Knights’ Defense Repels Memphis Siege and Secures Critical Win
Keith Murphy
Saturday July 1, 2006
However, football is a game of emotion, a game of momentum, and a game of desire. It is a game where statistics can often be tossed into the shredder because, quite frankly, the team who wins is often the team who either needs or wants the game more than their opponent. On this sultry summer evening in Macon, the Knights needed this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. That desire translated into a team that has come together into a focused, purpose-driven unit that suddenly has some of the af2’s top teams looking over their collective padded shoulders. Especially after wins over highly regarded Arkansas, a close, hard-fought loss at Florida, and Friday night’s 38–33 win over Memphis.
The Knights came out of the blocks looking a little shaky on the offensive side of the ball, as quarterback Chad Elliott seemed to be struggling with his reads. However, it was the Knights’ defense that took control of the first half and set the tone for the rest of the game. Macon shut out the Xplorers high octane offense for the first 25 minutes of the game. By the time Memphis was able to punch the ball into the end zone, they were trailing 19–6 with only 4:20 remaining in the half. Memphis tacked on another score just before halftime to cut the Macon lead to 19–12.
The second half was the time when Macon’s determination overcame Memphis’ talent and grit. Thanks to the continuing struggles of the Knights’ offense, Memphis was able to tie the game at 26 when Terrance Quattlebaum picked up a Chavis McCollister fumble and raced 24 yards into the end zone. The Xplorers even took the lead late in the game on an 11 yard Brian Jones touchdown run with 2:56 remaining, putting Memphis up 33–32. But it was Macon who would be the last man standing as Chad Elliott hit McCollister for a spectacular 28 yard touchdown pass with 1:36 left on the clock. The Macon defense, and an untimely Memphis holding penalty, put the game on ice for the Knights.
Defense Sets the Tempo
Knights’ Head Coach Derek Stingley says that the defensive game plan was all about controlling the tempo of the game. "I just wanted to slow the game down. I didn’t want it to be one of those big scoring games like it was last time. I looked at the films and I looked at the things we did against them the last time and the things we did last week against Florida. I said, ‘we cannot do that. I have to give them something totally different. A different look that they haven’t seen from anybody.’ We made this game plan to make them slow the game down; to make them inch the ball down the field. They want that big play. We want to see what would happen if we force them to have a lot of downs in each possession to try to get that mistake by the quarterback."
Veteran Stars Shine
The Knights were led, on both sides of the ball, by their veteran players. Jamal Garman, Andre Slappey, and Matt Jackson all had huge games for Macon. The highlights from this trio include Garman’s interception of Memphis’ quarterback Brian Jones; Slappey’s 17 yard pass reception and crushing sack of Jones; and, Jackson’s 10.5 tackles, an interception, and 88 yards returning kicks. Stingley says that the veteran’s stellar play may have had something to do with his pre-game speech. "I made everybody close their eyes and imagine that this was their championship game. What would you do? Would you just play to be ready for the off-season? Or would you play to win yourself a championship ring? That’s the reason I wore my ring today. Would you go out there and leave it all out there on the field? I made them all close their eyes and imagine themselves making those big plays. We got those big plays on defense. Chavis [McCollister] made some big catches. Even though our offense struggled, I liked the control of the tempo."
By the Numbers
Even though the Knights’ offense looked anemic at times, one player’s star shone brightly. Offensive Specialist, Chavis McCollister, a 5 foot 9 inch 210 pound speedster from Tarleton State is playing so well that, according to Stingley, some fans might wonder from what planet he comes: "Krypton, that’s where Chavis came from; because he’s a little Superman, he’s a little dynamite. He’s one of Rickey [Foggie]’s products. Rickey had him in Amarillo last year and Chavis led the league in receiving yards. Rickey told me that if you bring Chavis here that I guarantee you that whatever you scored before, he would give you another three touchdowns on top of that."
On the evening, McCollister caught seven passes for 124 yards and five touchdowns. James Hickenbotham made six receptions for 50 yards. For Memphis, Terrance Quattlebaum caught nine balls for 101 yards and one score. Kenny Higgins pulled in eight for 90 yards and the Xplorers other touchdown reception.
Both quarterbacks struggled. Memphis’ field general, Brian Jones, the league’s most efficient passer, will most certainly drop a few spots in that category after completing only 26 of 42 passes, throwing only two touchdown passes, throwing two interceptions, and being sacked twice. He did rush for a score.
The evening wasn’t much rosier for Macon QB Chad Elliott. Eliott completed 19 of 33 for 246 yards and five touchdowns. He was sacked once; but seemed uncomfortable in the pocket much of the night. It appeared as if he was having difficulty working through his reads and seeing the deep routes. Stingley says that Elliott is still adjusting to new Offensive Coordinator, Rickey Foggie’s system. "In the beginning, we only had a couple of options for guys who could get open. So we knew who we were throwing to, a lot. Before Foggie got here. Before Chavis, and Cloman, Brutley and Humphries, we had one, maybe two playmakers with Garman and Hickenbotham. Now we have a team full of playmakers. It’s almost as if Chad is trying to decide, ‘who do I throw it to?’ Instead of taking what the defense is giving him. And then, He’s just trying to unlearn what he learned in Bakersfield to try and get on the same page with Rickey. Rickey is a great coach. He’s an option guy. He’s going to get the guy open and he’s going to make the quarterback try to read the zones and get rid of the ball now. Sometimes Rickey says, ‘If you just hold on to the ball for one more second. . . ." What he’s trying to do is get Chad to scan the field the proper way."
The win runs the Knights record to 5–7 and keeps Macon’s scant playoff hopes alive for another week as they now trail Birmingham for the last playoff spot in the conference by just a half game and will host the Steeldogs July 15. But Stingley says the win incredibly important for his team. "It was huge for us, because now it gives us some kind of credit throughout the league. It makes us seem as if we don’t have that ‘bad luck’ any more. We are putting everything together. So now, people around the league can say, ‘Oh my goodness, they had a fight with a team. They fought with Florida. They beat Arkansas when they had the number one defense in the league. So now things are turning in our favor and this win here is huge to help the confidence of our players. A lot of people had down games tonight: the kicker, Chad; but, once again, we played team football. With this win tonight, I’m quite sure our players are feeling good about themselves and with this win tonight, I’m quite sure that our players are feeling so good about themselves that we can go through the rest of the season, make our way into the playoffs, and then what happens from that point, happens."
Postseason Plans?
Even with the win, Macon still pretty much has to win out to assure themselves a spot in the postseason. Despite the long odds, Stingley sounds confident, "We’re going to try. That’s the reason why all those games are on the schedule. We can’t avoid them and all of our guys have fight in them. Now that I see their confidence, we are going to work hard as a coaching staff, number one, to try to figure out what’s best. I’m sure that if this was Vegas, everybody would be betting on Memphis to win; but, the chemistry and attitude of this team has changed to where they want to compete. When we lost at Florida, guys were upset. They were mad. Earlier in the year they were just down because I was getting on them. Now, these guys wanted to play and they wanted to win. Every play and every game means the world to them and I see it now."
With the win, Macon’s record goes to 5-7 while Memphis falls to 9–4. The Knights continue their quest for the post-season as they travel to Albany next Saturday to take on the Conquest. They then return to the Coliseum for the season’s final two home games as they host the Birmingham Steeldogs , July 15, and Tennessee Valley a week later. Memphis is on the road again next weekend as they travel to Louisville to play the Fire. Their next home game is July 15 as they play host to Amarillo.
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
