Georgia Force game notes

Published on January 31, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS

Colorado Crush (1-0) at Georgia Force (1-0)

Date: February 5, 2006
Kickoff: 1:00 pm (ET)
Site: Philips Arena (18,200)
Television: NBC (Eli Gold and Charles Davis)
Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard: play-by-play, Chuck Oliver: color analyst)
Coaches: Doug Plank, Georgia (14-6, 2nd Year)
Mike Dailey, Colorado (89-58, 10th Year)
Series Record: Georgia leads the regular season series 1-0
Colorado leads postseason series 1-0

THE OPPONENT
The Colorado Crush enter the 2006 season as the defending AFL Champions. The Crush return the core group of players from last season, including QB John Dutton and OS Damian Harrell. Last week, the Crush defeated the Chicago Crush 65-56.

The Crush are led by QB John Dutton, who dawns the cover of the Arena Football videogame produced by EA Sports, which is due for release on February 7. Last week vs. Chicago, Dutton finished 22-34 for 291 yards and eight interceptions while throwing one interception. Dutton's go- to target, 2005 AFL Player of the Year OS Damian Harrell registered seven receptions for 111 yards and four touchdowns last week.
THE GAME

The Georgia Force will host the Colorado Crush on February 5 at 1 pm (ET) in Philips Arena in a rematch of ArenaBowl XIX. Last season, Georgia fell to Colorado as time expired, when Crush K Clay Rush booted a 21-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Force 51-48.

The Force will be looking for a little bit of redemption this week, after the loss in ArenaBowl XIX to Colorado. The Force return 17 of 24 players from last season's roster and seem poised to make a run at the title again this year. With the majority of the core group on offense returning including, QB Matt Nagy, OS Chris Jackson and WR/LB Derek Lee, Georgia is looking to start the season 2-0 and continue their 13-game home winning streak (including two playoff victories).

The Force began the season by defeating division rival Orlando last week 48-31. The game was decided in the final 45 seconds, as the Force returned two interceptions for touchdowns. DS Nate Coggins intercepted QB Joe Hamilton with 35 seconds remaining and returned it 18-yards for a Force touchdown. On the following series, WR/DB Nick Ward picked off QB Joe Hamilton and returned it 20-yards for the score and sealed the victory for the Force.



CONNECTIONS

Force FB/LB Robert Thomas is cousins with Crush FB/LB Willis Marshall...Force OS Chris Jackson and Crush WR/LB Kevin McKenzie were college teammates at Washington State...Crush WR/LB Andy McCullough began the 2004 season with the Georgia Force before being traded to Indiana on 3/11/04.

GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK

The Force will make their first road trip of the season as they head to Tampa Bay for a rematch of their divisional round playoff game in 2005 vs. the Storm.

Tampa Bay leads the regular season series 6-2, but the Force lead the postseason series 1-0. Last season the Force defeated the Storm in the divisional round of the 2005 playoffs 62-46.

THE SCHEDULE

GEORGIA FORCE (1-0)

Date OPPONENT RESULT SCORE
Jan. 28 ORLANDO W 48-31
Feb. 5 COLORADO
Feb. 10 @ Tampa Bay
Feb. 17 @ Las Vegas
Feb. 24 KANSAS CITY
March 4 AUSTIN
March 10 @ Columbus
March 17 @ San Jose
March 26 TAMPA BAY
April 1 @ Kansas City
April 9 @ Austin
April 14 @ Orlando
April 22 DALLAS
April 29 CHICAGO
May 6 @ New York
May 13 PHILADELPHIA

STATISTICS

A look how Georgia and Colorado match-up on both sides of the ball based on the first week statistics:

Statistical GEORGIA COLORADO
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 8th 48 1st 65
Scoring Defense 3rd 31 13th 56
Total Offense (yds/g) 12th 245.0 5th 295.0
Total Defense (yds/g) 4th 224.0 16th 317.0
Pass Offense 12th 239.0 2nd 291.0
Pass Defense 4th 189.0 12th 265.0
Rushing Offense 14th 6.0 15th 4.0
Rushing Defense 14th 35.0 18th 52.0
Pass Rating 6th 106.5 4th 119.0
Pass Def. Rating 1st 61.4 18th 133.3
Kickoff Returns 9th 15.4 18th 8.0
MFG Returns 5th 0.0 5th 0.0
Interceptions (int-yds) 2nd 2-19 11th 0-0
Turnover Margin 6th +1 7th 0
Field Goals 1st 2-2 18th 0-0
PAT Kicking 6th 6-6 1st 9-9
Sacks By (sks-yds) 14th 0-0 8th 1-3
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 16th 2-13 1st 0-0
First Downs 13th 16 11th 17
Opp. First Downs 5th 16 17th 23
Penalties (yds/gm) 10th 38 2nd 11
Opp. Penalties (yds/gm) 12th 31 18th 5
Red Zone Offense 12th 3-4 1st 4-4
Red Zone Defense 13th 4-4 13th 5-5
Time of Possession 11th 29:36 18th 22:26

HEAD COACHES

DOUG PLANK, Georgia (14-6, 2nd Year): Doug Plank enters his second season as head coach of the Georgia Force in 2006. In his first season as an AFL head coach, he led the Force on a magical ride to ArenaBowl XIX. Plank was voted 2005 AFL Coach of the Year after leading the Force to a league best 11-5 regular season record and a 13-6 record overall.

The 11-5 mark was the best record in franchise history (previous best 8-8 in 2003), and secured the Force's first Southern Division Championship and the number one seed in the playoffs. The Force went on to win the inaugural National Conference Championship game by defeating the Orlando Predators 60-58. The victory secured the Force's place in ArenaBowl XIX.

Plank has coached in four straight ArenaBowls. He helped lead the Arizona Rattlers to three previous ArenaBowls as their defensive coordinator. In his final season with the Rattlers, the team finished with an 11-5 record and earned the top seed in the AFL playoffs.
A former member of The Ohio State University football team, Plank played in three consecutive Rose Bowls (1973-75). While at Ohio State, he played for legendary coach Woody Hayes.
Plank brings with him a wealth of football experience that includes an impressive career in the NFL. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1975 NFL Draft and started at safety for eight seasons. The "46 Defense" created by Buddy Ryan was named for Plank's jersey number and aggressive style of play. Plank was also the first Bears rookie to ever lead the team in tackles.
He has prior broadcasting experience with the Sports USA Radio Network, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State University Football, Fox Sports Net, and Westwood One.

Plank and his wife, Nancy, have two children, Andrea and Michael.

MIKE DAILEY, Colorado (89-58, 10th Year): Mike Daily enters his third season in Colorado and tenth as a head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Daily joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach.

Last season under Dailey's guidance, the Crush captured their first Central Division title en route to claiming a 51-48 victory in ArenaBowl XIX, giving Colorado their first AFL championship in only their third year of existence. The Crush finished the year with a 13-6 mark, which included a franchise record seven-game winning streak during the regular season. With the teams win over Chicago in the American Conference championship game on June 5, Dailey ranked fourth on the all-time victories list in AFL history surpassing Perry Moss.

Dailey got his start in coaching in 1981 as a 22-year-old assistant at Georgetown Prep High School in Rockville, MD. The move to coaching followed a semi-pro football career in the Washington D.C. area.

Dailey has been married to his wife, Jodie, for 21 years.

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET

K Clay Rush drilled a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colorado Crush a 51-48 ArenaBowl XIX win over the Georgia Force at the Thomas & Mack Center on June 12, 2005, giving the Crush its first-ever Arena Football League championship in just its third year of existence.

Rush's connection gave the Crush its final lead of a game in which the team never trailed, building an 11-point lead in the second and third quarters before withstanding a rally in which the Force forged three tie scores in the final period -- at 34-, 41- and 48-apiece. The final deadlock came with 18 seconds remaining after Matt Nagy found Chris Jackson for a 20-yard score, but it left just enough time for the Crush to strike back.

Colorado got the ball back with 18 seconds left at its 5-yard-line, and quarterback John Dutton capitalized on man-to-man coverage to find wide receiver/linebacker Kevin McKenzie for a 37-yard reception that moved the Crush to the Georgia eight-yard-line. An illegal-hands-to-the-face infraction against Georgia moved Colorado to the Georgia four, setting up Rush's final-play kick.

The last-minute heroics wouldn't have been possible without a third consecutive strong start by the Crush. After taking leads of 14-0 and 20-0 over the San Jose SaberCats and Chicago Rush in the previous two weeks, the Crush bolted to a 10-0 lead over Georgia after a touchdown run and a 20-yard field goal that was set up by an Ahmad Hawkins interception on the Force's first play from scrimmage.

Colorado's defense kept the Force in check early, recording stops on two of Georgia's first three drives. The Crush opened the second half with another defensive stand when Rashad Floyd swatted away a fourth-down pass at the goal line 5:33 into the third quarter.

In a rare reversal of Arena Football form, it was the ground attacks that dominated throughout the first half, as all six of the touchdowns in the game's first 30 minutes came on runs. That represented the most rushing touchdowns in an ArenaBowl since the Dallas Texans and Detroit Drive combined for eight rushing scores in ArenaBowl IV (dubbed ArenaBowl '90 at the time).

Colorado's Willis Marshall ran for three scores in the first half, the most for one player in an ArenaBowl since Detroit's Art Schlichter ran for four touchdowns in ArenaBowl IV. He also snared six passes for 111 yards and a score, and added four total tackles as he took away Ironman of the Game and Offensive Player of the Game honors.
The Crush concluded its championship season at 13-6. Georgia, which posted the league's best regular-season record last year, also finished at 13-6. The season was the Force's first plus-.500 campaign.

Score 1 2 3 4 Final
Colorado Crush 10 14 7 20 51
Georgia Force 7 13 7 21 48

LEADERS

PASSING:
GA- Matt Nagy, 24-36-247-4-1
COL- John Dutton, 23-41-347-3-0

RECEIVING:
GA- Derek Lee, 12-133-3
COL- Damian Harrell, 8-122-2

RUSHING:
GA- Kevin Aldridge, 2-30-1
COL- Willis Marshall, 4-12-3

Offensive Player of the Game: Willis Marshall, Colorado
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Ahmad Hawkins, Colorado
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game: Willis Marshall, Colorado


THE FORCE THIS SEASON ARE

1-0 at home
0-0 on the road

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

0-0 on Fridays
1-0 on Saturday
0-0 on Sundays

1-0 in January
0-0 in February
0-0 in March
0-0 in April
0-0 in May

1-0 in televised games

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

1-0 when leading after 3 quarters
0-0 when tied after 3 quarters
0-0 when trailing after 3 quarters

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

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

THINGS TO WATCH

Put on your Sunday best

Under the leadership of Doug Plank the Force are 5-1 on Sundays. The Force had a perfect record on Sunday's in 2005 until the loss to the Colorado Crush in Arena Bowl XIX on Sunday, June 12, 2005.

The Force will look to continue their winning ways this Sunday vs. the Crush at Philips Arena at 1 pm.

Date Opponent Result Score
1/30/05 New Orleans W 46-44
2/20/05 @ Las Vegas W 38-13
3/6/05 Columbus W 55-48
5/8/05 Tampa Bay W 52-40
5/29/05 Tampa Bay W 62-46
6/12/05 Colorado L 48-51

Home Cooking

The Force enter this game vs. the Crush with a 13-game home winning streak, dating back to the 2004 season. Georgia finished 10-0 at home last season, including two playoff wins at Philips Arena and are 1-0 at home this season. The Force became the first team since the AFL moved to a 16-game schedule to go a perfect 8-0 during the regular season at home in 2005.

The home success of the team can be attributed to the fans. The team's average attendance was up 39% from last year, averaging over 12,700 fans at home throughout the regular season.

The Force are riding a franchise-record 11 game regular season winning streak at home dating back to the 2004 season. The 11-game regular season home winning streak is tied for 3rd all-time in AFL history with Tampa Bay.

YEAR RECORD VENUE
2002 3-4 Philips Arena
2003 3-5 Arena at Gwinnett Center
2004 3-5 Arena at Gwinnett Center
2005 8-0 Philips Arena
2006 1-0 Philips Arena

Action Jackson- By the Numbers

It is amazing to look how much Chris Jackson has done in just over six seasons. Here is a look at what he has accomplished in his 78 career regular season AFL games.

76 games with at least one TD
75 games with at least one receiving TD
54 games with at least two TDs
34 games with at least three receiving TDs
16 games with at least four receiving TDs
41 100-yard receiving games
21 games with 10+ receptions

Defensive Toughness

Georgia closed out the 2005 regular season ranked second in the AFL in points allowed per game (46.6). The defense has begun the 2006 season in the same manner they finished last season. After week one, the Force are ranked third in scoring defense allowing 31 points in the first game of the season.

Scoring Defense in 2006

TEAM RANK PPG
Nashville 1 28.0
Columbus 2 30.0
Georgia 3 31.0
Los Angeles 3 31.0




WEEKLY GAME AWARD WINNERS


Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game

WK TEAM PLAYER
1 GA Chris Jackson

ADT Defensive Player of the Game

WK TEAM PLAYER
1 GA Kevin Aldridge

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game

WK TEAM PLAYER
1 GA Derek Lee

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 31, 2006


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