Georgia Force Game Notes
April 8, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (6-4) vs. New York Dragons (3-7)
Date: April 12, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Arena at Gwinnett Center (11,200).
Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard: play-by-play, Ryan Stewart: color analyst). WPLO 610 AM RadioMex (Jose Medellin: play-by-play, Marcelo Godoy: color analyst).
Coaches: Marty Lowe- Georgia (11-8, 2nd Year). Todd Shell- New York (32-28, 5th Year Overall, 3-3, 1st Year with Dragons).
Series Record: This is the first meeting between the teams.
THE GAME:
The Georgia 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 Force will be playing its first home game in almost a month after spending the last three weeks on the road. Georgia will also be looking to snap its current two-game losing streak, it longest of the season.
Saturday night's game will feature one of the AFL's strongest defensive teams against one of its premiere offensive units. The Georgia defense sits atop the league in total defense and ranks first in pass defense, while the New York offense stands first in total offense and first in passing offense.
The game will also feature two interesting stories at quarterback for each team. Leon Murray will make his first career start for the Force replacing Donnie Davis, who suffered a concussion last week at Tampa Bay. On the other side of the field for the Dragons, Aaron Garcia is the front-runner for this year's AFL Offensive Player of the Year honor. Garcia leads the league in passer rating (125.3), passing yards (3,297) and passing touchdowns (74), among other categories and was recently named AFL Co-Offensive Player of the Month for March.
New York will be the fourth team that Georgia has faced this season hailing from the Eastern Division. Three of the Force's four losses this season has come from teams from the east. With road losses at Detroit and Las Vegas and a home loss against Buffalo, this will be Georgia's final chance to claim a win from the Eastern Division in the regular season this year.
FORCE FAMILY FUN PACK NIGHT:
The Force-Dragons contest will also be Family Fun Pack Night. Fans can get four tickets and four team spirit hats for only $52. Additional family members can be added, up to eight, at $13 per individual. To reserve your Force Family Fun Pack, call 770-813-7610.
Flex packages and group tickets are on sale and can be purchased with a credit card by calling (770) 813-7610 or visit www.georgiaforce.com. Force individual game tickets are available by calling TicketMaster at (404) 249-6400 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or by purchase at the Gwinnett Civic Center Box Office.
GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK:
The Force heads back out on the road for its fourth away game in its last five when it travels to the Charlotte Coliseum to face the Carolina Cobras on Friday, April 18th at 7:30 p.m. Georgia captured a 45-37 victory over Carolina earlier in the season on March 15th in the first battle of I-85.
HEAD COACHES:
MARTY LOWE, Georgia (11-8, 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.
TODD SHELL (32-28, 5th Year Overall, 3-3, 1st Year with Dragons): The New York Dragons announced on Feb. 24 that they relieved Head Coach John Gregory and his assistants, Ted Heath, Scot Maynard and Dick Adams of their duties. Gregory was in his ninth year with the Iowa/New York franchise, earning a record of 66-48. In three years in New York with the Dragons, Gregory was 11-21. The Dragons are currently 1-6 after finishing the 2002 season 3-11.
The New York Dragons named former San Jose Sabercats Head Coach Todd Shell as the second head coach in franchise history. He will be assisted by Lary Kuharich and Derrick Chachere.
Serving as the first head coach in Sabercats history, Shell led his 1995 squad to a record of 8-4 and a Western Division Championship. His team became the first expansion franchise in AFL history to win a division title. After four seasons at the helm in San Jose, Shell compiled a record of 29-25 earning a playoff berth in three of four seasons.
Shell was the San Francisco 49ers' 1984 first-round draft pick out of BYU where he proceeded to win two Super Bowl rings (1984 and 1988). Shell played five seasons in San Francisco before retiring due to injuries. He most recently worked as the color commentator for the Arizona Rattlers, where he served as defensive coordinator from 1992-1994.
CONNECTIONS:
New York defensive specialist Corey Johnson was a three-year starter at free safety at the University of Georgia from 1993-96...Dragons offensive/ defensive lineman Elliot Fortune lettered at Georgia Tech from 1992-1994...New York offensive/ defensive lineman Jermaine Miles played at Georgia Tech from 1995-96.
BEASTS OF THE EAST:
Three of Georgia's four 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 this Saturday on April 12th.
BASKING IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Georgia is 5-1 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 dropped its only NBC televised game at Tampa Bay (4/6). Georgia has two remaining games scheduled to be shown regionally on NBC this season.
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.
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 549.5 career tackles, ranks in the top 15 in AFL in career scoring with 838 points and is in the top 10 in AFL in career pass receptions with 639. Hammond has had 8 seasons of 50 or more pass receptions. He has 50 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.
DAN THE MAN:
Dan Curran currently ranks fifth in the AFL in rushing with 110 yards on 31 carries. He is also fourth 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. Last week at Tampa Bay, the Force only rushed once for 11 yards by quarterback Leon Murray.
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 six games Davis has thrown for 1,388 yards on 131-of-201 passing with 21 touchdowns and four 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. Last week, Davis suffered a concussion in the third quarter of the Force's game at Tampa Bay. The injury happened when he was intercepted by Storm lineman BJ Cohen, who returned the pick 15-yards for a touchdown. In an effort to make a tackle on the play, Davis was knocked unconscious and was carried off the field on a stretcher. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital for further evaluation where CAT Scan results came back negative.
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.
SPEADING THE WEALTH:
The Force leads all teams in lineman receptions with 13. Georgia OL/DL Oscar Sturgis leads all AFL lineman in receptions this season with six for 76 yards. Kendrick Gholston is currently tied for third in the league among lineman with three receptions. Bruce McClure and Kerwin Hairston each have two catches on the season.
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 tied for eighth in the AFL in yards per catch with a 14.7 average having gained 485 yards on 33 receptions on the season with seven touchdowns.
JUST FOR KICKS: Steve McLaughlin currently ranks first in the league in field goal percentage connecting on 50.0 percent of his attempts. He is also third in the AFL in field goals connecting on 10-20.
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 fifth in the AFL in PAT kicking percentage-making 85.7 of his PAT attempts (42-49). He started the season making 18-of-18 PAT attempts before missing his first of the season at Los Angeles (3/2).
McLaughlin was named Kicker of the Month for March. It marked the first time in McLaughlin's career that he has won an AFL monthly award. For the month, McLaughlin made 7-of-11 field goals and was 21-of-27 on extra point attempts. He accounted for 42 points in helping the Force to a 4-1 record in March.
A DEFENSIVE FORCE:
For the eighth straight week, the Force sits atop the league charts for total defense. Only giving up an average of 226.6 yards per game and ranks fourth in the AFL in scoring defense yielding an average of 45.6 points per game.
Georgia is also high among some of the other league defensive categories. The Force is first in pass defense (212.4), fourth in pass defense rating (101.9), fourth in rush defense (14.2), fourth in sacks (11), fifth in interceptions (13) and eighth in red zone defense (32-39).
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 AT TAMPA BAY:
TAMPA, FL. - The Georgia Force (6-4) dropped it first Southern Division game of the season falling to the Tampa Bay Storm (8-2) 58-39. With the victory, Tampa Bay increases its winning streak to seven games, remains a perfect 6-0 at home this season and holds its perch atop the division. The Storm is also a perfect 3-0 all-time against the Force. Storm quarterback John Kaleo threw five touchdowns and the AFL's leading scoring defense, Tampa Bay caused three turnovers to hand the Force its second straight loss.
Playing without its leading tackler, Kevin Gaines and sack leader, Jermaine Smith, Georgia suffered another key loss in the game at Tampa Bay. Starting quarterback Donnie Davis left the game in the third quarter after suffering a concussion. The loss drops Georgia to 2-1 in the division and also marks the first time this season that the Force have lost a game broadcast on NBC. Georgia was 5-0 entering the contest in games aired on the network.
The first quarter was anything but the defensive battle that was expected as the Force held onto a 14-13 lead after the opening 15 minutes of play. It only took Georgia one down to find the scoreboard as Davis hit Darryl Hammond for a 33-yard touchdown on the game's first play. Tampa Bay answered by only needing two plays of its own to tie the score a seven a piece, as Kaleo found Lawrence Samuels for a 20-yard score. The Force regained its lead 14-7, when Davis completed three straight passes, the last a 21-yard touchdown to Jarrick Hillery with 9:11 left in the quarter. The Storm was able to cut into the Georgia lead on it next possession as Basil Proctor rushed in from one-yard out. Tampa Bay kicker Ian Howfield missed the ensuing PAT leaving the Force with a one-point advantage.
Both defenses made their presence felt early in the second quarter. The Force, faced with two fourth down opportunities in the Storm red zone, could not complete the necessary pass and turned the ball over to Tampa Bay on downs. The Storm was unable to capitalize on the first drive, but grabbed it first lead of the game when Andre Bowden ran in from two-yards out for the score. Tampa Bay was unsuccessful with its two-point conversion attempt leaving the score 19-14 Storm. Georgia was able to capture back the lead briefly at 21-19 on it next drive. Davis threw his third touchdown of the half, this time to Tyronne Jones for a 35-yard score. The Storm added another six points to take to lead into the half when David Saunders scored on a 10-yard pass from Kaleo with 12 seconds remaining.
Tampa Bay began the second half quickly. Freddie Solomon caught a 14-yard touchdown from Kaleo to put the Storm on top 32-21. Georgia's next drive proved to be very costly in two ways. First, Davis was intercepted by lineman BJ Cohen, who returned the pick 15-yards for a touchdown giving the Storm a 17-point 38-21 advantage. On the play, Davis was knocked unconscious while trying to make the tackle on Cohen. After an extended break in play, he was taken to Tampa General Hospital for further evaluation. Rookie Leon Murray replaced Davis under center. Two plays into his first drive, Murray hit Jones for his first AFL career touchdown on a 29-yard touchdown to bring the score to 38-27. On Tampa Bay's next set of downs, Bret Cooper intercepted Kaleo in the endzone as the Force defense held. Georgia was unable to make good on the opportunity as Murray, under pressure, fumbled the ball giving it back to the Storm. Tampa Bay did not let the Georgia mistake go to waste. Kaleo found Solomon for a seven-yard touchdown increasing the Storm lead to 44-27.
The Force put the fourth quarter's first points up as Murray and Hillery teamed up for a 20-yard score. A blocked PAT by Tampa Bay left its lead at 44-33. The Storm answered as Samuels caught his second TD pass of the game to build an 18-point Tampa Bay lead 51-33. On Georgia's ensuing drive, Murray was faced with making a fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive, threw a shovel pass intended for Markeith Cooper was intercepted by Omarr Smith. Tampa Bay then put together a seven-play drive capped by Bowden rushing in from one-yard out making to Storm lead 58-33. Georgia concluded the game's scoring when Markeith Cooper caught a five-yard touchdown from Murray with 15 seconds remaining.
AFL TO PREMIERE TRAILER FOR 'MATRIX':
NBC Sports and Warner Bros. have an agreement for NBC to air the Matrix Reloaded trailer in its entirety (2-1/2 minutes) during the second half of this Sunday's AFL on NBC games (three regional games) at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT.
This will be the exclusive broadcast network television debut of the trailer. The demographics for AFL and the Matrix are similar, hence making it a good fit for both.
NBC promoted the running of the trailer during halftime of the AFL games this past weekend, and will continue to air promos across all dayparts, including primetime, throughout the week.
Warner Bros. will cross-promote the trailer debut on NBC on its Web sites and various other internal assets.
Also, the trailer will run simultaneously in arenas so AFL fans attending the games won't miss the network debut.
The trailer will debut in movie theaters on Friday, April 11 and the movie comes out May 15. AFL ON NBC BACK TO 3 P.M. ET KICKOFF THIS SUNDAY:
The Arena Football League returns to the 3 p.m. ET time slot on NBC starting this Sunday (April 13).
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 8, 2003
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- Kubiak & Burks Share AFL Offensive Player of the Week Honors - Dallas Desperados
- John Moyer Named ADT Defensive Player of the Week - Chicago Rush
- AFL Names Players of the Week - AFL I
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