Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes
July 21, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Tennessee Valley Vipers (14-1) at Macon Knights (9-6)
Date: July 26, 2003
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CST
Site: Macon Coliseum (7,182)
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Rusty Wynn (Referee), Don Lyles (Umpire), Johnny Crawford (Head Linesman), Trip Self (Line Judge), Greg Brock (Back Judge)
Radio: WUMP 730 (Doug Franz & Art Clarkson)
TV: None
Series Record: Vipers lead 2-1
Last Meeting: The Vipers beat the Knights 56-36 on May 17, 2003.
Streaks: Vipers L1, Knights W1
Coaches: Kevin Guy (27-4; 0-1 playoffs, Second season) Kevin Porter (41-26, Fourth Season)
THE STAKES: The Vipers have a chance to go 15-1 on the season and post the best record in team history. They can also go 7-1 on the road. They can secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
THE SERIES: The Vipers lead the all-time series 2-1 and are 1-0 in Macon with a 50-47 win over the Knights last season.
THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Macon, it would ...
· Give the Vipers the Number 1 overall seed in the af2 playoffs
· Give Tennessee Valley an 3-1 record vs Macon
· Give Tennessee Valley an 7-1 road record in 2003
· Give Tennessee Valley their best regular season record in team history at 15-1
· Give the Vipers their 22nd road win in last 24 games
· Give the Vipers their 42nd win in their last 48 games
HEAD COACHES: Viper head coach Kevin Guy is in his second season and the helm. He has led the Vipers to a 27-4 regular season record. He is 13-2 on the road and 14-2 at home. Macon's Kevin Porter is 41-26 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: Matt Sauk completed 15-28 passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns as the Vipers downed the Knights 56-36 in Huntsville on May 17, 2003. The Vipers jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 35-15 at the half. The Vipers extended the lead to 42-15 early in the third before Macon put back-to-back scores together. Andy Fuller and Jimmy Freeman both recovered fumbles for touchdowns. Reggie Worthy caught nine passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Hall caught two touchdowns while Ronney Daniels and Jerrian James caught one each.
SERIES NOTABLES: The Vipers are 2-1 against the Knights and 1-0 in Macon.
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Kevin Guy, on the Quad City game: "We have got to win at Macon to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. I hope we can get ready to play."
MILESTONES:
Reggie Worthy needs 12 yards rushing to reach 200 yards for his career. He reached the 1,000 yard receiving mark 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.
Calvin Hall is 87 yards receiving away from 1,000 in his career.
Jerrian James is three receptions away from 100 in his career.
Michael James need two receptions and Xavier Patterson needs five receptions for the Vipers to become the first team in af2 history to have six receivers with 40 or more receptions.
Matt Sauk is 12 completions away from 300 for the season, 8 attempts away from 500 for the season and 159 yards away from 4,000 for the season. He is six touchdown passes away from tying his Viper record of 86 he set in 2001.
Mark Lewis needs five extra points made to break the Vipers record for PATs made in a season.
DROPBACK: The Vipers were held to 158 yards of total offense as the Quad City Steamwheelers handed the Vipers their first loss of the season 63-34 in Moline.
FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers will host a second-round playoff game on Friday, August 8.
TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:
Playoff Time: It is almost playoff time for the 2003 season. The Vipers and the Albany Conquest have secured first round byes. Right now Cape Fear would host Macon in a first round game and Mohegan would host Florida. Greensboro @ Norfolk, Florida @ Columbus, Tennessee Valley @ Macon, Memphis @ Cape Fear and Richmond @ Charleston are all games that could impact the final four playoff positions.
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 14 games he has thrown 76 and has a completion percentage of 61.0. He has a 110.9 quarterback rating. He is five touchdown passes behind Quad City's, Tony Zimmerman for the league lead.
We're Not Worthy: WR/DB Reggie Worthy has not had a sophomore slump in his second season with the Vipers. Despite missing three games, he has caught 51 passes for 635 yards and 10 touchdowns. He needs just 12 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 three times this season.
JJ is "Dynamite": James has done a little bit of everything in his first season with the Vipers. He has rushed for 28 yards and four touchdowns, caught 49 passes for 774 yards and 17 touchdowns, returned 33 kickoffs for 720 yards and a touchdown. He has thrown two passes, both to Andy Fuller for touchdowns. He has recorded 40.0 tackles, one interception, eight pass break ups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Fumble: Tennessee Valley fullback/linebacker, Jimmy Freeman, has forced six fumbles and recovered five. He has also rushed for 28 yards and two touchdowns, recorded 4.0 sacks and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
Welcome back Bailey: After missing the first three games with a broke foot, Bailey leads the team in tackles with 75.0, has four interceptions, three returned for touchdowns and 17 pass break ups.
Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels has been impressive in his first season in af2. He has 55 receptions for 855 yards and leads the team with 23 touchdowns. He has recorded 17.0 tackles, two interceptions, four pass break ups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He has a touchdown in every game except one.
"X" Factor: After not being much of a factor in the early part of the season, Xavier "X-Man" Patterson over the last five games. He has caught 17 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. He missed the Memphis game with bruised ribs. Defensive Ernest: WR/DB Ernest Ross moved from his defensive specialist position two weeks ago to a WR/DB spot and played one of his best games at Memphis. He caught one pass for 23 yards and a touchdown and recorded 2.0 tackles and broke up a career-high five passes. He is currently tied for fifth in interceptions in af2 with six and is fifth in pass break ups with 29.
Yo Joe!: In his first three games with the Vipers, defensive specialist Joe Todd has intercepted three passes and broke up nine. The former Mississippi Valley State star started in the secondary for the Grand Rapids Rampage on their championship team in 2001 before missing all of last season with a wrist injury.
Road Sweet Road: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have only lost two road games in the past three seasons compiling a 21-2 record over that time. Matt Sauk is 14-1 on the road as the Vipers quarterback, 8-0 in 2001and 6-1 this season.
Center of Attention: Chris Bell almost didn't return with the Vipers this season. Bell went to camp with the Carolina Cobras earlier this season.
Good luck David: Vipers' center David Sucura has left the team to become a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan State. With Sucura coaching at MSU, he has converted a few more SEC fans into Michigan State fans.
Hall's Career Year: Calvin Hall is in his third season with the Vipers and has already had a career year. He currently has 43 receptions for 577 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has already passed his career highs in receptions 31(2002), yards (293-2002) and touchdowns (6-2002).
Playmaker is back: Andy "Playmaker" Fuller has lived up to his nickname over the past five games. He has caught six passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns.
Lewis having record year: In his first season with the Vipers, Mark Lewis has tied or broken two Viper kicking records. He tied the 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. He also broke Proctor's record of consecutive extra points made. Proctor set the mark in 2000 when he made 27 straight. Lewis broke the record last week and extended in to 32 before his next miss. He has made 44 of his last 47. He leads af2 in scoring for kickers and extra points made. He also made seven straight field goals.
Turnover: After being in the negative numbers for much of the season in turnovers, the Vipers broke into the positive side over the last few games. They are +9 for the season.
Third Down: Here is a break down of third and fourth down on the season:
Player Third Down Fourth Down
Vipers 40-91 (44%) 12-29 (41%)
Opponents 32-104 (31%) 19-35 (54%)
Spreading the Ball Around: Six different receivers have caught 30 or more passes for the Vipers this season making them the first team in af2 history to have six receivers with 30 receptions. The Vipers had five in 2000 and 2001 and four in 2002 that caught more that 20. There are also four receivers that have double figures in touchdown receptions and another that has seven. The team only had one in 2000, three in 2001 and two in 2002. They currently have four with 40 or more. The Wichita Stealth had five with 40 or more receptions in 2002. The Red Zone: The Vipers have converted 71-93 opportunities will 63 touchdowns and eight field goals. They turned the ball over on downs eight times, threw five interceptions and fumbled five times. They have held their opponents to 58-90, giving up 52 touchdowns and five field goals, intercepting 10 passes, recovering five fumbles, and holding on downs eight times.
Sack Record: Three Vipers are chasing the current Viper sack leader Eugene Phillips:
Player Sacks
Eugene Phillips 18.0
Wes Stephens 15.0
Curtis Jeter 14.0
Heath Springer 12.5
Andy Fuller 12.5
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.
Wes is new Sack man: Wes Stephens broke the Vipers record for quarterback sacks in a season last week at Quad City when he recorded 2.0. He now has 11.5 on the season breaking Curtis Jeter's record of 9.5 in 2001. He is just three sacks behind Eugene Phillips for first on the Vipers all-time list.
Defense: Despite being ranked 15h in af2 in total defense, the Vipers are not giving up many points. In nine the 15 games the Vipers have held their opponents to 36 points or under and are fifth in scoring defense at 41.2 points per game.
Turnover Streak: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have forced a turnover in 34 consecutive games. The last time the Vipers failed to forced a turnover was on June 23, 2001 vs the Roanoke Steam.
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 Alabama while Reggie Worthy, Ronney Daniels and Andy Fuller played for the Tigers. The Bama group has 81 receptions for 1,017 yards and 16 touchdowns, while the Auburn group has 112 receptions for 1,569 yards and 32 touchdowns. Watch for this rivalry to be as intense as the college game.
No Turnovers: After going 14 consecutive games with a turnover, the Vipers went back-to-back games without giving the ball up on June 14 and 21.
The Big 50: With the win over Memphis, the Tennessee Valley Vipers became just the second franchise in af2 history to win 50 games. The Quad City Steamwheelers are 53-9 while the Vipers are 51-11.
Scoreless 1st Quarter: The Tennessee Valley Vipers were held scoreless in the first quarter at Memphis. It was the first time the Vipers failed to score in any quarter of any game this season. They had scored in 48 straight quarters.
PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Vipers Defense vs Jacques Rumph: Rumph ranks third in the league in scoring, second in receptions and first in receiving yards.
Vipers OL/DL: The Vipers have given up only three sacks all season. The league record is shared between the Vipers and the Richmond Speed who both gave up six in 2001. Greensboro is one behind the Vipers with only four given up this season.
Vipers OL/DL, Wes Stephens: Stephens recorded 2.0 sacks last week at Quad City and forced fumbles on both. He is now the Vipers record holder for sacks in a season with 11.5 and is only one behind the league lead. He has also forced a league high seven fumbles.
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.
May 24, 2003; Vipers beat Cape Fear 57-54 to go 7-0 for the first time in team history.
May 31, 2003: Viper beat Columbus 61-55 to become only the second team in af2 history to start a season 8-0.
June 28, 2003: Vipers defeat Birmingham 60-58 to win the South Division of the American Conference and secure a playoff spot.
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- Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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