…And then there were eight: A look at the Second Round
Keith Murphy
Tuesday August 5, 2003
American Conference
Mohegan at Tennessee Valley
Top-seeded Tennessee Valley (14-2) welcomes the sixth-seeded Mohegan Wolves (11-6) to Huntsville Friday night for the first of this weekend’s matchups. The Vipers coasted through the first fourteen weeks of the regular season without a loss. However, they come into Friday’s game having lost their last two in a row (Quad City and Macon). The Vipers boast the league’s 3rd best scoring offense, averaging 52 points per game. Tennessee Valley also features a strong kicking game which could prove to be the crucial element if the game is close.
Mohegan earned the trip to Huntsville with an upset win at Cape Fear. The Wolves lead the af2 in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of only 38.7 points per game. The Mohegan defense is led by Charlie Cook who led the af2 in tackles for a loss with 10.5. But don’t think that the Wolves are one-dimensional as quarterback Greg Smith has the second highest quarterback rating in af2 at 118.
Macon at Albany
Second-seed, Albany (13-3) hosts the suddenly surging fourth-seeded Macon Knights (11-6) Saturday. Macon comes into the game with wins over top-seeded Tennessee Valley and last season’s Conference Champion Florida Firecats. Since the addition of quarterback Jermaine Alfred, the Macon Offense has improved every weekend. Add that to an aggressive defense and the Knights may prove to be a handful for Albany. On the downside, the Knights have not played well on the road this season, managing only three road wins.
Albany, led by quarterback Ryan Vena’s 85 touchdown passes, boasts the top total offense in af2. The Conquest offense also boasts two 1000-plus yard receivers in Corey Hill and Phil Taylor. With offensive weapons like that it’s no wonder Albany averages 54 points per game. Unless the Macon defense can make some critical stops this game may be an old-fashioned shoot out.
National Conference
Arkansas at Quad City
Top-Seed Quad City (14-2) will host the fourth-seeded Arkansas Twisters (10-7). The SteamWheelers have put together yet another powerful team and seem to be the odds-on favorite to win the Arena Cup at this point. The ‘Wheelers lead the af2 in scoring offense (57.2 points per game), scoring (788 points), and penalties. Quad City ranks either 2nd or 3rd in most statistical categories. Quarterback Tony Zimmerman leads the ‘Wheeler attack and has amassed a 118 quarterback rating. However, the ‘Wheelers will have to overcome the loss of top receiver Ira Gooch who is now a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Arkansas was on cloud nine after their first ever playoff win; drawing Quad City in the second round may quickly bring them down to earth. The Twisters led the af2 in total defense and ranked second in pass defense. Quarterback Ricky Hebert leads the Twisters’ offense, which has been anemic at times, averaging only 43.8 points per game. Arkansas will need a huge defensive effort to give the Twister offense a chance to stay in the game.
Hawaii at Tulsa
Second-Seeded Tulsa (13-3) hosts the third seeded Hawaii Islanders (11-6). The Talons, statistically, have managed to rank in the top four or five of most statistical categories. Their three losses during the regular season were all at the hands of playoff-bound teams and were all on the road. Quarterback Craig Strickland lead the Talon offense. He racked up the fifth highest passing yards per game average (232 yards per game) during the regular season. Tulsa is a balanced team and manages to find a way to win.
The Islanders are a bit of an enigma. This team has, without question, the best home-field advantage in af2. However, this time they must make the long trip to Tulsa. The Islanders ranked dead last in pass offense, averaging only 196 yards per game. However, in last week’s win over Wichita, Islander quarterback Darnell Arceneaux, threw for 229 yards and six touchdowns. The Hawaii offense is paced by their top ranked rushing attack which is also responsible, in part, for their top ranking red zone offensive play. The Islanders managed to put points on the board 85 percent of the time they reached the red zone. FB/LB Josh White averages 4.8 yards per carry and is a key to the Islander’s success.
Links to Internet broadcasts of all four games can be found here . (If the link doesn’t work, paste this url into your browser: http://www.arenafan.com/statistics/?page=schedule&league=2
The winners will meet at the home field of the highest seed for next weekend’s Conference Championships.
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
