Rio Grande Valley Dorados game notes
August 8, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
Rio Grande Valley Dorados (15-1, No. 1 seed) vs. Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (11-5, No. 5 seed)
Date: Friday, August 10, 2007
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Dodge Arena (5,600)
Officials: Joe Pester (Referee); Chad Bowers (Umpire); Marc Bovos (Head Linesman); Mike Shirly (Line Judge); Chris Cockrell (Back Judge)
Dorados Radio: Jammin' 104.9 FM (Rich Bocchini, Dennis Scott)
Dorados Radio (Spanish): La Tremenda 1530 AM (Juan Francisco Vargas)
Streaks: Dorados W13, Battle Wings W2
Series Record: RGV 4-3
Last Meeting: RGV 42, BOS 39 (At BOS, 7/14/07)
Coaches: Jon Norris, BOS (21-13; 1-1 playoffs, 2nd season)
Marty Hammond, RGV (23-10; 1-0 playoffs, 2nd season)
THE SETUP: The Dorados and Battle Wings face off in a grudge match to decide who gets to play for the National Conference title. Rio is coming off an emotional 44-41 win over Alabama on Sunday while Bossier eliminated Arkansas with a 62-40 win on Saturday.
THE SERIES: This is the third meeting of 2007 and eighth all time...The Dorados hold a 4-3 advantage all time...Rio's only loss in 2007 came at the hands of the Battle Wings on April 21...The Dorados avenged that loss on July 14 at Bossier...Both games this season were decided by a total of seven points combined...
All Time Series Results
6/18/04 at Bossier, 66-59L (ot)
5/2/05 at RGV, 77-69L
7/9/05 at Bossier, 66-52W
5/6/06, at RGV, 43-28W
7/1/06, at Bossier, 61-48W
4/21/07, at RGV, 52-48L
7/14/07, at Bossier, 42-39W
DORADOS 2007 SEASON SCHEDULE
Home: 8-1 Road: 8-0
Date Opponent Att. Result Record
4/7 At Corpus Christi 3509 66-28W 1-0
4/14 LAREDO 5000 72-49W 2-0
4/21 BOS-SHREVEPORT 4925 52-48L 2-1
4/27 At Amarillo 2800 38-35W 3-1
5/5 SOUTH GEORGIA 3728 45-42W 4-1
5/11 At Corpus Christi 3185 45-20W 5-1
5/18 At Laredo 1500 48-21W 6-1
5/26 AMARILLO 4401 49-44W 7-1
6/9 TEXAS 4892 71-7W 8-1
6/16 AT Boise 4521 62-32W 9-1
6/23 OKLAHOMA CITY 4901 63-52W 10-1
6/30 CORPUS CHRISTI 4392 78-17W 11-1
7/7 At Laredo 1200 64-0W 12-1
7/14 At Bos-Shreveport 5457 42-39W 13-1
7/21 LUBBOCK 5322 73-68W 14-1
7/28 At Texas 4485 40-19W 15-1
8/5 ALABAMA 4:05PM 44-41W 1-0
8/10 BOS-SHREVEPORT 7:30PM
STEELDOGS 2007 SEASON SCHEDULE
Home: 5-3 Road: 2-6
Date Opponent Att. Result Record
3/30 At Tenn. Valley 4854 44-27L 0-1
4/12 SOUTH GEORGIA 4916 57-54W 1-1
4/21 LOUISVILLE 6575 63-47W 2-1
4/28 At Tulsa 4045 57-33L 2-2
5/3 TEXAS 3788 58-27W 3-2
5/12 QUAD CITY 6981 53-51W 4-2
5/19 At Louisville 9872 53-35L 4-3
5/26 At Cincinnati 2777 65-33W 5-3
6/2 At Florida 4328 29-21L 5-4
6/8 BOS-SHREVEPORT 5612 49-32L 5-5
6/16 At WB/Scranton 6030 77-62L 5-6
6/30 TENN. VALLEY 6589 35-33L 5-7
7/7 At Oklahoma City 6727 56-45L 5-8
7/14 FLORIDA 4170 55-44L 5-9
7/21 At South Georgia 6038 71-61W 6-9
7/28 CINCINATTI 9245 51-21W 7-9
8/5 At RGV 4:05PM
THE GAME: Rio Grande Valley led af2 in a host of defensive categories, including fewest points allowed (525), turnover margin (+33), total defense (212.6 ypg) and sacks (66). An interesting matchup will be how the Alabama offense, led by QB Mitch Tanney (16 GP, 325-490-9, 3404, 67TD), stacks up to the Rio secondary. The Dorados had the league's best pass defense (196.6), while the Steeldogs managed an average of 235.1 yards per game (17th overall). Rio may also be able to exploit Alabama's offensive line, which gave up 32 sacks (23rd in af2).
Rio's offensive line will need to step up and provide Josh Kellett (309-546-17, 3982, 86 TD) some time; his 17 interceptions were a concern during the regular season. Alabama returned just 10 interceptions, but had the league's best return average at 22.7 yards. That said, David Philyaw accounted for two of those returns (for 69 yards and a TD) but was placed on injured reserved on July 26 and will not be in the lineup.
Another interesting sidebar for the Dorados will be what Head Coach Marty Hammond does with the lineup. With the addition of Dwight Counter prior to Week 17's game vs. Lubbock, Rio now has five top-level receivers along with George Williams, Coco Blalock, Jermaine Carpenter and Travis McAlpine. The Dorados dressed all five in the final two games, but another angle would be to take DB Derrick Harris off team suspension and go with four receivers and four DB's (along with Chris Canty, Andre Goines and Robert Towns).
One barometer to take note of is each team's records vs. common opponents. Both teams faced Bossier-Shreveport, Oklahoma City, South Georgia and Texas. Rio (which faced both Bossier and Texas twice) went 5-1 in those games and outscored opponents 313-207 (avg. 52.1 points for, 34.5 against).
Alabama (which faced South Georgia twice, going 2-0) went 3-2, outscoring opponents 263-247 for an average of 52.6 points for and 49.4 against. In their two games vs. South Georgia, they averaged 64 points for and 57.5 against.
In the two games vs. Bossier, the Dorados averaged 47 points scored and 43.5 points allowed. Alabama lost 49-32 in their lone game against the Battle Wings.
Take away the games vs. Texas, and Rio's points for/against totals were 202-181 (avg. 50.5 for, 45.2 against) with a 3-1 record. Alabama, meanwhile, was 2-2 with 205 points for and 220 against (averages of 51.2 for and 55.0 against).
What does all that mean? This week's game could be more of a high-flying affair than the overall statistics indicate.
2006 SEASON RECAP (7-9)
Date Opponent CST Time Result Record
4/1 at Central Valley 9:30 65-34L 0-1
4/8 TULSA 7:30 75-40W 1-1
4/14 at Birmingham 7:00 44-43 W (ot) 2-1
4/22 ARKANSAS 7:30 57-55W 3-1
4/29 at Tulsa 7:00 57-38L 3-2
5/6 BOS-SHREVEPORT 7:30 43-28W 4-2
5/13 At Bakersfield 9:00 53-45L 4-3
5/20 At Amarillo 7:00 35-28L 4-4
6/3 At Oklahoma City 7:00 46-13L 4-5
6/10 AMARILLO 7:30 49-45-W 5-5
6/17 at Arkansas 7:00 41-38L 5-6
6/24 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:30 56-14L 5-7
7/1 At Bos-Shreveport 7:00 61-48W 6-7
7/8 BIRMINGHAM 7:30 84-46L 6-8
7/22 S. GEORGIA 7:30 52-46W 7-8
7/29 SPOKANE 7:30 54-30 L 7-9
2005 SEASON RECAP (10-6)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/9 LOUISVILLE L 56-42
4/16 @ Florida L 63-30
4/22 @ Bakersfield W 40-32
5/2 BOSSIER-SHREV L 77-69
5/7 SAN DIEGO W 51-45
5/14 @ Central Valley W 61-51
5/21 WB/SCRANTON W 52-49
5/28 @ South Georgia W 39-37
6/4 @ Oklahoma City L 59-35
6/11 TULSA W 65-64
6/18 CENTRAL VALLEY W 55-36
6/25 @ San Diego W 65-58
7/9 @ Bossier-Shrev. W 66-52
7/16 @ Tulsa L 58-49
7/23 OKLAHOMA CITY L 71-40
7/30 BAKERSFIELD W 38-27
PLAYOFFS
8/7 QUAD CITY W 56-38
8/13 @ Tulsa W 65-42
8/19 @ Memphis L 64-49
2004 SEASON RECAP (6-10)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/3 LAREDO W 37-6
4/10 @ Oklahoma City L 17-55
4/24 OKLAHOMA CITY W 44-41
5/1 @ Laredo W 58-38
5/8 WICHITA L 28-35
5/15 @ Central Valley L 31-42
5/22 LAREDO L 40-42
5/28 @ Tulsa L 38-51
6/12 TULSA L 35-45
6/18 @ Bossier-Shreveport L (ot) 59-66
6/26 @ Birmingham L 58-59
7/3 WICHITA W 49-34
7/10 OKLAHOMA CITY W 51-44
7/17 @ Tulsa L 60-66
7/24 ARKANSAS L 28-42
7/31 @ Wichita W 47-43
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Dorados and tonight's opponent rank in various categories...
Statistical DORADOS OPPONENT
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring offense 4 56.5 7 54.2
Scoring defense 1 32.8 4 39.8
Pass offense 13 253.8 12 256.3
Pass defense 1 196.6 17 244.1
Kickoff ret. average 9 18.7 12 17.9
Turnover margin 1 +33 8 +9
Rushing offense 13 21.9 6 27.4
Rushing defense 8 15.9 7 15.7
Total offense 14 275.6 7 283.7
Total defense 1 212.6 14 259.8
Pass efficiency 10 106.4 7 111.4
Pass def. efficiency 3 76.6 7 84.8
First downs T18 283 T18 283
Opp. first downs 1 243 T14 286
Sacks by 1 66 2 38
Sacks Against T10 17 T7 14
Penalties/yards 29 1184 6 801
Opponent Penalties 3 1105 28 821
Red Zone offense 18 75.9% 9 81.7%
Red Zone defense 1 47.5% 2 66,7%
3rd down conv. 23 36.8% 5 47%
4th down conv. 14 47.7% T4 52.6%
Field Goals 10 5 of 12 T6 15-26
PAT kicking 12 101-127 T6 93-117
Int. Returns T4 26 6 25
TONIGHT'S PLAYERS IN AF2 TOP-10
Rio Grande Valley
Player Rank Category Stat
George Williams 3 Rec. Yds/Game 118
George Williams 1 Scoring 276
George Williams 1 Scoring (TDs) 46
George Williams 2 Reception TDs 42
Josh Kellett 10 Pass Avg./Game 248.9
Coco Blalock 1 MFG Return Yds. 263
Quinton Staton 1 Sacks 18.5
Quinton Staton T1 Tackles for loss 22.5
Quinton Staton 1 Forced Fumbles 9
Keenan Washington 3 Sacks 14.5
Keenan Washington 3 Tackles for loss 19.5
Keenan Washington 4 Forced Fumbles 6
Andre Goines 4 Interceptions 11
Andre Goines 10 Passes Defended 30
Tolifili Liufau T7 Tackles for loss 13.5
Bossier-Shreveport
DORADOS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Kendrick Goss NA LTIR
PLAYOFF ROUND 1 RECAP:
The Dorados advanced to the second round of the af2 playoffs with a 44-41 victory over the Alabama Steeldogs Sunday at Dodge Arena.
With just 19.6 seconds Josh Kellett connected with Coco Blalock on an 11-yard touchdown pass to capture the lead and the win for the Dorados.
Rio held a 10-7 lead after the first quarter and advanced that to 10 at the half after Kellett connected on three touchdown passes, including one to Blalock and two to Dwight Counter. Kellett's 9-yard pass to Counter with 4.7 left in the first half gave Rio a 31-21 lead.
The Steeldogs came out firing early in the third, notching 14 unanswered points to pull ahead 35-31.
It all came down to the final quarter, with Alabama advancing their lead on a 32-yard field goal by Nick Hayes to make it 38-31. Rio then tied things up at the 7:53 mark when Kellett and Blalock connected once again on a 6-yard TD reception.
The Dorados defensive line came up with a huge stop on the ensuing Alabama drive. After forging all the way from its own 15-yard line the Rio 1, the Steeldogs were forced to kick a field goal after the Dorados D snuffed out three consecutive rushes. That included two by FB Marcus Mitchell, who had three rushing TDs in the first half.
The 19-yard field goal by Hayes pulled the Steeldogs ahead by three, but it was the Blalock/Kellett combo that sealed the deal for the Dorados with just 19.6 left on the clock on an 11-yard touchdown pass to give the Dorados the 44-41 lead and the win.
DORADOS COACHES:
MARTY HAMMOND
Head Coach, Director of Football Operations
Hammond is in his second season as Head Coach of the Dorados. He coached the team to a 7-9 season in his rookie campaign and comes to the team after serving as the Offensive Coordinator/Receivers Coach for Tennessee Valley from 2003-04 and receivers coach in 2002. He played wide receiver at the University of West Alabama from 1992-95 and was a teammate of former Dorados coach Kevin Guy. Hammond graduated in 1996 with a degree in computer science. As a freshman, he was named the Gulf Coast Conference Rookie of the Year after catching 39 passes for 339 and two touchdowns. A native of Lexington, Ala., he was an All-State pick and MVP for Lexington High School. Hammond is familiar with the Dorados, having served as a training camp coach for the Dorados during the 2005 preseason. In 1998 he served as an Assistant Coach at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Fla., then moved on as an Assistant Offensive Coordinator at Santaluces High School in Lantana, Fla., in 1999.
CORY STONE
Asst. Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Player Personnel
Stone, a Memphis native, played at the University of Tennessee (UT) and lettered in 1993 and 1994 for the Volunteers as a defensive tackle. Stone played eight years in the Arena Football League, beginning in 1996 and ending in 2005 with the Philadelphia Soul. Stone was a starter for a New York Dragons that holds the record for the most points (99) ever scored in an Arena Football League Game. Stone started his coaching career in 2006 with the Bakersfield Blitz of af2. He helped coach the Blitz to their best season ever and helped lead the team to their first playoff victory ever. Stone coached the 2006 AF2 linemen on the year Jerry Turner. The Blitz were the only team in 2006 that had three players ranked in the top 10 for sacks, and tackles for losses, while the defensive line finished second in total sacks (42). Coach Stone also helped coach a Blitz team that finished the 2006 af2 season ranked number one in total defense.
KELLY SNELL
Defensive Backs Coach
Snell enters his second season as a coach with the Dorados after a successful playing career at the college and pro level. He won a Grey Cup with the CFL's B.C. Lions in 2000 and was a member of the AFL champion Grand Rapids Rampage in 2001. As a senior at Ferris State he was named one of ESPN's top 100 college players. As a sophomore in 1996 he was a first team All American and was a second team All American as a junior. The native of White Cloud, Michigan, won the af2 Defensive Player of the Year with 15 INT's in 2002 with Tennessee Valley. That remains an af2 record. His playing career also included stints with the Detroit Fury & Georgia Force (AFL) and Florida Firecats (af2).
FRANK FRANZ
Asst. to the Offensive Coordinator/Strength & Conditioning
Franz returns to the Dorados for his third season. Franz attended McMurry University in Abilene where he excelled in football as an All-Conference quarterback and graduated with a BS in Education in 1998. In the spring of 1999, he began work at Texas State University as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and earned a Masters Degree in Exercise Science from Texas State in 2000. While there, Frank was responsible for designing and implementing strength and conditioning program for a variety of men's and women's NCAA Division I sports. During his time as a strength coach he helped to produce three NFL draft picks, a 1st round NBA selection, a 1st round MLB selection, and a National Championship Cheerleading Squad. In the fall of 2002 he began work as a varsity Football and Track Coach at Sharyland High School and helped guide the football team to a District Championship. Frank is currently the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Elite Performance in McAllen.
DORADOS GAME AWARD WINNERS
SCHUTT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
2 CSS Josh Kellett
3 LAR George Williams
5 AMA Coco Blalock
7 CCS Josh Kellett
8 LAR George Williams
11 TEX George Williams
12 BOI George Williams
13 OKC George Williams
14 CCS Josh Kellett
15 LAR George Williams
16 BOS Josh Kellett
17 LUB George Williams
18 TEX Josh Kellett
P1 ALA Coco Blalock
US ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
3 LAR Mel Long
5 AMA Jermaine Carpenter
6 SGW Travis McAlpine
7 CCS Chris Canty
8 LAR Mel Long
11 TEX Travis McAlpine
12 BOI Mel Long
13 OKC Travis McAlpine
14 CCS Travis McAlpine
15 LAR Travis McAlpine
16 BOS Coco Blalock
P1 ALA Travis McAlpine
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
2 CSS Tolifili Liaufau
3 LAR Quinton Staton
6 SGW Chris Canty
7 CCS Andre Goines
8 LAR Derrick Harris
9 AMA Andre Goines
11 TEX Curtis Jeter
12 BOI Andre Goines
13 OKC Keenan Washington
14 CCS Keenan Washington
15 LAR Tony McClain
16 BOS Andre Goines
18 TEX Chris Canty
50-YARD INDOOR WAR REPORT ON ESPN RADIO 1240
Tune in to ESPN Radio 1240 every Friday at 5 p.m. for the Dorados 50-Yard Indoor War Report. Rich Bocchini and head coach Marty Hammond will recap last week's game and get you ready for what lies ahead.
BOB STARK'S COOKOFF CHALLENGE
Every week, the Dorados and Bob Stark's Beef Shop will hold a cookoff challenge for tailgaters in the parking lot of Dodge Arena. A Dorados representative will visit each tailgate to register willing contestants with the winner receiving a $50 Bob Stark's gift certificate. Official tailgate parties in the west parking lot of Dodge Arena begin at 4:30 p.m. and are sponsored by Univision Radio.
UPCOMING CHALLENGES
August 10 - Pork Ribs
WHO KNEW? NOW YOU DO!
DORADOS PLAYOFF HISTORY
The Dorados reached the 2005 National Conference Finals, losing to eventual ArenaCup champs Memphis. Rio beat Quad City at home (56-38) and Tulsa on the road (65-42) before falling 64-49 to the Xplorers.
DORADOS PLAYOFF RECORD ENTERING 2007
Playoff Overall Record - 2-1
Playoff Home Record - 1-0
Playoff Road Record - 1-1
THEY WERE THERE IN 2005
The Dorados have four players on the current roster who were also on the 2005 playoff team; Josh Kellett, Dwight Counter, Travis McAlpine and Curtis Jeter.
Passing
Kellett - 100-58-5, 855 yards, 15TD
Receiving
Counter - 23/448, 9TD
McAlpine - 7/91, 0TD
Kick Returns
Counter - 10/200, 0TD
Defense
McAlpine - 6.5 tackles, 1 INT
Jeter - 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR
Counter - 1 tackle
WHO KNEW? NOW YOU DO
STREAKIN'
The Dorados finished the season with 13 wins in a row, one of the longest regular season streaks in af2 history. Below is a list of the longest streaks...
Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season
16 Quad City, 2000
14 Quad City, 2003
14 Tennessee Valley, 2003
13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2007
13 Rio Grande Valley, 2007
10 Four teams tied (MR: Manchester, 2005)
Most Consecutive Games Won (Regular Season & Playoffs)
24 Quad City, 19 games in 2000; 5 games in 2001
17 Quad City, 13 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002
14 Rio Grande Valley, 2007*
14 Quad City, 14 games in 2003
14 Tennessee Valley, 2003
13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2007
10 Three teams tied (MR: Manchester, 10 games in 2005)
* Still active
ROAD STREAKIN' TOO
The Dorados became the third team in the eight-season history of the af2 to win all eight road games in a season. Quad City did it in 2000, and Tennessee Valley copied the feat in 2001. Rio has won nine in a row on the road dating back to the 2006 season.
KELLETT MOVES UP AMONG ALL-TIME PASSING LEADERS
With 14,430 career passing yards, Josh Kellett is now third all-time in the af2 record book. His 281 career TDs are also third all-time in af2. His 3782 yards are a Dorados and personal-best, while he is 17 completions from tying a career-best.
WILLIAMS THIRD IN AF2 ALL-TIME SCORING
George Williams broke past 900 career points in Week 16 thanks to a three-score performance at Bossier-Shreveport. With one score in Week 18, Williams is firmly in third place overall with 944 points.
AF2 SACK RECORD SHATTERED
Tony McClain's sack in the second quarter of the July 7 game at Laredo was Rio's third of the night and 53rd of the season. That set a new record for sacks in a season in af2 competition, breaking Carolina's record of 52 set in 2001.
GOINES SETS INTERCEPTION MARK
Despite playing in just 11 games, Andre Goines finished second on the team with 54 tackles, and set a new season mark for interceptions with 11. He had two on July 28 at Texas to break Norman Mason's record of 10 set in 2004.
WILLIAMS SETS TEAM, PERSONAL TD HIGHS
George Williams rushed two yards for his team-record 34th TD of the season July 7 at Laredo. He added three TD receptions in the second half to break the team receiving TD record of 31 set by Dwight Counter in 2006. Williams now has a career-best 46 TD, topping his previous high of 43 TDs with Central Valley in 2005.
DORADOS BECOME THIRD AF2 TEAM TO POST A SHUTOUT
The Dorados became just the third team in af2 history to shut out their opponents with a 64-0 drubbing of Laredo on July 7. Quinton Staton's field goal block with under a minute left preserved the goose egg Laredo actually made it into the end zone, but had what would have been their only TD called back on a holding penalty.
ANOTHER RECORD; MOST FUMBLE RETURN YARDS IN AF2 HISTORY
Keenan Washington returned a fumble 38 yards vs. Lubbock on July 21 for his fourth fumble return TD of the season. Washington's four fumble return TDs and 71 yards are a team record. The Dorados have accumulated the most fumble return yards in af2 history (233), blasting the old mark of 164 set by Tulsa in 2004. The 33 returns are the most since Tulsa's 26 in 2004, and is one short of Quad City's 2001 record of 34. Washington's fumble return stats are the most in af2 since 2004, when Bossier's Shadrick McAfee had four TD and 64 yards on two official returns. McAfee is believed to hold the record for most fumble return yards in one season; he had 78 in 2001 as a member of the Lafayette Roughnecks.
DORADOS SET NEW AF2 RECORD FOR SACKS IN A GAME; SET FRANCHISE SEASON MARK
The Dorados sacked Texas QB Kenton Evans 13 times on June 9 to set a new af2 record for sacks in a game and set a new franchise record for sacks in one season. Keenan Washington (4) and Quinton Staton (3.5) led the team in sacks for the game. The team's previous record was 10 sacks in a game, set on April 3, 2004 at Laredo (the Dorados' first-ever game). The previous team record for sacks in a season was 36 (for 200 yards, 2004). The af2 record in a season was 52, set by Carolina during the 2001 season. The previous af2 high for sacks in a game was 11, set by Richmond in 2001.
TWO RETURN TD'S IN ONE GAME
On June 30, 2007, Rio and Corpus Christi combined for a pair of return TD's. Ivory McCann of Corpus Christi returned a second quarter kickoff 57 yards for a TD, setting a Dorados opponent record in the process. After Rio converted on its next drive, the defense stood up and held the Sharks off on their next possession, forcing a 45-yard field goal attempt by Chris Onorato. Coco Blalock took the rebound off the missed attempt and weaved his way 56-yards into the Dorados record book to put Rio up 40-17.
KELLETT SETS TD PASSING MARK
Rio QB Josh Kellett's five TD passes on June 30 broke his previous franchise record of 63 TD passes in one season. He began the night with 61. His 86 total passes are a career-best.
RECORDS SMASHED
A handful of records were set on May 26 as Rio hosted Amarillo. The Dorados won their fifth-straight game, while the receiving corps and QB Josh Kellett set a new franchise record with 29 pass receptions. Kellett's seven TD tosses fell one short of the old franchise in that category. (Kellett threw nine TDs three games later vs. Oklahoma City on June 23). Chris Canty (1) and Andre Goines (2) combined for three interceptions, tying a team record. Dusters WR Craig Fulton's 49-yard TD reception from Steve Panella tied another af2 record.
JETER GETS ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Curtis Jeter was named the ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 11 performance against Texas. In his seventh af2 season, the UAB alum had a breakout game defensively in Week 11 for Rio Grande Valley in the team's 71-7 home win against Texas. He recorded 3.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks and forced three fumbles as the Dorados defense set an af2 single-game record with 12 total sacks against the Copperheads. Jeter's impressive effort also included three fumble recoveries, one of which he recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. This was the first weekly af2 award of Jeter's career. He was the only Rio Grande Valley player to be honored by the league in 2007.
LIUFAU SETS FUMBLE RETURN MARK
Tolifili Liufau's 49-yard fumble return at Laredo on May 18 was the longest in franchise history.
BY GEORGE
George Williams hauled in six TD receptions in Week 3, setting a new franchise record in the process. The previous high for TD receptions in one game was four, accomplished by several players
QUICK WORK
It took Josh Kellett and the Dorados just three offensive plays to bag three TD's and roll with a 21-0 lead into the second quarter at Corpus Christi on May 11. Rio capitalized on three Corpus turnovers on the first three Sharks drives of the game, then Kellett threw eight, 26, and 19-yard TD-passes to Coco Blalock (2) and Jermaine Carpenter (1).
200 TD'S FOR KELLETT
Josh Kellett's first TD pass this season was the 200th of his af2 career.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 - Marty Hammond returns for his second season as head coach.
3 - The number of times the Dorados played both Corpus Christi and Laredo. Rio went 6-0 against the expansion two clubs.
4 - The previous team record for consecutive games won, broken May 26, 2007 vs. Amarillo.
6 - The franchise record for TD receptions in game (George Williams, 4/14/07).
11 - The most TD's scored by Rio in one game (4/14/07 vs. Laredo, 4/8/06 vs. Tulsa, 7/21/07 vs. Lubbock)
13 - Rio's total sacks on June 9 vs. Texas, a new af2 record.
23 - Marty Hammond's wins as Dorados Head Coach.
29 - The team record for pass receptions in a game, set by Josh Kellett set May 26, 2007, vs. Amarillo.
36 - The old franchise record for sacks in one season.
66 - The Dorados and af2 record for sacks in a season.
66 - The record for most points RGV scored on the road, most recently in the season opener vs. Corpus Christi (66-28).
78 - The record for most points scored in a game, set June 30, 2007, vs. Corpus Christi.
217 - The most reception yards in one Dorados game, set by Dwight Counter on June 11, 2005, at Tulsa.
10,648 - Josh Kellett's career passing yards entering this season.
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