Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz game notes

Published on June 14, 2005 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (6-4)
AT Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings (2-8)
Date: Saturday, June 18 2005
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: CenturyTel Center (12,500)
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Ken Antee (Referee), Rico Orsot (Umpire), Britt Choate (Head Linesman), Will McDonald (Line Judge), Christopher Cockrell (Back Judge)
Radio: KEBC-AM - 1340 AM – Chris Johnson (Play-by-Play)
Webcast: www.kgff.com AND www.okcyarddawgz.com
Series Record: Oklahoma City Leads 1-0
Streaks: Bossier-Shreveport L-3, Oklahoma City W-4
Coaches: OKC: Jeff Jarnigan (6-4, 1st season);
BOS: Keith Barefield (7-18, 2nd season)

TEAM WEBSITES: Yard Dawgz: www.okcyarddawgz.com
Battlewings: www.battlewings.com

THE STAKES: The Yard Dawgz are trying to extend their franchise record winning streak to five games and stay in the chase for the Midwest Division title.

THE SERIES: The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz lead the all-time series 1-0, winning the only meeting between the two teams back on May 21st, 52-17 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

THE Ifs:
If Oklahoma City defeats Bossier-Shreveport, it would ...
· Give Oklahoma City a 2-0 series record with Bossier-Shreveport
· Give Oklahoma City a 3-3 road record in 2005
· Give Jeff Jarnigan a 7-4 career record as head coach
· Give Oklahoma City a five-game win streak

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (6-4, WON 4)
Date Opponent Result Score Record
4/1 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton L 47-59 0-1
4/9 @ Arkansas W 71-48 1-1
4/16 CENTRAL VALLEY W 48-41 2-1
4/23 QUAD CITY L 43-61 2-2
4/30 @ Tulsa L 34-47 2-3
5/7 @ Memphis L 38-43 2-4
5/21 BOSSIER CITY W 52-17 3-4
5/28 @ Quad City W 56-49 4-4
6/4 RIO GRANDE VALLEY W 59-35 5-4
6/11 AMARILLO W 74-67 6-4
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/18 @ Bossier City 7:00 L-3 OKC 1-0
6/24 MEMPHIS 7:30 W-5 MEM 1-0
7/10 @ Amarillo 3:00 L-1 OKC 1-0
7/16 LOUISVILLE 7:30 W-1 First Meeting
7/23 @ Rio Grande Valley 7:30 W-1 TIED 2-2
7/30 TULSA 7:30 L-1 TIED 2-2

BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLEWINGS (2-8, LOST 3)
Date Opponent Result Score Record
4/3 MEMPHIS L 24-63 0-1
4/9 TULSA L 51-61 0-2
4/16 @ Quad City L 29-36 0-3
4/23 AMARILLO L 66-86 0-4
5/2 @ Rio Grande Valley W 77-69 1-4
5/7 BAKERSFIELD L 40-75 1-5
5/14 FLORIDA W 28-22 2-5
5/21 @ Oklahoma City L 17-52 2-6
6/4 @ Albany L 53-68 2-7
6/11 @ Macon L 36-57 2-8
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/18 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 W-4 OKC 1-0
6/25 @ Amarillo 7:00 L-1 AMA 1-0
7/9 Rio Grande Valley 7:00 W-1 BOS 2-0
7/15 @ Bakersfield 9:00 W-1 BAK 1-0
7/23 QUAD CITY 7:00 L-1 QUA 3-1
7/30 @ Memphis 7:00 W-5 MEM 5-3
(All times Central)

YARD DAWGZ HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Jeff Jarnigan served as the Defensive Coordinator in 2004 with the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League. The Wranglers were one of three expansion teams for the AFL and they finished their inaugural season at 8-8. Defensively, the Wranglers tallied 4.1 stops per game and finished 3rd in the AFL in sacks, 3rd in third downs allowed, 8th in turnover margin and 12th in total defense. After a slow start, the Wrangler pass defense held their opponents to an average of 210 passing yards over the final eight games of the season.
Jarnigan spent the 2001 –2003 seasons as the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach for the Tulsa Talons of af2. While with Tulsa, Jarnigan's defense was known for its hard-hitting, high-pressure defense that traditionally finished in the top third of the league in several defensive categories. During Jarnigan's three seasons with the Talons, they accumulated a 44-10 record, won two National Conference Central Division championships and won the ArenaCup in 2003.

BOSSIER_SHREVEPORT HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE:
Keith Barefield is in his second season with the Battlewings. His impressive resume includes 19 seasons, ten as head coach, at Evangel (Mo.) University where e build a perennial NAIA powerhouse. The Crusaders were nationally ranked each year of his head coaching tenure and qualified for the playoffs four times from 1993-97. Barefield was named the Heart of America Conference Coach-of-the-Year in 1996 and 1997 and during his time at the Springfield, MO, school, he earned himself the title of winningest coach in the state at any level in the 1990's. His record at Evangel was 66-33-2, the best in school history.

From Evangel, Barefield moved to the prep ranks at Cornerstone Christian School in San Antonio, TX as the school's varsity coach. In three seasons, the Warriors compiled a 29-7 record and advanced to the state playoffs, including wining the TAPPS 3A Texas state title in 2001 and 2003.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match-up who rank among af2's statistical leaders in 2005:
YARD DAWGZ
Player Rank Category Stat
Craig Strickland 4th Total Offense 2689
Craig Strickland T-7th Total Offensive TDs 56
Jarrail Jackson 9th Scoring 132
Craig Strickland 7th Total Offensive Avg/Play 7.3
Craig Strickland 4th Total Offensive Yards 2676
Jarrail Jackson 3rd All-Purpose Yards 1815
Jarrail Jackson 9th Scoring (TDs) 22
Craig Strickland 2nd Passing Avg/Game 267.6
Craig Strickland T-7th Pass Yards/Catch 12.9
Craig Strickland 4th Pass Attempts 359
Craig Strickland 2nd Passing TDs 56
Craig Strickland 8th Pass Rating 110.0
Craig Strickland T-5th Pass Yards/Att 7.5
Craig Strickland 2nd Passing Yards 2676
Craig Strickland 6th Pass Completions 208
Jarrail Jackson 2nd Receptions 81
Jarrail Jackson 4th Receiving Yards 1068
Jarrail Jackson 1st Receiving Yards/Game 118.7
Jarrail Jackson T-7th Receiving TDs 21
Jason Ball T-7th Field Goals 5
Jason Ball 9th Field Goal % 41.7%
Jason Ball 10th Field Goal Attempts 12
Jason Ball T-7th Field Goals Made 5
Jason Ball 5th PAT Kick % 85.0%
Jarrail Jackson T-4th MFG Returns 4
Jarrail Jackson 5th MFG Return Yards 79
Jarrail Jackson 3rd Kick Return Avg 24.7
B.J. Barre T-7th Kick Return Avg 23.4
Jarrail Jackson 7th Kick Return Yards 668
B.J. Barre T-10th Interception Return Yards 53
Rickie Davis T-2nd Fumbles Forced 3
BATTLEWINGS
Player Rank Category Stat
Bo Smith 8th Scoring 138
Brian Hazelwood T-3rd Scoring (Kick) 73
Bo Smith 6th All-Purpose Yards 1604
Bo Smith 8th Scoring (TDs) 23
Tim Hicks 4th Rushing TDs 10
Tim Hicks T-8th Yards per Rush 4.0
Bo Smith T-9th Receiving TDs 19
Brian Hazelwood T-3rd Field Goals 8
Bo Smith 4th Kick Return Avg 24.6
Bo Smith 3rd Kick Returns 36
Bo Smith 3rd Kick Return Yards 884



LOOKING BACK: The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz won an offensive battle over the Amarillo Dusters 74-67 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City to win their fourth consecutive game. The Dawgz also moved into second place in the Midwest Division.

Dawgz quarterback Craig Strickland won Offensive Player of the Game honors as he finished the night 26-of-35 for 361 yards and nine touchdowns. Jarrail Jackson led all Dawgz receivers with 15 catches for 198 yards and four touchdowns.

The Dawgz were able to capitalize on two Dusters turnovers and score touchdowns at the end of the first half and at the start of the second.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how OKLAHOMA CITY and BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT rank in the league this season:
Statistical YARD DAWGZ BATTLEWINGS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 5th 52.2 18th 42.1
Scoring Defense 7th 46.7 19th 58.9
Total Offense 4th 283.5 18th 232.6
Total Defense 9th 268.2 20th 298.9
Pass Offense 3rd 271.9 18th 211.4
Pass Defense 13th 255.2 20th 281.3
Rushing Offense 16th 11.6 11th 21.2
Rushing Defense 2nd 13.0 7th 17.6
Pass Rating 8th 109.8 19th 80.0
Pass Def. Rating 14th 108.9 20th 121.8
Kickoff Returns 4th 22.1 9th 19.5
Turnover Margin 4th +7 19th -13
Sacks By 8th 13 15th 9
Sacks Against T-15th 16 T-15th 16
First Downs T-9th 189 18th 156
Opp. First Downs 6th 176 20th 205
Penalty Yards 18th 736 15th 680
Opp. Penalty Yds 3rd 731 19th 451
Red Zone Offense 13th 33-43 (76.7%) 18th 27-38 (71.1%)
Red Zone Defense 15th 25-30 (83.3%) 19th 45-51 (88.2%)

OKC YARD DAWGZ INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
DS Orlando Green Long Term IR
FB/LB John Williamson Short Term IR
WR/LB Chris Archie Short Term IR

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
JEFF JARNIGAN, On the win over the Amarillo: "Our offense played our most complete game of the season thus far and our special teams made plays when they needed to."

On the upcoming game with Bossier-Shreveport: "They have tremendous athletes at their skill positions."

CRAIG STRICKLAND, On the current winning streak: "Our coaching staff did a great job of addressing some personnel during our bye week and they made some decisions that have paid huge dividends for us."

ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Yard Dawgz games):
The Dawgz will return home next Friday, June 24th to take on the Midwest division leading Memphis Xplorers. The Dawgz are looking for revenge after the Xplorers defeated them 43-38 on May 7th.

DAWG BONES: (A look at team trends and tidbits):
FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME: This season the Yard Dawgz have taken their first drive of the game and scored six out of ten times. Below is a chart detailing how the Yard Dawgz have fared on their first drive in each game thus far this season.

YARD DAWGZ FIRST DRIVE OF THE GAME
Date Opponent Result Game Outcome
4/1 @ Wilkes-Barre Turnover (Downs) LOST
4/9 @ Arkansas FIELD GOAL WON
4/16 Central Valley TOUCHDOWN WON
4/23 Quad City Missed Field Goal LOST
4/30 @ Tulsa TOUCHDOWN LOST
5/7 @ Memphis Missed Field Goal LOST
5/21 Bossier-Shreveport Turnover (Downs) WON
5/28 @ Quad City TOUCHDOWN WON
6/4 Rio Grande Valley TOUCHDOWN WON
6/11 Amarillo TOUCHDOWN WON

TALE OF TWO HALVES: This season, the Yard Dawgz have been outscored by their opponents 263-233 in the first half and they have outscored their opponents in the second half 289-204. The chart below details the point differential of the Yard Dawgz in each half of every game compared to their opponents.

YARD DAWGZ POINT DIFFERENTIAL BY HALF
Date Opponent First Half Second Half Game Outcome
4/1 @ Wilkes-Barre -5 -7 LOST
4/9 @ Arkansas -12 +35 WON
4/16 Central Valley +1 +6 WON
4/23 Quad City -9 -9 LOST
4/30 @ Tulsa -7 -6 LOST
5/7 @ Memphis -10 +5 LOST
5/21 Bossier-Shreveport +7 +28 WON
5/28 @ Quad City -5 +12 WON
6/4 Rio Grande Valley +2 +22 WON
6/11 Amarillo +8 -1 WON
SEASON TOTALS -30 +85


MAKING HISTORY: Beginning the 2005 season, Yard Dawgz quarterback Craig Strickland had 14,415 yards in his af2 career. In week two versus the Arkansas Twisters Strickland eclipsed the 15,000 yard mark, becoming the first af2 player ever to throw for over 15,000 yards. Below is a look at the yards Strickland has thrown for in each game this season.
CRAIG STRICKLAND PASSING YARDS
Date Opponent Passing Yards Career Yards GAME RESULT
4/1 @ Wilkes-Barre 281 14,696 LOST
4/9 @ Arkansas 352 15,048 WON
4/16 Central Valley 212 15,260 WON
4/23 Quad City 311 15,571 LOST
4/30 @ Tulsa 240 15,811 LOST
5/7 @ Memphis 189 16,000 LOST
5/21 Bossier-Shreveport 180 16,180 WON
5/28 @ Quad City 317 16,497 WON
6/4 Rio Grande Valley 233 16,730 WON
6/11 Amarillo 361 17,091 WON

TEAMS NOT RUNNING WITH THESE DAWGZ: Coming into this week's game versus the Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings, the Yard Dawgz are the #2 ranked rushing defense in af2. They have only given up 130 yards rushing this season for an average of 13.0 yards per game.



MANY HAPPY RETURNS: The Yard Dawgz kick return team is ranked #4 in af2 with a kickoff return average of 22.1 yards per return. They currently rank 7th in the league in kickoff return yards with 1196.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Yard Dawgz have won their last three home games and are now 11-2 all-time (regular season) in the friendly confines of the Ford Center.

af2 AWARD WINNER: Jeromy Flowers became the first Yard Dawg player of 2005 to earn a league award this season as he was named af2 ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his week 10 performance against the Rio Grande Valley Dorados on June 4, 2005. Flowers had two interceptions and three pass defenses to go along with his six tackles in the victory over the Dorados.

Flowers (6-0, 200, Arkansas) has played in four games for the Dawgz and has compiled 22.5 tackles, two interceptions, and two pass defenses.


KEY MATCH-UPS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:
Yard Dawgz pass offense versus Bossier-Shreveport pass defense: The Yard Dawgz come into this week's game with the 3rd ranked pass offense in the af2 averaging 271.9 yards per game. The Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings come into the game with the 20th ranked pass defense in af2 giving up 281.3 yards per outing.

Yard Dawgz offensive specialist Jarrail Jackson: Jackson has put up huge numbers the last two games. He has caught 26 passes for 376 yards and nine touchdowns. Last week he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the season, becoming only the fourth receiver in Yard Dawgz history to achieve this mark.

He needs only 19 catches to reach the 100 reception mark on the season and become the only player in Yard Dawgz history to achieve this feat. The Dawgz reception record is 92 by Kris Peters in 2004.

With six games remaining in the 2005 regular season, we will start to take a look at the playoff race in the National Conference.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE
1. Memphis Xplorers (9-1) – Current Midwest Division Leader
2. Tulsa Talons (7-3) – Current West Division Leader
3. OKC Yard Dawgz (6-4) – Holds Head to Head over AMA and RGV
4. Amarillo Dusters (6-4) – Common Opponents over RGV
5. Rio Grande Valley Dorados (6-4)
6. Central Valley Coyotes (5-5)

YARD DAWGZ PRACTICE PLAN: (A look at the Yard Dawgz schedule this week)
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (FORD CENTER)
Thursday: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (FORD CENTER)
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 7:00 p.m. – KICKOFF At Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings (CenturyTel Center, Shreveport, LA)
**All Times are central**

RECENT YARD DAWGZ ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
6-9 PLACED ON RE-ASSIGNMENT Will Goodloe-OL/DL
6-9 HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED Mike Pruitt- OL/DL
6-8 ACTIVATED FROM REFUSED TO REPORT DaQuan Davis-WR/DB
6-8 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR Chris Archie-WR/LB
6-2 PLACED ON SHORT TERM IR John Williamson-FB/LB
6-2 ACTIVATED FROM IR Barry Giles-OL/DL
6-2 ACTIVATED FROM IR Walter Taylor-OL/DL

GAME AWARD WINNERS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 @ Wilkes-Barre JR Thomas –Wilkes Barre
2 @ Arkansas Craig Strickland-Oklahoma City
3 Central Valley Brandon Daniels-Oklahoma City
4 Quad City Jarrail Jackson-Oklahoma City
5 @ Tulsa Donovan Morgan-Tulsa
6 @ Memphis Brian Jones-Memphis
7 BYE
8 Vs. Bossier Jarrail Jackson – Oklahoma City
9 @ Quad City Jarrail Jackson – Oklahoma City
10 Rio Grande Valley Jarrail Jackson – Oklahoma City
11 Amarillo Craig Strickland – Oklahoma City



IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 @ Wilkes-Barre Demetrius Austrum – Wilkes Barre
2 @ Arkansas B.J. Barre-Oklahoma City
3 Central Valley Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
4 Quad City Tim Dodge-Quad City
5 @ Tulsa B.J. Barre-Oklahoma City
6 @ Memphis Ryan Karr-Memphis
7 BYE
8 Vs. Bossier B.J. Barre – Oklahoma City
9 @ Quad City Tim Dodge – Quad City
10 Rio Grande Valley B.J. Barre – Oklahoma City
11 Amarillo Al Hunt – Oklahoma City

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 @ Wilkes-Barre Ameer Riley – Wilkes Barre
2 @ Arkansas Al Hunt-Oklahoma City
3 Central Valley Clint Merz-Central Valley
4 Quad City Matt Forbes-Quad City
5 @ Tulsa Chris Canty-Tulsa
6 @ Memphis Dahnel Singfield-Memphis
7 BYE
8 Vs. Bossier Rickie Davis – Oklahoma City
9 @ Quad City John Culp – Quad City
10 Rio Grande Valley Jeromy Flowers – Oklahoma City
11 Amarillo Jeromy Flowers – Oklahoma City

af2 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Week Offensive Defensive Ironman
1 Julian Reese-Amarillo Demetrius Austrum-Wilkes-Barre Khreem Smith-Memphis
2 Kevin Prentiss-Memphis Ahmad Willis-Tulsa Tony Stallings-Louisville
3 Jake Eaton-Manchester Matt Forbes-Quad City Matt Jackson-Macon
4 Julian Reese-Amarillo Matt Forbes-Quad City Chris Robinson-Rio Grande Valley
5 Bo Smith-Bossier-Shreveport Travis Coleman-Albany J.J. McKelvey-Manchester
6 Juston Wood-Central Valley William Haith-Manchester Nathan Munson- Bakersfield
7 Kyle Rowley-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Ryan Bowers-Green Bay Joe Wesley-Bossier-Shreveport
8 Detronn Harris-Birmingham Norman Mason-Rio Grande Valley Robert Kilow-Arkansas
9 Juston Wood – Central Valley Norman Mason – Rio Grande Valley Demetrius Forney – Louisville
10 D Bryant – Albany Jeromy Flowers-Oklahoma City Asi Faoa – San Diego
11 Dwight Counter – Rio Grande Valley Ryan Smith – San Diego Matt Jackson - Macon



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