Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes
May 19, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Cape Fear Wildcats (5-1) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (6-0)
Date: May 24, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CST
Site: Von Braun Center (6,642)
National Anthem: Member of the Military
Coin Toss: Local War Hero
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: First Meeting.
Last Meeting: First Meeting.
Streaks: Vipers W4, Knights L2
Coaches: Kevin Guy (19-3; 0-1 playoffs, Second season) Chris Siegfried (18-4; 2-1 playoffs, Second Season)
THE STAKES: The Vipers have a chance to go 7-0 on the season for the first time in team history and 4-0 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 first ever meeting between the two teams.
THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Cape Fear, it would ...
· Give Tennessee Valley a 1-0 record vs Cape Fear
· Give Tennessee Valley a 4-0 home record in 2003
· Give Kevin Guy his 20th win
· Keep Tennessee Valley as the only undefeated in af2
· Give Tennessee Valley a 7-0 record for the first time in team history
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. Cape Fear's Chris Siegfried is 18-4 in his second season as head coach of the Wildcats.
LAST SERIES MEETING: This is the first meeting between the two teams.
SERIES NOTABLES: This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. Common opponents are Cape Fear and Macon. Both teams beat Macon, while Cape Fear lost at Bossier City and the Vipers swept Bossier City.
FAMILIAR FACES: Cape Fear quarterback, Bryan Snyder, led the Vipers to the 2000 ArenaCup. He completed 354-567 passes for 3,838 yards and 61 touchdowns that season. He also rushed for 11 touchdowns.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Kevin Guy, on the Viper defense: "We're starting to get a lot of pass pressure and our DBs have been covering better. Those two things go hand-in-hand in a good defense. We have a longs ways to go but we are starting to come together as a team."
Jimmy Freeman, on recovering a fumble for a touchdown last week: "We pinned our ears and Wes (Stephens) and those guys got great push and I was in the right place at the right time to get the ball."
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. He also needs 10 receptions to reach the 100 mark. Jerrian James needs 36 yards receiving to reach 1,000 for his career.
DROPBACK: Matt Sauk completed 15-28 passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns and Reggie Worthy caught nine passes for 132 yards and one touchdown as the Viper beat the Macon Knights 56-36. Calvin Hall added two touchdown receptions and the Vipers scored two defensive touchdowns in the win.
FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers will travel to Columbus to take on the Wardogs on May 31and host the Wichita Stealth on June 7.
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.
Touchdown Matt: Viper quarterback, Matt Sauk, has picked up where he left off the 2001 season when he threw an af2 record 86 touchdown passes. Through six games he has thrown 30 and has a completion percentage of 64.6. He has a 106.81 quarterback rating.
We're Not Worthy: WR/DB Reggie Worthy picked up where he left off in the 2002 season. He now has 196 yards rushing, 1,169 yards receiving and is now second in Viper history with 24 touchdown receptions. He needs just four yards rushing to become the first Viper to have 200 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving.
Sauk not Sack: 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 16 passes for 242 yards and five touchdowns and recorded 16.0 tackles, four pass break ups, a forced fumble 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 56 yards and four touchdowns, caught two passes for 41 yards, recorded 20.5 tackles, 2.0 sacks, three pass break ups, six quarterback hits, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels had a career day at Bossier City. He caught seven passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted a pass on defense. He is third on the team with 20 receptions for 343 yards and eight touchdowns and has also recorded 8.0 tackles, two interceptions, two pass break ups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He has at least on touchdown reception in every game. He was named af2 Ironman of the Week at Bossier City.
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.
Hall's Career Year: Calvin Hall is in his third season with the Vipers and is already setting himself up for a career year. He currently leads the Vipers in receptions with 24, second in receiving yards with 315 and tied for the lead in touchdowns with eight. His career high in receptions for a season is 31 (2002) and he has already passed yards (293-2002) and touchdowns (6-2002).
Ross makes immediate impact: In his first six games with the Vipers, defensive specialist Ernest Ross continues to improve. He has recorded 28.0 tackles, intercepted three passes and broke up 14. He returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown against Quad City.
Playmaker is back: After missing training camp, it took Andy Fuller a couple of games to get his "Playmaker" status back and he did last week vs Macon. He recovered a missed field goal in the endzone as the first half expired for a touchdown and caught a screen pass in the third quarter and proceeded to run over a Macon defensive back.
Lewis ties a Viper record: Mark Lewis tied the Viper record for field goals made in a game with three 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 40 yards. He has made 36-42 extra points.
Fumble!!!: The Vipers have fumbles the ball 10 times and lost eight this season. They are -2 in the turnover margin.
Flag on the Play: The Vipers were penalized 13 times on May 3 for a total of 80 yards. They have only been flagged six times the last two games.
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 27-36 opportunities will 24 scores being touchdowns and three field goals. They turned the ball over on downs twice, threw three interceptions and fumbled four times. They have held their opponents to 20-31, intercepting three passes, forcing a fumble, and holding on downs four times.
Sack Record: Three 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
Wes Stephens 8.0
Wes is on a Sack Streak: Tennessee Valley Vipers defensive end, Wes Stephens is on a sack streak. The former Middle Tennessee State star has recorded a sack in four straight games. One sack resulted in a safety and one forced a fumble that the Vipers recovered for a touchdown.
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.
Auburn vs Alabama: Five members of the Vipers played in one of the most intense college rivalries in the country, Auburn vs Alabama. Calvin Hall and Michael James played at Bama while Reggie Worthy, Ronney Daniels and Andy Fuller played for the Tigers. The Bama group has 42 receptions for 456 yards and eight touchdowns, while the Auburn group has 46 receptions for 643 yards and eight touchdowns. Watch for this rivalry to be as intense as the college game.
Viper Records Broken or Tied in 2003:
Most Completions in a career: Matt Sauk 473. 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 Cape Fear Offense: Both teams enter in the top four in the league in scoring offenses, Cape Fear number three 52.8 points per game and the Vipers number four 52.2 points per game.
Vipers DE Wes Stephens: Wes Stephens has recorded one sack in the last four games. He recorded a safety with the sack at Bossier City two weeks ago and forced a fumble on a sack last week vs Macon that the Vipers recovered for a touchdown.
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 19, 2003
- Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes - Tennessee Valley Raptors
- Vipers to Honor Military on May 24 - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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