Game Notes - Georgia at Los Angeles
April 1, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (0-0)
at Los Angeles Avengers (0-0)
Date: April 4, 2002
Kickoff: 10:30 ET
Site: The Centennial Garden (8,705)
Series Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: This is the first meeting between Georgia and Los Angeles.
Coaches: Robert Lyles- Georgia (5-6, 2nd Year); Ed Hodgkiss- Los Angeles (0-0, 1st Year).
THE GAME: The Georgia Force will be taking the field for the first time in Arena Football League action as they travel out West to take on the Los Angeles Avengers at the Centennial Garden in Bakersfield, Ca.
Georgia is welcomed into this the 16th season of the AFL after the relocation of the Nashville Kats 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 former NFL pro and University of Georgia standout QB Eric Zeier. The team also went out and signed AFL veterans QB Kevin McDougal and QB Donnie Davis from the former Milwaukee Mustangs and FB/LB Dwayne Woods from the AFL World Champion Grand Rapids Rampage.
The Avengers are entering their third season after finishing 5-9 last year, after an 0-3 start. Force Head Coach Robert Lyles will be coming back to the familiar surroundings of Los Angeles after serving as the Avenger interim Head Coach last season. Lyles replaced Stan Brock who was released of his head coaching duties three games into the 2001 season. Lyles had served as the Avengers Defensive Coordinator since the team's inaugural season in 2000. Under Lyles' direction last season, the Los Angeles defense finished the 2001 regular-season ranked number one in the AFL in total defense (249.4 yds/game) and number two in passing defense (231.5).
THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between Georgia and Los Angeles. The teams will meet again in a regular season match-up in Atlanta at Philips Arena on May 24.
GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK: The Force will return to Atlanta next week to face the San Jose SaberCats in their preseason home-opener at Philips Arena on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. The SaberCats defeated the Carolina Cobras last Friday in San Jose 66-64 to start the preseason 1-0. The SaberCats finished the 2001 season 10-4 and were defeated by Nashville 71-47 in the semifinals of the AFL Playoffs.
HEAD COACHES: ROBERT LYLES, Georgia Force (5-6, 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 after 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 had served as the team's defensive coordinator for their first two years since entering the league in 2000. Lyles began his coaching career with the AFL's Memphis Pharaohs in 1996, than 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.
ED HODGKISS, Los Angeles Avengers (0-0, 1st Year): Ed Hodgkiss became the head coach of the Los Angeles Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001. Hodgkiss, who had been with the Indiana Firebirds since 1997, was the team's offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001). Last season, Indiana averaged 58.1 points and 301.6 yards per game and advanced to the semifinals of the ArenaBowl Playoffs. While helping the Firebirds win the 1999 ArenaBowl World Championship, Hodgkiss led the Firebirds offense to a league-high 58.7 points per game and finished second in total offense averaging 326.5 yards per game. During the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Hodgkiss served as the wide receiver and special teams coach for the Firebirds. In previous off-seasons (1997-2000), Hodgkiss previous coaching experience includes serving as the offensive coordinator at Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, VA). Other coaching duties have included being a wide receiver coach at Morehead State University (Morehead, KY) in 1995-96 and the offensive coordinator at Montgomery-Rockville Junior College (Rockville, MD) in 1994.
CONNECTIONS: Force Head Coach Robert Lyles served as the Avengers interim Head Coach last season leading the team to a 5-9 record following the team's 0-3 start. Lyles is a native of Los Angeles and attended Belmont High School...Force DS Cliff Green was selected by Los Angeles as the first overall pick in the 2000 expansion draft...Georgia WR/DB Scott Thomas attended Azusa Pacific in Azusa, Ca. after stints at Long Beach City College and Cerritos College in Cerritos, Ca...Los Angeles QB Tony Graziani was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft (204th overall). He played in 18 games in three seasons (1997-99) with the Falcons. Graziani, who started five games and directed Atlanta to one victory, completed 85-of-174 passes for 999 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career.
THINGS TO WATCH:
Feel the Force: Head Coach Robert Lyles, who also serves as Georgia's defensive coordinator inherits a defensive unit that boasts 16 players from a Nashville unit that finished first in the league in points allowed per game (39.3) only giving up 550 points over 14 games. Under Lyles' direction last season, the Los Angeles defense finished the 2001 regular-season ranked number one in the AFL in total defense (249.4 yds/game) and number two in passing defense (231.5).
Battle in the Trenches: Assistant Coach Bob Kronenberg will assume the role this season of coaching the offensive/ defensive lineman. Kronenberg will see six of his players that he coached in Nashville join the Force. Last season, the Nashville offensive line contributed to a number one ranking in the AFL in rushing offense with 35.0 yards per game and tied second for fewest sacks allowed all season with nine. The defensive line finished first in the league in sacks with 157, second in the league in rushing yards allowed per game with 9.8, while only allowing a league leading 1.5 yards per game rushing average. WR/LB Darryl Hammond: Darryl Hammond is still going strong in one of Arena Football's longest-running careers entering his 12th season in 2002...He is the AFL's all-time leading tackler with 556 and is one of the league's top two-way threats...Hammond has become only the second player in league history to record over 500 or more career tackles...He is one of the AFL's Top 10 leaders in scoring, receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns...Hammond is currently ranked 11th among the league's all-time interception leaders with 25 career picks.
WR/DB Jarrick Hillery: 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...A 2000 AFL all-rookie selection, Hillery is well-known throughout the league as one of the sport's rising stars.
OS Tyronne Jones: Tyronne Jones is considered one of the most dangerous all-purpose players in Arena Football...Last season, he was Nashville's leading receiver in yards with 817 and touchdowns with 21 and he finished tenth in the AFL in overall touchdowns with 24...Jones was second in the league in kickoff returns in 2000 with a 22.9-yard average, and he was the AFL's leading receiver in the playoffs...In 1999, he ranked third in the AFL with 2,748 all-purpose yards and led the team in receiving yards...As a rookie, he was chosen as the team's MVP and selected to the AFL All-Rookie squad after running back more kicks for touchdowns than any other player in the league...Jones holds the AFL record for the most consecutive games with a kickoff return for a touchdown with four.
FB/LB Travis Reece: Travis Reece looks to build on a successful rookie season that saw him capture the AFL's rushing title in his rookie season with Nashville in 2001...Reece gaining 190 yards on 38 carries on the year and for his efforts garnered AFL All-Rookie team honors...Reece entered the AFL after spending three seasons with the Detroit Lions (1998-2000).
QB Eric Zeier: Eric Zeier is an extremely intelligent and experienced signal-caller who is stepping onto the Arena Football field for the first time in his career...He boosts a NFL career-passer rating of 74.4 and has passed for over 300 yards in three of his 12 NFL career starts.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 1, 2002
- Phantoms line to set the tone - OSC Original by Campbell Blake
- Grand Rapids Rampage vs. Toronto Phantoms - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Pearson Makes Detroit Opening Day Roster - Portland Forest Dragons
- Fury 32 Destroyers 27 - Detroit Fury
- Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I
- Game Notes - Georgia at Los Angeles - Georgia Force
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.
