Must-see matchups: week nine
April 1, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK QB AARON GARCIA vs. CAROLINA QB MATT NAGY
In a showdown of mentor vs. pupil, Dragons QB AARON GARCIA (6-1, 195, Sacramento St.), will take on former New York teammate and current Carolina Cobras QB MATT NAGY (6-2, 220, Delaware). Seasoned AFL veteran Garcia ranks No. 1 all-time with touchdowns (585), No. 3 with passing yards (28,334) and No. 3 in completions (2,186). This season, he has continued his torrid pace ranking No. 3 among the League leaders with 41 touchdown passes, while completing 121-of-189 (64.0 percent) passes for 1,554 yards and six interceptions.
Nagy, a second-year quarterback, is going toe-to-toe with Garcia's numbers, having completed 177-of-265 (66.8 percent) passes for 1,845 yards and 39 scores this season. Garcia is ranked No. 6 in the League's leading passers category; Nagy is ranked No. 7.
Coming into his own in Carolina, Nagy continues to make an impact in his first season with the Cobras, accounting for 42 touchdowns overall through eight weeks of play. He earned Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week honors after passing for 282 yards and accounting for seven touchdowns in the Cobras' season-opening victory at Dallas (2/8/03).
SAN JOSE OS JAMES HUNDON vs. TAMPA BAY OS FREDDIE SOLOMON
San Jose OS JAMES HUNDON (6-1, 176, Portland State) did not play against the Tampa Bay Storm in 2003, but is looking to repeat his 4/27/02 performance, when he caught 6 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a 61-54 SaberCats' victory on the road. This will be an even more important game for Hundon because he needs just 29 receiving yards to become the second player in team history with 4,000 receiving yards. The Storm won't make it easy for Hundon, as Tampa Bay is the League's No. 2 passing defense (208.5 yards per game). Tampa Bay leads the AFL in total defense, allowing just 221.5 yards per game.
Just eclipsing the 2,000-career receiving yards Saturday against Georgia after hauling in four passes for 65 yards was Tampa Bay OS FREDDIE SOLOMON (5-11, 185, South Carolina St.). That gave him 2,039 career-receiving yards in 23 games played. Solomon returned to action last week after missing the Week 7 contest against Carolina with an injured shoulder. Prior to his injury, Solomon led the league in scoring by 24 points, but recently fell out of first place on the league's overall scoring list for the first time this season. Solomon is currently tied for No. 4 on the overall scoring list with 120 points. Hundon has 11 touchdowns on the season for a total of 66 points.
DALLAS OS JASON SHELLEY vs. PHILADELPHIA OS TYRONNE JONES
OS TYRONNE JONES (5-9, 170, Grambling), nicknamed "7-11" by a teammate when much like the convenience store, he always seemed to be open, had his best receiving game of the season last week against Austin. Jones led the Soul in receiving in the loss to the Wranglers, setting a new team record in receiving yards as he pulled in nine receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Jones needs only eight receiving yards to reach 6,000 for his career. Jones is also ranked No. 9 for third-down receiving (9 catches, 104 yards, 3 TDs) and No. 7 in the AFL with a 21.2 yard kickoff return average and has returned 15 kickoffs for 318 yards this season. In Week 2 against the Desperados, Jones recorded eight catches for 55 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Against Philadelphia earlier in the season, OS JASON SHELLEY (6-2, 192, Central State, Ohio) came away with four touchdowns, establishing a single-game career-high for total touchdowns. Shelley also had a single-game career-high for receiving touchdowns (3) that same game. Shelley, who spent his first two years in Dallas as a WR/LB, continues to be one of the top go-to receivers in the league. He has already caught 50 passes for 635 yards and 13 touchdowns in only seven games. He has established season career-highs for receptions (50), receiving yards (635) and receiving touchdowns (13).
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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 1, 2004
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