Florida Firecats game notes
July 5, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Florida Firecats (10-3, 3-2) vs.
South Georgia Wildcats (8-4, 3-1)
Date: Saturday July 7th 2007
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Germain Arena
National Anthem:
Coin Toss: Referee
Officials:
Referee: Jeff Heaser
Umpire: Brent Sowell
Head Linesman: Mitch Geier
Line Judge: Folayan Kindred
Back Judge: Barry Hendon
Internet: www.FloridaFirecats.com, www.ABC-7.com & www.NBC-2.com
TV: NONE
Series Record: 6-4 FLA
Last Meeting: 49-38 SGA 5/12/07
Streaks: FLA Won 6; SGA Lost 1
Coaches: Kevin Bouis (37-8) 3rd Season
Derek Stingley (22-17) 3rd Season
THE STAKES: This game could decide who wins the South Division and a guarantee of at least 1 home game in the playoffs. South Georgia won by 11 points earlier this season and holds the head-to-head tie breaker.
THE SERIES: The Firecats have a 6-4 series advantage over the Wildcats.
THE IF's:
If Florida defeats South Georgia, it would ...
- Give Florida its' 11th Win of the year
- Give Florida a 7-2 record against National Conf. teams
- Give Florida a 7-4 series lead over South Georgia
- Give Florida a 4-2 division record
- Keep the Firecats in 1st place in the South Division by 2 games over the Wildcats
Florida Firecats (10-3, 3-2; WON 6)
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
7/14 @ Alabama 8:00
7/28 @ Manchester 7:00
South Georgia Wildcats (8-4, 3-1; LOST 1)
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
7/14 Texas 7:30
7/21 Alabama 7:30
7/28 @ Tulsa 8:00
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: South Georgia 49 - Florida 38
Chavis McCollister caught 16 passes for 178 yards, the final one for 40 yards and a touchdown with :35 seconds left in the game as #8 South Georgia defeated division rival #6 Florida in front of a home crowd of 6,190 at the Albany Civic Center. It was the first time the Wildcats had beaten the Firecats since relocating from Cape Fear to Albany in 2005. With the win, the Wildcats improve to 4-2 on the season, and the Firecats fall to 4-3.
D. Bryant continued his good work, completing 27 of 36 passes for 256 yards and 5 touchdowns, none bigger than his final one to McCollister that put the game away. Bryant connected with Scott Cloman 8 times for 61 yards and 2 scores, and he threw TD passes to James Robinson and Derrick Lloyd as well. Bryant also scored a rushing touchdown for the Wildcats, as did McCollister and Lloyd.
Former Firecat Cory Bailey led all tacklers for the Wildcats with 11. Daryon Brutley picked off a Chris Wallace pass and returned the ball 30 yards, and Matt Jackson also made a key interception for South Georgia. Wallace was 27 of 43 passing for 323 yards and 6 touchdowns, finding Ethenic Sands 9 times for 144 yards and 2 scores. Former Wildcat Chris McKinney caught 11 passes for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Magic Benton hauled in 5 catches for 68 yards.
The game remained close throughout between the two teams. Two critical plays, a fumble by South Georgia running back Derrick Lloyd late in the end zone seemed to give Florida new life with 6:24 left in the game. But after punching out 2 first downs, South Georgia rose to the occasion and held the Firecats to 4 and out with 1:14 left in the game. After 2 straight running plays, Bryant found McCollister with the deep ball for the final score.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match up who ranked among af2's statistical leaders:
Firecats
Player Rank Category Stat
Wallace House 3 Rushing 26.1 yds/g
Wallace House T7 Rushing TDs 10
Wallace House 6 Yards per Rush 4.3
Chris Wallace 2 Passing 262.3yds/g
Chris Wallace 9 Total Offense 263.7yds/g
Chris Wallace 3 Pass Attempts 435
Chris Wallace 4 Completion Perc. 66.0
Chris Wallace 2 Pass Efficiency 123.6
Levy Brown 1 Interceptions 12
Levy Brown 2 Passes Defended 35
Levy Brown 1 Tackles 105.5
Alfred Peterson 6 Tackles for Loss 12.0
Magic Benton 9 Rec Yards/game 102.7
Magic Benton 8 Receptions 98
Antonio Dingle 4 Fumbles Forced 4
Wildcats
Player Rank Category Stat
D Bryant 2 Total Offense 287.7yds/g
D Bryant 7 Passing Efficiency 114.5
D Bryant 1 Passing 285.7yds/g
D Bryant T6 Pass Attempts 426
Chavis McCollister 2 Receptions 113
Chavis McCollister 5 Receiving 112.5yds/g
James Harris 7 Fumble Recover 0.33reco/g
Daryon Brutley T7 Interceptions 7
Player Match-ups to Watch:
Firecats DB Levy Brown vs. Wildcats WR Chavis McCollister: Levy Brown leads the af2 in tackles and interceptions, and has matched-up well with some fo the top receivers in the deuce this season. McCollister is second in the league in receptions and averages 113 yards per game. In the last game between these two bitter rivals McCollister caught 16 passes for 178 yards.
Firecats QB Chris Wallace vs. Wildcats Defense: The Firecats have won 6 straight since their May 12th loss to the Wildcats. Wallace has thrown 31 TD's in the 26 quarters since his last INT, the 2nd quarter of the game against S. Georgia. The Wildcats are a -3 in turnover ration this season.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Firecats and Wolves stack up:
Statistical Wildcats Firecats
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 6 55.5ppg 13 51.1ppg
Scoring Defense 20 50.7ppg 2 35.1ppg
Total Offense 1 315.7yds/g 5 291.0yds/g
Total Defense 24 274.3yds/g 2 219.7yds/g
Pass Offense 1 293.4yds/g 8 259.3yds/g
Pass Defense 24 251.8yds/g 3 205.0yds/g
Rushing Offense 11 22.2yds/g 3 31.7yds/g
Rushing Defense 21 22.5yds/g 7 14.7yds/g
Pass Rating 7 112.9 2 123.2
Pass Def. Rating 13 98.5 3 77.1
Kickoff returns 13 18.1yds/ret 28 14.6yds/ret
MFG Returns 11 18.7yds/ret 28 11.9yds/ret
Turnover Margin 17 -.25 5 1.46
Field Goals T25 1-6 T25 1-6
PAT Kicking 29 .613 24 .716
Sacks By T11 20 T3 28
Sacks Against T2 8 1 7
First Downs 5 238 T6 237
Opp. First Downs 19 222 23 225
Penalties 7 52.2yds/g 6 51.7yds/g
Opp. Penalties 14 59.3yds/g 27 50.1yds/g
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
SOUTH DIVISION
Florida 10-3 (3-2)
South Georgia 8-4 (3-1)
Tenn Valley 5-7 (3-4)
Alabama 5-7 (1-3)
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
Rio Grande Valley 11-1 (5-1)
Bossier-Shreveport 9-3 (6-0)
Corpus Christi 2-10 (2-5)
Texas 2-10 (2-5)
Laredo 1-11 (1-5)
CENTRAL DIVISION
Tulsa 10-2 (4-1)
Arkansas 9-3 (4-1)
Oklahoma City 6-6 (3-2)
Lubbock 6-6 (3-4)
Amarillo 3-9 (1-7)
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
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
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
Drop Back: Florida 69, Oklahoma City 38
After two weeks on the road, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz returned home to 8,137 fans, their biggest crowd of the season. After a close first half, the Yard Dawgz were defeated for the second time this year by the more powerful Florida Firecats, 69-38.
The Yard Dawgz got on the board first with a 38 yard pass from QB Stan Hill to U.S. Ironman of the Game, Al Hunt. The Dawgz lead 20-7 midway through the first quarter, their biggest lead of the night. Florida overcame the 13 point deficit in the second quarter and held the Yard Dawgz scoreless, proving why the Firecats defense is ranked 2nd in the league. Florida went into the half leading by 7 points, 27-20. Florida's leading defender, Levy Brown, had 2 interceptions and was named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game. Brown is currently leading the league with 105 total tackles.
The second half was also dominated by the Firecats offense. The Schutt Offensive Player of the Game, Firecats QB Chris Wallace, went 29-of 38 for 331 passing yards and 7 TDs. The Firecats outscored the Yard Dawgz by 24 points in the second half.
Although the Dawgz were eventually defeated by the Firecats, they did not play without a lack of effort. Veteran Al Hunt scored two TDs on the night, making him the fifth player in af2 history to reach over 800 career points. QB Stan Hill went 19-of-41 for 228 yards and 3 TDs.
Look Ahead: The Firecats travel to Birmingham, AL for their final division game of the regular season. Florida defeated Alabama at home this season 29-21.
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