Rocky Outlasts Apollo Creed; Gains Win
Keith Murphy
Monday June 3, 2002
Augusta head coach Mike Hold said that tonight’s game is “what Arena football’s all about. We told the guys afterwards that we have nothing to be ashamed of. We came in here and played sixty minutes of hard football and didn’t quit. We had a chance to win in the end. That’s all we can ask for. I’m proud of the guys. They played hard. I told ‘em, ‘let’s start another run.’”
The win not only ended Augusta’s seven game winning streak, it cut the Stallion’s division lead to one game. “It’s a huge lift for us now knowing that we can beat a good team,” Porter said. Hold agreed that this was a big game for the Knights, “It would be nice to come in here and beat Macon soundly; but we’re not going to do that to a team like Macon. Macon’s too good.”
Porter said that improved line play was the key, “We challenged our guys up front this week because we know that’s where the game is won or lost. We thought that they outplayed us up front the first game and if we were going to have any chance to win our guys up front were going to have to play well. I thought they did a tremendous job. I thought we got after their quarterback and protected our guy really well. They only got to him once or twice and we got a couple of hits on their guy which was probably the difference in the game.”
Macon quarterback, John Rayborn agreed that the offensive line play was critical to the win. “They were hitting me late a lot. After I’d throw the ball they were hitting me. Which is not a problem as long as I can throw the ball without them putting me off balance. I think our offensive line did a great job. There were only a few times the whole game where I had to throw off my back foot.” Rayborn completed 32 of 41 passes for 5 touchdowns and only one interception. He rushed for three more scores on the evening.
Macon WR/LB Tremaine Neal was named game MVP. Neal caught 9 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked off a Glen Gaunt pass and was credited with 4 tackles. Macon’s FB/LB Byron Douzart received the Ironman award after rushing for 12 yards and one touchdown as well as making eight solo tackles and a quarterback sack. Macon’s Renotto Solomon was named defensive player of the game.
One unusual injury left Stallions’ coach Mike Hold limping during the second half. As the first half neared to a close, Augusta QB Glen Gaunt hit Tim Dumas on a 37 yard scoring play, “I didn’t even jump.” Hold said, “I just went up on my toes and my calf popped. I’ll have to go on short term IR or something”
One bit of disappointing news for the Knights, offensive specialist Jaquez Rumph re-aggravated a nagging injury and will be day to day.
With the win, the Knights go to 7 and 2 and will host Columbus next Saturday. The Stallions fall to 7 and 1 and will next play host to Jacksonville.
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
