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Georgia Force game notes

March 23, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Georgia Force (4-3) vs. Tampa Bay Storm (2-5)

Date: March 27, 2004
Kickoff: 7:00 ET
Site: Arena at Gwinnett Center (11,200).
Coaches: Marty Lowe, Georgia (18-16 overall, 1-1 postseason, 3rd Year).
Tampa Bay: Tim Marcum (159-60 overall, 25-8 postseason, 16th Year).
Series Record: Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 4-1.
Georgia 70, @ T.B. 62 (2/13/04)
@ Georgia 38, T.B. 42 (5/18/03)
Georgia 39, @ T.B. 58 (4/6/03)
Georgia 61, @ T.B. 67 OT (7/20/02)
@ Georgia 40, T.B. 50 (6/29/02)

THE GAME:

The Georgia Force return to the Arena at Gwinnett Center after a two week absence on Saturday, March 27th when they host the defending AFL World Champion Tampa Bay Storm at 7:00 p.m. The Force will try to win back-to-back home games for only the second time in team history since defeating Grand Rapids (3/9) and Carolina (3/15) last season.

Georgia look to sweep the Storm for the first time in club history after defeating Tampa Bay 70-62 on February 13th. In that game, quarterback Leon Murray rushed in from eight yards out on fourth down to give the Force the lead with 24 seconds remaining in the game. The victory was then sealed by the Force defense, when Nikia Adderson forced a fumble of Storm quarterback Shane Stafford that was recovered for a touchdown by Stacy Evans.

The game was also highlighted by a career performance by Markeith Cooper, who set a new Force team record with 270 all-purpose yards against the Storm and earned AFL Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Tampa Bay is in the midst of a three-game losing skid that has seen the team fall to New Orleans, New York and Carolina. The Storm have not lost three straight games since opening the 2002 season at 0-3. Tampa Bay is led by OS Freddie Solomon, who currently leads
the AFL in scoring with 114 points on 17 touchdown receptions and two rushing scores.


GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK:

Playing their third game in less than two weeks, the Force travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Fury on Thursday, April 1st at 7:30 p.m. Georgia has played three of their last four games on the road and are heading to Detroit for the third straight season to face the Fury. The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 1-1.


THE SCHEDULE:

GEORGIA FORCE (4-3)

Date OPPONENT RESULT SCORE
Feb. 7 NEW YORK L 28-54
Feb. 13 @ Tampa Bay W 70-62
Feb. 22 NEW ORLEANS L 52-55
March 1 @ Los Angeles W-OT 53-52
March 7 LAS VEGAS W 55-40
March 12 @ Orlando W 52-44
March 20 @ Indiana L 36-73
March 27 TAMPA BAY
April 1 @ Detroit
April 11 @ Austin
April 18 ORLANDO
April 25 SAN JOSE
BYE
May 9 @ Columbus
May 15 @ New Orleans
May 23 AUSTIN
May 30 CAROLINA


HEAD COACHES:

MARTY LOWE, Georgia (18-16 overall, 1-1 postseason, 3rd Year): Marty Lowe concluded his second season and first full year as Head Coach with the Georgia Force in 2003, guiding the team to a record eight wins and leading the club to its first postseason appearance. At 32 years old (9/21/71), Lowe is the second youngest head coach in the Arena Football League.

Despite being hampered by injuries all season in 2003, the Force jumped out to a 6-2 mark to start the year and was able to ride the strength of its league-leading defense to advance to the Quarterfinal Round of the playoffs. Lowe, a former AFL quarterback himself, helped pave the way for rookie Leon Murray to emerge as one of the league's rising stars after the loss of two starting quarterbacks during the year. Following the season, Murray was named to the AFL's All-Rookie Team.

In 2002, Lowe replaced Robert Lyles, who was relieved of his duties following the Force's 1-4 start. Under his direction, the Force finished the year winning five of their last eight games in the team's inaugural season.

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. Marty and wife Michelle have two children, son Bryce and daughter Reece.



TIM MARCUM, Tampa Bay (159-60 overall, 25-8 postseason, 16th Year): Tim Marcum is a Charter member of the Arena Football Hall of Fame and is the League's all-time winningest coach. He is the only coach in AFL history to win 100 or more games. Marcum is in his tenth season with the Storm. He led Tampa to back-to-back ArenaBowl titles (1995 & '96) and captured his third AFL championship with the Storm in 2003. Marcum led the Storm to a 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.


CONNECTIONS:

Georgia's Director of Corporate Partnerships 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.


STATISTICS:

A look how Georgia and Tampa Bay match-up on both sides of the ball based on 2004 regular season statistics:

Statistical GEORGIA TAMPA BAY
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 49.4 46.1
Scoring Defense 54.3 50.4
Total Offense (yds/g) 267.3 261.4
Total Defense (yds/g) 268.6 218.6
Pass Offense (yds/g) 235.7 248.1
Pass Defense (yds/g) 243.4 206.3
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 31.6 13.3
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 25.1 12.3
Kickoff Returns 18.5 16.4
Field Goals 3-14 4-9
PAT Kicking 43-44 33-39
Sacks By (sks-yds) 3-12 8-40
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 9-41 6-40
First Downs 131 142
Penalties (#/yds) 52-299 48-273
Turnover Margin -1 -3
Time of Possession 28:36 31:58


THE FORCE THIS SEASON ARE:

1-2 at home
3-1 on the road

0-1 vs. Central Division
0-1 vs. Eastern Division
2-1 vs. Southern Division
2-0 vs. Western Division

2-0 on Fridays
0-1 on Saturday
1-2 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

1-2 in February
3-1 in March
0-0 in April
0-0 in May

1-2 in televised games on NBC

1-0 when leading at the half
1-0 when tied at the half
2-3 when trailing at the half

2-0 when leading after 3 quarters
2-0 when tied after 3 quarters
0-3 when trailing after 3 quarters

0-0 outcome 7 points or less
0-1 outcome 3 points or less
1-0 overtime games

1-0 when the Force scores first
3-3 when opponent scores first


AWARD WINNERS:

AFL Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week

WEEK 2- OS Markeith Cooper

AFL ADT Defensive Player of the Week

WEEK 6- WR/LB Dialleo Burks


Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 New York Aaron Garcia
2 Tampa Bay Freddie Solomon
3 New Orleans Aaron Bailey
4 Los Angeles Joe Douglas
5 Georgia Leon Murray
6 Georgia Leon Murray
7 Indiana Adrian McPherson

ADT Defensive Player of the Game

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 New York William Holder
2 Tampa Bay Rod Williams
3 Georgia Kevin Gaines
4 Los Angeles Kevin Ingram
5 Georgia Morris Anderson
6 Georgia Dialleo Burks
7 Indiana Bill Duff

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 Georgia Andy McCullough
2 Georgia Markeith Cooper
3 New Orleans B.J. Cohen
4 Los Angeles Greg Hopkins
5 Georgia Dameon Porter
6 Georgia Markeith Cooper
7 Indiana Jarrod Penright



AFL STANDINGS:

Eastern Division
Team W L T Pct TmPt OpPt
Dallas 5 2 0 .714 386 355
New York 4 3 0 .571 359 319
Carolina 3 4 0 .429 363 374
Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 303 295
Columbus 1 6 0 .143 300 379

Southern Division
Team W L T Pct TmPt OpPt
New Orleans 6 1 0 .857 317 295
Austin 4 2 0 .667 307 310
Georgia 4 3 0 .571 346 380
Orlando 2 4 0 .333 257 292
Tampa Bay 2 5 0 .286 323 353

Central Division
Team W L T Pct TmPt OpPt
Chicago 5 1 0 .833 325 233
Colorado 5 2 0 .714 307 328
Detroit 2 4 0 .333 275 291
Indiana 2 5 0 .286 334 305
Grand Rapids 0 6 0 .000 195 332

Western Division
Team W L T Pct TmPt OpPt
San Jose 5 1 0 .833 365 290
Los Angeles 4 2 0 .667 328 278
Arizona 3 4 0 .429 335 334
Las Vegas 3 4 0 .429 365 347





AFL ON NBC:


THERE ARE NO SCHEDULED GAMES THIS WEEK FOR THE AFL ON NBC.


LAST WEEK AT INDIANA:

INDIANAPOLIS, IN. – The Indiana Firebirds won their second straight game 73-36 handing the Georgia Force their worse loss in club-history (previous largest margin of defeat was 21 points vs. Los Angeles 5/24/02). The Firebirds were able to put the game away scoring 29 unanswered points in the second half with the help of a safety, a net recovery for a touchdown and an interception. Indiana quarterback Adrian McPherson threw for four touchdowns and rushed for three more in earning the contest's Offensive Player of the Game. On the night, he passed for 181 yards on 16-of-28 and added 15 yards rushing on six carries.

With the victory the Firebirds remain undefeated under new Head Coach Mike Wilpolt. For Georgia, the loss was their first on the road this season and snapped a five-game road-winning streak dating back to last year. The defeat was also the first road loss for Force quarterback Leon Murray as a starter dropping his career road record to 5-1.

Indiana was able to build a 31-7 advantage going into the half as the Firebirds kept the Georgia offense out-of-sync. The seven points by the Force tied a club-low for points scored in a half (at Detroit 2/9/03). Georgia was able to tie the score at 7-7 when Murray found Dialleo Burks on a 30-yard touchdown pass but the Force could not come away with any more points. Indiana's defense stepped up forcing a turnover on downs, a fumble and winning the battle of field position resulting in three long missed field goals by the Force. The Firebirds capitalized on each opportunity as McPherson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more through the first two quarters.


Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Georgia Force 7 0 15 14 36
Indiana Firebirds 14 17 15 27 73

PASSING:
IND- McPherson, 16-28-181-4
GA- Murray, 7-18-113-2

RECEIVING:
IND- Anthony Hines, 7-73-1
GA- Markeith Cooper, 6-63-2

RUSHING:
IND- Adrian McPherson, 6-15-3
GA- Robert Thomas, 3-23-1

OFFENSIVE MVP: Adrian McPherson, Indiana
DEFENSIVE MVP: Bill Duff, Indiana
IRONMAN: Jarrod Penright, Indiana

THINGS TO WATCH:


DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE:

Quarterback Leon Murray would seem to have two different personalities when it comes to playing at home versus playing on the road. As a starting quarterback, Murray has a 5-1 regular season record in road contests and a 1-6 record in home games during the regular season.


GROUND ATTACK:

Averaging 31.6 yards a game rushing, the Force currently rank third in the league in rushing offense. QB Leon Murray is second among all quarterbacks with 67 yards rushing on 19 carries scoring six touchdowns on the ground. Murray stands eighth overall in the AFL in rushing. In addition, FB/LB Robert Thomas currently is second among all rookies in rushing with 121 yards on 26 carries and six scores. Thomas ranks third in the league in rushing.


FINISHING TOUCH:

This season, kicker Steve McLaughlin is 43-for-44 on PAT kicks. He started the season going a perfect 28-for-28, before missing his first of the year in Week 5 vs. Las Vegas (3/7). McLaughlin is currently riding a string of 15 straight PAT attempts made.

Last year, McLaughlin began the season connecting on his first 18 PAT attempts before his first miss. Later in 2003, he strung together a streak of 13 straight PATs made including a Force single-game record 11-for-11 at Indiana (5/4/03).

McLaughlin's leg also played a huge role in the Force's 53-52 overtime victory at Los Angeles (3/1) earlier this season. With three seconds remaining in regulation, McLaughlin connected on a 50-yard field goal as time expired to even the score at 45-45 and push the game into the extra session. At the time, his 50-yard make stood as the longest in the AFL converted this season.

ALL-AROUND GAME:

Offensive Specialist Markeith Cooper set a new Force team record for most single game all-purpose yards with 270 at Tampa Bay (2/13). Cooper had 132 receiving yards on five receptions and four touchdowns through the air and added 138 kickoff return yards on five returns against the Storm. With eight seconds remaining in the first half, Cooper returned a kickoff 55 yards to tie the score at 35-35 at the break and keep the Force in the game. For his efforts, Cooper was named the game's Ironman of the Game and later honored as the AFL's Offensive Player of the Week.

Cooper is currently tied-sixth in the AFL for leading scorer non-kickers with 96 points through seven games. He is tied for the AFL lead for most points scored in a single-game with 30.

As a receiver, Cooper stands in the Top 10 in both receptions (tied-8th) with 45 catches and receiving yards (9th) with 572 yards. He is one pace to becoming the first single-season 1,000-yard receiver in the Force's three-year history. Cooper ranks 9h in the AFL in most yards from scrimmage with 587 (572 receiving + 15 rushing).


DID YOU KNOW:

Head Coach Marty Lowe:
- At age 32, is the second youngest head coach in the Arena Football League.

- Played two seasons in the AFL with St. Louis and Texas before knee injuries ended his career short.

- Played quarterback at the University of Louisville with current Force DS Kevin Gaines and Atlanta Falcon Ray Buchanan.

- Marty's son, Bryce Elway Lowe, is named after NFL great and Colorado Crush co-owner John Elway.

UGA Athletic Director Vince Dooley:
- Serves as Chairman of the Georgia Force Advisory Board.

- "Arena Football is one of the fastest growing sports in America and here in Georgia," said Dooley. "I have been impressed with the great longevity of the AFL as it is entering into its 18th season and I am pleased that I'll have the opportunity to advise and consult with the Force as I continue my primary responsibility as Athletic Director at UGA for the next six months. The AFL has passed the test of time and that is what differentiates it from the other football leagues that have come and gone."


Dooley added, "I know the passion that this state and community has for football and the Georgia Force is very attractive as a quality family oriented sports option. When I look at the Georgia Force, I see all the characteristics of a first-class winning organization. I am happy to now have the opportunity to be involved with the Force as I continue my role of Athletic Director at the University of Georgia."

OL/DL Bruce Adrine:
- Adrine is one of 14 former University of Georgia defensive players from the 2000 roster playing professional football. Included in that group are New England Patriot Richard Seymour, Pittsburgh Steeler Kendrell Bell and Jacksonville Jaguar Marcus Stroud.

WR/LB Dialleo Burks:
- Played his first two seasons in the AFL with the Dallas Desperados and this past offseason signed with teammate Andy McCullough with the Force. Andy and Dialleo made up two-thirds of the Desperados offensive attack that finished the 2003 season ranked first in total offense and fifth in scoring.

- In 2003 established new team records for catches, receiving yards and touchdowns for a season.

- Finished last year with a career-high and team-record 102 catches for a career-high and team-record 1,226 yards and a career-high and team-record 28 touchdowns.

- Missed the final six games of the 2002 season with a fractured wrist after putting up numbers that would have made him a strong candidate for AFL Rookie of the Year.

OL/DL William Carr:
- Owns and operates his own clothing line named "Will-O Wear", which designs and creates all lines of clothing including outfitting high school football teams.

OS Markeith Cooper:
- Listed at 5'7", Cooper is one of the shortest players in the Arena Football League.

- Earned a roster spot with the team from the club's open player tryouts in 2002. Was working for UPS at the time loading trucks, and impressed the coaching staff running a 4.2 40-yard dash at the tryouts.

- In the Force's Quarterfinal Round playoff game at San Jose last season, he racked up 153 yards on five kickoff returns including a 56-yard touchdown return. His efforts helped Georgia establish a new AFL playoff record for kickoff return yards in a game with 312 yards.



- Has the longest tenure as a Force player and is one of only two player who were on the team's 2002 roster (Scotty Lindsey).

- Is the younger brother of Lamont Cooper, one of the best AFL players in the league's history and two time AFL Don't Blink! Player of the Year.

K Steve McLaughlin:
- Named Kicker of the Month for March 2003.

- Set Force team record for the longest field goal, 51-yarder at Las Vegas (3/29) and most single-game PATs made with 11 at Indiana (5/4).

- Led all kickers in 2001 with 152 points, which also put him ninth overall in scoring.

- Heading into the 2004 season, stood sixth overall in AFL history for career points by a kicker with 668, sixth in AFL history for most one point PAT's with 407, ranked sixth in AFL history for most three-point field goals with 87, stood sixth in league history in most one-point PAT attempts with 449, sits fourth in the league record books for most three-point field goal attempts with 190.

- Was a third round selection by the St. Louis Rams in 1995.

- Fronts an alternative band named "Pet the Fish", which has opened for The Dave Matthews Band and appeared in FOX's television show "Party of Five".

QB Leon Murray:
- Burst on to the Arena Football League scene after starting the season as the Force's third string quarterback. Up until his first AFL start, had not started a game in three years since being named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Tennessee State.

- Despite only playing in eight games, finished the regular season ranked seventh in the league in passer rating with a 115.9 rating and ranked ninth in the AFL in pass completion percentage at 62.1.

- Led the Force to their first-ever postseason appearance and victory over of the Dallas Desperados on the road.

- Was named to the AFL's All-Rookie team and was voted the Force's Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year by the players and coaches.

- Established new team single game records for passing yards (354) and touchdowns (8) last season.

WR/DB Dameon Porter:
- Was named the AFL's Ironman of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year after the 2001 season.

- Is a two-time first-team all-Arena selection.

- Had 22 interceptions over the 2002 and 2001 seasons, breaking the league record for highest two-year total (previously 21 by Orlando's Kenny McEntyre in 2000-2001).

- His 156 interception return yards in 2002 represented the 2nd-highest mark for a season in the league's record book.

- Is only the second player in history to lead the league in interceptions two consecutive years (2001-2002). Orlando's Kenny McEntyre led the AFL in 1999 (7) and 2000 (11) Durwood Roquemore, a member of the AFL Hall of Fame, also led the league in interceptions twice (1990, 1994).

FB/LB Robert Thomas:
- Longtime NFL veteran with the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2002), who played both fullback and linebacker during his NFL tenure.

- Helped lead the way as Emmitt Smith ran for 109 yards on 24 carries and became the NFL's all-time leading rusher with an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter versus Seattle (10/27/02).

- Made a name for himself as a rookie free agent with small school experience, but he has also survived a major career change, moving from linebacker to fullback. In a very short period of time, he went from being a reserve middle linebacker to the lead blocker for Emmitt Smith as the Cowboys starting fullback.

- Is an avid bowler and averages a score of 205. He once rolled a 275 (300 is a perfect game).



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 23, 2004


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.

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