Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes
April 7, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Quad City Steamwheelers (0-1) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (1-0)
Date: Friday, April 11, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Von Braun Center Arena (6,642)
National Anthem: Sharon Hancock
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Randal Beesely (Referee), Brent Sowell (Umpire), Kevin Bradley (Head Linesman), Rusty Baynes (Line Judge), Wayne Gautney (Back Judge)
Radio: WUMP 730 (Doug Franz)
TV: None
Series Record: Quad City leads the all-time series 4-1
Last Meeting: The two teams split the series last year. The Vipers won 60-40 in Quad City on June 8 and the Steamwheelers won 48-38 in Huntsville on June 22.
Streaks: Vipers W1, Steamwheelers L1
Coaches: Kevin Guy (14-3; 0-1 playoffs, Second season) Rich Ingold (10-7, Second Season)
THE STAKES: The Vipers have a chance to go 2-0 on the season and keep the Steamwheelers winless for 2003. The Vipers can also get their first win at home over Quad City.
THE SERIES: This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams. The Steamwheelers lead 4-1. They swept the series in 2000 and the only game in 2001. The teams split the series last season with each winning on the others home field. The two also met in the ArenaCup Championship Game in 2000, Quad City won 68-59.
THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Quad City, it would ...
· Give Tennessee Valley a 2-4 record vs Quad City
· Give Tennessee Valley a 1-0 home record in 2003
· Give Kevin Guy a 15-3 record as a coach
· Give Tennessee Valley their first win at home over Quad City
HEAD COACHES: Viper head coach Kevin Guy is in his second season and the helm. He has led the Vipers to a 14-3 regular season record. He is 8-1 on the road and 6-2 at home. Quad City's Rich Ingold is also in his second season with the Steamwheelers. He is 10-7 overall.
LAST SERIES MEETING: Mike Cawley completed 14-29 passes for 157 yards and four touchdowns as the Steamwheelers jumped out early and held on for a 48-38 win in Huntsville on June 22, 2002. The Vipers turned the ball over five times including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Kelly Fields caught seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns and Kelly Snell intercepted three passes for the Vipers.
SERIES NOTABLES: The Steamwheelers are 3-0 in Huntsville and have outscored the Vipers 187-121 in those three games.
FAMILIAR FACES: Vipers offensive specialist, Xavier Patterson, spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons as a member of the Steamwheelers.
TENNESSEE VALLEY INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
DS Kenny Bailey Broke Right Foot Out
OS Michael James Broke Finger Out
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Kevin Guy, on the Florida game: "Neither team played well. We are happy to come out of there with a win. I told our team after a game that we will never apologize for a win."
Andy Fuller, on the Quad City rivalry: "It is just one of those games that you get up for, like Birmingham. It will be a little different this year with Xavier on our side. I think the fans enjoy this rivalry just as much as we do."
MILESTONES: With one win, head coach Kevin Guy will tie Bret Munsey as the Vipers all-time winningest coach in Viper history. Guy has 14 wins, Munsey finished with 15.
Reggie Worthy needs 20 yards receiving to reach the 1,000 mark and needs one receiving touchdown to move into second place in Viper history. He also needs two yards rushing to reach 200.
Matt Sauk needs nine touchdown passes to reach 100 in his career.
DROPBACK: The Vipers fell behind 12-0 at Florida but rallied and came home with a 42-31 win.
FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers travel to Louisville next Saturday night to take on the Fire.
RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
4/7 Assigned Kenyon Hambrick, OS
4/7 Reassigned Rob Green, DS
AFL Experience: Eleven members of the 2003 Vipers have experience in Arena Football League, either in a game, in training camp or on the practice squad.
We're Not Worthy: WR/DB Reggie Worthy pickup up where he left off in the 2002 season. He caught five passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Flordia. He now has 198 yards rushing, 980 yards receiving and is tied for second in Viper history with 22 touchdown receptions. He needs just two yards rushing and 20 receiving to become the first Viper to have 200 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving.
Rushing Yards Receiving Yards
Reggie Worthy 198 980
Sack Prevention: Viper quarterback, Matt Sauk, was only sacked only five times in 2001 and two of those he tripped and fell. He was not sacked at Florida last week.
JJ is "Dynamite": Wide Receiver/Defensive Back, Jerrian James was dynamite in his first game with the Hiss. He rushed four times for 11 yards, both career highs, and one touchdown. He also recorded 6.0 tackles and one fumble recovery. He played all of the second half both ways as Xavier Patterson went down with an injured hamstring.
Welcome Jimmy: Fullback/Linebacker, Jimmy Freeman, recorded 3.0 tackles, one tackle for loss of one yard, one pass break up, one fumble recovery two forced fumbles.
Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels caught three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown and recorded 1.5 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble in his Viper debut. The former Auburn Tiger could be force for the Vipers this season.
Secondary Experience: The three defensive backs currently on the Vipers roster, all have AFL experience. Chazz Moore (Los Angeles), Ernest Ross (Detroit) and Rob Green (New York) all spent time in the AFL.
Road Sweet Road: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have only lost one road game in the past two seasons compiling a 16-1 record over that time. In 2001, Matt Sauk led the Vipers to a perfect 8-0 road record and is 1-0 so far this season.
Center of Attention: David Sucura and Chris Bell are the first Viper centers in three years to return although both almost didn't. Bell went to camp with the Carolina Cobras and Sucura went to camp with the Buffalo Destroyers earlier this season.
"X" Factor: Xavier Patterson is in his fourth year in af2 but will be in his first season playing the offensive specialist position. The former Steamwheeler and Stealth WR/DB has caught 91 passes for 2,464 yards and 56 tds and returned 22 missed field goals for 333 yards and 54 kickoffs for 1,114 yards and two touchdowns.
Hall's Career Day: Calvin Hall had a career day at Florida catching six passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. The receptions and receiving yards are both career highs. He also broke the Viper record for the longest reception with a 49-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
Ross makes immediate impact: In his first game with the Vipers, defensive specialist Ernest Ross made an immediate impact on the game. He recorded 5.0 tackles and intercepted his first pass of the season.
Playmaker is back: After almost deciding not to play in the 2003 season, Andy "Playmaker" Fuller changed his mind and joined the Vipers last week. After starting a new job, he thought he would not have the time but just missed being on the field. The Vipers would have missed the following numbers, 39 receptions, 381 yards, 22 touchdowns, 55.0 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He recorded a tackle at Florida and broke up a pass.
Big Shoes to Fill: Viper kicker, Mark Lewis has big shoes to fill in replacing all-af2 first team kicker, Todd Latourette. Lewis converted 5-6 extra points in the season opener and missed his only field goal from 60 yards.
Fumble!!!: The fumble bug has hit the Vipers once again as we start the 2003 season. The Vipers put the ball on the ground two times at Florida and lost both of them.
Flag on the Play: The Vipers were penalized 12 times at Florida last week, while the Firecats were penalized nine times. The Vipers lost 71 yards on penalties.
Third Down: The Firecats converted 5-7 third down attempts last week, but the Vipers held them to 0-2 on fourth down. Here is a break down of third and fourth down on the season:
Player Third Down Fourth Down
Vipers 1/8 (12%) 3/5 (60%)
Opponents 5/7 (71%) 0/2 (0%)
TOP: The Vipers led the Time of Possession over the Firecats last weekend 32:16 to 26:40.
The Red Zone: The Vipers converted 4-5 opportunities will all four scores being touchdowns. They turned the ball over on downs the other time. They held the Firecats to 3-5, forcing a fumble and a turnover on downs.
Sack Record: Two Vipers are chasing the current Viper sack leader Eugene Phillips:
Player Sacks
Eugene Phillips 14.0
Heath Springer 12.5
Andy Fuller 11.5
Curtis Jeter 11.0
Completion Record: Matt Sauk broke the Viper career completions record last week at Florida. He now owns every Viper passing record including the longest completion, which he broke with a 49-yd touchdown pass to Calvin Hall. Sauk is just nine touchdown passes away from 100 in his career.
Player Comp. Atts Yards TDs
Bryan Snyder 354 567 3,838 61
Matt Sauk 372 610 4,412 91
Viper Records Broken in 2003:
Most Completions in a career: Matt Sauk 372. Old Record: Bryan Snyder 354.
Longest Completion: Matt Sauk 49-yards at Florida 4/5/03
Longest Reception: Calvin Hall 49-yards at Florida 4/5/03
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Vipers DS Ernest Ross: In his Tennessee Valley Vipers debut, Ross recorded 5.0 tackles, one interception and four pass break ups.
Vipers WR/LBs: The Viper wide receiver/linebacker combination of Calvin Hall and Ronney Daniels caught nine passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns last week at Florida. They also recorded 3.5 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Vipers FB/LB Jimmy Freeman: Fullback/Linebacker, Jimmy Freeman recorded 3.0 tackles, one tackle for a loss of one yard, one pass break up, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles in his first game with the Vipers.
KEY DATES IN VIPER HISTORY:
March 31, 2000: Vipers get first ever win with a 59-18 victory over Birmingham.
April 8, 2000: Vipers get their first home win over Norfolk 48-15.
August 10, 2000: Vipers fall 68-59 to the Quad City Steamwheelers in the ArenaCup Championship.
April 7, 2001: Vipers get their first win in the 2001 season with a 55-14 win over Memphis.
July 21, 2001: Vipers rally from a 34-point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat Arkansas 56-55.
July 30, 2001: Vipers beat Tallahassee 70-52 in the first round of the af2 playoffs.
August 4, 2001: Vipers fall 51-50 to the Richmond Speed in overtime in the af2 semifinals.
April 6, 2002: Vipers beat Arkansas 37-28 for their first win of the 2002 season.
April 11, 2002: Vipers win their 11th straight road game 57-46 at Memphis to break the af2 record.
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United Indoor Football Association Stories from April 7, 2003
- Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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