Knights Pound Out Win Over Vipers
Keith Murphy
Sunday July 27, 2003
Porter says that his squad is peaking at the right time, “We just had great focus during practice this week. We felt like we had a good plan and our guys just came out a played tremendous football from start to finish. This is the team we’ve been looking for all year and it’s a good time for it to happen.”
Knights’ quarterback Jermaine Alfred led the Macon onslaught completing 16 of 27 passes for 228 yards and three scores. He also ran for two additional scores. Porter says that Alfred’s improved play is a key for the Knights’ offensive success. “I think the fact that Jermaine has had a couple of weeks to get familiar with the guys he’s playing with and get a better understanding of the offense. I think that’s helped him and, in turn, it’s helped us play better.”
Alfred hit game MVP Jacquez Rumph for two long passes (45 and 31 yards) in the first half that gave the Knights a 27 – 14 halftime lead. A lead that Alfred made sure the Knights wouldn’t relinquish. “I feel good. We worked hard all week,” Alfred said. “This capitalizes a good season. We didn’t win some of the close games, but we won this one when it counted. I feel wonderful.”
One critical key for Macon was that they were able to control the line of scrimmage. The Knights’ defensive push kept Viper quarterback Matt Sauk off balance (and frequently on the turf) all evening. Knights’ Line Coach, Webbie Burnett says that pressuring the qb was critical, “Tennessee Valley is still one of the best teams in the league. They’re still the best team in the league. We match up very well with them up front. We told our guys that whoever gets to the quarterback and gets the most pressure will win the game. Tonight, we did what worked. My hat’s off to Coach Porter. He came up with a great defensive game plan and we kept it simple. All we needed was the physical ingredient. Everybody had to go out and play, physically”
Sauk was only able to complete 27 of 47 attempts for 257 yards and four scores. The defensive pressure on Sauk forced the critical play of the game. With less than a minute to play in the first half, Sauk was intercepted by Byron Douzart on the Viper six. Douzart returned the ball for a touchdown giving Macon the two score lead that they never surrendered.
The way the af2 playoff tie-breakers work, Macon may be seeded as high as fourth which would mean the Knights would host a first round playoff game. Porter says that if this is the case, “I don’t know if we’re going to get a home playoff game, but if we do it’s big for us.” Alfred says that a home playoff game is, “The best thing. Give y’all another game to come watch. That’s what it’s all about: the fans.”
With the win, the Knights finish the regular season at 10 and 6 and, for the third year in a row, continue on to the af2 playoffs. If the Knights have earned a first round home game, kickoff will be Saturday at 7:30 pm and tickets will be available through the Knights’ box office (478) 314-3000. Tennessee Valley falls to 14 and 2 and, as top seed in the Conference, has a first round bye.
Dr. Murphy has nearly 20 years of media experience ranging from radio to the Internet. He has served as webmaster for two AF2 teams and the football team at Fort Valley State University. He is a professor at FVSU and directs www.bunniwerks.org, a non-profit rabbit rescue organization. He has been commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel. Murphy is also serving as a first party editor of af2 stories for ArenaFfan. For more information about Dr. Murphy see: www.keithmurphy.info
