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Tulsa Talons Game Notes

August 11, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tulsa Talons News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Tulsa Talons (14-3) Vs. Arkansas Twisters (11-7)
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
Site: Tulsa Convention Center (7,098)
Officials: Mike Pavese (Referee), Mike Cullin (Umpire), Rich Misner (Head Linesman), Rick Smith (Line Judge), Mike Roberts(Back Judge), Joe Pester (Altnerate).
Radio: KTBZ-AM1430 "The Buzz" (Mark Wedel, PxP).
Series Record: Tulsa leads, 6-3.
Last Meeting (6/28/03 at North Little Rock): Arkansas won, 45-29.
Streaks: Tulsa has won four in a row, counting regular season play and has won all five home games with Arkansas (four regular season, one playoff). Counting the playoffs, Arkansas has won four straight road games since a 59-46 loss at Tulsa on May 31st.

COACHES: Tulsa: Skip Foster (42-10 overall, third season. 40-8 regular season, 2-2 playoffs, 5-2 vs. Arkansas) Arkansas: Gary Anderson (28-23 overall, first season. 26-22 regular season, 2-1 playoffs, 2-5 vs. Tulsa)

THE STAKES: The winner advances to the ArenaCup championship game for the first time in franchise history. The season ends for the loser of this game.

THE SERIES: Tulsa leads, 6-3. The Talons have faced the Twisters more often than any af2 opponent. (See "Series Summary")

Tulsa Talons Coach Skip Foster is 42-10 overall (40-8 in regular season, 2-2 in playoffs) in three seasons as an af2 head coach. Foster has taken the Talons to the ArenaCup playoffs in all three years, including winning the National Conference's Central Division championship the past two years. Foster's regular season winning percentage of 83.3% is the best among active af2 coaches. Foster is also one of the most successful coaches in af2 history, ranking second in regular season wins (40, trailing 41 by Macon's Kevin Porter), overall wins (42, trailing Porter's 43) and overall winning percentage (80.8%, trailing 97.4% by Quad City's Frank Haege in 2000-01, based on at least two af2 seasons. Coming to Tulsa from Coffeyville (KS) Community College, Foster is the only af2 coach to go unbeaten at home over three consecutive regular seasons (24-0).

Arkansas Twisters Coach Gary Anderson is 30-30 overall and 30-29 in regular season games in his third season. Anderson was one of the greatest running backs in the University of Arkansas' football history and was an NFL All-Pro selection while playing for the San Diego Chargers.

TULSA'S ARENACUP PL.AYOFF HISTORY:

2000: First-round loss at Tennessee Valley Vipers, 49-28.
2001: First-round home loss to Carolina Rhinos, 69-35.
2002: First-round home win over Arkansas Twisters, 34-32. Lost at home in National Conference Semifinals to the Birmingham Steeldogs, 53-34.
2003: Won at home in National Conference Semifinals over Hawaiian Islanders, 58-38.

TALONS-TWISTERS SERIES HISTORY (TALONS LEAD, 6-3):

6/28/03 in North Little Rock: Twisters 45, Talons 29: Darnell Small ran for three TDs and Arkansas' defense created three turnovers. Mitch Allner became the af2 career scoring leader with a fourth-quarter TD catch.

5/31/03 in Tulsa: Talons 59, Twisters 46: Mitch Allner caught three TD passes in the final 2:29 of the second quarter after a season-ending leg injury to Talons defensive end (and former Twister) Greg Taylor.

8/3/02 in Tulsa: Talons 34, Twisters 32 (Playoffs): Lineman Henry Stephens blocked a field goal on the game's final play to preserve Tulsa's win.

6/22/02 in North Little Rock: Twisters 102, Talons 63: Arkansas QB Ricky Hebert threw nine TD passes and the Twisters made four interceptions in the highest scoring game in af2 history.

5/11/02 in Tulsa: Talons 85, Twisters 42: Mitch Allner's career highs of 179 receiving yards and six TDs as the Talons set a single-game scoring record.

6/15/01 in Tulsa: Talons 60, Twisters 22: Craig Strickland threw five of his six TD passes to Jarrail Jackson and Tulsa built a 37-0 halftime lead.

4/7/01 in North Little Rock: Talons 56, Twisters 53 (OT): Tony Dodson kicked a 37-yard field goal to win the 2001 season opener.

7/8/00 in Tulsa: Talons 55, Twisters 41: Tulsa scores twice in the game's final 56 seconds to win the game.

7/1/00 in North Little Rock: Twisters 59, Talons 56: Arkansas intercepts three Eric Hannah passes and scores on an interception return and fumble recovery.

DROPBACK: Three touchdowns in the final 3:06 of the game lifted Tulsa to a 58-38 win over the Hawaiian Islanders. The Talons' 58 points set a franchise playoff record, as did Mitch Allner's three touchdown receptions and Craig Strickland's five TD passes. Tulsa's defense held Hawaii's league-leading rushing attack to 27 yards, made three quarterback sacks and scored the game's final TD, a 30-yard fumble return by Ramon Richardson.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Talons are among the three winningest teams in af2 history. Counting regular season and playoff home games, Tulsa's 30-6 home record trails only Quad City's 35-4 and is just ahead of Tennessee Valley's 30-7 mark. A big factor in Tulsa's success is winning 26 consecutive regular season home games, the third-longest such streak in professional sports history.

RALLY HELMETS: Tulsa trailed 38-37 with 3:06 left in the Hawaii game before rallying to win. That marked the eighth time in the Talons' 14 wins this year in which they came back to win after trailing either in or after the second quarter.

COUNTING ON CRAIG: Craig Strickland set franchise playoff records in the Hawaii win for TD passes (5) and total offense TDs (6). He was 17-of-33 passing with no interceptions for 196 yards and was not sacked. The Talons are 9-1 this year when Strickland does not throw an interception. That loss came at Wichita in overtime on April 12th. Strickland is one of the premier passers in af2 history, ranking second in career TD passes with 212, one behind Arkansas' Ricky Hebert.

SING ALONG WITH MITCH: Mitch Allner finished 2003 as the af2 career scoring leader (642 points). He also stands second in af2 career TD receptions (91) and third in career receiving yards (3,740). After winning the 2002 af2 Offensive Player of the Year award has won Ironman of the Game honors seven times this year. The most recent honor came in the Hawaii win with a franchise playoff record three TD catches, 80 yards in kickoff returns and assisting on three tackles.

TAC-KY TALON: OS Tacoma Fontaine ranked among the league's top ten players in seven categories. Fontaine led af2 in missed field goal return average (22.6, 1 TD), was second in kickoff return average (26.9, 2 TDs) and sixth in scoring (202 points) and TD receptions (33). Against Hawaii, Fontaine made a game-high six pass receptions, scored the first Talon TD on a three-yard reverse and had 144 all-purpose yards.

IN THE HUNT: WR/LB Al Hunt was the ADT Defensive Player of the Game against Hawaii and was Tulsa's Ironman of the Game three times in 2003. Hunt led the Talons with 4.5 tackles against Hawaii (four of those stops were unassisted) and his 17-yard interception return swung momentum in Tulsa's favor.

TONY THE TOE: Tony Dodson is the af2's career leader in kick scoring with 310 points in his three-year Talons career. Dodson has kicked five field goals of 50-plus yards this season, including a 51-yarder just before halftime in the season finale at Bossier City. He's also made three of the longest field goals in af2 history: 56 yards vs. Louisville (2001) and at Hawaii (2002) and a 55-yarder versus Wichita on April 12th

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