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Louisville Fire game notes

April 20, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Louisville Fire News Release


QUICK FACTS:
#6 Louisville Fire (1-0) at
#3 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
Date: Friday, April 15, 2005
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CT
Site: Freedom Hall (15,646)
National Anthem:
Coin Toss:
Officials:
Radio: 1080-WKJK; Play-By-Play Paul Wilman
TV: None
Series Record: Tied 1 – 1
Streaks: Fire Won 2; Pioneers Won 3
Coaches: Tommy Johnson (16-18; 1-1 playoffs, Third Season)
Les Moss (

THE STAKES: With a victory the Fire can take sole possession of first place in the East Division of the American Conference with a victory over the Pioneers. The Fire will also be looking for the lead in the all-time series and their first ever win in Wilkes-Barre.

THE SERIES: The two teams met twice last season with both games being decided by a combined nine points. WB/S won on May 1st in Wilkes-Barre 59-51. In the rematch the Fire won 48-47 after Fire WR/LB Anthony Payton caught a pass off the net as time expired to tie the game. The Fire made the ensuing extra point to secure the victory.

THE IFs:
If Louisville defeats Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it would ...
· Give the Fire their second straight 3 – 0 start
· Give the Fire sole possession of first place in the East Division.
· Give the Fire a 2 – 1 lead in the series.
· Make the Fire 10 – 26 all-time on the road
· Make the Fire 8 – 9 all-time in April


#6 LOUISVILLE (2 – 0)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/9 @ Rio Grande Valley W 56 – 42
4/15 SOUTH GEORGIA W 48 – 46
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/22 @WB/Scranton 7:00 W 1 Tied 1 – 1
4/30 BIRMINGHAM 7:30 W 1 BIR 3 – 1
5/6 @ Manchester 7:30 L 1 MAN 1 – 0
5/14 @ Green Bay 8:00 W 3 FIRE 3 – 1
5/21 FLORIDA 7:30 -- 1st Meeting
5/27 ALBANY 7:30 L 1 Tied 1 – 1
6/4 @ Quad City 8:30 W 1 QC 6 – 2
6/11 @ Birmingham 8:00 W 1 BIR 3 – 1
6/18 GREEN BAY 7:30 W 3 FIRE 3 – 1
6/24 @ Albany 7:30 L 1 Tied 1 – 1
7/9 SAN DIEGO 7:30 L 1 SAN 1 – 0
7/16 @ Oklahoma City 8:30 -- 1st Meeting
7/23 MANCHESTER 7:30 L 1 MAN 1 – 0
7/30 QUAD CITY 7:30 W 1 QC 6 -2

#3 WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (3 – 0)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/1 OKLAHOMA CITY W 59-47
4/10 QUAD CITY W 64-28
4/15 @ Albany W 55-37
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/22 LOUISVILLE 7:00 L 1 Tied 1 – 1
4/30 GREEN BAY 7:00 W 1 WB/S 1 – 0
5/14 @ Quad City 8:30 W 1 WB/S 2 – 0
5/21 @ Rio Grande Valley 8:30 -- 1ST Meeting
5/27 MANCHESTER 7:30 W 3 WB/S 3 – 0
6/3 @ Green Bay 8:00 W 1 WB/S 1 – 0
6/11 ALBANY 7:30 W 3 ALB 4 – 6
6/18 @ Macon 7:30 -- 1st Meeting
6/25 @ South Georgia 7:30 W 2 WB/S 3 – 1
7/8 @ Manchester 7:30 W 3 WB/S 3 – 0
7/16 @ Florida 7:30 L 1 FLO 1 – 0
7/23 ALBANY 7:30 W 3 WB/S 4 – 6
7/30 MACON 7:30 -- 1st Meeting

HEAD COACHES:
Tommy Johnson
Louisville Fire head coach Tommy Johnson, was born in Rome, Ga., and raised in Niceville, Fla. He began his football career as a player at DeFuniak Springs (Fla.) High School. He later transferred to Niceville High School. Johnson then attended the University of Alabama, where he played defensive back. His senior class at U of A was known for having the most wins in a four-year time period (45-5-1). In 1992, he played on the Crimson Tide squad that defeated the University of Miami for the National Championship. Johnson then continued his football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a year. He also was given the opportunity to compete in NFL Europe. He started his Arena football career with the Albany Firebirds, and moved on to the Carolina Cobras. Johnson presently holds the record for the longest interception return for a touchdown in AFL history. In 2001, Johnson began his coaching career with the Fire as defensive coordinator. After two seasons as defensive coordinator Johnson was named head coach three games into the 2003 season, when the Fire made the late run winning two of those three games. In 2004, Johnson led the Fire to its first winning season (9-7), first af2 play-offs appearance and first play-off victory over Quad City 52-47.

LAST SERIES MEETING: The two teams last met in Freedom Hall on May 29, 2004. The game was a back and forth battle with the Fire pulling out the victory 48 – 47 after Anthony Payton tied the game on Matt Sauk's hail mary pass while lying on his back in the end zone.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
2 @ Rio Grande Cesare Manning FIRE
3 South Georgia Adrian Cockfield SGW

U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
2 @ Rio Grande Marquis Floyd RGV
3 South Georgia Tony Stallings FIRE

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
2 @ Rio Grande Tony Stallings FIRE
3 South Georgia Rob Green FIRE

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from the Fire and Wildcats who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
FIRE
Player Rank Category Stat
FRYZEL, Dennis 6 INT Return Yards 20
GREEN, Nate T – 6 Fumbles Forced 1
GREEN, Rob T – 10 Tackles 12.5
GREEN, Rob T – 2 Pass Defended 6
KIGHT, Danny T – 4 Field Goal % 50%
KIGHT, Danny T – 4 Field Goal Att. 6
KIGHT, Danny T – 3 Field Goals Made 3
KIGHT, Danny 7 PAT Attempts 14
KIGHT, Danny T – 8 PAT Made 9
KIGHT, Danny T – 5 Scoring (Kick) 18
KNAPP, Willie T – 2 Fumbles Recovered 1
MANNING, Cesare 8 Yards Per Catch 18.3
MANNING, Cesare T – 8 Receiving TD's 5
MANNING, Cesare T – 10 Touchdowns 5
MANNING, Cesare T – 9 Interceptions 1
SAUK, Matthew 5 Pass Yards/Game 228.5
SAUK, Matthew 5 Completion % 70.9
SAUK, Matthew 5 Pass Rating 127.8
SAUK, Matthew 10 Yards/Attempt 8.3
SAUK, Matthew 8 Passing Yards 457
SAUK, Matthew 10 Pass Completions 39
SAUK, Matthew 9 Total Offense 228.5
SAUK, Matthew 9 Passing TD's 9
SAUK, Matthew 9 Total Off. Yards 457
STALLINGS, Tony T – 3 Interceptions 2
STALLINGS, Tony T – 2 Rushing TD's 3
STALLINGS, Tony 7 Kick Return Avg. 24.8
STALLINGS, Tony T – 8 Kick Returns 6
STALLINGS, Tony T – 2 Kick Returns TD's 1
STALLINGS, Tony 10 INT Return Yards 8
STEELE, Joel 1 Yards/Attempt 13.0
THOMPSON, Arkee 7 INT Return Yards 18

PIONEERS
Player Rank Category Stat
AUSTRUM, Demetrius 7 Yards Per Rush 4.7
DAVIS, David 3 Scoring (Kick) 26
DAVIS, David 3 PAT % 90.9
DAVIS, David 2 PAT Attempts 22
DAVIS, David 1 PAT Made 20
DAVIS, James T – 8 Tackles For Loss 1.5
HATTLEY, Jamie T – 3 Tackles 20.5
HATTLEY, Jamie 1 Passes Defended 9
KAYMORE, Ronnie T – 3 Interceptions 2
KAYMORE, Ronnie 5 Tackles 18
ROWLEY, Kyle 1 Passing TD's 22
ROWLEY, Kyle 2 Total Off. Yards 767
ROWLEY, Kyle 2 Pass Completions 58
ROWLEY, Kyle T – 3 Int. Thrown 3
ROWLEY, Kyle 2 Total Offense 255.7
ROWLEY, Kyle 4 Pass Yards/Game 253.7
ROWLEY, Kyle 3 Completion % 74.4
ROWLEY, Kyle 6 Pass Attempts 78
ROWLEY, Kyle 4 Pass Rating 128.3
ROWLEY, Kyle 4 Yards/Attempt 9.8
ROWLEY, Kyle 2 Passing Yards 761
SADANO, Jim T – 9 Sacks 1.5
SADANO, Jim T – 2 Fumbles Recovered 1
THOMAS, J.R. 3 Receptions 14
THOMAS, J.R. 2 Receiving Yards 316
THOMAS, J.R. 2 Receiving TD's 10
THOMAS, J.R. 2 All Purpose Yards 199.0
THOMAS, J.R. 2 Touchdowns 10
THOMAS, J.R. T – 3 MFG Returns 2
THOMAS, J.R. 2 Kick Returns 12
THOMAS, J.R. 1 Kick Return Yards 273

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Fire and Pioneers stack up:
Statistical FIRE PIONEERS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 6 52.0 2 59.3
Scoring Defense 11 44.0 8 37.3
Total Offense 11 234.5 7 265.3
Total Defense 13 264.0 9 203.7
Pass Offense 11 222.5 6 253.0
Pass Defense 13 244.0 9 192.3
Rushing Offense 15 12.0 14 12.3
Rushing Defense 14 20.0 5 11.3
Scoring (Non-Kick) 8 43.0 1 50.0
Scoring (Kicking) 5 18 3 26
Pass Rating 5 127.4 4 128.3
Pass Def. Rating 3 82.4 6 92.6
Kickoff Returns 4 22.9 5 22.8
MFG Returns T – 11 0.0 9 4.0
Turnover Margin 5 + 3 T – 6 + 1
Field Goals T – 7 .500 5 .667
PAT Kicking 17 .643 3 .909
Sacks By T – 14 1 2 7
Sacks Against T – 11 3 T – 5 2
First Downs 13 33 2 53
Opp. First Downs 14 39 18 51
Penalties 3 78 yds. 9 117 yds.
Opp. Penalties 16 92 yds. 2 227 yds.





MATCH-UPS:
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Fire and the Pioneers both rank high in kick return yards. The Fire is averaging 22.9 yards per return and the Pioneers are averaging 22.8.

DROPBACK: Once again last week the Fire defense came up big in the second half by allowing zero points in the third quarter. The Fire won the game on a Danny Kight 42 yard field goal as time expired.

FORWARD MOTION: Next week the Birmingham Steeldogs will make their return to Freedom Hall for the first time in three years. Both Fire head coach Tommy Johnson and Steeldogs head coach Bobby Humphrey were stand out players at the University of Alabama.

TEAM TRENDS:
DEFENSE, DEFENSE... After giving up 25 second quarter points the Fire defense came out in the second half for the second straight game and responded by not allowing a single point in the third quarter. In two games the Fire defense has allowed just 27 points in the second half while scoring 51.

FOURTH QUARTER DOMINANCE... The Fire is outscoring their opponents 31 – 14 in the fourth quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS... The Fire is making the most of their kick returns by averaging 22.9 yards per return (third in the league). Tony Stallings is leading the way from the Fire averaging 24.8 yards a return good for seventh in the league.

MILESTONES:
MATT SAUK... Sauk added three more touchdown passes to his all-time mark giving him 255 for his career. Sauk needs 45 touchdown passes to reach the 300 touchdown pass mark.

JAMES SCOTT... After missing the first game due to illness OS James Scott hauled in two touchdown passes on his career, giving him 90 all-time and leaving him just ten short of 100 all-time.

SCHOOLS REPRESENTED ON THE 2005 FIRE ROSTER
Louisville Campbellsville Georgetown (KY)
Western Kentucky Cincinnati Indianapolis (2)
Utah St. Valdosta St. Alabama
Michigan St. Western Illinois Massachusetts
West Virginia Tech Augusta St. Anderson (2)
Virginia Rhode Island Arkansas Pine-Bluff
Mars Hill

FIRE ALL-TIME RECORDS

All-Time Record 25-43

All-Time Home Record 16-17

All-Time Road Record 9-26

All-Time March Record 1-0

All-Time April Record 7-9

All-Time May Record 7-11

All-Time June Record 5-12

All-Time July Record 4-10

All-Time August Record 1-1

All-Time In Playoffs 1-1

All-Time Record in Openers 3-2

All-Time Record on Fridays 8-6

All-Time Record on Saturdays 17-37

All-Time Against 2005 Opponents 10-14

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