South Georgia Wildcats Game Notes
June 8, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
South Georgia Wildcats News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Florida Firecats (8-1)
at South Georgia Wildcats (2-7)
Date: Saturday, June 11, 2005
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Albany Civic Center (8,034)
Officials: RUSTY WYNN (Referee), CHRIS HUGHES (Umpire), JEFF HEASER (Head Linesman), HAROLD MITCHELL (Line Judge), RONNIE STEWART (Back Judge)
Radio: WRAK Magic 97.3 FM (Dan Crowder & David Daniels)
Series Record: South Georgia and Florida have met 6 times with both teams racking up 3 games each
Last Meeting: April 23, 2005: Wildcats 37 at Firecats 42
Streaks: Wildcats L3; Firecats W3
Coaches:
SOUTH GEORGIA: Chris Siegfried (37-20; 3-3 playoffs 4th season)
FLORIDA: Kevin Bouis (8-1; 1st season)
THE STAKES: The Wildcats look to snap their three game losing streak against the defending ArenaCup champion Florida Firecats. The Wildcats are coming off a 63-69 loss to the Amarillo Dusters while the Firecats defeated the Birmingham Steeldogs 56-40. At 2-7, the Wildcats are in the eight spot for the American Conference playoffs and the Firecats are sitting atop the leader board at 8-1.
THE SERIES:
Florida 43 at Cape Fear 29.......................................8/17/02*
Cape Fear 45 at Florida 31....................................... 5/31/03
Florida 52 at Cape Fear 35......................................... 7/5/03
Cape Fear 55 at Florida 35....................................... 4/24/04
Florida 49 at Cape Fear 57....................................... 6/19/04
South Georgia 37 at Florida 42................................. 4/23/05
* Third round of the 2002 af2 ArenaCup Playoffs
THE IFs:
If SOUTH GEORGIA defeats FLORIDA, it would ...
⢠Give South Georgia an overall record of 3-7
⢠Give South Georgia a 2-3 overall record at the Albany Civic Center
⢠Give South Georgia a 4-3 series lead over the Firecats
⢠Give South Georgia 3-3 record against South Division opponents
SOUTH GEORGIA WILDCATS (2-7, STREAK: L3)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/9 MACON L 41-52
4/15 @ LOUISVILLE L 46-48
4/23 @ FLORIDA L 35-42
4/30 ALBANY L 39-48
5/7 @ BIRMINGHAM W 69-49
5/14 ARKANSAS W 62-48
5/20 @ MANCHESTER L 21-46
5/28 RIO GRANDE L 37-39
6/4 @AMARILLO L 63-69
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/11 FLORIDA 7:30 W3 3-3
6/18 @ ARKANSAS 8:00 L2 1-0
6/25 WILKES BARRE 7:30 W1 1-3
7/8 @ ALBANY 7:30 W1 5-1
7/16 BIRMINGHAM 7:30 L1 2-0
7/23 @ MACON 7:30 L1 3-1
7/30 GREEN BAY 7:30 L2 0-0
FLORIDA FIRECATS (8-1, STREAK: W3)
Date Opponent Result Score
4/1 @ Macon W 35-32
4/8 @ Manchester W 32-26
4/16 RIO GRANDE VALLEY W 63-30
4/23 SOUTH GEORGIA W 42-37
4/30 @ Arkansas W 68-50
5/14 @ Bossier City L 22-28
5/21 @ Louisville W 47-43
5/28 AMARILLO W 69-63
6/4 BIRMINGHAM W 56-40
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
6/11 @ South Georgia 7:30 L2 3-3
6/18 MANCHESTER 7:30 W8 2-0
6/25 MACON 7:30 L1 6-5
7/9 ARKANSAS 7:30 L2 1-0
7/16 WB/SCRANTON 7:30 W1 0-0
7/23 @ Green Bay 8:00 L2 0-0
7/30 @ Birmingham 8:00 L1 3-3
HEAD COACHES: CHRIS SIEGFRIED enters his fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats. Last season, Siegfried guided the Wildcats to a 12-4 record and a trip to their third straight playoff appearance. The Wildcats averaged 53 points per game in '04. In the 2003 season, the Wildcats averaged 51 points per game and were crowned Atlantic division champions with an overall record of 10-7. In his first season as head coach, Siegfried led the expansion Wildcats to a 15-4 overall record, an Atlantic division title and an appearance in the American Conference championship. Prior to joining the Wildcat, Siegfried served as the Offensive Coordinator for the Macon Knights during the 2001 season.
Siegfried began his playing career in 1992 with the Orlando Predators in the AFL. He then signed with the Miami Hooters in 1993 before leaving to play for the Taipei Dragons of the UFL. In the 1995 he joined the Baltimore Stallions of the CFL.
Siegfried returned to arenafootball in 2000 as a wide receiver / defensive back for the af2's Augusta Stallions. In his final season of professional football, Siegfried had 65 receptions for 709-yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 49 tackles and one interception.
Coach Siegfried has performed stunts for the movie "The Waterboy" and most recently is seen in the Cuba Gooden Jr. film "Radio" as an assistant coach.
LAST SERIES MEETING:
April 23, 2005: Wildcats 37 at Firecats 42
The Wildcats put up 20 points in the fourth quarter but the comeback was not enough as the defending ArenaCup champion Florida Firecats defeated the Wildcats 37-42. The Wildcats trailed at the half 14-21 and managed to only score three points in the third quarter as the Firecats racked up 14 points.
Wildcats quarterback BOBBY PESAVENTO attempted 52 passes and completed 31 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. WR/LB CHRIS MCKINNEY led all receivers with 13 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 3.5 tackles and one pass break-up. OS ADRIAN COCKFIELD had eight receptions for 71 yards and one score and WR/DB LARICO COLE caught five balls for 80 yards and tow touchdowns. FB/LB CLENTON COCHRAN led the defense in tackles with 7.5 and DS LEO FENCEROY added 4.5 tackles and two pass break-ups.
The Firecats ran all over the Wildcats defense rushing for 81 yards on 14 carries. The rushing attack was led by FB/LB STEVE GORRIE who rushed for 52 yards on nine carries. Former Wildcats quarterback CHRIS WALLACE finished the night 16-of-27 for 135 yards, six touchdowns and rushed for 15 yards. Wallace's main target on the night was OS MAGIC BENTON who caught six passes for 85 yards and four touchdowns. WR/DB BRENT BURNSIDE added one catch for 21 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively the Firecats were led by DS KELLY SNELL who totaled 12 tackles and five pass break-ups. The Firecats defensive squad totaled 15 pass break-ups against the Wildcats.
FAMILIAR FACES:
FIRECAT TO WILDCAT:
⢠OL/DL TANAKA SCOTT: Scott saw action in five games with the Firecats last season. As a member of the ArneaCup championship team, Scott totaled 5.5 tackles and recovered two fumbles.
⢠OL/DL BRIAN DEVINE: Devine totaled 1.5 tackles in two games last season with the Firecats.
WILDCAT TO FIRECAT:
⢠QB CHRIS WALLACE: In seven games last season with the Wildcats, Wallace was 87-of-141 for 1,204 yards and 28 touchdowns with five interceptions. He averaged 172 passing yards per game and had a quarterback rating of 113.
⢠QB MIKE GLUSKI: Gluski returned to the Wildcats during the 2004 season and led the Wildcats to an 8-1 record. He finished the season 193-of-321 for 2,274 yards and 47 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. In 2002 with the Wildcats, Gluski was 194-of-367 for 2,213 yards and 41 touchdowns and led the Wildcats to 10 straight victories.
⢠WR/LB XAVIER PATTERSON: Had one interception in one game last season for the Wildcats.
⢠FB/LB MIKE LEVY: In 15 games last season, Levy rushed for 60 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. He also added 15.5 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the WILDCATS and FIRECATS stack up:
Statistical SOUTH GEORGIA FLORIDA
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 15 46.1pts/g 10 48.2 pts/g
Scoring Defense 9 49.0 pts/g 3 38.8 pts/g
Total Offense 4 281.0 yds/g 9 263.2 yds/g
Total Defense 1 206.9 yds/g 13 269.1 yds/g
Pass Offense 1 275.7 yds/g 18 215.4 yds/g
Pass Defense 1 175.6 yds/g 17 257.4 yds/g
Rushing Offense 20 5.3 yds/g 1 47.8 yds/g
Rushing Defense 17 31.3 yds/g 2 11.7 yds/g
Scoring (Non-Kick) 13 415 pts. 9 434 pts.
Scoring (Kicking) 17 45 pts. 13 52 pts.
Pass Rating 13 92.1 5 110.1
Pass Def. Rating 11 101.6 5 91.9
Kickoff Returns 20 12.0 18 16.5
MFG Returns 4 19.8 19 8.0
Turnover Margin 18 -10 6 +3
Field Goals 12 2-9/.222 20 1-11/.091
PAT Kicking 12 39-55/.709 6 49-58/.845
Sacks By 11 10 15 8
Sacks Against 5 6 1 3
First Downs 7 175 9 169
Opp. First Downs 2 146 9 162
Penalties 8 56.3 yds/g 1 40.9 yds/g
Opp. Penalties 18 49.6 yds/g 17 50.7 yds/g
DROPBACK:
June 4, 2005: Wildcats 63 at Dusters 69
The Wildcats dropped their third straight against the Amarillo Dusters 63-69. Back-up quarterback BRIAN ZBYDNIEWSKI came in the game in the fourth quarter for the injured BOBBY PESAVENTO and led the Wildcats to four scores. Zbydniewski finished the game 8-of-16 for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Pesavento went down in the fourth with a knee injury and ended the night 22-of-38 for 252 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
OS MATT BURSTEIN led all receivers with 11 catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Burstein was named Offensive Player of the Game. WR/DB ANTOWNE SAVAGE had seven receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown and returned five kickoffs for 95 yards and WR/DB TOREY DAY had six catches for 81 yards and two scores.
Defensively the Wildcats were led by WR/DB ROB KEEFE who had 3.5 tackles and one interception for 31 yards.
The Dusters tied an af2 record with seven rushing touchdowns. Quarterback JULIAN REESE rushed for 29 yards on seven carries and four touchdowns. His four touchdowns was one shy of tying the af2 record for most rushing touchdowns in a game (five player are tied with five: most recent- Josh White, Hawaii May 10, 2003). DEWAYNE MILES ran four times for 27 yards and two touchdowns and CHAVIS MCCOLLISTER ran for the other score.
Reese completed just eight passes for 79 yards and connected with WR/DB CRAIG FULTON on his only touchdown pass of the game. Fulton finished the night with three catches for 43 yards.
DS CHARLES DAVIS led the Dusters defenders with seven tackles (6UA, 2A) and one interception. KENDRICK WALKER earned Defensive Player of the Game with 3.5 tackles and pick off Pesavento at the end of the second quarter and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.
FORWARD MOTION: The Wildcats will pack their bags and head to Little Rock, Arkansas to face division foe Arkansas Twisters on Saturday, June 18 at 8:00 p.m. The Wildcats and Twisters met in Week 7 with South Georgia getting the best of Arkansas 62-48.
The defending ArenaCup champs will play host to the Manchester Wolves on Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. These two teams met in Week 3 with the Firecats coming away with a victory 32-26.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
PUT ME IN COACH: Last week against the Dusters, back-up quarterback Brian Zbydniewski came in the fourth quarter for the injured Bobby Pesavento and threw four touchdowns in a comeback effort. Down 37-60 late in the fourth, Zbydniewski hooked up with Torey Day for a 25 yard touchdown strike for his first touchdown pass of the season. He finished the night 8-of-16 for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Going into the game, Zbydniewski was 2-of-6 for 17 yards and no touchdowns.
COMING OUT SCORING: The Wildcats finally had a second half scoring burst against Amarillo last week but came up short 63-69. The Wildcats put up 47 second half points in the defeat, in the their two wins this season, the Wildcats scored 34 points in the second half in both of those games. The Wildcats are averaging 21 points in the first half of their games and 25 points in the second half. The âCats did average 24 points in the first half during their first six games but have dropped to 15 points in the first half in their last three outings.
AND OUR RECORD IS 2-7: The Wildcats may be 2-7 but here are some stats that would make it look as though we are 7-2. The âCats lead the league in pass defense allowing only 175.6 passing yards per game (17.4 yards ahead of Bakersfield), passing offense the Wildcats are averaging 275.7 yards per game, total defense the âCats are allowing opponents only 206.9 yards per game (23 yards ahead of Bakersfield) and the Wildcats rank fourth in total offense with 281 yards per game (10 yards behind leader Amarillo).
NOT A RECORD YOU WANT: With their seventh loss of the season, the 2005 Wildcats have set the franchise mark for most losses during the regular season. The previous mark was 10-6 set in 2003; they finished with an overall record of 10-7.
PICKING ON THE AMERICAN CONFERENCE: Not the best category to lead, Wildcats quarterback Bobby Pesavento leads the af2 with 15 interceptions thrown this season. Pesavento has thrown nine picks in his last three games. Rounding out the top five are Arkansas Twisters' Travis Motley (13), Albany Conquest's D. Bryant (12), Green Bay's Johnny Turman and Wilkes-Barre's Kyle Rowley each with 11 and Macon Knight's Lionel Hayes with 10. The six teams that lead the af2 in interceptions are members of the American Conference.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
WILDCATS OS MATT BURSTEIN: Burstein was back to his old ways last week against the Dusters catching 11 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. In five games this season, Burstein has 35 catches for 491 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is averaging 14 yards per catch and 98 receiving yards per game.
WILDCATS WR/DB ANTWONE SAVAGE: âCats rookie Antwone Savage has become one of the Wildcats main targets on offense. Savage has caught 33 passes for 301 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He is averaging 33 receiving yards per game and also has 13 tackles and two pass break-ups.
WILDCATS WR/DB ROB KEEFE: Keefe led the team in tackles with 3.5 and got his first interception of the season last week against Amarillo. On the season, Keefe has 12 receptions for 80 yards and has rushed for three yards and one touchdown. He is second on the squad in tackles with 21 (16UA, 10A), has one interception and eight pass break-ups.
WILDCATS WR/DB TOREY DAY: Day had six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns last week in the loss to Amarillo. In two games, Day has totaled 10 receptions for 150 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging 75 receiving yards per game.
FIRECATS QB CHRIS WALLACE: Wallace is 169-of-279 for 1,944 yards and 50 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He is averaging 216 passing yards per game, has a completion percentage of 60% and has a quarterback rating of 110.72. He also has rushed for 25 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.
FIRECATS FB/LB STEVE GORRIE: Gorrie leads the af2 in rushing with 282 yards (leads by 121 yards) on 63 carries and six touchdowns. Gorrie also has 15.5 tackles, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble.
FIRECATS OS MAGIC BENTON: Benton has 61 receptions (10th in af2) for 747 yards (11th in af2) and 23 touchdowns (4th in af2). He is averaging 83 yards per game and 12.2 yards per catch. He also has returned 15 kickoffs for 199 yards.
FIRECATS WR/DB BRENT BURNSIDE AND CAINON LAMB: This combo has over 500 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. Burnside has 26 receptions for 306 yards and seven touchdowns and also has 23 tackles and two interceptions. After coming out of retirement, Lamb has totaled 20 catches for 243 yards and eight touchdowns in three games. He also has 12 kickoff returns for 200 yards along with three tackles and one interception.
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