victor Hall "Sack Man" coached with the Firecats in 2003 before returning to the field as a player in 2004. Hall returned to the sideline in 2005 as the Assistant Head Coach. The Auburn grad who was in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings from 1991-1993 and the Indianapolis Colts for the 93-94 season has an Orlando Predators Arena Bowl ring to go along with the hardware he received last year and has the distinction as being the 1st player to win both an AFL and af2 championship.
Hall is also an ex-police officer and became the youngest Chief of Police in Alabama at the age of 23. Vic can be seen as an extra through out the Adam Sandler film "The Waterboy".
LAST SERIES MEETING: Florida 40 South Georgia 47
The Georgia Wildcats exploded to a 34 -13 lead at halftime and hung on for a 47-40 win over the Florida Firecats at Germain Arena. Florida had it's largest crowd of the season with 6,683 fans on hand for the Firecats final home game of the regular season.
South Georgia scored the games 1st 20 points with a pair of touchdown receptions by James Robinson and an interception return for a score by Greg Golden. The Wildcats would score with 5 seconds left in the half to take a 20 point lead into the break, 34-13.
Magic Benton caught his 1st of 3, 3rd quarter touchdowns on Florida's 1st possession of the 2nd half. Benton now has 996 career points and needs just 4 more to become the 1st player to score 1000 career points.
South Georgia finished the night 7 of 11 on 3rd downs and converted on 6 of 9 trips inside the redzone. The Wildcats also forced 3 turnovers and stopped Florida on 4th down 3 times. Florida would twice pull within a score of South Georgia but couldn't complete the comeback.
DB Levy Brown led all defenders with 11 tackles, giving him 116.5 on the year. He also collected his 13th interception leaving him 2 shy of the af2 single season record.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match up who ranked among af2's statistical leaders:
Firecats
Player Rank Category Stat
Chris Wallace 8 Passing 266.1 yds/g
Chris Wallace 9 Total Offense 266.7 yds/g
Chris Wallace 2 Passing Efficiency 123.7
Chris Wallace 6 Total TDs 91
Chris Wallace 5 Completion Perc. 65.2 %
Chris Wallace 5 Passing TDs 85
Chris Wallace 3 Passing Yards 4257
Magic Benton 8 Receiving 103.6 yds/g
Magic Benton 5 Receiving Yards 1658
Wallace House 4 Rushing 21.7 yds/g
Wallace House 9 Rush Attempts 63
Wallace House T8 Rushing TDs 12
Wallace House 8 Yards per Rush 3.8
Levy Brown T1 Interceptions 14
Levy Brown 2 Tackles 132.5
Levy Brown 4 Passes Defended 41
Quincy Sorrell 9 Tackles 92.5
Alfred Peterson T7 Tackles for Loss 13.0
Wildcats
Player Rank Category Stat
D Bryant 1 Total Offense 295.6 yds/g
D Bryant 1 Total TDs 111
D Bryant 1 Passing 292.5 yds/g
D Bryant 1 Passing Yards 4680
D Bryant 8 Completion Perc. 63.4 %
D Bryant 1 Passing TDs 102
D Bryant 5 Passing Efficiency 116.3
D Bryant T7 Interceptions 16
Chavis McCollister 5 Scoring 15.6 ppg
Chavis McCollister 2 Receptions /Game 12.5 rec/g
Chavis McCollister 4 Receiving Yards 1738
Chavis McCollister 4 Receiving 115.9yds/g
Chavis McCollister 4 Receptions 139
Chavis McCollister 9 Receiving TDs 36
James Robinson 8 Yards per Catch 15.2 yds/c
Tavaris Capers 9 Kick Return Yards 994
Player Match-ups to Watch:
Firecats Defense vs. Chavis McCollister: McCollister has proven to be a tough receiver to tackle in the open field. He ranks in the top 5 in 5 different individual receiving categories. The Firecats have the af2's 2nd best defense against the pass and surrender just 37 point per game.
Chris Wallace vs. Wildcats Secondary: Wallace has the af2's top passer rating of 123.4. he has passed a new team record 4,257 yards along with 85 TD's with just 7 picks on the year. The Wildcats give up 239 yards per game thru the air and allow their opponents to score an average of 49 points per game.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Firecats and Wildcats stack up:
Statistical Wildcats Firecats
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 5 54.7ppg 15 49.9ppg
Scoring Defense 17 49.1ppg 2 37.0ppg
Total Offense 1 316.6yds/g 4 290.9yds/g
Total Defense T16 260.8yds/g 2 224.1yds/g
Pass Offense 1 296.8yds/g 9 263.2yds/g
Pass Defense 16 239.2yds/g 2 211.2yds/g
Rushing Offense 15 19.8yds/g 5 27.7yds/g
Rushing Defense 20 21.5yds/g 2 12.9yds/g
Pass Rating 6 115.0 1 123.4
Pass Def. Rating 10 93.9 4 80.9
Kickoff returns 13 17.7yds/ret 29 14.2yds/ret
MFG Returns 11 20.5yds/ret 28 11.6yds/ret
Turnover Margin T14 -.12 4 1.31
Field Goals 28 1-7 T26 1-6
PAT Kicking 29 .656 22 .729
Sacks By T10 26 T5 31
Sacks Against 8 14 1 10
First Downs T6 316 17 286
Opp. First Downs 19 287 T15 286
Penalties 12 54.6yds/g 11 54.4yds/g
Opp. Penalties 21 54.6yds/g 27 51.4yds/g
National Conference Playoff Seeding
1. Rio Grande Valley Dorados (15-1)
2. Tulsa Talons (14-2)
3. Florida Firecats (11-5)
4. Arkansas Twisters (12-4)
5. Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings (11-5)
6. South Georgia Wildcats (10-6)
7. Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (7-9)
8. Alabama Steeldogs (7-9)
First round playoff schedule
Saturday August 4th
#6 South Georgia at #3 Florida - 7:30pm
#5 Bossier-Shreveport at #4 Arkansas - 8pm
#7 Oklahoma City at #2 Tulsa - 8:30pm
Sunday August 5th
#8 Alabama at #1 Rio Grande Valley - 5pm
SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Ethenic Sands - FLA
3 TV Chris Wallace - FLA
5 TV Chris Wallace - FLA
8 MHV Chris McKinney - FLA
10 ALA Wallace House - FLA
11 TVV Wallace House - FLA
12 MAN Magic Benton - FLA
13 ALB Chris Wallace - FLA
14 OKC Chris Wallace - FLA
16 ALA Chris Wallace - FLA
U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Brent Burnside - FLA
3 TV Brent Burnside - FLA
6 ALB Brent Burnside - FLA
8 MHV Levy Brown - FLA
10 ALA Chris McKinney - FLA
12 MAN Brent Burnside - FLA
13 ALB Comone Fisher - FLA
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Levy Brown - FLA
3 TV Levy Brown - FLA
5 TV Levy Brown - FLA
6 ALB Alfred Peterson - FLA
8 MHV Levy Brown - FLA
10 ALA Tony Stubbs - FLA
11 TVV Levy Brown - FLA
12 MAN Tony Stubbs - FLA
13 ALB Alfred Peterson - FLA
14 OKC Levy Brown - FLA
16 ALA Quincy Sorrell - FLA
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 OKC Magic Benton - FLA
5 TV Chris McKinney - FLA
8 MHV Magic Benton - FLA
10 ALA Chris McKinney - FLA
11 TVV Ethenic Sands - F:A
13 ALB Magic Benton - FLA
16 ALA Magic Benton - FLA
Drop Back: Florida 40 - Manchester 45
The Manchester Wolves (10-6) secured home field advantage for the first-round of the American Conference playoffs for the second year in a row thanks to their nail-biting 45-40 win over the Florida Firecats (11-5) Saturday night on Brady Sullivan Field at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. in front of 6,061 fans.
With the victory the Wolves extended their win-streak to five straight games, along with exacting revenge on a previous loss suffered by the hands of the Firecats, 49-27, back on June 16 in Estero, Florida.
The Wolves were led offensively by the receiving duo of Ari Confesor (Schutt Offensive Player of the Game, 10 catches, 115 yards, three touchdowns) and Patrick Rouzard (eight catches, 51 yards, three touchdowns). Wolves quarterback Mark Radlinski threw for five touchdowns and one interception before being pulled in favor of backup Brian Zbydniewski who came in strong, completing five of his seven passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Firecats fell short on the Manchester 5-yard line as quarterback Chris Wallace was being chased out of the pocket with no time left by a pack of Wolves (linemen Maurice Fountain, Jimmy Williams and Ramal Faunteroy). Wallace threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns in the loss, but spread the ball evenly as all three of his receivers; Ethenic Sands (11 catches, 141 yards), Chris McKinney (nine catches, 100 yards, two touchdowns) and Magic Benton (six catches, 106 yards, two touchdowns) all gained over 100 yards each.
Manchester's defense came up big in the win stopping the potent Firecat offense three times in the win, led by DB Deon Giddens (game high 9.5 tackles, one forced fumble).
Former University of New Hampshire kicker Connor McCormick continued his strong performance at home, connecting on four of his six PATs along with hitting two field goals (22, 25).
Bennett has now guided the Wolves to three straight playoff appearances which includes hosting a second-round playoff game in 2005 and a first-round playoff game in 2006, the Wolves reached the second-round of the playoffs in both of those seasons.
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