Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz game notes
June 21, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Memphis Xplorers (10-1)
AT Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (6-5)
Date: Friday, June 24, 2005
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Ford Center (18,000)
National Anthem: Jessica Gouskos
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Joe Pester (Referee), Chad Bowers (Umpire), Gary Calip (Head Linesman), Larry Smith (Line Judge), Scott Gasaway (Back Judge)
Radio: KEBC-AM - 1340 AM - Robert Allen (Play-by-Play)
Webcast: www.kgff.com AND www.okcyarddawgz.com
Series Record: Memphis Leads the series 1-0
Streaks: Memphis W-6, Oklahoma City L-1
Coaches: OKC: Jeff Jarnigan (6-5, 1st season);
MEM: Danton Barto (31-28, 4th season)
TEAM WEBSITES: Yard Dawgz: www.okcyarddawgz.com
Xplorers: www.xplorersaf2.com
THE STAKES: The Yard Dawgz are trying to get back on the winning track and trying to stay in contention for the Midwest Division title. Memphis is looking to extend their six-game win streak and improve to 6-1 in the division.
THE SERIES: The Memphis Xplorers lead the all-time series 1-0 after winning the only meeting between the two teams back on May 7, 2005.
THE Ifs:
If Oklahoma City defeats Memphis, it would ...
- Give Oklahoma City a 1-1 series record with Memphis
- Give Oklahoma City a 5-1 home record in 2005
- Give Jeff Jarnigan a 7-5 career record as head coach
- Give Oklahoma City a one-game win streak
OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (6-5, LOST 1)
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 SHREVEPORT 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
6/18 @ Bossier-Shreveport L 46-54 6-5
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/24 MEMPHIS 7:30 W-6 MEM 1-0
7/10 @ Amarillo 3:00 W-1 OKC 1-0
7/16 LOUISVILLE 7:30 L-1 First Meeting
7/23 @ Rio Grande Valley 7:30 W-2 TIED 2-2
7/30 TULSA 7:30 W-1 TIED 2-2
MEMPHIS XPLORERS (10-1, WON 6)
Date Opponent Result Score Record
4/3 @ Bossier-Shreveport W 63-24 1-0
4/8 @ Amarillo W 66-41 2-0
4/15 ARKANSAS W 54-13 3-0
4/23 @ Birmingham W 60-24 4-0
4/30 @ Quad City L 42-45 4-1
5/7 OKLAHOMA CITY W 43-38 5-1
5/14 AMARILLO W 46-40 6-1
5/21 @ Albany W 73-53 7-1
6/4 @ Arkansas W 35-33 8-1
6/11 QUAD CITY W (OT) 61-54 9-1
6/18 BIRMINGHAM W 62-32 10-1
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/24 @ Oklahoma City 7:30 L-1 MEM 1-0
7/9 TULSA 7:00 W-1 TUL 4-0
7/16 MANCHESTER 7:00 W-10 MEM 1-0
7/23 @ Central Valley 9:30 L-3 MEM 1-0
7/30 BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT 7:00 W-1 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.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH AT A GLANCE: Danton Barto is beginning his fourth year as the Head Coach of the Memphis Xplorers. The Xplorers put together their most impressive year in 2004 under Coach Barto. The Xplorers won ten games and earned their first trip to the af2 playoffs, before falling to the eventual af2 champion, Florida Firecats on a last second field goal miss.
Coach Barto is still considered a University of Memphis legend; he currently is the only player to be named All-American three different years. He is still ranked number one in career tackles for the University of Memphis with 473 total tackles. Coach Barto also enjoyed a five-year professional career in the CFL and AFL leagues. Coach Bartos currently resides with his wife Rachel and his six-year old son Will in Bartlett, Tennessee.
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 3rd Total Offense 2949
Craig Strickland 6th Total Offensive Plays 410
Craig Strickland 10th Total Offensive TDs 58
Jarrail Jackson T-8th Scoring 138
Craig Strickland 3rd Total Offensive Yards 2949
Jarrail Jackson 2nd All-Purpose Yards 2058
Jarrail Jackson T-7th Scoring (TDs) 23
Craig Strickland 2nd Passing Avg/Game 266.7
Craig Strickland 8th Pass Yards/Catch 13.0
Craig Strickland 3rd Pass Attempts 399
Craig Strickland 5th Passing TDs 58
Craig Strickland 10th Pass Rating 106.9
Craig Strickland T-6th Pass Yards/Att 7.4
Craig Strickland 2nd Passing Yards 2934
Craig Strickland 6th Pass Completions 226
Jarrail Jackson 3rd Receptions 84
Carlos Johnson T-9th Yards Per Catch 15.0
Jarrail Jackson 5th Receiving Yards 1097
Jarrail Jackson T-8th Receiving TDs 21
Jason Ball T-7th Field Goals 5
Jason Ball 8th Field Goal % 41.7%
Jason Ball 9th PAT Kick % 82.6%
Jarrail Jackson T-2nd MFG Returns 5
Jarrail Jackson 4th MFG Return Yards 92
Jarrail Jackson T-2nd Kick Return Avg 24.8
B.J. Barre 7th Kick Return Avg 23.4
Jarrail Jackson 4th Kick Return Yards 869
Jarrail Jackson T-7th Kick Return TDs 2
B.J. Barre T-10th Interception Return Yards 53
Rickie Davis T-2nd Fumbles Forced 3
Jeromy Flowers T-1st Fumbles Recovered 3
XPLORERS
Player Rank Category Stat
Brian Jones 8th Total Offense 2716
Brian Jones T-1st Total Offensive TDs 69
Kevin Prentiss 3rd Scoring 204
Brian Jones 2nd Total Offensive Average/Play 8.0
Brian Jones 8th Total Offensive Yards 2716
Kevin Prentiss 1st All Purpose Yards 2115
Kevin Prentiss T-2nd Scoring (TDs) 34
Brian Jones 3rd Rushing Yards 193
Brian Jones T-3rd Rush Attempts 56
Brian Jones 2nd Rushing TDs 18
Brian Jones 2nd Pass Yards/Catch 14.0
Brian Jones T-6th Pass Completion % 63.6%
Brian Jones T-9th Passing TDs 51
Brian Jones 2nd Pass Rating 123.0
Brian Jones 1st Pass Yards/Attempt 8.9
Kevin Prentiss 6th Receptions 78
Kevin Prentiss 7th Yards Per Catch 15.6
Kevin Prentiss 1st Receiving Yards 1217
Kevin Prentiss 3rd Reception TDs 31
Nick Hayes 2nd PAT Kicking % 87.0
Kevin Prentiss T-2nd MFG Returns 5
Dahnel Singfield T-1st Interceptions 9
Scott Cunningham T-6th Interceptions 6
Deon Giddens T-9th Interceptions 5
Kevin Prentiss 5th Kick Return Avg 24.5
Kevin Prentiss T-5th Kick Returns 35
Kevin Prentiss 5th Kick Return Yards 856
Kevin Prentiss T-3rd Kick Return TDs 3
Dahnel Singfield 3rd Interception Return Yards 111
Khreem Smith 1st Sacks 12.5
Khreem Smith T-2nd Fumbles Forced 3
Joseph Crear T-2nd Fumbles Forced 3
Lavante Epson T-7th Fumbles Forced 2
Ryan Karr T-5th Fumbles Recovered 2
Dahnel Singfield T-5th Fumbles Recovered 2
Khreem Smith 4th Tackles For Loss 5.5
Dahnel Singfield 1st Passes Defended 35
LOOKING BACK: The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz traveled to take on the Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings and fell 54-46 in front of 2,107 fans at the CenturyTel Center, home of ArenaCup2005.
The Yard Dawgz jumped out to a 19-9 first quarter lead, but was only able to put up a combined seven points in the second and third quarter which allowed Bossier to take control of the game and take a 40-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Dawgz were able to get back into the game with two late scores in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 54-46.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how OKLAHOMA CITY and MEMPHIS rank in the league this season:
Statistical YARD DAWGZ XPLORERS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense T-6th 51.6 2nd 55.0
Scoring Defense 8th 47.4 2nd 36.1
Total Offense 2nd 284.9 11th 257.5
Total Defense 10th 265.2 4th 234.0
Pass Offense 2nd 273.1 14th 232.9
Pass Defense 13th 253.4 3rd 210.7
Rushing Offense 17th 11.8 6th 24.6
Rushing Defense 1st 11.8 15th 23.3
Pass Rating 8th 107.6 3rd 119.7
Pass Def. Rating 16th 109.8 1st 69.1
Kickoff Returns T-1st 63 4th 44
Turnover Margin 4th +6 1st +23
Sacks By T-9th 13 1st 27
Sacks Against T-14th 16 T-10th 14
First Downs 9th 207 19th 172
Opp. First Downs 9th 195 4th 187
Penalty Yards 18th 815 19th 817
Opp. Penalty Yds 3rd 770 6th 668
Red Zone Offense T-15th 36-48 (75.0%) 6th 36-44 (81.8%)
Red Zone Defense 14th 29-36 (80.6%) 2nd 32-46 (69.6%)
OKC YARD DAWGZ INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
DS Orlando Green Long Term IR
FB/LB John Williamson Long Term IR
WR/LB Chris Archie Short Term IR
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: (Notable quotes):
JEFF JARNIGAN, On the loss to Bossier-Shreveport: "We let one get away. We jumped out on them early then had a critical turnover that helped change the game."
On the upcoming game with Memphis: "We didn't have Brandon Daniels or Jarrail Jackson last time we played this team, so having them back this time is a huge advantage for us."
ADVANCE BOOKING: (A look at upcoming Yard Dawgz games):
The Dawgz will enjoy the league wide bye week next week on the weekend of July 2nd. They will return to the field on July 10th, when they travel to take on the Amarillo Dusters. The Dawgz will return home on July 16th to face the Louisville Fire.
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 seven out of eleven 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
6/18 @ Bossier-Shreveport TOUCHDOWN LOST
TALE OF TWO HALVES: This season, the Yard Dawgz have been outscored by their opponents 282-252 in the first half and they have outscored their opponents in the second half 316-239. 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
6/18 @ Bossier-Shreveport 0 -8 LOST
SEASON TOTALS -30 +77
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
6/18 @ Bossier-Shreveport 258 17,349 LOST
TEAMS NOT RUNNING WITH THESE DAWGZ: Coming into this week's game versus the Memphis Xplorers, the Yard Dawgz are the #1 ranked rushing defense in af2. They have only given up 130 yards rushing this season for an average of 11.8 yards per game.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS: The Yard Dawgz kick return team is ranked #2 in af2 with a kickoff return average of 22.3 yards per return. They currently rank 6th in the league in kickoff return yards with 1402.
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. The Dawgz also score more when they return to their friendly domain. This season, the Dawgz average 55.2 points per game at home, as opposed to the 48.6 points per game that they score on the road.
Three out of the top five highest scoring outputs by the Dawgz have been at the Ford Center, including the franchise record of 79 points versus the Laredo Law on May 8, 2004.
CATCH AND RUN: The Yard Dawgz make sure that after they catch the ball they get as many yards as possible. This season, the Yard Dawgz rank 3rd in the af2 in pass yards per catch with 12.8. Memphis leads the league in this category with 13.6 yards per catch.
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 five games for the Dawgz and has compiled 25 tackles, two interceptions, and two pass defenses.
KEY MATCH-UPS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:
Yard Dawgz offense and the Memphis offense: These two teams are both ranked in the top ten in the league in scoring offense. Oklahoma City comes into the game ranked 6th averaging 51.6 points per game and Memphis comes in ranked 2nd averaging 55.0 points per game.
Yard Dawgz offensive specialist Jarrail Jackson: Two weeks ago, Jackson 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 16 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.
Memphis offensive specialist Kevin Prentiss: Along with Jarrail Jackson, one of the other league leading all-purpose receivers is Memphis' Kevin Prentiss. Prentiss comes into this week's game near the top of several statistical categories, including all-purpose yards and kick return yards.
With five 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 (10-1) - Current Midwest Division Leader
2. Tulsa Talons (8-3) - Current West Division Leader
3. Amarillo Dusters (7-4) -Holds W/L % in common games with RGV
4. Rio Grande Valley Dorados (7-4)
5. Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (6-5)
6. Quad City Steamwheelers(5-6) - Holds W/L % in common games over Central Valley
YARD DAWGZ PRACTICE PLAN: (A look at the Yard Dawgz schedule this week)
Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (U. of Central Oklahoma)
Wednesday: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (U. of Central Oklahoma)
Thursday: OFF
Friday: 7:30 - KICKOFF!!! Vs. Memphis Xplorers (FORD CENTER - OKLAHOMA CITY)
**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
12 @ Bossier-Shreveport Reggie Perkins - Bossier-Shreveport
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
12 @ Bossier-Shreveport Adrian Burnette - Bossier-Shreveport
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
12 @ Bossier-Shreveport Joe Wesley - Bossier-Shreveport
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
12 Sam Clemons - Quad City Dahnel Singfield - Memphis Marquis Floyd - Rio Grande Valley
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