Sports stats



Georgia Force game notes

February 15, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release


QUICK FACTS

Georgia Force (1-2) at Las Vegas Gladiators (1-2)

Date: February 17, 2006
Kickoff: 10:30 pm (ET)
Site: Thomas & Mack Center (16,606)
Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard: play-by-play, Chuck Oliver: color analyst)
Coaches: Doug Plank, Georgia (14-8, 2nd Year)
Ron James, Las Vegas (9-10, 2nd Year)
Series Record: Georgia leads the series 2-1
2003 Georgia 41, @ Las Vegas 46 (3/28)
2004 @ Georgia 55, Las Vegas 40 (3/7)
2005 Georgia 38, @ Las Vegas 13 (2/20)

MEDIA CONTACTS

Georgia: Brian Cearns (p: 770-965-4318, bcearns@georgiaforce.com).

Las Vegas: Jeremie Watkins (p: 702-731-4971, jwatkins@lvgladiators.com ).

THE OPPONENT

The Las Vegas Gladiators have started the 2006 season 1-2, with their only win coming at home. Last week the Gladiators fell to the Colorado Crush 65-55 in Colorado.

Gladiators' QB Craig Whelihan has thrown 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in his first three games of the season. His 17 touchdown passes through three weeks eclipses Whelihan's total of 13 from last season. Las Vegas
THE GAME

The Georgia Force will travel to Las Vegas for their second consecutive road game. Georgia will face the Las Vegas Gladiators on Friday, February 17, in the Thomas & Mack Center at 10:30 pm (ET).

This is the fourth straight year that Georgia and Las Vegas play one another. Georgia has taken two straight from the Gladiators, including a 38-13 victory, in Las Vegas last year. The 13 points Georgia allowed set the franchise mark for fewest points allowed in a game.

The Force offense seems to be in a groove the last two weeks scoring 59 points versus Colorado in Week 2 and 60 points last week in Tampa Bay. Force QB Matt Nagy has thrown for 16 touchdowns this season, including 12 in the last two weeks. Nagy completed 27-of-37 passes for 332 yards, six touchdowns and added one rushing score last week in a loss to Tampa Bay. His 332 passing yards is a personal best (328 at New York, 3/12/05) in his AFL career.

Last week the Gladiators fell to the Colorado Crush 65-55 in Colorado. Las Vegas is 0-2 on the road this season and 1-0 at home after defeating San Jose 51-48 in Week 2. Both teams will be looking to improve to 2-2 on the season with a win Friday night.


is led by third year OS Marcus Nash. Nash recorded 131 catches for 1,769 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2005. In three games, Nash has registered 25 receptions for 317 yards and eight touchdowns in 2006.

CONNECTIONS

Gladiator WR/DB Dameon Porter appeared in 10 games for the Force in 2004...Las Vegas QB Glen Gauntt was a member of the Force in 2005, appearing in two games.

GEORGIA FORCE NEXT WEEK

The Force will return home to Philips Arena to host the Kansas City Brigade after spending the previous two weeks on the road.

This will be the first meeting between these two franchises. Kansas City was awarded the franchise in the offseason after the New Orleans VooDoo could not continue operations after hurricane Katrina.

This will mark the third Southern Division contest of the 2006 season for the Force. The Force are currently 1-1 in the division, defeating Orlando at Philips Arena 48-31 in Week 1, and losing at Tampa Bay 61-60 in Week 3.

THE SCHEDULE

GEORGIA FORCE (1-1)

Date OPPONENT RESULT SCORE
Jan. 28 ORLANDO W 48-31
Feb. 5 COLORADO L 61-59
Feb. 10 @ Tampa Bay L 61-60
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 Las Vegas match-up on both sides of the ball based on statistics through Week 3 of the 2006 AFL season:

Statistical GEORGIA LAS VEGAS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 3rd 55.7 9th 50.7
Scoring Defense 12th 51.0 17th 59.0
Total Offense (yds/g) 10th 286.3 7th 294.3
Total Defense (yds/g) 11th 288.0 10th 287.3
Pass Offense 8th 275.7 9th 265.3
Pass Defense t-9th 262.7 11th 268.0
Rushing Offense 15th 10.7 5th 29.0
Rushing Defense 14th 25.3 8th 19.3
Pass Rating 6th 119.7 10th 99.7
Pass Def. Rating 12th 107.5 9th 99.9
Kickoff Returns 3rd 19.1 7th 17.4
MFG Returns t-12th 0.0 t-12th 0.0
Interceptions (int-yds) 5th 2-38 15th 2-7
Turnover Margin 6th +1 18th -4
Field Goals 5th 2-3 17th 1-3
PAT Kicking 17th 17-22 16th 15-19
Sacks By (sks-yds) 16th 1-6 8th 3-12
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 9th 2-13 11th 3-18
First Downs 12th 57 10th 58
Opp. First Downs 14th 64 16th 65
Penalties (yds/gm) 14th 48.3 10th 36.3
Opp. Penalties (yds/gm) 18th 19.3 3rd 47.7
Red Zone Offense t-3rd 10-11 t-5th 7-8
Red Zone Defense 14th 15-17 8th 17-21
Time of Possession 13th 27:57 15th 27:43

HEAD COACHES

DOUG PLANK, Georgia (14-8, 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.

RON JAMES (9-10, 2nd Year): Ron James, head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators, finished his first season at the helm with a record of 8-8. It was his fourth season as a member of the Gladiators coaching staff.

Prior to being named head coach on August 24, 2004, James was the assistant head coach/OL/DL/special teams coach of the Gladiators for the previous three seasons. Before joining the Gladiators, he was the line coach for the Houston ThunderBears and the Director of Player Personnel form 1999-2001. He has now completed eight seasons in the Arena Football League.

Born on April 28, 1964, James is a native of Albany, New York and is married to wife, Lynn. They have a son, Brady with another child on the way. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association.

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET

LAS VEGAS, NV - The Georgia Force upped their record to 3-1, with a 38-13 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators. The 13 points allowed by the Georgia defense set a team record for least points allowed in a game (previous 19 at Carolina 4/18/03). On the night, the Force defense created five turnovers and two turnovers on downs against the Gladiators.

Both team established a new AFL record for most penalties in a game with 34 (14 Georgia, 20 Las Vegas), smashing the previous mark of 21.

Georgia was lead by WR/LB Derek Lee and OS Troy Bergeron, who combined for five receiving touchdowns. Lee finished with eight receptions for 100 yards and Bergeron recorded nine catches for 47 yards. Las Vegas was paced by Coco Blaylock with two receiving scores and 63 yards receiving on five catches.

Georgia took a two possession lead of 28-13 into the half, but the tone through the first two quarters of play was set by the Force defense not the offense. Starting with Las Vegas' first drive that ended with Georgia forcing a fumble on the goal line to Force DS Kevin Gaines' interception in the end zone as time expired in the half, the defense created the opportunities on the other side of the ball. Georgia QB Jim Kubiak connected with Bergeron on three touchdown passes in the first half of three, 14 and three-yards respectively. Kubiak added a 27-yard strike to Lee with 37 seconds left to push the Georgia lead to 15 points. Both of the Gladiators scores came on touchdown passes from Rod Robinson to Coco Blaylock from 14 and 24-yards out.

The third quarter opened to much of the same with Georgia outscoring Las Vegas 10-0 in the period and the defense creating turnovers with Gaines hauling in his career-high tying third interception of the contest. Through four games in the 2005 season, the Gladiators have yet to score a point in the third quarter. The Force's points came on a Kubiak to Lee touchdown and a 19-yard field goal by Nelson Garner. Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth quarter with fumbles inside the five-yard lines recovered by the defenses for both teams and a Kubiak interception.

Score 1 2 3 4 Final
Georgia Force 7 21 10 0 38
Gladiators 0 13 0 0 13

LEADERS

PASSING:
GA- Jim Kubiak, 24-45-209-5-1
LV- Rob Robinson, 15-23-159-2-3

RECEIVING:
GA- Derek Lee, 8-100-2
LV- Coco Blaylock, 5-63-2

RUSHING:
GA- Gillis Wilson, 2-1
LV- Rod Robinson, 3-3

Offensive Player of the Game: Jim Kubiak, Georgia
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Kevin Gaines, Georgia
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game: Derek Lee, Georgia

LAST WEEK

Georgia at Tampa Bay (16,751)

TAMPA BAY, FL- The Georgia Force fell to their Southern Division rival Tampa Bay Storm, 61-60, after coming up short on a two-point conversion with no time remaining in the game. Force QB Matt Nagy ran for a touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter to give the Force an opportunity for the win, but his pass to WR/LB Chris Johnson was just out of reach. Georgia falls to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in the division, while the Storm improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the division.

The first quarter ended with Georgia trailing Tampa Bay 17-6. Storm QB Shane Stafford ran for a one-yard score on their first possession and connected with WR/LB Bobby Sippio for a touchdown on the team's second possession of the game. The Sippio score was set up by an interception by Tampa's WR/DB Lynaris Elpheage thrown by Force's Nagy. Georgia responded by WR/LB Derek Lee hauling in a 24-yard pass from Nagy.

With 2:11 remaining in the second quarter the Force trailed the Storm 30-13. Nagy hooked up with OS Chris Jackson for a score, cutting the Storm's advantage to 10-points, 30-20. On the ensuing kickoff Storm DS Jonathan Ordway was stripped by Force FB/LB Robert Thomas and Georgia's FB/LB Chris Demaree recovered at Tampa Bay's five-yard line. Nagy connected with Lee to trim the Storm lead to three, 30-27, heading into the half.

Georgia and Tampa traded scores throughout the third quarter with the Storm leading 46-40 at the end of the quarter. The quarter was highlighted by Jackson returning a kickoff 58-yards for a touchdown. The 58-yard return set a Force franchise record for longest kickoff return (previously 57-yards, accomplished four times, last time by Chris Jackson vs. Austin, 4/8/05).

The two teams battled until the very last second of the fourth quarter. As time expired, Nagy rushed for a one-yard touchdown, making the score 61-60 in favor of the Storm. Georgia attempted a two-point conversion which failed as Nagy's pass intended Johnson fell incomplete.

Score 1 2 3 4 Total
Georgia 6 21 13 20 60
Tampa Bay 17 13 16 15 61

LEADERS

PASSING:
GA- Matt Nagy, 27-37-332-6-2
TB- Shane Stafford, 26-35-328-5-0

RECEIVING:
GA- Derek Lee, 16-157-3
TB- Lawrence Samuels, 10-107-2

RUSHING:
GA- Chris Johnson, 1-8
TB- Jarrod Penright, 3-8-1

OFFENSIVE MVP: Bobby Sippio, Tampa Bay
DEFENSIVE MVP: Lynaris Elpheage, Tampa Bay
IRONMAN: Lawrence Samuels, Tampa Bay

WEEK 2

Georgia vs. Colorado (10,431)

ATLANTA, GA- The Georgia Force suffered their first home loss in the last 14 games, falling to the Colorado Crush 61-59. The rematch of ArenaBowl XIX lived up to the hype as the game was decided in the final seconds when the Force failed to convert a two-point conversion.

At the end of the first quarter, Colorado led Georgia 14-13. The two teams traded scores throughout the first quarter, with both quarterbacks throwing for two scores. Force QB Matt Nagy completed touchdown passes to WR/LB Rob Carey from 25-yards out and OS Chris Jackson on a 14-yard completion. Crush QB John Dutton connected with OS Damian Harrell twice. The difference in the first quarter was a missed PAT by Force K Nelson Garner after the score by WR/LB Carey.

The Force produced the first defensive stop of the game at the beginning of the second quarter, when DS Nate Coggins deflected a fourth down pass intended for OS Damian Harrell in the corner of the end zone. The teams traded scores until the final minute of the half. The Crush recovered an on-side kick with one minute remaining in the first half. Six plays later, Crush QB John Dutton connected with OS Damian Harrell for his third receiving touchdown in the first half. Colorado's WR/LB Ahmad Hawkins returned a missed field goal 56 yards as time expired in the first half, giving the Crush a 34-20 lead heading into halftime.

A total of 38 points were scored between the two teams in the fourth quarter. Force QB Matt Nagy connected with WR/LB Derek Lee on an eight yard score with 25 seconds remaining. The Force attempted a two-point conversion which failed and sealed the Colorado victory.

Score 1 2 3 4 Total
Colorado 14 20 7 20 61
Georgia 13 7 21 18 59

LEADERS

PASSING:
GA- Matt Nagy, 21-32-256-6-0
COL- John Dutton, 29-42-277-6-0

RECEIVING:
GA- Derek Lee, 10-92-2
COL- Damian Harrell, 11-132-5

RUSHING:
GA- Kevin Aldridge, 2-10-1
COL- Saul Patu, 2-21-1

OFFENSIVE MVP: Damian Harrell, Colorado
DEFENSIVE MVP: Rob Carey, Georgia
IRONMAN: Willis Marshall, Colorado

WEEK 1

Georgia vs. Orlando (13, 265)

ATLANTA, GA- The Georgia Force defeated the Orlando Predators 48-31 in front of 13,265 fans at Philips Arena. The game was decided in the final 45 seconds as the Georgia Force returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The victory improved the Force's opening day record to 4-1 in the franchises five year history.

The Force (1-0) jumped out to an early lead on the first possession of the game as QB Matt Nagy completed 3-of-4 passes, capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass to OS Chris Jackson, to give Georgia their first score of the 2006 season. The touchdown would be the sole score of the first quarter as the Force defense forced the Predators to turn the ball over on downs on their first possession.

Georgia appeared to be on track for another score, but a fumble by OS Chris Jackson on the Orlando two-yard line was recovered by Predators WR Scott Cloman. Orlando would take advantage of the turnover, capping an 11-play drive with a six-yard touchdown pass from QB Joe Hamilton to OS Jimmy Fryzel.

The Force responded quickly as Nagy connected with WR Rob Carey for a 34-yard gain on the first play of the drive. Three snaps later, Nagy would find Jackson in the end zone for the receiver's second score (13 yards) of the game to give the Force a 14-7 lead with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter.

On the Predators following possession, Force LB Kevin Aldridge caused a Predators FB Malon Moye-Moore fumble on the second play of the drive to give Georgia good field position at the 11-yard line. The Force, however, would not find the end zone as the team went four-and-out and were forced to turn the ball over on downs on the Predators one-yard line.

Down by seven, the Predators drove the length of the field on six plays as Hamilton did it through the air and on the ground, completing 3-of-3 passes and capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

With 33 seconds left in the half and the score tied at 14 apiece, Nagy completed three quick passes to WR Derek Lee to bring the Force into ideal field goal position. Force K Nelson Garner, who enters the season having kicked in three straight ArenaBowls, connected on the 29-yard attempt to give Georgia a 17-14 lead heading into the second half.

The Predators opened up the second half backed up on their own 12-yard line, and would have little success moving the ball. A couple of deep passes downfield by

Hamilton proved unsuccessful and the Predators were forced to give the ball over on downs. With good field position on the Predators 12-yard line, the Force were able to muster a Garner field goal (29 yards), increasing their lead to 20-14.

The Predators would respond on their next possession with a 23-yard field goal by K Jay Taylor after a time-consuming nine-play drive. It wouldn't take much time for Orlando to put points on the scoreboard again as the Predators got the ball back on the Force five-yard line after a Nagy fumble. On the very next play, Hamilton found Scot Cloman in the left corner of the end zone for a XX-yard touchdown completion to give the Predators a four-point lead with 14:56 remaining in the final quarter.

The two teams would trade scores with touchdown receptions by Georgia's Derek Lee and Orlando's DeAndrew Rubin. The game was decided by two interceptions returned for touchdowns by the Force's DS Nate Coggins with 35 seconds left in the game and WR/DB Nick Ward with 15 seconds remaining to seal the Force victory.

Score 1 2 3 4 Total
Orlando 0 14 3 14 31
Georgia 7 10 3 28 48

LEADERS

PASSING:
GA- Matt Nagy, 23-28-256-4-0
ORL- Joe Hamilton, 20-40-189-3-2

RECEIVING:
GA- Chris Jackson, 9-117-3
ORL- Jimmy Fryzel, 8-63-1

RUSHING:
GA- Robert Thomas, 2-6-0
ORL- M. Moye-Moore, 3-14-0

OFFENSIVE MVP: Chris Jackson, Georgia
DEFENSIVE MVP: Kevin Aldridge, Georgia
IRONMAN: Derek Lee, Georgia

THE FORCE THIS SEASON ARE

1-1 at home
0-1 on the road

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

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

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

1-2 in televised games

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

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

0-0 outcome 7 points or less
0-2 outcome 3 points or less
0-0 overtime games

1-0 when the Force scores first
0-2 when opponent scores first

THINGS TO WATCH

Fast Start

At this time last season, Force QB Matt Nagy was a back up to QB Jim Kubiak. In the fifth game of the 2005 season Nagy stepped in for an injured Kubiak and has never looked back.

In 2005, Nagy completed 67% of his passes for 3,003 yards and a franchise record 66 touchdowns in 11 games. Through three games in 2006, Nagy is on pace to break numerous Force passing record. Last week at Tampa Bay, Nagy set a franchise record for passing yards in a game by throwing for 332 yards. Nagy shows no signs of slowing down.
Nagy through Week 3
Comp. Att. Yards TDs
1/28/06 23 38 256 4
2/5/06 21 32 256 6
2/10/06 27 37 332 6
Totals through Week 3 71 107 844 16
Single season records 291 486 3,645 66
Projected totals 378 570 4,501 85

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 80 career regular season AFL games.

78 games with at least one TD
77 games with at least one receiving TD
56 games with at least two TDs
35 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

Sophomore Stud

Derek Lee is having no part of a "sophomore slump". After a tremendous rookie season in 2005 when he set an AFL rookie record with 113 receptions (105 by Mike Baker-St. Louis, 1996), Lee is continuing to be an unstoppable force. Lee set a franchise record for receptions in a single game last week in Tampa Bay, by hauling in 16 receptions.

Date Opp. Rec. Yds. TD
Jan. 28 ORL 8 75 1
Feb. 5 COL 10 92 3
Feb. 10 @TB 16 157 3
Total 34 324 7

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 15, 2006


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.

Other Recent Georgia Force Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central