VooDoo Headed to Georgia for South Division Clash
Published on May 31, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS (May 31, 2012) - The New Orleans VooDoo (4-6) will head to the Georgia Force (6-5) this Saturday for a key South Division showdown, looking to bounce back from last week's defeat to the Arizona Rattlers. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, and fans can watch the game live on Cox 4 and tune in to "Rush Radio" 99.5 FM.
New Orleans is coming off of 69-45 loss to the league-leading Arizona Rattlers (8-3), while the Force is also trying to recover from a defeat, a 39-27 loss to the Kansas City Command (2-9). Of the VooDoo's eight remaining games, five will come against South Division opponents.
"This is a big game for us and for Georgia. We have a lot of divisional games left, and our team is aware of how important of a stretch this is for us," said VooDoo Head Coach Pat O'Hara. "Georgia is extremely talented and well-coached. It will be important for us to win the turnover battle."
In the loss to the Rattlers, the VooDoo battled during the first half, keeping the score close with the halftime tally 28-20 in favor of Arizona. The VooDoo used a goal line stand as time expired in the first half to hold the Rattlers, and that momentum carried over to the opening kickoff of the second half as VooDoo kicker Matt Denny nailed the cross bar that led to a net recovery for the VooDoo.
One play later, New Orleans found the end zone to make it a one-point game, 28-27, just 30 seconds in the third quarter. However, the Rattlers showed their prowess and retrieved the momentum, going on to score 28 unanswered points in the third quarter en route to victory.
VooDoo quarterback Kurt Rocco threw for 283 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. It was only the third time this season that Rocco was under the 300-yard mark; however, Rocco still ranks among the tops in the AFL, checking in at No. 3 in passing average (309.9 yards per game) and total offense (312.8 yards per game).
Georgia returns the nucleus of its team last season that went to the American Conference Championship game, losing to the ArenaBowl XXIV Champion Jacksonville Sharks. Force Wide receivers Larry Shipp and C.J. Johnson have paced the team so far this season, much like in 2011. Through 11 games this season, the duo has combined for 155 receptions, 1,759 yards and 33 touchdowns.
"This is a team that went to the semi-finals last year and they have some really good players. Dean Cokinos does an outstanding job and I know he will have his team ready," O'Hara said.
"They're coming back home after a tough loss, so they're going to come ready to play," added O'Hara. "But, we had a tough loss, and we're going to be ready to play."
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Central Time on Saturday at the The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga.
VooDoo on Television: Cox 4
VooDoo on the Radio: 99.5 FM WRNO "Rush Radio"
VooDoo Broadcast Team: Ken Trahan (play-by-play), Jon Norris (color), Brandon Rizzuto (sideline)
VooDoo on the Internet: www.wrno.com
VooDoo live game feed: www.ustream.tv/NewOrleansVooDoo
VooDoo live statistics: http://livestats.prestosports.com/neworleansvoodoo
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