Week six af2 Saturday night matchups

Published on May 6, 2005 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

ALBANY CONQUEST (1-3) AT MACON KNIGHTS (2-3)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - MACON COLISEUM (7,182) 7:30 P.M. ET

Riding high off their first win of the season, the Albany Conquest look to make it two in a row as they head to Macon to face the Knights on Saturday night. The Knights come in hoping to snap a two-game skid that has sent them three games behind Florida in the American Conference South Division. The Conquest continued their offensive upswing last week, scoring 48 in the win against South Georgia. The defense chipped in with its best effort of the season in holding the Wildcats to 39. DS TRAVIS COLEMAN jump-started the Conquest with an impressive night, returning two interceptions for touchdowns. After starting the season at a solid 2-1, Macon has put up two straight losses averaging just 25.0 points on offense over that span. This week they hope to regain their stride on offense on the shoulders of QB LIONEL HAYES who already has 19 touchdowns and 1,241 yards passing. The Conquest and WR/LB MANWEL TALBERT, however, do not plan to go down quietly as they look to add to Talbert's nine touchdown catches this season. Last week Albany's defense racked up four interceptions to go with an all around improved offensive play. The two will not meet again this season unless they bump heads in the playoffs.

CONQUEST KNIGHTS
SERIES LEADER Series tied 1-1
LAST MEETING Albany won 56-37 vs. Macon on 5/22/04
LAST FIVE GAMES 1-4 2-3
LAST GAME Won at South Georgia 48-39 Lost at Florida 42-37
2005 STATISTICS CONQUEST KNIGHTS
PASSING Bryant: 117-83-5; 874; 15 TDs Hayes: 167-102-6; 1241; 19 TDs
RECEIVING Talbert: 28-385; 9 TDs Johnson: 30-456; 6 TDs
RUSHING Bryant: 17-49; 3 TDs Lloyd: 11-37; 1 TD
TACKLES Langford: 18.5 Laney: 39.0
SACKS Harris/Thomas: 1.0 Wangler: 1.5
INTERCEPTIONS Butler/Coleman: 2 Jackson/Laney: 2
KICKING Samuel: 20-24 PAT; 1-7 FG 23 PTs Wilson: 13-19 PAT; 4-7 FG 25 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 43.8 PPG (11th); 231.8.0 YPG (14th)
40.2 PPG (10th); 259.0 YPG (10th)

TEAM DEFENSE 49.8 PPG (13th); 289.8 YPG (19th) 42.0 PPG (7th); 263.2 YPG (14th)

BAKERSFIELD BLITZ (1-3) AT BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT BATTLE WINGS (1-4)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - CENTURYTEL CENTER (12,500) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings earned their first win of 2005 last week and look to make it two in a row against the visiting Bakersfield Blitz on Saturday night. Averaging just 34.7 points during their first three games, the Battle Wings' offense, under the guidance of QB TIM HICKS, has averaged 71.5 in their last two outings. Having a speedster like BO SMITH running routes doesn't hurt either. Along with earning Offensive Player of the Week honors for his six-touchdown Monday night showing, Smith is on track to break the all-time af2 single season scoring record. Facing one of the hottest offenses in the league may intimidate some, but the Blitz counter with one of the league's top defenses. Allowing only 35.8 points per game thus far on the season, the Blitz "D" is capable of getting the job done. Offensively, the Blitz look to rookie gunslinger Jason Thomas to make his second start of the season. Thomas threw one touchdown and ran for another in the loss to Central Valley last week. More snaps should help him find his feet and help the Blitz offense get back on track. This is the first meeting of season between these inter-division foes. They'll meet again at Bakersfield on July 15.

BLITZ BATTLE WINGS
SERIES LEADER No previous meetings
LAST MEETING N/A
LAST FIVE GAMES 1-4 1-4
LAST GAME Lost at Central Valley 40-21 Won at Rio Grande Valley 77-69
2005 STATISTICS BLITZ BATTLE WINGS
PASSING Elliot: 72-40-3; 450; 9 TDs Slover: 93-46-5; 595; 11 TDs
RECEIVING Reynolds: 17-204; 4 TDs Smith: 31-512; 15 TDs
RUSHING Thomas: 16-87; 2 TDs Hicks: 7-46; 5 TDs
TACKLES Shorter: 29.0 Jones: 16.5
SACKS King: 1.5 Wesley: 2.5
INTERCEPTIONS Wallace: 3 Schexnayder: 2
KICKING Burnett: 12-17 PAT; 2-10 FG 18 PTs Hazelwood: 27-32 PAT;4-11 FG 41 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 32.5 PPG (20th); 193.8 YPG (20th)
49.4 PPG (6th); 223.4 YPG (17th)

TEAM DEFENSE 35.8 PPG (4th); 202.8 YPG (3rd) 63.0 PPG (19th); 329.6 YPG (20th)

CENTRAL VALLEY COYOTES (3-1) AT TULSA TALONS (3-1)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - TULSA CONVENTION CENTER (7,111) 8:00 P.M. ET

Central Valley and Tulsa go head-to-head Saturday at the Tulsa Convention Center with first place in the National Conference West Division on the line. Tulsa leads the series 3-1, however this marks the first meeting between the two teams since 2003 when Central Valley was playing in Bakersfield. Only a field goal separated the two sides that evening. With last week's 40-21 victory over the Blitz, the Coyotes matched their 2004 season win total in just their fourth game of the 2005 season. Michael Duncan led an impressive defensive effort intercepting a Jason Thomas. Tulsa won the battle of Oklahoma bragging rights with a 47-34 victory versus the Yard Dawgz. Tulsa's third ranked offense (54.5 PPG) faces off against the Coyotes second ranked defense (32.5 PPG) in an intriguing match up. Central Valley has not been lighting up the board offensively, but is 10th in af2 with 46.2 points per game compared to Tulsa's 46.0 points against per game. Juston Wood is under center for the Coyotes and has completed 77-of-142 passes for 825 yards and 16 scores. DeRonn Finley has been Wood's most consistent target, catching 19 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Ahmad Bhatti leads the Coyotes pass rush with 3.5 sacks. Collectively, Central Valley's defense has created 13 turnovers and two safeties. Tulsa's offense is lead by Josh Blankenship who is 59-of-86 for 756 yards and 18 touchdowns so far this year. Donovan Morgan is seventh if af2 in all-purpose yards per game with an average of 139.2 per game. Morgan is second in scoring with 17 total touchdowns for 102 points. Four players have recorded two sacks for Tulsa who as a team has recorded 11, the second highest total in the league.

COYOTES TALONS
SERIES LEADER Tulsa leads 3-1
LAST MEETING Tulsa won 62-59 vs. Bakersfield (Central Valley) on 6/21/03
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 3-2
LAST GAME Won vs. Bakersfield 40-21 Won vs. Oklahoma City 47-34

2005 STATISTICS COYOTES TALONS
PASSING Wood: 77-142-2; 825; 16 TDs Blankenship: 59-86-2; 756; 18 TDs
RECEIVING Finley: 19-197; 2 TDs Morgan: 26-417; 16 TDs
RUSHING Notoa: 13-50; 1 TD Martin: 9-26; 0 TDs
TACKLES Robinson: 24.0 Canty: 15.5
SACKS Bhatti: 3.5 Caeser/Martin/McIver/Willis: 2
INTERCEPTIONS Brown: 2 Davis: 3
KICKING Gockman: 19-23 PAT; 6-9 FG 37 PTs Browne: 22-28 PAT; 0-4 FG 17 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 46.2 PPG (10); 218.2 YPG (18) 54.5 PPG (3); 254.2 YPG (11)
TEAM DEFENSE 32.5 PPG (2); 214.5 YPG (5) 46.0 PPG (10); 249.8 YPG (8)

QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (3-1) AT AMARILLO DUSTERS (3-1)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - AMARILLO CIVIC CENTER (4,870) 8:00 P.M. ET

Amarillo and Quad City are tied for second place in the National Conference Midwest Division headed into Saturday's matchup. Both teams will be fighting to close the ½ game gap behind division leader Memphis, whom the Steamwheelers edged 45-42 last week. In that victory, Quad City pulled off a come-from-behind win over the previously undefeated Xplorers on a last second field goal from Nick Gatto. Since losing on opening day, the Steamwheelers have won three straight and are 1-1 on the road. Amarillo enters the game winners of two consecutive and with a 1-1 home record. Last week the Dusters defeated San Diego 49-31 behind the play of two-time af2 Offensive Player of the Week Julian Reese. Reese completed 20-of-36 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns through the air and had seven rushes for 17 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Reese has guided the Dusters offense with much success so far this season and has the expansion team ranked first in af2 in scoring offense with 59.5 points per game. Quad City's offense is posting just 42.5 points per game by comparison. The Dusters have not bee as effective defensively ranking 15th (54.5 PPG) and 11th (256.0 YPG) in the league in scoring defense and total defense, respectively. Sam Clemons has settled in as the Steamwheelers everyday starter and has thrown for 968 yards and 17 scores so far this season. Offensive specialist, Travis Burns has been Clemons' favorite target, catching 25 passes for 271 yards and four scores. Defensively, Matt Forbes is tied for the league lead in interceptions with five. For the Duster's Jess Hunnicutt is the team's leading pass rusher after recording two sacks in last weekend's victory over San Diego.

STEAMWHEELERS DUSTERS
SERIES LEADER First Meeting
LAST MEETING NA
LAST FIVE GAMES 3-2 3-1 (Expansion Team)
LAST GAME Won vs. Memphis 45-42 Won at San Diego 49-31
2005 STATISTICS STEAMWHEELERS DUSTERS
PASSING Clemons: 90-135-4; 968; 17 TDs Reese: 81-128-1; 1056; 19 TDs
RECEIVING Burns: 25-271; 4 TDs McCollister: 17-234; 5 TDs
RUSHING Novak: 7-27; 1 TDs Reese: 29-60; 12 TDs
TACKLES Forbes: 18.0 Gaston: 16.5
SACKS Barr: 2.5 Hunnicutt: 2.0
INTERCEPTIONS Forbes: 5 Davis/Gaston: 2
KICKING Gatto: 18-24 PAT; 2-9 FG 24 PTS
Hershey: 28-33 PAT; 0-4 FG 28 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 42.5 PPG (14); 265.8 YPG (6) 59.5 PPG (1); 301.5 YPG (2)
TEAM DEFENSE 44.5 PPG (9); 260.0 YPG (13) 54.5 PPG (15); 256.0 YPG (11)

GREEN BAY BLIZZARD (3-1) AT ARKANSAS TWISTERS (0-4)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - ALLTEL ARENA (16,058) 8:00 P.M. ET

Green Bay heads to winless Arkansas riding a two game win streak and looking to close the gap over the undefeated Louisville Fire in the American Conference East Division. The Twisters are desperately in search of their first victory of the season and will need to improve upon last weekend's defensive performance versus Florida in which they lost 68-50. With a new head coach in John Gregory at the helm, the Twisters enter the second quarter of the season with fresh attitude. Last week, the Twisters were able to do some damage offensively versus the Firecats as Travis Motley finished the game 21 of 43 pass attempts with one interception and four touchdown passes. Kevin Williams finished with five catches and a team high 102 yards receiving and one touchdown. Green Bay enters the game fresh off of a 48-40 victory at Wilkes-Barre Scranton. Matt Huebner sealed the victory with an interception late in the fourth quarter. These two offenses are closely matched as the Blizzard is averaging 41.5 PPG as compared to Arkansas' 38.0. Defense is a different story, with the Blizzard sixth in the league in scoring defense with 39.5 points against versus the Twister's league-worst 66.0. Johnny Turman has completed 76-of-124 passes for 882 yards and 18 scores to lead the Blizzards offense. Troy Mason is twelfth in the league with nine touchdown receptions. Ryan Bowers is second in af2 for Green bay with four interceptions to his credit. Ted Alford leads the Twister's defense with 9.5 tackles, and Denario Smalls has 1.5 sacks.

BLIZZARD TWISTERS
SERIES LEADER First Meeting
LAST MEETING NA
LAST FIVE GAMES 4-1 1-4
LAST GAME Won at WB-Scranton 48-40 Lost vs. Florida 68-50
2005 STATISTICS BLIZZARD TWISTERS
PASSING Turman: 76-124-5; 882; 18 TDs Windsor: 93-50-2; 513; 7 TDs
RECEIVING Mason: 27-398; 9 TDs Kilow: 18-232; 2 TDs
RUSHING Huebner: 16-23; 2 TD Windsor: 11-31; 1 TD
TACKLES Bowers: 27.0 Alford: 9.5

SACKS Anderson: 2.0 Small: 1.5
INTERCEPTIONS Bowers: 4 Farmer: 1

KICKING Juul-Nielsen: 19-24 PAT; 1-6 FG 22 PTs Nance: 16-18 PAT; 2-7 FG 22 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 41.5 PPG (15); 222.8 YPG (17)
38.0 PPG (19); 261.0 (8)
TEAM DEFENSE 39.5 PPG (6); 277.8 YPG (18) 66.0 PPG (20); 257.0 YPG (12)

OKLAHOMA CITY YARD DAWGZ (2-3) AT MEMPHIS XPLORERS (4-1)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - DESOTO CIVIC CENTER (8,444) 8:00 P.M. ET

Still upset about last week's last second loss to the Quad City Steamwheelers, the Memphis Xplorers are out to show the rest of the league that they are still the cream of the crop this season. They host division rival Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Meeting for the first time ever, this game takes on immediate importance in the tightening Midwest Division race. Memphis brings the league's top defense against one of af2's all-time greats at QB in CRAIG STRICKLAND. In typical Strickland fashion, the Yard Dawgz field general has already tossed 28 touchdowns in 2005 and is closing in on 1,500 passing yards. In order to have success against Memphis, he'll have to avoid the rush of KHREEM SMITH. Smith has nine sacks already and the Yard Dawgz offensive line ranks in the bottom five in QB protection this season. Led by OS KEVIN PRENTISS, the Xplorers offense is cruising along with a 57 points per game average. QB BRIAN JONES has only thrown one interception all season against 25 touchdowns. Quad City proved last week that it is possible to contain the Xplorers offense and Oklahoma City will look to do the same this week as they try to get back to the .500 mark. These two teams will meet again on June 25 at Oklahoma City.

YARD DAWGZ XPLORERS
SERIES LEADER No previous meetings
LAST MEETING N/A
LAST FIVE GAMES 2-3 4-1
LAST GAME Lost at Tulsa 47-34 Lost at Quad City 45-42
2005 STATISTICS YARD DAWGZ XPLORERS
PASSING Strickland: 197-108-5; 1396; 28 Jones: 118-77-1; 1048; 25 TDs
RECEIVING Jackson: 37-487; 9 TDs Prentiss: 31-516; 16 TDs
RUSHING Strickland: 5-28; 0 TDs Jones: 16-74; 7 TDs
TACKLES McCloud: 22.0 Singfield: 23.5
SACKS Duncan/Holloman: 1.5 Barr: 2.5
INTERCEPTIONS Joseph: 2 Singfield: 3
KICKING Pohlman: 20-28 PAT; 3-5 FG 29 PTs Azar: 29-38 PAT; 8-11 FG 53 PTs

TEAM OFFENSE 48.6 PPG (8th); 283.6 YPG (4th)
57.0 PPG (2nd); 229.2 YPG (15th)
TEAM DEFENSE 51.2 PPG (14th); 283.6 YPG (1st) 29.4 PPG (1st); 229.2 YPG (6th)

SOUTH GEORGIA WILDCATS (0-4) AT BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS (0-4)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - BJCC (16,000) 8:00 P.M. ET

The Birmingham Steeldogs return home this week to host the South Georgia Wildcats on Saturday night. Aside from both being 0-4, these two teams share a striking similarity. They both lost to Louisville by two points. The Wildcats fell in Week 2, while Birmingham lost last week to the Fire. Considering Louisville is 4-0, it's safe to say both the Wildcats and Steeldogs are much better than their records indicate. Unfortunately only one team can win this week, but don't count either team out for the season just yet. The Wildcats offense is starting to gel with QB BOBBY PESAVENTO under center and ADRIAN COCKFIELD as the main go-to guy down field. They've hooked up for nine touchdowns and have the potential to be one of the best pass-catch combos in the league. With QB RAY NELSON settling into his role and HERMAN BELL back in the receiving mix, the Steeldogs are poised for an offensive breakout. The Steeldogs and Wildcats have each lost two games by two-points or less this season, suggesting this game could come down to the wire. Along with this matchup, the teams will pay again at Albany, GA on July 16. Don't be surprised to see two teams battling for playoff position by the point in the season, putting even greater emphasis on this early season tilt.

WILDCATS STEELDOGS
SERIES LEADER South Georgia leads series 1-0
LAST MEETING South Georgia (Cape Fear) won 54-53 vs. Birmingham on 8/7/04
LAST FIVE GAMES 0-5 0-5
LAST GAME Lost vs. Albany 48-39 Lost at Louisville 48-46
2005 STATISTICS WILDCATS STEELDOGS
PASSING Pesavento: 155-92-5; 947; 18 TDs Nelson: 93-47-3; 677; 6 TDs
RECEIVING Cockfield: 39-405; 9 TDs Harris: 23-327; 3 TDs
RUSHING Null: 3-2; 0 TDs Billings: 13-50; 4 TDs
TACKLES Fenceroy: 14.5 Hill: 19.5
SACKS Scott: 1.5 3 players tied: 1.0
INTERCEPTIONS Fenceroy: 3 Hill: 2
KICKING Marshall: 4-10 PAT; 1-2 FG 7 Pts Walls: 8-11 PAT; 2-2 FG 14 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 40.8 PPG (16th); 308.0 YPG (1st) 44.2 PPG (12th); 284.5 YPG (3rd)

TEAM DEFENSE 47.5 PPG (12th); 202.0 YPG (2nd) 58.2 PPG (18th); 247.8 YPG (7th)

SAN DIEGO RIPTIDE (1-3) AT RIO GRANDE VALLEY DORADOS (1-3)

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005 - DODGE ARENA (5,500) 8:30 P.M. ET

San Diego travels to Rio Grande Valley in search of its first victory since opening weekend. With both of these teams sitting at the bottom of the National Conference West Division pile with 1-3 records, the need for a victory on both sidelines is paramount. This is the first meeting between these two sides. They do share a common opponent this season in Bakersfield. Rio Grande Valley defeated the Blitz 40-32 while San Diego lost 57-30. Both teams played Bakersfield on the road. Last weekend, San Diego suffered a 49-31 loss to Amarillo and struggled to find any consistency from the quarterback position. Anthony Buich played in the first half and completed 6-of-18 passes with one interception. In the second half, Kevin Feterik did not fair any better mirroring Buich's stat-line going 6-of-18 with one interception. San Diego's receiving core was led by Nakoa McElrath who hauled in six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown and also returned two kickoffs for 42 yards. The Dorados lost to Bossier-Shreveport 77-69. Josh Kellet has not met his form of a year ago, but has given Rio Grande Valley stability under center with 924 yards and 17 touchdowns passing. Marquis Floyd is Kellet's primary offensive weapon. Floyd has 29 receptions for 417 yards and five scores. Floyd is also a factor defensively for the Dorados with three interceptions. Asi Faoa is second in af2 with 6.5 sacks and leads the Riptide's pass rush. Nian Taylor is an effective two-way player for San Diego and leads the team in receptions with 25 for 266 yards and six scores. Taylor also has 9.5 tackles and an interception on defense.

RIPTIDE DORADOS
SERIES LEADER First Meeting
LAST MEETING NA
LAST FIVE GAMES 1-4 2-3
LAST GAME Lost vs. Amarillo 49-31 Lost vs. Bossier-Shreveport 77-69
2005 STATISTICS RIPTIDE DORADOS
PASSING Buich: 58-126-3; 687; 11 TDs Kellet: 77-148-6; 924; 17 TDs
RECEIVING Taylor: 25-266; 6 TDs Floyd: 29-417; 5 TDs
RUSHING Griffin: 6-16; 21 TD Robinson: 14-84; 2 TDs
TACKLES Griffin: 11.0 Robinson: 20.0
SACKS Faoa: 6.5 Robinson: 2.0
INTERCEPTIONS Smith: 2 Floyd: 3
KICKING Naehu: 11-16 PAT; 3-6 FG 20 PTs Houle: 12-16 PAT; 5-11 FG 27 PTs
TEAM OFFENSE 39.0 PPG (18); 212.8 YPG (19)
45.2 PPG (11); 260.8 YPG (9)
TEAM DEFENSE 54.5 PPG (16); 230.5 YPG (6) 57.0 PPG (17); 255.8 YPG (10)

arenafootball2 Stories from May 6, 2005

• Amarillo Dusters game notes - Amarillo Venom
• Week six af2 Saturday night matchups - af2
• Quad City Steamwheelers game notes - Quad City Steamwheelers

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