
Louisville Fire game notes
May 1, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Louisville Fire News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Louisville Fire (1-3) vs.
Mahoning Valley (3-1)
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2007
Kickoff: 7:05 P.M.
Site: Chevrolet Centre (6,100)
Officials: Referee: Greg Allen; Umpire: Brian Fleming
Head Linesman: Rob Luklan; Line Judge: Dan Gallagher
Back Judge: Frank Steratore
Radio: 1080-AM WKJK; louisvillefirefootball.com; Play-by-play Paul Wilman
Series Record: First Meeting
Streaks: Fire lost 1, Thunder lost 1
Coach: Tommy Johnson - Fire (36-32; 4-2 playoffs, Fourth Season)
THE STAKES: The Fire is looking to get back on the winning track after their first bye week. The Fire is also looking to start the month of May with a victory.
THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between the Fire and the Thunder.
THE IFs:
If Louisville defeats Mahoning Valley, it would ...
- Give the Fire a 2-3 record
- Give the Fire an 11-16 record in May
- Give the Fire a 1-0 record against the Thunder
- Give the Fire a 35-48 record all-time on Saturdays
- Give the Fire a 20-37 record all-time on the road
LOUISVILLE (1-3), Lost 1
Date Opponent Result Score
3/30 Boise L 57-52
4/7 @ South Georgia L 77-53
4/21 Cincinnati W 61-54
4/21 @ Alabama L 63-47
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
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 ALA 5 - 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
MAHONING VALLEY THUNDER (3-1), Lost 1
Date Opponent Result Score
3/31 TRI-CITIES W 48-40
4/6 @ Albany W 64-59
4/21 CINCINNATI W 54-20
4/28 @ Manchester L 67-49
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
5/5 LOUISVILLE 7:05 N/A 1st Meeting
5/12 WB/SCRANTON 7:05 N/A 1st Meeting
5/19 @ Florida 7:30 N/A 1st Meeting
5/25 MANCHESTER 7:05 L 1 MAN 1-0
6/2 @ Cincinnati 7:30 W 1 MVT 1-0
6/8 @ Green Bay 8:30 N/A 1st Meeting
6/16 QUAD CITY 7:05 N/A 1st Meeting
6/30 @ WB/Scranton 7:00 N/A 2nd Meeting
7/7 @ Louisville 7:30 N/A 2nd Meeting
7/13 ALBANY 7:05 W 1 MVT 1-0
7/21 @ Tennessee Valley 8:30 N/A 1st Meeting
7/28 GREEN BAY 7:05 N/A 2nd 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.
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
4 @ Alabama Markeith Cooper ALA
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
4 @ Alabama 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
4 @ Alabama Willie Smith ALA
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 continues their road swing next week with a trip to Ft. Wayne, IN for a Midwest division match-up with the Fusion. The game will kick-off at 7:30 P.M.
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 four games recording 100 yards receiving in each game. Jones had a career high 120 yards in the Fire's win over Cincinnati. Jones is currently sixth in the af2 in receiving yards with 452. Jones is on pace for 1,808 receiving yards for the season.
FAMILIAR FACES
The Thunder has two former Fire players on their 2007 roster. Wide receiver/linebacker Sam Crenshaw played for the Fire in 2004 and defensive back Rob Greene was a member of the Fire's 2005 ArenaCup team.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from the Fire who rank among af2's statistical leaders:
FIRE
Player Rank Category Stat
FORNEY, Demetrius 6 Rushing 80
FORNEY, Demetrius T-3 Rushing Attempts 22
FORNEY, Demetrius T-5 Rushing TD's 5
HENDRIX, Dave T-6 Field Goals 3
JONES, Jerome T-4 Fumbles Forced 2
JONES, Jerome 1 Fumbles Recovered 3
JONES, Tiger 6 Receiving Yards 452
JONES, Tiger 6 Receiving Yards/G 113.8
MADDOX, Brett T-5 Tackles For Loss 4.5
ROBERTS, Nick 7 Rushing 77
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Fire and Thunder stack up:
Statistical Louisville Mahoning Valley
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense T-10 53.2 9 53.8
Scoring Defense 26 62.8 T-14 46.5
Total Offense 3 304.2 5 285.8
Total Defense 22 275.2 12 245.8
Pass Offense 6 258.0 7 257.5
Pass Defense 25 262.5 17 234.5
Rushing Offense 1 46.2 T-7 28.2
Rushing Defense T-5 12.8 4 11.2
Pass Rating 19 97.6 16 99.4
Pass Def. Rating 30 132.7 21 111.1
Turnover Margin T-25 -7 T-7 +5
Field Goals T-5 .750 21 .167
PAT Kicking T-19 .720 12 .774
Sacks By T-8 10 T-6 11
Sacks Against T-9 4 T-20 9
First Downs T-3 84 T-3 84
Opp. First Downs T-21 76 T-6 66
Penalties 30 78.8 28 73.2
Opp. Penalties 18 51.2 1 92.0
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