
Louisville Fire game notes
April 17, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Louisville Fire News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Louisville Fire (1-2) vs.
Alabama Steeldogs (1-1)
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2007
Kickoff: 8:00 P.M.
Site: BJCC (16,000)
Officials: Referee: Marc Curles; Umpire: Mark Baynes
Head Linesman: Victor Pettus; Line Judge: Larry Neal;
Back Judge: Tony Ross
Radio: 1080-AM WKJK; louisvillefirefootball.com; Play-by-play Paul Wilman
Series Record: Tied 4-4
Streaks: Fire won 1, Steeldogs won 1
Coach: Tommy Johnson - Fire (36-31; 4-2 playoffs, Fourth Season)
THE STAKES: The Fire will be looking to notch their second win of the season and their first win on the road. A victory would bring the Fire a .500 record.
THE SERIES: The two teams have met eight times since the Fire joined the af2 with each team winning four times. The Fire has won four of the last five however, the Steeldogs won the last meeting 63-60 in Birmingham.
THE IFs:
If Louisville defeats Cincinnati, it would ...
- Give the Fire a 2-2 record
- Give the Fire a 13-11 all-time in April
- Give the Fire a 5-4 record all-time against Alabama
- Give the Fire a 35-47 record all-time on Saturdays
- Give the Fire a 20-36 record all-time on the road
LOUISVILLE (1-2), Won 1
Date Opponent Result Score
3/30 Boise L 57-52
4/7 @ South Georgia L 77-53
4/13 Cincinnati W 61-54
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/21 @ Alabama 8:00 L 1 Tied 4 - 4
5/5 @ Mahoning Valley 7:05 N/A 1st Meeting
5/11 @ Ft. Wayne 7:30 N/A 1st Meeting
5/19 Alabama 7:00 L 1 Tied 4 - 4
5/25 @ Quad City 8:30 W 1 QC 8 - 4
6/2 Green Bay 7:00 L 1 Tied 4 - 4
6/16 Ft. Wayne 7:00 N/A 2nd Meeting
6/23 @ Cincinnati 7:30 W 1 Fire 2-1
6/30 @ Albany 4:00 W 4 Fire 5 - 1
7/7 Mahoning Valley 7:00 N/A 2nd Meeting
7/14 Quad City 7:00 W 1 QC 8 - 4
7/20 @ Green Bay 8:30 L 1 Tied 4 - 4
7/28 Tennessee Valley 7:00 W 1 TV 2 - 1
ALABAMA (1-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
3/30 @ Tennessee Valley L 44-27
4/12 South Georgia W 57-54
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
4/21 Louisville 8:00 W 1 Tied 4-4
4/28 @ Tulsa 8:00 N/A 1st Meeting
5/3 Texas 8:00 N/A 1st Meeting
5/12 Quad City 8:00 L 1 QC 1 - 0
5/19 @ Louisville 7:00 W 1 Tied 4-4
5/26 @ Cincinnati 7:30 N/A 1st Meeting
6/2 @ Florida 7:30 L 5 FLO 3-6
6/8 Bossier 8:00 L 1 ALA 3-1
6/16 @ WB/Scranton 7:00 N/A 1st Meeting
6/30 Tennessee Valley 8:00 L 3 TV 11-2
7/7 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 N/A 1st Meeting
7/14 Florida 8:00 L 5 FLO 3-6
7/21 @ South Georgia 7:30 W 4 ALA 4-2
7/28 Cincinnati 8:00 N/A 1st Meeting
HEAD COACH:
TOMMY JOHNSON, FIRE
Louisville Fire head coach Tommy Johnson, was born in Rome, Ga., and raised in Niceville, Fla. Johnson attended the University of Alabama, where he played defensive back. In 1992, he played on the Crimson Tide squad that defeated Miami for the National Championship. Johnson then continued his football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played 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. Johnson, who was named head coach of the Fire in 2003, led the Fire to the ArenaCup championship game in 2005 and is the Fire's all-time leader in wins with 36. Off the field Johnson is active in the community staying busy with various speaking engagements and volunteering his time a Kentucky Country Day with their football team. Johnson is also a member of Southeast Christian Church.
LAST SERIES MEETING: The two team last met on May 5, 2006 in Birmingham with the Steeldogs coming out on top 63-60.
SERIES BY THE NUMBERS:
Record vs. Alabama: 4 - 4
Last regular season game: Alabama 63 Louisville 60, May 5, 2006
Current streak: Alabama won 1
Fire longest win streak vs. Steeldogs: 4 (5/10/03 - 5/5/06
Steeldogs longest win streak vs. Fire: 3 (4/14/2001 - 5/10/03)
Most points, Fire: 69 (LOU 69 - 61 at ALA, 6/11/05)
Most points, Steeldogs: 77 (ALA 77 - 34 at LOU, 7/27/02)
Most points, both teams: 130 (LOU 69 - 61 at ALA, 6/11/05)
Fewest points, Fire: 21 (ALA 39 - 21 at LOU, 4/14/01)
Fewest points, Steeldogs: 37 (LOU 40 - 37 at ALA, 5/10/03)
Fewest points, both teams: 60 (ALA 39 - 21 at LOU, 4/14/01)
SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(Selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
1 Boise Bart Hendricks BOI
2 S. Georgia D. Bryant SGA
3 Cincinnati Tiger Jones LOU
US ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME
(Selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
1 Boise Lee Marks BOI
2 S. Georgia James Harris SGA
3 Cincinnati Demetrius Forney LOU
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(Selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
1 Boise Brandon Hazenburg BOI
2 S. Georgia Daryon Brutley SGA
3 Cincinnati Jerome Jones LOU
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE GAME
(Selected by media)
Week Opp. Player Team
1 Boise Lonnell Dewalt LOU
2 S. Georgia James Harris SGA
3 Cincinnati Quorey Payne LOU
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FORWARD MOTION: The Fire will have their first bye week of the 2007 season next weekend. The Fire will return to action on May 5 at Mahoning Valley.
TEAM TRENDS
RECORD'S BROKEN: The Fire set an af2 record and a team record in the Fire's opening game against Boise. Fire defensive back Matt Forbes set the af2's all-time interception record with his third quarter interception. Forbes now has 28 career interceptions.
Fire do everything fullback Demetrius "The Freight Train" Forney set the team record for yards per rush averaging 2.5 yards per carry on his 10 carries.
THE CENTURY MARK: Fire rookie wide receiver Tiger Jones has been a standout in his first three games recording 100 yards receiving in each game. Jones had a career high 120 yards in Friday's win over Cincinnati. Jones is currently fourth in the af2 in receiving yards with 340 and second in receptions with 28. Jones is on pace for 1,813 receiving yards for the season.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from the Fire who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
FIRE
Player Rank Category Stat
SAUK, Matt 8 Total Offense 589
SAUK, Matt 6 Total Plays 86
HENDRIX, Dave T-2 Scoring (Kick) 22
SAUK, Matt 8 Total Yards 589
JONES, Tiger 5 All-Purpose Yards 486
FORNEY, Demetrius T-8 Rushing 48
FORNEY, Demetrius 3 Rushing TD's 5
SAUK, Matt 3 Passing Yards/G 294.5
SAUK, Matt 5 Pass Attempts 86
SAUK, Matt 7 Passing Yards 589
SAUK, Matt 6 Completions 52
JONES, Tiger T-2 Receptions 28
JONES, Tiger 4 Receiving Yards 346
JONES, Tiger 4 Receiving Yards/G 113.3
HENDRIX, Dave T-1 Field Goals Made 3
HENDRIX, Dave T-7 PAT's Made 13
FORNEY, Demetrius T-8 Sacks 2.0
POWELL, Elliot T-2 Fumbles Forced 2
JONES, Jerome T-2 Fumbles Forced 2
JONES, Jerome 1 Fumbles Rcv. 3
MADDOX, Brett T-5 Tackles For Loss 3.0
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Fire and Steeldogs stack up:
Statistical Louisville Alabama
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 8 55.3 19 42.0
Scoring Defense 26 62.7 17 49.0
Total Offense 8 287.3 19 228.5
Total Defense 19 266.7 13 237.5
Pass Offense 10 261.0 25 172.5
Pass Defense 21 253.3 13 225.0
Rushing Offense 10 26.3 1 56.0
Rushing Defense 10 13.3 9 12.5
Pass Rating 18 92.6 28 68.7
Pass Def. Rating 30 136.3 28 129.2
Turnover Margin T-24 -4 T-16 -1
Field Goals 4 .750 T-14 .250
PAT Kicking 19 .684 T-15 .750
Sacks By 4 7 T-22 1
Sacks Against 22 4 T-8 2
First Downs 2 68 8 41
Opp. First Downs 26 52 T-11 35
Penalties 30 209 14 115
Opp. Penalties 10 138 15 115
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