Georgia Force Game Notes

April 1, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (6-3) at Tampa Bay Storm (7-2)
Date: April 6, 2003
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET
Site: St. Pete Times Forum (18, 200)
Television: NBC (Eli Gold: play-by-play, Charles Davis: color analyst)
Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard: play-by-play, Chuck Oliver: color analyst) WPLO 610 AM RadioMex (Jose Medellin: play-by-play, Marcelo Godoy: color analyst)
Coaches: Marty Lowe- Georgia (11-7, 2nd Year) Tim Marcum- T.B. (156-55, 18th Year)
Series Record: Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 2-0. @ Georgia 40, T.B. 50 (6/29/02) Georgia 61, @ T.B. 67 OT (7/20/02)

THE GAME:

The Georgia Force concludes a three game road trip when it travels to face the Tampa Bay Storm on Sunday, April 6th in the St. Pete Times Forum at 12:00 p.m. The Force-Storm match-up will be broadcast on NBC, as Georgia will put its perfect record of 5-0 on the line in games shown on the network.

This will be an important game in the battle for the Southern Division crown as Tampa Bay current sits a top the division with a one game lead over Georgia and Orlando. These two teams played another important game in the regular season finale in 2002 as the Storm defeated the Force 67-61 in overtime, denying Georgia of the division title and knocking the Force out of the AFL playoff picture.

The Storm has won six straight games this season and is showing great balance on both sides of the ball. Offensively, quarterback John Kaleo has thrown for almost 2,300 yards in nine games and OS Freddie Solomon and WR/LB Lawrence Samuels have caught 14 and 12 touchdowns respectively. On Defense, Tampa Bay boasts a strong pass rush that has already amassed 15 sacks this season.

GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK:

Next week, the Force returns home to the Arena at Gwinnett Center to host the New York Dragons on Saturday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m. The Dragons are currently riding a three game winning streak and are led by AFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate quarterback Aaron Garcia. This will be the first meeting between Georgia and New York.

CONNECTIONS:

Georgia WR/DB Bret Cooper played his rookie season with the Storm in 1994...Force DS Dwight Henry played the last two seasons (2000-2001) in Tampa Bay...Georgia Sponsorship Sales Executive Jorge Cimadevilla was a kicker for the Storm in 1995-1996 and won two Arena Football Championships with Tampa Bay...Storm head coach Tim Marcum was a defensive assistant coach for the Atlanta Falcons during the 1994 season...Tampa Bay QB George Godsey graduated from Georgia Tech.

HEAD COACHES:

MARTY LOWE, Georgia (11-7, 2nd Year): Marty Lowe begins his second season as Head Coach of the Georgia Force. Lowe guided the Force to a second place finish in the Southern Division and a 6-8 record in the team's inaugural season in 2002. He replaced Robert Lyles, who was relieved of his duties following the Force's 1-4 last year. Under his direction, the Force finished the year winning five of their last eight games.

Prior to joining the Force, Lowe served as running back coach for the University of Texas-El Paso. Lowe's coaching career in the Arena Football League started when he joined the Nashville Kats as an offensive assistant in March 2000 after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville. With the Kats, Lowe had Nashville's offense clicking on all cylinders in the 2000 playoffs, scoring more than 50 points in each of the team's first three post-season contests to quality for Arena Bowl XIV. Lowe went on to serve as the Kats offensive coordinator and assistant coach, where his duties included creating and implementing the offensive game plan and coaching the team's wide receivers and quarterbacks.

Lowe, who played quarterback at the University of Louisville from 1991-95, spent two seasons in the Arena Football League. He played quarterback for the St. Louis Stampede in 1996 and joined the Texas Terrors. He was a starter at Texas until a knee injury ended his playing career.

In college, he started 22 consecutive games for the Cardinals, passing for 2,268 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in 1995. He is one of only four passers in Louisville history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Lowe joined the Louisville coaching staff in 1997, breaking down practice and game tape. A native of Chattanooga, Lowe was Mr. Football in Tennessee as a senior at Red Bank High School in 1990.

TIM MARCUM, Tampa Bay (156-55, 18th Year): Tim Marcum is a Charter member of the Arena Football Hall of Fame. Marcum is the League's all-time winningest coach (156-55) overall, for a .739 winning percentage. He is the only coach in AFL history to win 100 or more games. Marcum is in his ninth season with Storm. He led team to back-to-back ArenaBowl titles (1995 & '96), compiling a 28-4 mark those two seasons. Marcum is the Storm's winningest coach (101-43). He led Storm to league-record 17 game winning streak (July 1, 1995 - June 29, 1996). Marcum led Detroit Drive to five ArenaBowl appearances in five seasons (1988-89, 1991-93), winning three times. He coached AFL's first-ever champion, Denver Dynamite (1987). Marcum is a two-time Arena League Coach of the Year (1987, 1998). He spent 1994 season as defensive assistant for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Marcum was the assistant head coach of WLAF's New York/New Jersey Knights in 1991, linebackers coach on Steve Spurrier's University of Florida staff in 1990, linebackers coach (1984) and defensive coordinator (1985) for USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers.

BASKING IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Georgia is a perfect 5-0 on the season when the NBC cameras are rolling. Claiming victories against the Colorado Crush (2/2), vs. the defending AFL World Champion San Jose SaberCats (2/16), at Los Angeles (3/2), vs. Grand Rapids (3/9) and at Orlando (3/23). The Force has three remaining games scheduled to be shown regionally on NBC this season.

BETTER WITH AGE:

Wide Receiver/ Linebacker Darryl Hammond seems to defy time as he plays in his 13th season in the AFL breaking the league record for career years of service. (Previous mark 12 years- Sylvester Bembery 1988-2000 and George LaFrance 1988-2000).

He currently ranks second in the AFL with 547 career tackles, ranks in the top 15 in AFL in career scoring with 832 points and is in the top 10 in AFL in career pass receptions with 637. Hammond has had 7 seasons of 50 or more pass receptions. He has 48 receptions this season.

Against San Jose (2/26/03), Hammond caught six passes for 58 yards, three of which went for touchdowns including a game-winning catch from quarterback James Brown as time expired to give the Force a 51-49 victory over the defending AFL World Champions.

Versus Orlando (3/23/03), Hammond showed his ability to still play the game at a high level. Hammond hauled in two interceptions and returned both for touchdowns of three yards and ten yards respectively. He also forced a fumble from Connell Maynor with 17 seconds remaining in the game, which was recovered by Tommy Dorsey. The turnover led to Steve McLaughlin kicking a game winning field goal with 1.7 seconds left as time expired. Hammond added one solo tackle, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups and caught five passes for 46 yards against the Predators.

For his efforts, Hammond was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week and the contest's Ironman of the Game.

RETURNING TO OLD FORM:

Donnie Davis has regained the form that propelled him to the AFL's second highest rated passer and fourth ranked QB in completion percentage in 2001.

Over the last five games Davis has thrown for 1,249 yards on 122-of-182 passing with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.

In his first three games this season appearing as the starting quarterback, Davis had thrown seven interceptions to just nine touchdowns. Davis missed the Force's game verses San Jose due to a dislocated finger on his left hand.

Last season, Davis only threw eight INTs all year in 10 games (nine as a starter) while racking up 45 TDs.

Davis has also been playing through injuries this season. Besides the dislocated finger on his left hand, he has a fracture in his throwing right hand and took a hit at Orlando that required stitches in his chin.

STEPPING UP AND STANDING OUT:

In victories over Los Angeles and Grand Rapids, Markeith Cooper stepped in for the injured Tyronne Jones and was one of the most productive and dangerous offensive players in the league. Against the Avengers and Rampage, Cooper has hauled in 17 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. He has also added nine kickoff returns for 176 yards, including a 57-yard score that tied the team record for longest kickoff return.

GO TO GUY:

Playing in his third AFL season, Scott Thomas is establishing himself as a mainstay in the Force offense. Over a five game span from Feb. 22nd from March 29th, Thomas has caught 26 passes for 377 yards and seven touchdowns. He was inactive for the Force's March 23rd game at Orlando with turf toe.

He has also shown his ability to make the big play. Versus Buffalo (2/22), Thomas pulled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Donnie Davis that tied the club record for longest pass reception in a game. Two weeks later vs. Grand Rapids (3/9), he took a Davis screen pass 43 yards for a score. Last week at Las Vegas, Thomas scored his second 45-yard touchdown on a pass from Davis tying his own team record.

Thomas is currently ranked third in the AFL in yards per catch with a 15.6 average having gained 451 yards on 29 receptions on the season with seven touchdowns.

DAN THE MAN:

Dan Curran currently ranks fourth in the AFL in rushing with 110 yards on 31 carries. He is also second in the league in rushing touchdowns with eight scores. Curran had led the league in both categories, but with the return of both Travis Reece and Tommy Dorsey to the lineup his touches have been limited.

JUST FOR KICKS: Steve McLaughlin currently ranks first in the league in field goal percentage connecting on 52.6 percent of his attempts. He is also third in the AFL in field goals connecting on 10-19.

This season, McLaughlin has twice set the team-record for the club's longest field goal hitting on a 49-yarder at Los Angeles (3/2) than making good on a 51-yard field goal at Las Vegas (3/29). In a win over Orlando (3/23), he kicked a game winning 30-yard field goal as time expired to give the Force a 38-36 win over the Predators.

McLaughlin ranks third in the AFL in PAT kicking percentage-making 86.7 of his PAT attempts (39-45). He started the season making 17-of-17 PAT attempts before missing his first of the season at Los Angeles (3/2).

SPEADING THE WEALTH:

The Force leads all teams in lineman receptions with 12. Georgia OL/DL Oscar Sturgis leads all AFL lineman in receptions this season with six for 76 yards. OL/DL Kendrick Gholston is currently tied for third in the league among lineman with three receptions.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON:

The Force finished the season a perfect 3-0 versus teams from the Western Division. With wins against Colorado, San Jose and Los Angeles, Georgia reversed its fortunes after going 0-3 against the West last season. The Force is not scheduled to play Arizona in the 2003 regular season.

BEASTS OF THE EAST:

All three of Georgia's losses this season has come from teams hailing from the Eastern Division. With road losses at Detroit and Las Vegas and a home loss against Buffalo, the Force will have one more opportunity to capture a win when they play New York on April 12th.

A DEFENSIVE FORCE:

For the seventh straight week, the Force sits atop the league charts for total defense. Only giving up an average of 217.1 yards per game and ranks third in the AFL in scoring defense yielding an average of 44.2 points per game.

Georgia is also high among some of the other league defensive categories. The Force is first in pass defense (205.4), second in pass defense rating (99.8), third in rush defense (11.7), fifth in interceptions (12), fifth in sacks (10) and eighth in red zone defense (26-32).

The Force defense has been able to make its mark against three of the AFL's highest rated offenses. (AFL rank at time of game).

OPPONENT AVG PTS/ GM PTS vs. FORCE
San Jose 60.5 (3rd) 49
Los Angeles 62.5 (2nd) 35
Grand Rapids 60.2 (2nd) 54
Orlando 53.0 (7th) 36

LAST WEEK VS. LAS VEGAS:

LAS VEGAS, NV. - The Georgia Force (6-3) had its four-game winning streak snapped 46-41 by the Las Vegas Gladiators (5-4). Las Vegas' Jeriod Johnson intercepted two passes, one in the final 32 seconds to help lead the Gladiators to victory. The loss was the first for Georgia in the month of March, who finished the month 4-1. The Force also remains 0-3 versus teams hailing from the Eastern Division. Tyronne Jones scored the game's first touchdown when Donnie Davis hit Jones on a three-yard fade pass and an early 7-0 Georgia lead. On the ensuing kickoff Gladiator return man Sedrick Robinson, returned the kick 54-yards for what looked like a tying score, but a holding penalty on Las Vegas brought the play back. The Gladiators did find the endzone five plays later when Mike Horacek pulled in a Jay McDonagh pass bring the score at seven a piece. The Force's next possession ended with Steve McLaughlin connecting on a team-record 50-yard field goal for a 10-7 Georgia lead. McLaughlin broke his own record, as earlier in the season he made good on a then record 49-yard field goal against Los Angeles (3/2/03). Robinson picked up right where he left off receiving the kickoff and returning it again 54-yards for a touchdown. This time the play stood and Las Vegas had their first lead but only at 13-10 as Steve Videtich missed the following PAT. The Gladiators three point advantage held as the first quarter closed out.

The second quarter began is the same as the first as Jones caught his second touchdown pass from Davis giving the Force the lead back at 17-13. Horacek hauled in his second score of the half on an eight-yard pass from McDonagh giving the game its third lead change and the 20-17 Gladiator lead. The Force took its next drive deep into Las Vegas territory, but could not punch it into the endzone. McLaughlin then hit his second field goal of the game, this time from 21-yards out to tie the score at 20-20 with 20 seconds remaining in the half. With the limited time, the Gladiators were able to work the ball down the field setting up Videtich for a 28-yard field goal as time expired and pushing the Las Vegas lead to 23-20 at the half.

The Gladiators had the first and last strike of the third stanza. It only took one play to open the second half before Chris Pope took a screen pass from McDonagh 22-yards to give Las Vegas their largest lead of the game at 30-20. The Force answered when Davis threw his third touchdown of the game, this time to Darryl Hammond to cut the score to 30-27 Las Vegas. The Georgia defense, ranked first in the league, made it first presence felt of the game holding the Gladiators on their next drive. Videtich attempted a pooch hit that was safety recovered by Jones. Georgia showed its big play capabilities when Davis completed his second scoring pass of the quarter hitting a streaking Scott Thomas for a 45-yard touchdown. The Georgia gained back the lead 34-30. Las Vegas closed out the quarter when McDonagh rushed in for a 12-yard score.

Davis began the final period throwing his first interception of the game picked off by Johnson. The Force defense held tight again limited the Gladiators to a field goal by Vinetich for a 40-34 Las Vegas advantage. On Georgia's next possession, the offense was faced with a fourth down and seven yards from its own seven-yard line. Davis looked like he had thrown his second interception of the quarter on the play, but a holding penalty on the Las Vegas defense gave the Force new life and a new set of downs. With one minute left in the contest, Davis and Jones teamed up for their third touchdown and McLaughlin connected on the PAT to give the Force the lead 41-40. Georgia attempted an on-side kick that was illegally touched giving the Gladiators the ball on the Force ten-yard line. Robinson ran around the left side of the line and scored with 35 seconds left in the game. The Gladiators then failed on a two-point conversion attempt leaving the score Las Vegas 46-41. The Force took the ball over with 32 seconds and Davis was intercepted by Johnson for a second time insuring a Las Vegas win.

Johnson was named to Game's MVP and Robinson was named the contest's Iroman.

LAST MEETING WITH TAMPA BAY:

TAMPA, FL. (7/20/02) - The Georgia Force (6-8) fell to the Tampa Bay Storm (6-8) 67-61 in overtime in the regular season finale at the Ice Palace on Saturday night. The loss places Georgia and Tampa Bay in a tie in the Southern Division standings as both teams will now look at the rest of the Week 14 results to see if either will make to AFL playoffs starting next week. A victory would have given the Force the division title and assured the team of a first-round home game. The Tampa Bay win keeps their hopes of reaching the post-season for a 12th consecutive time still alive.

Both teams traded scores on their opening drives to start the game before the special teams took over for the next set of points. First, Tampa Bay's Antoine Toliver returned a kickoff 54-yards for a TD. On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia's Markeith Cooper ran 55-yards to answer with a touchdown and knot the score at 14-14. The quarter ended with the Storm adding a touchdown and a two-point conversion to take an early 22-14 lead.

Georgia quarterback Donnie Davis started the second quarter by finding Tyronne Jones on a fourth-and-goal situation for a one-yard touchdown. Davis' two-point conversion pass sailed high as the Force trailed by two 22-20. A second kickoff return for a touchdown by Toliver and another two-point conversion by the Storm gave them their largest lead at 10 points, 30-20. L.C. Stevens caught a Davis screen pass and drove in from three-yards out to trim the Storm lead. Force kicker Matt Huerkamp missed the PAT to leave the score 30-26. Toliver almost returned a third kickoff the distance before being stopped at the four-yardline. One play later, Shane Stafford connected with Lawrence Samuels to another give Tampa Bay a 10-point advantage. Storm kicker Mike Black was injured during Cooper's touchdown return, so Tampa Bay was forced to go for two-point conversion after scores. With 34 seconds left in the half, Dan Curran ran the ball in from six-yards out making the score 36-33 Storm at the break.

The Force jumped out to their first lead of the game, 40-36, when Davis threw his third touchdown of the game hitting a streaking Jones 45-yards out for the score on the half's second play. Tampa Bay recovered an on-side kick and scored to regain the lead, but on Georgia's first play of its next drive Davis found Cooper for a 40-yard touchdown putting Georgia back up 47-42. Toliver again almost broke away for a score returning the ball to the Force four-yardline. A Storm fumble in the endzone gave Georgia the ball back on the game's first turnover, but the Force could not convert it into points. After holding Tampa Bay on four straight down, Georgia did increase their lead to 54-42 as Curran ran in from one-yards out as time expired in the third quarter.

The final stanza began with both teams exchanging touchdowns. Tampa Bay cut the lead to five on a Stafford to Calvin Schexnayder 15-yard touchdown. Georgia was held on four straight down giving the Storm the ball on the Force seven-yardline with 51 seconds remaining in the game. One play later, David White ran the ball in to tie the score at 41-41. Replacing Black as the Tampa Bay kicker was backup quarterback Scott Milanovich. Milanovich, who earlier connect on his first PAT, missed his second leaving the game tied. Huerkamp attempted a 39-yard field goal that missed wide right as time expired in regulation.

In overtime, Georgia won the coin toss and elected to kick. White ran in his second touchdown of game to put Tampa Bay ahead in the extra session. Electing for the two-point conversion, Georgia Travis Reece batted Stafford's pass down to leave the score 67-61 Storm. Facing fourth-and-seven, Davis' pass fell short and the Storm claimed the victory.

Jones won the game's MVP and Toliver was awarded the game's Ironman honors.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 1, 2003


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