Tennessee Valley Vipers Game Notes

August 11, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Macon Knights (12-6) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (15-2)
Date: August 14, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Site: Von Braun Center (6,642)
National Anthem: Sharon Hancock
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Terry Haney (Referee), Mike Hagan (Umpire), Julian Mapp (Head Linesman), Mike Mongovan (Line Judge), Jimmy Buchanan (Back Judge), Rusty Wynn (Alternate)
Radio: WUMP 730 (Doug Franz & Dan Back)
TV: None
Series Record: The series is tied at 2-2
Last Meeting: The Knights beat the Vipers 51-42 in Macon in the season finale on July 26, 2003.
Streaks: Vipers W1, Knights W4
Coaches: Kevin Guy (27-5; 1-1 playoffs, Second season) Kevin Porter (42-26, Fourth Season)

THE STAKES: The winner advances to the ArenaCup Championship Game.

THE SERIES: The two teams have split the season series in each of the last two seasons. This will be the first ever meeting in the playoffs.

THE IFs:
If Tennessee Valley defeats Macon, it would ...
· Give the Vipers a spot in the ArenaCup Championship Game in Huntsville on Friday, August 22.
· Give the Vipers their fifth playoff win in team history.
· Give Kevin Guy his second playoff win as coach of the Vipers.

HEAD COACHES: Viper head coach Kevin Guy is in his second season and the helm. He has led the Vipers to a 27-5 regular season record. He is 13-3 on the road and 14-2 at home. He is 1-1 in the playoffs.

Macon's Kevin Porter is 42-26 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: Macon handed the Vipers their second loss of the season 51-42 in Macon on July 26, 2003. The Vipers turned the ball over three times, one on the Knights one-yard line and another was an interception that Byron Douzart returned for a touchdown.

SERIES NOTABLES: The two teams have split the season series in each of the last two seasons. This will be the first ever meeting in the playoffs.

LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's matchup who rank among af2's statistical leaders (final regular season stats):

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Kevin Guy, on playing Macon for the third time: "Since this is the third time, I've got to do a better job on selling the referees before the game that their Mac and Jack linebackers are out of the box on every play."

DROPBACK: The Vipers jumped out early on Mohegan, but the Wolves rallied and took a 30-27 lead in the third quarter. It would be the last time they would score as the Vipers advanced in the playoffs with a 47-30 win.

FORWARD MOTION: If the Vipers win, they will host the winner of the Arkansas/Tulsa game on Friday, August 22 at 7:30 in the ArenaCup Championship Game.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Playoff Time: The af2 playoffs have reached the conference championship games. The South Division is well represented in the American Conference with Macon and Tennessee Valley. The Central Division is well represented in the National Conference with Arkansas and Tulsa.

Conference Semi-Finals Results
Mohegan 30, Tennessee Valley 47
Macon 59, Albany 47
Hawaii 38, Tulsa 58
Arkansas 63, Quad City 61

Conference Championship Match-ups
American Conference
Macon @ Tennessee Valley, Thursday, August 14
National Conference
Arkansas @ Tulsa, Saturday, August 16

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.

It's Thursday: The Vipers will host the American Conference Championship on Thursday night because the Von Braun Center is booked with Professional Bull Riding on the weekend. The Vipers are 1-0 all-time on Thursday with a win over the Baton Rouge Blaze in Baton Rouge in 2001.

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. He finished this season with 84 and now has 170 touchdown passes. In three career playoff games, he has thrown 18 touchdowns and only one interception.

We're Not Worthy: WR/DB Reggie Worthy has not had a sophomore slump in his second season with the Vipers. Despite missing four 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. The Vipers set an af2 record this season when the offensive line gave up just three sacks all season.

JJ is "Dynamite": Jerrian James was named Player and Ironman of the Game last week vs Mohegan when he ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He led the the Vipers with 5.0 tackles on defense.

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 led the team in tackles with 81.0, had four interceptions, three returned for touchdowns and 17 pass break ups.

Ronney is dandy: Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Ronney Daniels was impressive in his first season in af2. He led the team with 57 receptions for 868 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has recorded 18.0 tackles, two interceptions, four pass break ups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He had a receiving touchdown in every game except one.

"X" Factor: Xavier "X-Man" Patterson caught a touchdown pass and recorded 2.0 tackles in the win over Mohegan continuing his impressive play from the end of the season. Defensive Ernest: WR/DB Ernest Ross moved from his defensive specialist 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 finished tied for sixth in interceptions in af2 with seven and tied for seventh in pass break ups with 30.

Yo Joe!: In four games with the Vipers, defensive specialist Joe Todd 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. He broke up four passes last week vs Mohegan.

Road Sweet Road: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have only lost three road games in the past three seasons compiling a 21-3 record over that time. Matt Sauk is 14-2 on the road as the Vipers quarterback, 8-0 in 2001and 6-2 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 had a career year. He finished with 52 receptions for 635 yards and 14 touchdowns. He passed his career highs in receptions 31(2002), yards (293-2002) and touchdowns (6-2002). He caught a touchdown and returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown last week vs Mohegan

Playmaker is back: Andy "Playmaker" Fuller has caught 49 passes in his career, 26 have gone for touchdowns. He has also recorded 13.5 sacks.

Lewis having record year: In his first season with the Vipers, Mark Lewis has tied or broken five 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 and extended in to 32 before his next miss. He also broke the Vipers record for extra points made in a season with 99 and best field goal percentage in a season at 58.5. He also broke the record for points in a game with 16 at Bossier City.

Turnover: The Vipers finished the season at +7 in turnovers but are -4 in their last five regular season games, turning it over 15 times and only forcing 11. The forced three last week vs Mohegan and only lost one.

Third Down: Here is a break down of third and fourth down on the season:
Player Third Down Fourth Down
Vipers 42-98 (43%) 14-32 (44%)
Opponents 33-108 (31%) 19-36 (53%)

Spreading the Ball Around: Six different receivers 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 finished the season with five receivers with 40 or more and one with 39. The Red Zone: The Vipers 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. He also set a new Viper record for fumbles forced in a season with 8 and led the af2 in that category.

Defense: Despite being ranked 14h in af2 in total defense, the Vipers are not giving up many points. In nine the 16 games the Vipers held their opponents to 36 points or under and are seventh in scoring defense at 41.8 points per game. They held Mohegan to 30 points last week and only seven in the second half.

Turnover Streak: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have forced a turnover in 35 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 had 91 receptions for 1,102 yards and 17 touchdowns, while the Auburn group has 118 receptions for 1,625 yards and 34 touchdowns.

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. They were also held scoreless in the first quarter at Macon two weeks ago

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Vipers DS Joe Todd vs Knights OS Jacques Rumph: Joe Todd missed the previous game at Macon and Rumph torched the secondary for 147 yards on eight receptions and scored three touchdowns. Todd broke up four passes last week vs Mohegan

Vipers DL: The Vipers defensive line has to get pressure on Macon QB Jermain Alfred. Last week vs Mohegan, the Vipers recorded 2.0 sacks but hit Wolves QB Greg Smith 15 times.

Vipers WR/DB Jerrian James: James took home Player and Ironman of the Game honors last week vs Mohegan when he ran for a score, caught a touchdown pass and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He recorded 5.0 tackles on defense.

Viper Records Broken or Tied in 2003:

Most Completions in a career: Matt Sauk 666

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.

Longest Winning Streak: 14 Games (April 5, 2003-July 19, 2003)

Tackles in a Game: 12.0 Kenny Bailey vs Wichita 6/7/03.

Tackles in a Career: 169.0 Kenny Bailey

Sacks in a Game: 3.0 Jimmy Freeman vs Columbus 5/31/03 tied Eugene Phillips (at Bossier City 6/16/01) and Andy Fuller (vs Memphis 7/20/02).

Most Consecutive Extra Points Made: 32 Mark Lewis (2003)

Interceptions thrown in a season: 19, Matt Sauk

Interception Returns for a Touchdown in a season: 3, Kenny Bailey

Most PATs Made in a Season: 99, Mark Lewis

Most PATs Attempted in a Season: 112, Mark Lewis

Sacks in a Season: 11.5, Wes Stephens

Most Forced Fumbles in a Season: 8 Wes Stephens

Best Field Goal Percentage in a Season: 58.5 Mark Lewis



United Indoor Football Association Stories from August 11, 2003


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