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May 28, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Storm (6-6) bring their top-ranked defense into Georgia (7-5) to take on the Force with the league's No. 1 offense Saturday night at The Arena at Gwinnett Center - 7:00 p.m. (620 AM-WDAE). In a league in which offense dominates Head Coach Tim Marcum will match wits with Doug Plank to see which side of the ball will dominate.

With nine receptions last week, Storm receiver Lawrence Samuels has 986 career receptions and needs just six to break Barry Wagner's Arena Football League record of 991. Samuels will look to break the record this week against the Force, and is in striking distance to become the first player in AFL history to hit 1,000 career receptions.

With both the Storm and the Force winning last week, the Southern Division is quickly tightening up with four games remaining in the season. Saturday's match-up proves crucial to the divisional standings. Something's got to give in a game against a Tampa Bay team who has turned the tide and won four of their last five and a Georgia team that has won four straight.

Georgia's top-ranked offense, led by quarterback Chris Greisen, has been potent this season in finding ways to put points on the board. Until last week's 40-29 win over the New Orleans VooDoo, the Force had scored 60 or more points in seven consecutive games. They have, however, given up 60 or more in five of their last six.

Greisen racks up the points and the touchdowns courtesy of his three-headed receiving core. Tiger Jones, a rookie, leads the team with 24 touchdowns. Troy Bergeron, one of the veterans at age 24, is a solid second in all receiving categories and can be counted on to make the big play. Finally, Carl Morris leads the team with 90 receptions and 1,015 yards.

The powerful Force offense will be tested as they are pitted against the Storm's top-ranked defense. Georgia's Greisen is the only quarterback to put up more than 300 yards against Tampa Bay this season, during the Storm's 69-48 Week 2 victory. In order to contain Greisen, he has not been sacked for 242 consecutive pass plays; the defensive line will need to bring pressure from the edge, most notably from Tom Briggs and Kelvin Kinney. Rayshun Reed and Traco Rachal, in the defensive backfield, will also need to make themselves known by being aggressive and making big plays.

Defensively, Georgia is led by lineman Ernest Allen. Allen leads the Force pass rush with 8.5 tackles for a loss. He and Jermaine Smith, with six tackles for a loss, will need to be contained by Tampa Bay's offensive line. Finally, Georgia's young linebacker, Cam Newton, has shown a knack for making big plays and leads the team with four interceptions.

With Tampa Bay's Hank Edwards resting a sore right heel, rookie receiver Tyrone Timmons made his Storm debut last week against Cleveland. Timmons looked strong, catching seven passes for 69 yards and three touchdowns. It has not been determined yet which young player will step in for Saturday's game.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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