Rampage Game Notes

Published on March 5, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Georgia Force
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2003.
Kickoff: Noon (EST).
Site: The Arena at Gwinnett Center (11,200).
Officials: Pat Garvey (Referee), Paul King (Umpire), Rusty Spindel (Head Linesman), James Mello (Line Judge), Rich Wilborn (Back Judge), Jim Lapetina (Supervisor).
Radio: WBBL 1340 AM, Joe Parson & Tom Sullivan. Coverage begins at 11:40 a.m. (EST).
TV: NBC (Channel 8), Eli Gold & Charles Davis. Series Record: Rampage lead 1-0.
Coaches: Grand Rapids, Michael Trigg (69-65 overall, 10th season). Georgia, Marty Lowe (8-6, 2nd season).

THE STAKES: The stakes for this game are higher than most might think. A win keeps the Rampage atop the Central Division heading into division play next week at Dallas. A victory also gives Grand Rapids its first 5-1 start since the team's 2001 championship season. On the other hand, a loss could be detrimental to the Rampage. Lose at Georgia and all of a sudden the team is 4-2 with three out of their next four games on the road.

THE IFs:

If Grand Rapids defeats Georgia it would...
· Give the Rampage a 2-0 all-time series record with the Force.
· Give the Rampage a 3-0 road record in 2003.
· Give the Rampage a 20-18 all-time road record.
· Give the Rampage a 5-1 overall record in 2003.
· Give the Rampage a 4-1 record against the National Conference in 2003.
· Give the Rampage a 2-1 record against the Southern Division in 2003.
· Give Michael Trigg his 70th career victory.

HEAD COACHES:

MICHAEL TRIGG, Grand Rapids Rampage (69-65, 10th Season): Trigg, the only coach in Rampage team history, is in his sixth season with the Rampage and tenth overall as a head coach in the AFL. Last season, Trigg led the Rampage to an 8-6 regular season mark and a fourth consecutive playoff berth. He also became just the fifth AFL coach to reach the 60-win plateau, making him the fifth winningest coach in AFL history. Trigg's history of achievement reached new heights on August 19, 2001 when the AFL's smallest market team won ArenaBowl XV in front of a sold-out Van Andel Arena and a national television audience. For his efforts, Trigg was named the 2001 AFL Coach of the Year.

MARTY LOWE, Georgia Force (8-6, 2nd Season): Lowe guided the Force to a second place finish in the Southern Division and a 6-8 record in the team's inaugural season in 2002. He replaced Robert Lyles, who was relieved of his duties following the Force's 1-4 start. Under his direction, the Force finished the season winning five of their last eight games. Prior to joining the Force, Lowe served as a running back coach for the University of Texas-El Paso. His coaching in the Arena Football League began when he joined the Nashville Kats as an offensive assistant in March 2000 after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville. He went on to serve as the Kats' offensive coordinator and assistant coach. Lowe, who played at the University of Louisville from 1991-95, spent two seasons in the AFL. He played quarterback for the St. Louis Stampede in 1996 and Texas Terror in 1997. He began the 1997 season as the Terror's starter, but a knee injury ended his career and started another in Clint Dolezel, who was Lowe's backup.

RAMPAGE LAST WEEK: Carolina 34, GRAND RAPIDS 68 (2-28-03) – The Rampage ended a three-game streak of last second thrillers by defeating the Carolina Cobras, 68-34, in front of a sold out Van Andel Arena crowd.

Steve Smith's opening kickoff return of 55 yards for a score set the tone for the Rampage's second largest victory in team history. The 34-point blowout was two point shy of tying a team record of 36, which was set on May 7, 1999 at Milwaukee.

The team's second sellout crowd of the season witnessed the Rampage jump out to a 21-6 lead, a lead that they would never relinquish. From the opening kickoff to the very end, Grand Rapids dominated the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

Game MVP Terrill Shaw led all receivers with four TDs on six catches. Smith who registered a team-high seven catches for 80 yards and two TDs, returned a kickoff for a TD and recorded two tackles, was named the game's Ironman.

Cecil Doggette, DeAuntae Brown and Lamar Grant, all of which registered their first interceptions of the season, led the Rampage defensive unit that racked up a season-high seven stops.

In his first AFL start, Carolina quarterback Glen Gauntt completed 21-of-45 passes for 182 yards and four TDs. Offensive specialist Ben Bronson led all Cobras receivers with seven catches for 65 yards and a score.

RAMPAGE NEXT WEEK: Grand Rapids opens division play against the Dallas Desperados on Sunday, March 16 at 4 p.m. The game marks the Rampage's first trip to Big-D.

2002 MILESTONES:

· Grand Rapids sets a new team record for regular season attendance with 69,341 total fans attending games during the 2002 season, which includes a team record three sellouts.

· Rampage coach Michael Trigg recorded career regular season victory number 60 against the Georgia Force (6/23). Only four other coaches (John Gregory, Tim Marcum, Perry Moss and Danny White) have reached the 60-win plateau.

· Rampage QB Clint Dolezel moved past Mike Perez for fifth place on the AFL's all-time charts in passing yards (19,995) and sixth place in pass attempts (2,609). In addition, Dolezel also passed John Kaleo for fifth place in completions (1,698) and former teammate Todd Hammel for fourth place in career passing touchdowns (393).

· Dolezel became the first quarterback in AFL history to throw for 70 or more TDs in four different seasons.

· Rampage FB/LB Chris Ryan broke his own team single-season rushing marks in yards (133) and touchdowns (12). He also broke Basil Proctor's four-year old attempts record (49).

· Rampage FB/LB Travis McDonald broke the Rampage's single-season sack record with his 2.5 sack performance against the New York Dragons (7/13). McDonald, who finished with 5.5 sacks on season, moved past Corey Mayfield and Buster Stanley (4.5).

2003 MILESTONES:

· QB Clint Dolezel became just the fourth quarterback in AFL history to amass 400 career passing TDs (2/7 @ Colorado).

· Dolezel also moved past Fred McNair for fifth place on the AFL's career list in passing attempts and became just the fifth quarterback in AFL history to amass 20,000 career passing yards (2/1 @ Buffalo).

· K Brian Gowins moved past Michael Baker for second place on the Rampage's all-time scoring list (2/1 @ Buffalo).

· Gowins also moved past Remy Hamilton (current LA Avengers' kicker) to become the Rampage's all-time leader in FG attempts (2/16 vs. NY).

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

· Coach Michael Trigg is just one win away from his 70th career victory. Only four other coaches (John Gregory, Tim Marcum, Perry Moss and Danny White) have reached the 70-win plateau.

LAST MEETING: Georgia 41, GRAND RAPIDS 42 (6-23-02) – Brian Gowins' connected on an extra-point attempt with no time remaining to lift the Rampage over the Georgia Force, 42-41.

After Clint Dolezel threw a 31-yard TD pass to Steve Smith to tie the score at 41-41 with no time left, Gowins converted his sixth extra-point kick of the contest to help Grand Rapids snap a two-game losing streak.

Dolezel finished 21-of-38 with 250 yards, four TDs and a pair of interceptions for the Rampage. He threw a pair of TDs within the final 5:50 of the second quarter to supply Grand Rapids with a 28-15 halftime lead.

Gary Compton had seven catches for 87 yards and two TDs and Chris Ryan added a pair of scoring runs, including a 2-yard rush early in the final quarter, for the Rampage.

Donnie Davis, who finished with 257 yards and four TDs, rallied Georgia in the second half with four scores. His 9-yard pass to Tyronne Jones with 4:57 remaining in the fourth tied the score at 35-35. He followed with a 4-yard TD run with 12 seconds left to put the Force up by six, but Scott Szeredy couldn't connect on the extra point.

SERIES NOTABLES:

· Clint Dolezel (GR): Completed 21-of-38 passes for 250 yards, four TDs and two interceptions in his only contest against the Force (6/23/02).

· Ricky Ross (GR): Caught four passes for 39 yards and led all return men with three kickoff returns for 70 yards.

· Steve Smith (GR): Ended up catching a 31-yard game-tying TD after sitting out all but the last two plays in his only game against the Force.

· Donnie Davis (GEO): Completed 22-of-40 passes for 257 yards, four TDs and one interception in his only contest against the Rampage (6/23/02).

· Cliff Green (GEO): Named game MVP in his only contest against Grand Rapids. Finished with a game-high eight tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions.

· Jarrick Hillery (GEO): Caught five passes for 81 yards and two TDs in his first contest against GR in a Force uniform.

FAMILIAR FACES:

· Rampage OL/DL Israel Raybon and Force OL/DL Marcus Keyes were college teammates at the University of North Alabama.

· Rampage OL/DL Rod Manuel and Force OL/DL Bruce McClure were college teammates at the University of Oklahoma.

· Rampage OL/DL Albert Reese and Force OS Tyronne Jones were college teammates at Grambling State University. In addition, Rampage coaches Robert Smith and Glen Hall were on the legendary Eddie Robinson's staff when the two former All-SWAC performers played at Grambling.

· Rampage DS Cecil Doggette and Force QB Donnie Davis were teammates for three seasons with the Arizona Rattlers, including the team's ArenaBowl XI championship season in 1997.

· Rampage OS Steve Smith and Force OL/DL Kerwin Hairston were teammates with the Buffalo Destroyers in 2001.

· Rampage OL/DL Madison Johnson and Force OL/DL Michael Lawson were teammates with the Florida Bobcats in 2001.

· Rampage FB/LB Travis McDonald and Force kicker Steve McLaughlin were teammates with the Portland Forest Dragons in 1998.

· Rampage assistant coach Tony Kimbrough began the 2002 season as Georgia's offensive coordinator.

CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAKS:

· FB/LB Chris Avery has rushed for at least one TD in the Rampage's last three games.

· QB Clint Dolezel has thrown at least one TD pass in every game played in a Rampage uniform (33 regular season games).

· WR/DB Willis Marshall has caught at least one pass in every game played in a Rampage uniform (26 regular season games).

· WR/DB Terrill Shaw has caught at least two TDs in the Rampage's last four games.

TEAM NOTES:

Longest Home Stand, Longest Road Trip: After wrapping up three consecutive home games, the team's longest home stand in franchise history, the Rampage hit the road for three straight contests, the team's longest road trip.

Important Road: The Rampage's upcoming five-game stretch could prove whether they are championship contenders or pretenders. Of the five games, four are on the road and four are against playoff teams from 2002.

Road Warriors: Grand Rapids boasts an impressive 19-18 all-time road record, which includes the team's 2-0 road start this season.

ArenaBowl XVI Rematch: Before moving to Georgia last season, the Force were the Nashville Kats. In five seasons in Nashville, the Kats played in two ArenaBowls, including ArenaBowl XV against Grand Rapids.

Offense vs. Defense: It's rare in the AFL to see a great offense vs. defense matchup, but that's what this game is shaping up to be, at least on paper. The Rampage are second in the league in scoring offense at 60.2 points per game. Trying to stop that potent offense will be a Force defense that is ranked third overall, giving up 45.0 points per contest.

Gowins Back on Track: After missing seven total extra point attempts against Colorado and New York, Rampage kicker Brian Gowins has rebounded by connecting on 16-of-18 tries (drop kick miss included), including an 8-for-8 performance against Tampa Bay.

Michigan Connection: Georgia's roster features former Michigan State fullback and Detroit native Travis Reece.

First Half vs. Second Half: 150 vs. 96. That's the amount of total points that Grand Rapids' defense has surrendered in the first half this season vs. the second half.

Division Breakdown: Thanks to Colorado's win at Indiana last weekend, the Rampage sit atop the Central Division by one game.

Many More Happy Returns: In 15 total games last season, the Rampage only managed three returns (kickoff, missed FG, fumble or interception) for touchdowns. Already this season, Ricky Ross has returned a missed field goal (2/1 @ Buffalo), a fumble (2/7 @ Colorado) and two kickoffs (2/16 vs. New York) for scores. Chris Ryan returned a Colorado Crush (2/16) fumble for the first defensive TD of his career and Steve Smith returned the opening kickoff for a score last Friday against the Carolina Cobras.

Rookie Crop: Since the team's inception, the Rampage have had at least one rookie make the AFL's All-Rookie Team. This year's crop features WR/LB Damon Hodge and linemen Jason Gamble and Albert Reese. All three players have NFL experience and have shown the ability to be successful indoors.

RAMPAGE PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Clint Dolezel: Arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the AFL, Dolezel has helped lead the Rampage to its 4-1 record. In five games this season, the former East Texas State star has completed 112-of-169 passes for 1,285 yards and 29 TDs. Recently, Dolezel continued his attack on the AFL record book by becoming just the fourth AFL quarterback to amass 400 career TD passes.

OS Steve Smith: Smith, who caught a team-high 26 TDs in 2002, has picked up where he left off last season, recording 29 grabs for 342 yards and 10 TDs in five games. The 2002 Rampage MVP also added a 55-yard kickoff return for a score in last week's rout of Carolina.

WR/DB Willis Marshall: A second-team All-Arena selection in 2002, Marshall hasn't caught as many TDs as he'd probably like to, but he has played a major part in the Rampage's 4-1 start, recording 21 catches for 246 yards and three TDs on offense, five returns for 129 yards on special teams, and 11.5 tackles on defense.

WR/LB Ricky Ross: When Michael Baker retired and Gary Compton moved on to Tampa Bay, Ross finally received his chance to see the field on a more consistent basis. It didn't take long for Ross to assume Baker's Ironman duties. Ross has already returned a fumble, a missed field goal and two kickoffs for scores. He has also contributed 18 catches for 172 yards and two scores on offense and 13.0 tackles on defense. His efforts haven't gone unnoticed as he was named the AFL's Ironman of the Week for his performance against the New York Dragons on Feb. 16.

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