Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes
May 5, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Tennessee Valley Vipers (4-0) at Bossier City Battle Wings (2-3)
Date: May 9, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: CenturyTel Center (12,500)
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Ken Antee (Referee), Scott Brown (Umpire), Curtis Graham (Head Linesman), Brit Choate(Line Judge), Jimmy Buchanan(Back Judge)
Radio: WUMP 730 (Doug Franz)
TV: None
Series Record: Vipers lead the series 2-1 and are 1-0 in Bossier City.
Last Meeting: The Vipers won the last meeting 33-21 in Huntsville on May 3, 2003.
Streaks: Vipers W4, Battle Wings L2
Coaches: Kevin Guy (17-3; 0-1 playoffs, Second season) Chad Carlson (2-3, First Season)
THE STAKES: The Vipers have a chance to go 5-0 on the season and 3-0 on the road. They can stay in the lead in the South Division and remain the only undefeated team in af2.
THE SERIES: This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams. The Vipers won last week against the Battle Wings 33-21 in Huntsville. The two teams split the meetings in 2001 with each winning on the road. The Vipers won 74-44 in Bossier City on June 16 and the Battle Wings won in Huntsville on July 14.
THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Bossier City, it would ...
· Give Tennessee Valley a 3-1 record vs Bossier City
· Give Tennessee Valley a 3-0 road record in 2003
· Give Kevin Guy a 18-3 record as a coach
· Keep Tennessee Valley as the only undefeated in af2
HEAD COACHES: Viper head coach Kevin Guy is in his second season and the helm. He has led the Vipers to a 17-3 regular season record. He is 9-1 on the road and 8-2 at home.
Bossier City's Chad Carlson is 2-3 in his first season as head coach of the Battle Wings.
LAST SERIES MEETING: The Vipers held the highest scoring offense in the league to just 21 points and won a penalty filled game 33-21 last week in Huntsville. The two teams combined for 27 penalties for a total of 167 yards. Matt Sauk completed 18-27 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Michael James caught eight passes for 66 yards and one touchdown while Jerrian James and Ronney Daniels both caught touchdown passes. Wes Stephens was named Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Game after recording a sack and hitting Battle Wings quarterback Sherard Poteete seven times.
SERIES NOTABLES: The Vipers are 2-1 against the Battle Wings. The two teams will be playing for the second consecutive week. The Vipers won last week 33-21. They are 1-0 in Bossier City winning 74-44 on June 16, 2001. The Battle Wings won in Huntsville on July 14, 2001.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Kevin Guy, on playing the same team back-to-back: "It has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is you know what the other team has and what they are going to try and do. The disadvantage is that they know what you are going to do and you don't have time to change. Bossier City plays well at home so we will have to be ready to play again this week."
MILESTONES:
Reggie Worthy needs four yards rushing to reach 200 yards for his career. He reached the 1,000 yard receiving mark two weeks ago at Louisville. When he gets 200 yards rushing, he will become the first Viper to have 1,000 yards receiving and 200 yards rushing and just the third player in af2 history to reach both marks. Jerrian James needs 87 yards receiving to reach 1,000 for his career.
DROPBACK: The Vipers held the Battle Wings to 21 points and got three touchdown passes from Matt Sauk to beat the Bossier City Battle Wings 33-21 in Huntsville. Jerrian James ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass. Wes Stephens recorded a sack and seven quarterback hits in the win.
FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers will host the Macon Knights on May 17 and the Cape Fear Wildcats on May 24.
RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
5/1 Activated from Long-Term IR Kenny Bailey, DS
5/1 Placed on Suspension Kenyon Hambrick, OS
5/2 Placed on Reassignment Chazz Moore, DS
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
AFL Experience: Nine 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 picked up where he left off in the 2002 season. He now has 196 yards rushing, 1,034 yards receiving and is now second in Viper history with 23 touchdown receptions. He needs just four yards rushing to become the first Viper to have 200 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving.
Sack Prevention: Viper quarterback, Matt Sauk, was only sacked only five times in 2001 and two of those he tripped and fell. He has only been sacked one time this season.
JJ is "Dynamite": Wide Receiver/Defensive Back, Jerrian James has been dynamite in his first three games as a Viper. He has rushed for two touchdowns, caught 10 passes for 191 yards and four touchdowns and recorded 8.0 tackles and a fumble recovery. He missed the Louisville game with a sprained ankle.
FB/LB Production: The Tennessee Valley Vipers are getting plenty of production from the fullback/linebacker position. The trio of Jimmy Freeman, Marvin Strong and Dedric Maffet has rushed for 46 yards and three touchdowns, caught two passes for 41 yards, recorded 13.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two pass break ups, five quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles.
Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels has caught 12 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 15.5 yards per catch and has caught at least one touchdown pass in every Vipers game. He has also recorded 6.0 tackles, one interception, two pass break ups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Secondary Experience: Both Viper defensive backs have AFL experience, Kenny Bailey (New Jersey) and Ernest Ross (Detroit).
Road Sweet Road: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have only lost one road game in the past three seasons compiling a 16-1 record over that time. Matt Sauk is a perfect 10-0 on the road as the Vipers quarterback, 8-0 in 2001 and 2-0 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 now caught 103 passes for 2,577 yards and 57 TDs and returned 24 missed field goals for 367 yards and 57 kickoffs for 1,180 yards and two touchdowns. He played in his first game as a wide receiver/defensive back at Louisville and intercepted a pass.
Hall's Career Day: Calvin Hall had a career day at Florida catching seven passes for 97 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. He currently leads the Vipers in receptions (18), receiving yards (224) and receiving touchdowns (4).
Ross makes immediate impact: In his first four games with the Vipers, defensive specialist Ernest Ross made an immediate impact with the team. He has recorded 18.0 tackles, intercepted two passes and broke up nine. He returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown against Quad City.
Playmaker is back: After almost deciding not to play in the 2003 season, Andy "Playmaker" Fuller changed his mind and joined the Vipers before the Florida game. The Vipers would have missed the following numbers, 40 receptions, 397 yards, 22 touchdowns, 56.0 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He has recorded 1.0 tackle, one pass break up and two quarterback hits in two games.
Big Shoes to Fill: Viper kicker, Mark Lewis has big shoes to fill in replacing all-af2 first team kicker, Todd Latourette. Lewis has converted 23-28 extra points in the season opener and missed his only field goal attempts all have been from over 50 yards.
Fumble!!!: The Vipers have fumbles the ball seven times and lost six this season. They are -3 in the turnover margin.
Flag on the Play: The Vipers and the Battle Wings were penalized 27 times last week for a total of 168 yards.
Third Down: Here is a break down of third and fourth down on the season:
Player Third Down Fourth Down
Vipers 11/24 (46%) 3/8 (38%)
Opponents 12/28 (43%) 0/8 (0%)
The Red Zone: The Vipers converted 20-27 opportunities will all 20 scores being touchdowns. They turned the ball over on downs, threw three interceptions, fumbled twice, and turned the ball over on downs twice. They have held their opponents to 13-24, intercepting three passes, forcing a fumble, and holding on downs three times.
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 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. Two weeks ago at Louisville he completed his 400th pass, went over the 5,000 yard mark in passing and went over the 100 touchdown mark.
Michael Makes Presence Known: After missing the first two games with a broke finger, offensive specialist Michael James, has caught 13 passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns.
Viper Records Broken in 2003:
Most Completions in a career: Matt Sauk 432. 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 Offense and Battle Wings Offense: Last week two of the top offenses in the league combined to score only 54 points. .
Vipers OL/DL, Wes Stephens: Stephens recorded 1.0 sack last week vs the Battle Wings, but he hit quarterback Sherard Poteete seven times during the game.
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 May 5, 2003
- Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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