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Georgia Force Game Notes

April 22, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (7-5) vs. Orlando Predators (8-4)
Date: April 26, 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 (12-9, 2nd Year). Fran Papasedero, Orlando (17-12, 2nd Year).
Series Record: Georgia leads series 3-0
@ Georgia 67, Orlando 49 (4/20/02)
Georgia 41, @ Orlando 40 (7/13/02)
Georgia 38, @ Orlando 36 (3/23/03)

The Georgia Force plays host to a key divisional battle when it hosts the Orlando Predators on Saturday, April 26th at 7:30 p.m. in the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Force will look to sweep the Predators this season and remain in striking distance of Tampa Bay for the Southern Division lead as the regular season winds down. Georgia hopes to build on its perfect 3-0 record against Orlando, while the Predators can clinch a playoff berth with a victory.

The last two meetings between the these teams have been decided by a combined three points. Earlier in the season, Georgia captured a 38-36 victory at Orlando with a 30-yard field goal by Steve McLaughlin as time expired. Last year, the Force defense was able to stop a fake PAT attempt by the Predators with eight seconds remaining in the game to claim a one-point victory 41-40.

Orlando will be led on the field by AFL Hall of Famer quarterback Jay Gruden. Gruden missed the first meeting with the Force due to torn ligaments in his ankle, which he suffered against Carolina on February 21st. The Predators are 6-0 this season when Gruden is in the line-up and since his return, he his thrown five touchdowns in each of the last two games.

GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK:

The Force heads out for its last road game of the season when it travels to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Firebirds on Sunday, May 4th at 3:00 p.m. in the Conseco Fieldhouse. This will be the first meeting between Georgia and Indiana. The Force-Firebirds match-up will be broadcast regionally on NBC. Georgia is 5-1 in games aired on the network this season.

CONNECTIONS:

Force FB/LB Tommy Dorsey spent five seasons with the Predators from 1998-2002 and won two ArenaBowl Championships...Georgia WR/DB Bret Cooper played for Orlando from 1998-2001 and won two ArenaBowls with the Predators in 1998 and 2000...Force trainer Kim Winn was an assistant athletic trainer for the Predators from 1997-99...Orlando Head Coach Fran Papasedero played for the Nashville Kats in 1997...Predators WR/LB Cory Fleming played for the Nashville Kats from 1997-2001...Orlando DS Robert Davis was in training camp with the Force in 2002...Predators DS Reggie Doster was in training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2000...Orlando OS Travis McGriff was in training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002...Predators OL/DL Doug Miller was with the Atlanta Falcons from 2000-2001.

HEAD COACHES:

MARTY LOWE, Georgia (12-9, 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.

FRAN PAPASEDERO, Orlando (17-12, 2nd Year): After four seasons of serving as an assistant under Jay Gruden, Fran Papasedero became the third coach in Orlando Predators' franchise history on August 21, 2001. Last season under Papasedero, the Predators overcame a slow start to post seven wins and capture a Southern Division championship. From there, the Predators defeated both Buffalo and New Jersey to advance to the Arena Football League semifinals.

Orlando's nine wins put Papasedero in some exclusive company. He was the only active AFL Head Coach to win nine games in his first season and he joins former Tampa Bay Coach Fran Curci, former New Jersey Coach John Hufnagel, former Tampa Coach Lary Kuharich, former Preds coaches Perry Moss and Jay Gruden as one of only six coaches in AFL history to post nine wins in their first season of coaching.

Papasedero began his Arena Football League career as a lineman for the Albany Firebirds in 1993. He would play five seasons, making stops at Massachusetts (1994), St. Louis (1995-96) and Nashville (1997). During his career, he 105 tackles with 10.5 quarterback sacks. Offensively, he caught nine passes for 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After retiring as a player with Nashville in 1997, Papasedero began his coaching career in Orlando as Gruden's line coach. In addition to his coaching duties, Papasedero worked for the Predators marketing department for two years during the off-season as a marketing representative.

During the course of his first three years, Papasedero added several off-the-field duties to his resume -- taking control of several day-to-day administrative duties. Prior to the 2001 season, Papasedero assumed the duties of Director of Player Personnel, Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach. In his role as Director of Player Personnel, Papasedero handled scouting and player evaluations for Gruden.

In four seasons on the staff, Papasedero helped the Predators to a 43-23 record (.652 winning percentage), four trips to the AFL playoffs, three ArenaBowl appearances and a pair of world championships (1998 and 2000). When Gruden announced his intentions to resign to return to the playing field at ArenaBowl XIV, the Predators took just two days to name Papasedero as its next Head Coach and Director of Football Operations.

Papasedero played four seasons at defensive tackle for Springfield College (Mass.), where he earned All-America honors and was named Male Athlete of the Year at Springfield as a senior. He attended NFL mini-camp with the New York Giants for two seasons (1992-93) and also went to training camp with the New York Jets in 1994. Papasedero holds a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Business Management.

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.

BEASTS OF THE EAST:

Four of Georgia's five losses this season has come from teams hailing from the Eastern Division. With road losses at Detroit and Las Vegas and home losses against Buffalo and New York, the Force finished the regular season 0-4 versus the Eastern Division.

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.

SPEADING THE WEALTH:

The Force leads all teams in lineman receptions with 15. Georgia OL/DL Oscar Sturgis leads all AFL linemen in receptions this season with six for 76 yards. Bruce McClure and Kendrick Gholston have three receptions each, while Kerwin Hairston has two catches on the season and Tony Henderson has one.

A DEFENSIVE FORCE:

For the tenth straight week, the Force sits atop the league charts for total defense only giving up an average of 222.7 yards per game and ranks second in the AFL in scoring defense yielding an average of 42.4 points per game.

Georgia is also high among some of the other league defensive categories. The Force is first in pass defense (209.2), first in pass defense rating (97.5), first in interceptions (19), second in red zone defense (37-50), third in rush defense (13.5) and fourth in sacks (15).

FILLING IN FINE:

Quarterback Leon Murray has stepped up over the last two weeks as the Force's starting QB and has put up some impressive numbers as he is still learning the game as a rookie.

Filling in for the injured Donnie Davis, Murray has a 1-1 record as a starter and has completed 43-of-69 passes for 502 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions in games vs. New York and at Carolina.

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 555 career tackles, ranks in the top 15 in AFL in career scoring with 850 points and is in the top 10 in AFL in career pass receptions with 649. Hammond has had 8 seasons of 50 or more pass receptions. He has 60 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. With 1.7 seconds left, the turnover led to Steve McLaughlin kicking a game winning field goal 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.

MAKING GAINES

Kevin Gaines has been one of the standout leaders on the Force's defense unit. Despite missing two games due to a hip pointer, Gaines leads the team in tackles with 40.5; pass break-ups with 10 and interceptions with seven.

Gaines' seven picks places him in a tie for third place among the league's leaders, while he ranks fifth in the AFL in passes defended and 27th in tackles.

He put on a defensive performance at Carolina (4/18) making a team-record three interceptions and racking up 53 yards in return yardage. Against the Cobras, Gaines also added 4.5 tackles. At Los Angeles (3/2), he hauled in a then team-record tying two interceptions and made a game-high 4.5 tackles. Gaines was named the game's MVP for his efforts against the Avengers.

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.

After seeing limited or no action over the next four games, Cooper returned to show his big play capabilities vs. New York catching five passes for 98 yards, including a 42-yard pass and one 30-yard touchdown reception.

DAN THE MAN:

Dan Curran currently ranks seventh in the AFL in rushing with 110 yards on 31 carries. He is also fifth 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. Curran was also placed on Injured Reserve on April 15th due to a left knee MCL sprain.

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 to 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 a turf toe injury.

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.

At Carolina (4/18), Thomas made his presence felt on the defensive end, hauling in his first interception of the season and returning it 28 yards for a touchdown.

Thomas is currently seventh 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 second in the league in field goal percentage connecting on 45.8 percent of his attempts. He is also third in the AFL in field goals made connecting on 11-24.

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) then 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 88.3 of his PAT attempts (53-60). 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.

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 2002.

Over the last six games Davis has played, he 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. Two weeks ago, 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. Davis was placed on Injured Reserve on April 9th.

LAST WEEK AT CAROLINA:

CHARLOTTE, NC. - The Georgia Force (7-5) snapped a three-game losing streak defeating the winless Carolina Cobras (0-12) by the largest margin of victory in team history of 40 points with a 59-19 win. Georgia's defense, ranked first in the AFL in total defense, held the Cobras scoreless the entire second half and forced five interceptions and three fumbles on the night resulting in 42 points. The Force's previous largest margin of victory was a 21-point victory over the Buffalo Destroyers 54-33 on July 6, 2002. The victory also gives Georgia a club-record seventh win on the season.

The first quarter began with Carolina taking their opening possession down the field and working their way deep into Force territory. Facing a fourth and goal from the Force four-yard line, Cobras quarterback Stewart Patridge tucked the ball in and ran around the left side of the line for what looked like the game's first score before Travis Reece came from his linebacker position and stopped Patridge short of the goal line. Georgia took the turnover on downs and eight plays later scored on a Jarrick Hillery four-yard touchdown run to put the Force up 7-0. Carolina was able to tie the score at seven apiece as time expired for the first quarter as Jamaal Garman rushed in from four-yards out.

The Force was unable to put any points on the board its first drive of the second quarter as Steve McLaughlin's field goal attempt from 48-yards cam up short. Georgia's defense made its first presence felt of the game as on Carolina's next series. Scotty Lindsey was able to step in front of the Cobras' receiver and intercepted Patridge. Leon Murray, making his second career AFL start, needed only three plays to put the Force back on top finding Darryl Hammond in the end zone for a 16-yard TD pass and a 14-7 Georgia advantage. The Force scored its second touchdown on the quarter off an interception when on Carolina's next possession Scott Thomas picked off Patridge and returned it 28-yards for a touchdown to put Georgia up 21-7. Carolina was able to answer with a seven-yard scoring pass from Patridge to Van Johnson and following a missed PAT by Matt George the score remained 21-13 Georgia with one minute remaining in the half. On the ensuing kickoff, Hillery broke through and ran the ball down to the Cobras four-yard line. McLaughlin connected on a 25-yard field goal to give the Force a 24-13 advantage. The half would not end before so excitement as McLaughlin attempting a 56-yard field goal as time ran out missed wide was short. Bernard Holmes caught the miss and was able to return the kick 56-yards for a Carolina touchdown with no time showing on the clock. Jermaine Smith blocked the following PAT as the Force took a 24-19 lead into the break.

Georgia broke the game open outscoring Carolina 21-6 in the third quarter. Patridge under pressure the entire 15 minutes fumbled twice and threw one interception resulting in all the Force's points. Bruce McClure recovered the first Patridge fumble that was capped off by a Murray to Jones nine-yard touchdown pass and a 31-19 lead. On the Cobras next drive, Kevin Gaines intercepted Patridge giving the ball back to Georgia. In an odd play, Murray threw a pass that was tipped by a Carolina linebacker and fell right into the hands of Jones. Making the reception, Jones ran the ball in for a 31-yard score to build the Force lead to 38-19. Georgia's final points of the quarter came on Murray's third TD pass in the stanza this time to Brett Cooper for a three-yard touchdown. The play was set up by a fumble recovery by Oscar Sturgis, who scooped up the ball and ran it to the Carolina six-yard line.

Both teams traded turnovers on downs of their first possessions of the fourth quarter. Carolina on their second drive was faced with a fourth and goal situation as Patridge threw his fourth interception of the game being picked again by Gaines. The Force turned the opportunity into more points when Murray threw a 33-yard pass to Hillery upping the score to 52-19 Georgia. Carolina replaced Patridge with Robert Hall at quarterback, but the result was the same as Gaines grabbed his third interception of the game. As Gaines returned the pick he pulled up lame with a leg injury. Murray added to his passing touchdown total hitting Cooper for an 8-yard scoring pass. On the Cobras' final possession, Hall fumbled the snap, which was recovered by Reece as Georgia claimed the victory.

Bernard Holmes and Leon Murray were named the game's co-MVP and Jermaine Smith was named the contest's Iroman.

LAST MEETING WITH ORLANDO:

ORLANDO, FL. - The Georgia Force (6-2) used a fumble in the last 15 seconds and a 30-yard field goal by Steve McLaughlin as time expired to capture a 38-35 victory over the Orlando Predators (6-2). With the win, Georgia pulled into a first place tie with Orlando in the Southern Division and handed the Predators its first home loss of the season and second straight defeat. The Force is now 3-0 all-time vs. Orlando and 5-0 in games shown on NBC. Georgia also claims a team-record fourth straight win.

The first quarter was controlled by the league's top ranked total defense as Georgia forced two Orlando turnovers. After missing a 26-yard field goal on its opening possession, it only took the Force one play for the defense to put points on the board. Predators quarterback Connell Maynor, under pressure in his own endzone, flipped the ball behind his back. Darryl Hammond picked off the pass and returned it three yards for the touchdown. Steve McLaughlin missed the ensuing PAT and Georgia grabbed an early 6-0 lead. The Force defense stepped up again on Orlando's next drive when on third down Maynor was sacked. The Predators settled for a 26-yard field goal by Brian Schmitz. Georgia only took two plays to find the endzone again as Donnie Davis hit Brett Cooper for a 20-yard score. McLaughlin missed his second PAT of the quarter leaving the score 12-3 Georgia. The first quarter ended when Maynor, under pressure again by the Force defense, fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Travis Reece.

The Orlando defense made its presence felt, as Force could not convert the turnover into points and turned the ball over on downs. Maynor then connected with Travis McGriff for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the Georgia lead to 12-10. With less than one minute remaining in the second quarter, the Orlando defense made its second stand holding the Force offense on four downs on the goal line. But a fourth down holding penalty, gave Georgia new life and a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Davis found Morris Anderson for a one-yard touchdown with 29.1 seconds left in the half. The scoring pass was the first career reception for Anderson. The Georgia defense emerged again stopping the Predators next drive. Jermaine Smith blocked a 53-yard field goal attempt by Schmitz giving the Force the ball back with five seconds remaining. With the little time left, McLaughlin made good on a 22-yard field goal and Georgia took a 21-10 lead into the break.

The Predators took little time trimming the Force lead scoring on the first play on the third quarter. Antonio Stanley caught the 30-yard pass from Maynor to make the score 21-17 Georgia. Travis Reece gave the Force back its 11-point lead when he ran around the left side for a one-yard score. McGriff scored the quarters only remaining points catching his second touchdown of the game, a 30-yard pass from Maynor. Orlando attempted a fake field goal but was stopped short leaving the Force with a 28-23 lead after third periods.

McLaughlin missed a 32-yard field on Georgia first possession of the fourth quarter. With Orlando's next drive, Hammond intercepted his second pass of the game from Maynor and returned it 10-yards for his second defensive touchdown of the game and a 35-23 Force lead. After Georgia established its biggest lead at 12 points, the Predators made its run for the lead that led to the dramatic finish. McGriff pulled in his third TD, a 28-yard pass from Maynor. Orlando took its first lead of the game when Doug Miller sacked Davis in the endzone causing a fumble, which Miller recovered for a touchdown. Following the PAT, the Predators lead 36-35 with 4:36 left in the game. Georgia drove down to the Orlando 15 yardline with one minute left in the game. After being held on three downs, McLaughlin attempted a game-winning field goal from 28-yards. He missed giving the Predators the ball back with 20 seconds remaining in the game and what looked like the win. On Orlando's first play, Maynor fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Georgia giving the Force new life. With 1.7 seconds showing on the clock, McLaughlin connected on a 30-yard field goal as time expired giving the Force the win.

Smith was named to Game's MVP and Hammond was named the contest's Iroman.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 22, 2003


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