Macon Looking for Seventh-Straight Win
Keith Murphy
Thursday June 27, 2002
Of the Knights’ four remaining games, only Pensacola, at 5-6, is not in first or second place in their division. However, even Pensacola is not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Macon Knights’ head coach Kevin Porter has a rather stoic response to the remaining schedule, “The schedule’s tough but I think it’s good for us. Playing all these teams coming down the stretch lets us know exactly where we are. If we can continue to win games, continue to beat these teams, then, come playoff time hopefully that experience will help us.”
The Knights begin running this four-game gauntlet Friday night as they host the 7-4 Tallahassee Thunder. The Thunder enter play with a one game lead over the Florida Firecats and a two game lead over the Jacksonville Tomcats; numbers which Porter believes makes them a dangerous opponent, “They’ve got a lot to play for right now. They’re in a pretty tough battle in their division so we expect them to come in here and play really hard. We feel the same way. We still have a lot to fight for towards the end of the season so I think it will be a good game.”
Despite the fact that the Knights have clinched a playoff berth and know they are going to play Augusta in the first round, Porter says that his team still has incentive to play hard. “I don’t see a problem matching Tallahassee’s intensity. Our guys understand that we still have a lot of work to do. We still have a long way to go to reach out goals. We can’t go out and waste any opportunity to get better. It’s another chance for us to go out and play and sharpen our game.”
The Thunder are ranked third in total defense and lead the league in sacks with 33. Knights’ Offensive Coordinator Tres Sullivan says that his line must protect Macon QB John Rayborn, “Tallahassee’s biggest assets are their guys up front. If you can pressure the quarterback then, obviously, your secondary is going to have opportunities to knock the ball down and things like that. I think we need to control the ball and control the clock. We need to try to keep their big guys up front off-balance. Our biggest concern is controlling those guys up front.”
Porter says that the matchup between Macon’s offense and Tallahassee’s defense should be the turning point, “Our guys up front have played very well throughout the season. It’s a challenge to our guys to see if they can go out and play well and keep them under control up front.”
Sullivan says that line play made a huge difference in Macon’s performance the last two weeks, “Against Jacksonville we didn’t have a good game up front and we didn’t throw the ball real well. Against Birmingham we protected well and we threw the ball well. I think controlling the line is going to be the key.”
Macon has reeled off six straight wins and seems to be coming together as a team. Sullivan argues that this performance is due to the team’s maturation and individuals understanding their roles, “Our guys are beginning to understand how important our guys up front are. I think the line is starting to play with the mentality that they dictate how well we play both offensively and defensively. If they continue to have that attitude I think we’ll continue to make progress.”
Under Sullivan’s leadership, Macon has the top ranked scoring offense in the league. Sullivan says that lofty status “boosts your ego a bit; but, basically what it does is that it shows that the players are understanding what we are trying to do and that they are excelling at what we’re coaching and that they are grasping what’s going on. It just shows a lot of hard work on their part. It’s a nice reward for them to see that as a reward for all their hard work.”
This week’s game is Civic Duty Day, honoring civic workers in Macon and the surrounding areas. It’s also the final black Friday of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm at the Macon Coliseum. Pre-game festivities begin at 5 pm with Camelot in the Coliseum parking lot.
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
