Playoff Atmosphere Assured in Bossier

July 25, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

But Friday's game between the Arkansas Twisters (10-5) and Bossier City Battle Wings (9-6) holds the same consequences of a playoff game – win and advance, lose and go home. The winner of this Central Division battle earns the last of 16 af2 playoff spots and, with it, the right to face Tulsa in the first round. Even though a Bossier victory only would pull the Battle Wings into a tie with the Twisters at 10-6, it would give them a season sweep of their division rivals, sending them to the playoffs via the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Bossier City's 56-54 win in Arkansas back on June 8 came courtesy of a SCOTT TYNER 18-yard field goal with six seconds left. It's the only time out of seven instances this year the Twisters have lost when scoring 50 points or more. The game-winner culminated a nine-play, 43-yard drive that answered a go-ahead 39-yard TD pass from Arkansas' RICKY HEBERT to ANTHONY EUBANKS with 1:45 left. The Twisters had one last chance, but a 43-yard field goal attempt by MARK NORRIS barely missed to the left. In addition to five lead changes, the game was tied five times. The teams traded scores throughout the game except for an important 14-0 stretch for the Battle Wings that took them from a 27-20 deficit to a 34-27 lead.

The rematch features the top two offensive teams in af2. The Battle Wings rank first in total offense (273.2 ypg) while the Twisters are right behind them in second (268.5). The quarterbacks mirror their teams' offensive success. Bossier City's SHERARD POTEETE, who rushed for two touchdowns, threw for four TDs and finished with 283 passing yards in the first meeting, ranks first in af2 with 253.0 ypg of total offense. Hebert, whose 207 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in the Bossier loss represented one of his worst outings of the season, ranks second in the league with 244.0 ypg. Poteete's 392 yards and 23 touchdowns rushing both are second-best in af2. His 3,403 passing yards (54 TDs, 17 INTs) rank ninth in the league. Hebert's 80 passing touchdowns are the most in af2 and have him in striking distance of the af2 single-season record of 86. He's passed for 3,642 yards (sixth in af2) with 18 interceptions.

Arkansas WR/DB LENNIE JOHNSON, who had a 54-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the first meeting, ranks fourth in af2 with 206 points, including 34 TDs. His 2,298 all-purpose yards (eighth in af2) include a team-high 1,122 receiving yards. He also paces the Twisters in receptions (63), kick return yards (897), MFG return yards (190) and interceptions (five). He's third on the team in tackles (47.5). Bossier City's all-purpose threat is OS/KR KEVIN STEVENSON, who has found the end zone 25 times this year. His 2,380 total yards are sixth in the league while his 111 receptions and 1,414 receiving yards both are top-10 marks (tied for fifth and eighth, respectively).

Defensively, OL/DL GREG TAYLOR and his 13.5 sacks lead an Arkansas unit that has 41 sacks this year (both Taylor's individual total and the team total rank third in af2). Besides Poteete's penchant for running, there figures to be a little more action around him than Hebert – the Twisters have allowed a league-low nine sacks this year (Bossier's 27 sacks as a team are tied for 11th overall while their 15 sacks allowed are sixth-best in af2). The Battle Wings' defensive stopper is DS CEDRIC ROBINSON. He stands eighth in the league with 33 passes defended (including seven interceptions) and ninth overall with 75.5 tackles.

Whichever team wins (Arkansas, by the way, would advance in the unlikely event of a tie) would carry a certain amount of confidence into the playoffs. The Twisters have won five straight games; the Battle Wings had won three straight prior to last week's 55-52 setback against Pensacola. The foes also are responsible for Tulsa's only two losses in wildly different games – Bossier City by a 27-14 score on April 13 and Arkansas in a 102-63 shootout on June 22.

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