FIRE
PLAN TO SKIN THE CATS
Louisville, KY-Saturday, April
5 the Louisville Fire will go on the road
to play the South Georgia Wildcats. This
will be the first time that the Fire will
hit the road for the 2008 season.
Last season the Fire lost
to South Georgia 77-53. The Wildcats jumped
to an early 23-6 lead in the first quarter
and extended it to 45-19 at halftime. The
Fire gave up three fumbles and one interception
in the game. The bright spot in the game
last season was the fact that the Fire actually
had six more yards of offense than the Wildcats.
“South Georgia has a very athletic team,”
stated Head Coach Tommy Johnson when asked
about the South Georgia Wildcats. “They
are extremely well coached. I actually played
with their coach in the AFL; therefore I
know he will have them prepared. They will
have a smart and quick secondary. Offensively
they have two experienced receivers who
will be looking to make a big impact.”
South Georgia Head Coach Derek
Stingley is entering his second season with
the Wildcats. In 2007, the Wildcats were
the number one offense in arenafootball2
averaging 316.6 yards a game and fifth in
the league in scoring with 54.7 points per
game. He has added Antwone Savage, a big
receiver who spent 2007 with the Spokane
Shock. Wide receiver P.J. Berry led the
Wildcats in their season opening victory
against the Tennessee Valley Vipers. Berry
had eight receptions for 154 yards and three
touchdowns.
“South Georgia has a lot of
speed on offense and defense,” stated Fire
quarterback Matt Bassuener. “We will have
to make adjustments as the game goes along
and we will need to execute and take care
of what we can control.”
In the Fire’s home opener
rookies had an instant impact in the 58-28
victory against the Barnstormers. Brandon
Register recorded two interceptions and
4.5 tackles. Zachariah Babington-Johnson
made an impact on the game early and often.
He had 3.5 tackles and two sacks, one of
which was a safety. He was also named ADT
Defensive Player of the Week. Matt Bassuener,
the PNC MVP of the Game, threw for 131 yards,
on 12 completions, and added 37 yards rushing
(leads af2 in rushing yards). Bassuener
was able to rely on Lonnell DeWalt. DeWalt
had 10 receptions for 146 yards and two
touchdowns.
GAME FACTS – Louisville Fire
(1-0) vs. South Georgia Wildcats (1-0)
Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: 7:35
Site: Albany Civic Center
Online Broadcast: Game will be streamed
online on af2TV, courtesy of niftytv.com
Radio: The Ticket (1450 AM) with Zack McCrite
(play-by-play) and Michael Vanover (analyst)
Series History: Tied 1-1 (1-0 in Louisville,
1-0 in Albany, GA)
Last Meeting: South Georgia 77, Louisville
53 (April 7, 2005 – Albany Civic Center,
Albany, GA.)
