Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes
May 12, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Macon Knights (5-1) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (5-0)
Date: May 17, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Von Braun Center (6,642)
National Anthem: Jennifer Franz
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Marc Curles (Referee), Chris Hughes (Umpire), Dirk Bell (Head Linesman), Andy Britton (Line Judge), Rob Skelton(Back Judge)
Radio: WUMP 730 (Doug Franz)
TV: None
Series Record: Series Tied at 1-1.
Last Meeting: The Knights won the last meeting 58-48 in Huntsville on July 17, 2002.
Streaks: Vipers W4, Knights L2
Coaches: Kevin Guy (18-3; 0-1 playoffs, Second season) Kevin Porter (2-3, Fourth Season)
THE STAKES: The Vipers have a chance to go 6-0 on the season and 3-0 at home. They can stay in the lead in the South Division and remain the only undefeated team in af2.
THE SERIES: This will be the third meeting between the two teams. The two teams split last season with each winning on the road. The Vipers won 50-47 on April 27, 2002 in Macon and the Knights won 58-48 on July 27 in Huntsville.
THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Macon, it would ...
· Give Tennessee Valley a 2-1 record vs Macon
· Give Tennessee Valley a 3-0 road record in 2003
· Give Kevin Guy a 19-3 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 an 18-3 regular season record. He is 9-1 on the road and 8-2 at home. Macon's Kevin Porter is 39-18 in his third season as head coach of the Knights and fourth overall in af2. He served as the head coach for the Pensacola Barracudas in 2000.
LAST SERIES MEETING: John Rayborn completed 31-40 passes for 294 yards and seven touchdowns as Macon beat Tennessee Valley 58-48 in the final regular season game for both teams last season. Jacques Rumph caught 10 passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Jermaine Alfred completed 21-38 passes for 279 yards and six touchdowns but threw three interceptions. Reggie Worthy caught six passes for 55 yards and one touchdown. The Vipers beat the Knights 50-47 earlier in the season in Macon.
SERIES NOTABLES: The series is tied at 1-1 with each winning on the road. The Vipers won 50-47 at Macon on April 27, 2002 while the Knights won 58-48 in Huntsville on July 27, 2002. Knights head coach Kevin Porter is 2-1 against the Vipers with a win in 2000 as the head coach of the Barracudas.
FAMILIAR FACES: Macon head coach Kevin Porter coached Viper head coach Kevin Guy in 2001 when Porter was the defensive back coach for the Orlando Predators and Guy was traded to Orlando from New Jersey.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Kevin Guy, on Macon: "It is definitely a huge game. The winner will be in first in the division. We can either go up two games or be tied with them and they would have the tiebreaker. Hopefully our guys haven't forgotten the game from last year. I am sure it will be an emotional game for both sides."
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 47 yards receiving to reach 1,000 for his career.
DROPBACK: Matt Sauk completed 26-34 passes for 288 yards and six touchdowns and Ronney Daniels caught seven passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns as the Viper beat the Bossier City Battle Wings 66-55 for the second consecutive week.
FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers will host the Cape Fear Wildcats on May 24 and travel to Columbus to take on the Wardogs on May 31.
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, 1,037 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 four games as a Viper. He has rushed for two touchdowns, caught 15 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns and recorded 10.5 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 48 yards and three touchdowns, caught two passes for 41 yards, recorded 17.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two pass break ups, five quarterback hits, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels had a career day last Friday at Bossier City. He caught seven passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted a pass on defense. He is second on the team with 19 receptions for 322 yards and seven touchdowns and has also recorded 7.5 tackles, two interceptions, 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 17-1 record over that time. Matt Sauk is a perfect 11-0 on the road as the Vipers quarterback, 8-0 in 2001and 3-0 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 106 passes for 2,587 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 with 21.
Ross makes immediate impact: In his first five games with the Vipers, defensive specialist Ernest Ross continues to improve. He has recorded 25.0 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.
Lewis ties a Viper record: Mark Lewis tied the Viper record for field goals made in a game with three last week at Bossier City. The record was set by Michael Proctor on April 7, 2000 against the Norfolk Nighthawks in the first ever home game for the Vipers. The three field goals were the first ones he has made this season with all four misses coming from over 50 yards. He also made all seven extra points making him 30-35 on the season.
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 were penalized 13 times on May 3 for a total of 80 yards. They were only flagged two times for 10 yards on the rematch last week.
Third Down: Here is a break down of third and fourth down on the season:
Player Third Down Fourth Down
Vipers 14/31 (45%) 4/9 (44%)
Opponents 12/31 (39%) 2/10 (20%)
The Red Zone: The Vipers converted 26-33 opportunities will all 23 scores being touchdowns. They turned the ball over on downs twice, threw three interceptions and fumbled twice. They have held their opponents to 17-28, 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 15.0
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. 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 18 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns. He has at least one touchdown reception in all three games.
Viper Records Broken or Tied 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
Field Goals Made in a Game: Mark Lewis tied Michael Proctor (vs Norfolk 4/7/00) with 3 at Bossier City 5/9/03.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Vipers Offense vs Macon Defense: The Vipers enter with one of the top offenses in the league while Macon enters with the number one scoring defense, number two in total defense and number three in pass defense.
Vipers WR/LBs, Ronney Daniels and Calvin Hall: Last week at Bossier City, the wide receiver/linebacker duo of Calvin Hall and Ronney Daniels caught 10 passes for 174 yards and five touchdowns. They also added 3.0 tackles, one interception and two pass break ups.
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 12, 2003
- Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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