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Force Game Notes

May 14, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (1-3) at Chicago Rush (2-2)
Date: May 18, 2002
Kickoff: 8:00 ET
Site: Allstate Arena (15,700)
Series Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: This is the first regular season meeting between Georgia and Chicago.
Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard: play-by-play and Ryan Stewart: color analyst).
Coaches: Robert Lyles- Georgia (6-9, 2nd Year); Mike Hohensee- Chicago (53-53, 9th Year).

THE GAME:

The Georgia Force head out for their second road game of the season as they travel to Chicago to take on the Central Division leading Rush at Allstate Arena on Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m. This will be the Force's first of three games against a team from the Central Division, as Georgia will also face the Detroit Fury and AFL Champion Grand Rapids Rampage.

Georgia looks to end a three game losing streak after winning their season-opener vs. Orlando 67-49. The Force will try to get back on track and regain the AFL lead they held through the first three weeks of the season in scoring offense and rushing after dropping to fifth and second respectively. Georgia will also look to cut down on the mistakes as they have been called for a league-high 54 penalties.

The Rush lead the AFL in fewest sacks allowed as Chicago has failed to yield a sack to the defense through four games. On offense, Chicago is led by quarterback Billy Dicken, who last week against Tampa Bay established a career-high seven touchdown passes. Dicken's had tied his personal-best the week before connecting on six touchdown completions in Chicago's 71-59 win over Grand Rapids. His single-game seven TD mark in currently tied for an AFL season-high.

Georgia is welcomed into this the 16th season of the AFL after the relocation of the Nashville Kats, which brought the team to Atlanta. The Force will look to follow in the winning tradition that Nashville started when entering the league in 1997. Over the Kats five-year tenure in Nashville, the club reached the playoffs in every season, twice reaching the ArenaBowl Championship game in 2000 and 2001.

The Force are beginning a new chapter in the AFL for themselves as the team's name, logos and history are brand new. The Georgia roster consists of 18 players that have traveled South from Nashville to Atlanta. Adding to the roster the Force signed AFL veterans QB Kevin McDougal and QB Donnie Davis from the former Milwaukee Mustangs and selected OL/DL Michael Lawson from the Florida Bobcats with the first overall selection in the 2001 dispersal draft.

GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK:

Georgia returns home to face Los Angeles on Friday, May 24 at Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m. The Force defeated the Avengers 51-44 in overtime in the 2002 preseason opener for both teams in Bakersfield, Ca.

CONNECTIONS:

There will be familiar faces on both sides of the ball as Georgia kicker Scott Szeredy and Chicago's OL/DL James Baron will be facing their former teammates. Szeredy went to training camp with the Rush after being selected in the 3rd round of the dispersal draft from the Houston Thunderbears. Baron signed with Chicago after spending the previous five seasons in Nashville. With the Kats, he was named AFL Lineman of the Year twice, 1998 and 2001, and the AFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.

HEAD COACHES:

ROBERT LYLES, Georgia (6-9, 2nd Year): Robert Lyles was named the first Head Coach of the Georgia Force in December of 2001. Entering his seventh season of coaching in Arena Football, Lyles served as the interim head coach for the Los Angeles Avengers last season after replacing Stan Brock following the third game of the 2001 season. Lyles finished the season with a 5-6 record as a head coach, while leading the Avengers to a 5-9 overall mark. Prior to his promotion as Head Coach for L.A., Lyles served as the team's defensive coordinator during their first two years since entering the league in 2000. Lyles began his coaching career with the AFL's Memphis Pharaohs in 1996, then spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Forest Dragons (1997-99) before going to Los Angeles. Before joining the AFL's coaching ranks, Lyles was a standout player earning the "Ironman of the Year" award for his play as a linebacker/fullback with the Memphis Pharaohs in 1995. Lyles played eight seasons in the National Football League as a standout linebacker- six seasons with the Houston Oilers (1984-89) and two with the Atlanta Falcons (1990-91). Lyles played linebacker at Texas Christian University.

MIKE HOHENSEE, Chicago (53-53, 9th YEAR): Mike Hohensee was named the first-ever head coach of the Rush in 2001 and begins his second season as head coach of the Rush, his ninth as an AFL head coach and his 14th as a member of an AFL coaching staff. As a head coach, Hohensee has compiled a 53-53 regular season record and has reached the playoffs five times. He led the Rush in its inaugural season to a 7-7 record and a playoff berth. His prior head coaching stints include the Washington Commandos (1990), the Albany Firebirds (1994-96), the Anaheim Piranhas (1997) and the New England Sea Wolves (1999-2000). Hohensee began his coaching career as an assistant for the Chicago Bruisers in 1989, becoming the first former AFL player to join the league as a coach and the youngest head coach in league history when he took over the Washington Commandos in 1990. He was named one of 14 finalists for the 2002 AFL Hall of Fame, Hohensee spent two seasons playing for the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the AFL (1987-1988). He is credited with the first touchdown pass in AFL history on June 19, 1987 and participated in the first ArenaBowl. Hohensee played professional football for the Washington Federals of the USFL and the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts; he also saw action with the Chicago Bears during the 1987 season. He was an all-America quarterback at San Antonio Junior College before transferring to the University of Minnesota, he was named the Golden Gophers' MVP and the university's Athlete of the Year in both 1981 and 1982. Hohensee was inducted into the university's M Club Hall of Fame in November 2000.

LAST WEEK:

The Georgia Force (1-3) dropped their third straight game falling to the Arizona Rattlers (3-1) 51-40 at Philips Arena on Friday night. Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner continued his torrid pace completing 18-of-28 passes on the night for 249 yards and four touchdowns. Bonner entered the game as one of the AFL's hottest quarterbacks throwing 20 touchdown passes through the Rattlers first three games.

Arizona's Chris Horn captured Game MVP honors catching a game-high 12 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Georgia's Ben Crosland was named the game Ironman. Crosland finished the contest with one assisted tackle and one reception for two yards.

The game started with the Force attempting an onside kick giving Arizona good field position, which they converted into a 23-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead. Georgia answered with a six-yard touchdown pass from Kevin McDougal to Darryl Hammond to give the Force a 7-3 advantage. The Rattlers regained the lead 10-7 on Bonner's second touchdown pass of the quarter, a 30-yard completion to Hunkie Cooper. Arizona's three-point lead would stand as the first quarter ended.

The Rattlers would add 14 more points before Georgia scored again. The Force had been held scoreless in the second quarter until the 4:15 mark when Travis Reece found the endzone for his AFL leading sixth rushing touchdown of the year to cut into the Arizona lead to 24-14. Georgia entered the game as the AFL's highest scoring team averaging 58.0 points per game, but had been held to 14 points over their last three quarters spanning their last two games. The Rattlers scored on a one-yard Bobby McGowens rush with 10 seconds left in the half to give Arizona a 31-14 lead that they would take into the half.

The second half opened with both teams trading possessions with turnovers. Arizona recovered a McDougal fumble, but then gave the ball back to the Force as Kelron Sykes intercepted a Bonner pass in the endzone. The third quarter ended with Arizona still holding onto a 17-point lead 37-20, as both teams scored touchdowns in the session.

Georgia outscored Arizona 20-14 in the final period, but it was not enough as the Rattlers clinched their third straight victory. McDougal registered season-highs with five touchdown passes on 23-for-35 passing for 260 yards. Georgia's Jarrick Hillery, an AFL First-Team member in 2001, had his best game of the season with seven receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown.

The Force travel to Chicago next week to take on the Rush at Allstate Arena on Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m.

QUOTES:

Force Head Coach Robert Lyles (on the game): "We came out with some intensity, but once we had a bad play it seemed like the spirit of the team dropped down. I told the team that we couldn't let things keep us down. We need to raise that intensity level back up. We fought our way back into the game. We do some good here and some bad there. There is just a lot of up and down play right now. We came out in the second half and made the big plays to get ourselves back into the game. But once something went wrong, we struggle to overcome the adversity. Penalties really hurt us. We just have to keep working at it."

(on the team): "We had an injection of a new player tonight and that puts a strain of everyone to take it up a notch. This is still a growing thing. We just made it harder on yourselves tonight and easier for them with dropped passes and penalties."

GAME AWARD WINNERS vs. Arizona (May 10)

GAME MVP

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
4 ARIZONA OS Chris Horn

GAME IRONMAN

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
4 GEORGIA OL/DL Ben Crosland

THINGS TO WATCH:

WR/DB Ron Carpenter:
- Ranks 1st in the AFL in MFG return with 134 yards on four returns (33.5 avg.) with one touchdown.
- Ranks 8th in the AFL in kickoff return average with 479 yards on 21 returns (22.8 avg.) with two touchdowns.
- Ranks 4th in the AFL in all-purpose yards with 679 (169.8 avg.).
-Won the AFL's ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his performance vs. Orlando and captured Game MVP honors for his efforts against the Predators.
- Lead the AFL in kickoff return yards in 2001 with 578 yards on 23 returns (25.1 avg.). OS Markeith Cooper:
- Signed by the Force from the team's open player tryouts.
- Ranks 10th in the AFL in receptions with 26 catches for 304 yards.
- Has had back-to-back seven reception games vs. Arizona and at San Jose for 85 yards and 66 yards respectively. Recorded five receiving touchdowns in the two contests.

WR/LB Darryl Hammond:
- Entering his 12th season in the AFL this year tying the AFL career mark for years of service (Sylvester Bembery 1988-2000 and George LaFrance 1988-2000).
- Ranks in the top 15 in AFL in career scoring with 706 points.
- Ranks in the top 10 in AFL in career pass receptions with 537.
- Ranks in the top 5 in AFL in with 494 career tackles.
- Has had 6 seasons of 50 or more pass receptions.

WR/DB Jarrick Hillery:
- Had his best game receiving on the season vs. Arizona, registered seven receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown.
- Last year, became only the fourth player in AFL history to run for 100 yards and have 400 yards receiving in the same season.
- Was named to the AFL first-team in 2001.

FB/LB Travis Reece:
- Ranks 2nd in the AFL in rushing with 80 yards on 18 carries (4.4 avg).
- Captured "Ironman" award in the Force's regular season opener vs. Orlando (4/20) and vs. Carolina (4/26).
- Reece gained 190 yards on 38 carries on the year and captured the AFL's rushing title with Nashville in 2001 and garnered AFL All-Rookie team honors.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 14, 2002


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