ARENABOWL XXVII – SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2014
Arizona Rattlers (15-3) AT Cleveland Gladiators (17-1) 8:00 PM ET
SERIES
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RATTLERS
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GLADIATORS
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SERIES LEADER
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12-3 (1-0 in postseason)
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STREAKS
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W2
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W10
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COACHES VS. OPP
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Guy: 2-0
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Thonn: 0-7 (0-1 in postseason)
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LAST WEEK
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W 72-56 vs. SaberCats
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W 56-46 vs. Predators
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LAST MEETING
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5/28/11:
Gladiators 42 at Rattlers 63. Arizona wide receiver Jason Geathers
caught 10 passes for 111 yards and four touchdowns. Cleveland receivers
Thyron Lewis and Dominick Goodman combined for 24 receptions, 284 yards
and three touchdowns.
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LAST MEETING AT SITE
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4/3/10:
Rattlers 61 at Gladiators 56. Arizona quarterback Nick Davila passed
for 273 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in his first
career start. Cleveland receiver Ben Nelson led the Gladiators with
eight catches for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
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BROADCAST
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“NET10 Wireless AFL” on ESPN
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REGULAR SEASON STATS
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PASSING
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Davila: 362-544-4778-127-11-125.29
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Austin: 367-564-4478-99-15-117.89
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RUSHING
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Singleton: 66-170-2.6-14
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Austin: 62-175-2.8-12
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RECEIVING
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Windsor: 124-1685-13.6-44
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Goodman: 156-1671-10.7-34
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OFFENSE
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63.9 PPG
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55.1 PPG
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TURNOVER MARGIN
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+17
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+16
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DEFENSE
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50.3 PPG
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43.4 PPG
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SACKS
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Dukes: 9
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McGinnis: 9
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INTERCEPTIONS
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Floyd: 13
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Norman: 12
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KICKING
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Ratanamorn: 111 (5/5 FG, 96/105 PAT)
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Pettrey: 130 (8/11 FG, 106/130 PAT)
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NOTES
RATTLERS: The Arizona Rattlers have advanced to their fourth consecutive ArenaBowl after defeating the San Jose Sabercats,
72-56, in the National Conference Championship Game… With a win at
ArenaBowl XXVII, the Rattlers would become the second team in AFL
history to win three consecutive championships, joining the Detroit
Drive who won three ArenaBowls from 1988-1990… This is Arizona’s ninth
ArenaBowl appearance, tying the Tampa Bay Storm
franchise for the most in AFL history… A win at ArenaBowl XXVII would
tie the Rattlers with Tampa Bay for the most ArenaBowl victories in AFL
history with five, while a loss would tie Arizona with Orlando for the
most in AFL history with five… The Rattlers won the last ArenaBowl
contested on ESPN, defeating Arena Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER and the Iowa Barnstormers
at ArenaBowl XI in 1997… This will be the ninth ArenaBowl televised on
ESPN… The Rattlers set an AFL record with 14 consecutive wins to begin
the season… HC KEVIN GUY is the first head coach in AFL
history to guide a team to four straight ArenaBowls… He ranks third in
AFL history with two career ArenaBowl victories… Only Tim Marcum (7) and
Darren Arbet (3) have won more ArenaBowls than Guy… He was named
interim head coach for the New Jersey Red Dogs for the final four games
of the 2000 season, guiding the team to a 1-3 record… The Red Dogs were
rechristened the “Gladiators” the following season… Guy also played
receiver and defensive back for the Red Dogs from 1997-1999… QB NICK DAVILA’s
last trip to Cleveland was for his first career game in 2010… He
completed 26-of-39 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns with one
interception in his AFL debut against the Gladiators… He passed for 263
yards and eight touchdowns in his last meeting with Cleveland in 2011…
Davila was teammates with current Gladiators WR DOMINICK GOODMAN and OL C.J. COBB
at the University of Cincinnati… He also spent time with the Cleveland
Browns of the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007… He
accounted for 10 total touchdowns in the National Conference
Championship Game, passing for eight and rushing for two more… He holds
the AFL record for most touchdown passes in ArenaBowl history with 23
for his career… He is 56 passing yards shy of Arena Football Hall of
Famer JAY GRUDEN’s career record of 975 ArenaBowl passing yards and 14 completions shy of Arena Football Hall of Famer SHERDRICK BONNER’s
career record of 81 ArenaBowl completions… Davila became the 10th
player in pro football history to pass for 500 career touchdowns and the
only man in the history of the sport to throw for 100-plus touchdowns
in five consecutive seasons… He set
a new single-season franchise record for passing touchdowns with 127 in
2014, breaking his own previous mark of 117, originally set in 2011… He
has recorded a triple-digit passer rating in five consecutive games… He
has an 11-1 record as a starting quarterback in the postseason… WR ROD WINDSOR
caught six passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns in the National
Conference Championship Game… He earned Russell Athletic Offensive
Player of the Game and MVP honors after totaling 10 receptions for 145
yards and two touchdowns last season at ArenaBowl XXVI… He is the fifth
consecutive receiver to win ArenaBowl Offensive Player of the Game
honors… He earned First Team All-Arena honors after leading the League
with 44 touchdown receptions in 2014… He has caught a touchdown pass in
15 consecutive games played… He last played in Cleveland as a member of
the NFL’s Cleveland Browns from 2011-2012… In his last matchup against
the Gladiators, he logged 11 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown… He
made his AFL debut against Cleveland in 2010, recording a game-high 13
receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns… WR MAURICE PURIFY is three touchdowns shy of Arena Football Hall of Famer GEORGE LAFRANCE’s
career ArenaBowl record of 12… Purify holds the record for most
touchdowns in a single ArenaBowl, having scored seven against the Philadelphia Soul
at ArenaBowl XXV in 2012… He earned Russell Athletic Offensive Player
of the Game honors for his seven-touchdown performance at ArenaBowl XXV…
His last game against Cleveland came as a rookie with the Georgia Force
in the 2011 AFL Quarterfinals when he tallied seven receptions for 91
yards and two touchdowns (at Cleveland, 7/31/11)… He ranked second on
the team with 1,235 receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns in the
regular season... He did not play last week in the National Conference
Championship Game due to injury… WR CHRIS JACKSON
caught three passes for 54 yards in his first game since 2011 when he
was named Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game in ArenaBowl
XXIV… He has been named Offensive Player of the Game in his last two
ArenaBowl appearances… His last game against Cleveland came in the 2008
conference championship round, when he tallied five receptions for 35
yards and two touchdowns as a member of the Philadelphia Soul (vs. Cleveland, 7/12/08)… WR TYSSON POOTS
hauled in three passes for 23 yards and two touchdowns in the National
Conference Championship Game… He totaled 1,208 receiving yards and 26
receiving touchdowns during the regular season... He recorded 11 catches
for 110 yards and five touchdowns in his only previous game against the
Gladiators as a rookie with the Utah Blaze in 2012 (vs. Cleveland, 7/13/12)… WR KERRY REED
caught six passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns in the National
Conference Championship Game… He also recorded an interception on
defense… He has hauled in a touchdown reception in three consecutive
games… He tallied 676 receiving yards and 26 receiving touchdowns while
picking up 48.5 tackles and an interception on defense during the
regular season... This will be his first career game against Cleveland… DE CLIFF DUKES
logged half-a-tackle in the National Conference Championship Game… He
earned Second Team All-Arena honors after setting a single-season
franchise record with nine sacks in 2014… DE LEON MACKEY
recorded two sacks in the National Conference Championship Game… He
leads the team with three sacks in the postseason… He saw action in two
regular season games as a rookie with the Rattlers this season… NG ANTTAJ HAWTHORNE
tallied two sacks and a fumble recovery in the National Conference
Championship Game… He became the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks
when he recorded a sack, the 27th of his career, against the SaberCats
in Week 16... He logged half-a-tackle, a forced fumble, fumble recovery
and pass breakup in his last game against the Gladiators… MLB TYRE GLASPER
recorded a sack and two quarterback hurries in the National Conference
Championship Game… He logged four sacks during the regular season… He
recorded 1.5 tackles in his only previous game against the Gladiators in
2011… JLB JEREMY KELLEM notched six tackles and a pass
breakup in the National Conference Championship Game… He led the team
with 98 tackles during the regular season... He recorded 5.5 tackles
against Cleveland as a rookie with the New Orleans VooDoo in 2012 (at Cleveland, 6/16/12)… DB MARQUIS FLOYD
logged 9.5 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception in the
National Conference Championship Game… He earned First Team All-Arena
honors after leading the League with 13 interceptions in 2014… He has
recorded an interception in both playoff games this postseason… He led
the team with 9.5 tackles and a pass breakup in his last game against
the Gladiators in 2011… DB ARKEITH BROWN collected 6.5
tackles in the National Conference Championship Game… He ranked second
on the team with 90.5 tackles in the regular season… This will be his
first career game against Cleveland… GLADIATORS: The Cleveland Gladiators defeated the Orlando Predators,
56-46, in the American Conference Championship Game to advance to the
franchise’s first-ever ArenaBowl berth… This is the third time in AFL
history since the League switched to a Conference Championship playoff
format that two No. 1 seeds will meet in the ArenaBowl… The American
Conference champion won both previous 1 vs. 1 ArenaBowls (Colorado def.
Georgia, ArenaBowl XIX; Jacksonville def. Arizona, ArenaBowl XXIV)… The
Gladiators set the AFL record for wins in a regular season with 17 in
2014… Cleveland won nine games by less than a touchdown and six games on
the final play from scrimmage… Three ArenaBowls have been decided on
the last play of the game – two by field goal (XIV, XIX) and one by
touchdown (XXIV)… Home teams are 11-8 in non-neutral site ArenaBowls… HC STEVE THONN
played wide receiver and defensive back for the Chicago Bruisers in
ArenaBowl II in 1988… He was an assistant coach for the Georgia Force in
ArenaBowl XIX… He has never defeated the Arizona Rattlers
and is 0-1 in postseason play, falling to the Rattlers in the AFL
Quarterfinals as head coach of the Houston ThunderBears in 1998… AC RON SELESKY was an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XII… QB SHANE AUSTIN
earned Second Team All-Arena honors after going 16-1, including
postseason play, as a starter in Cleveland… He began the season as a
backup to QB CHRIS DIEKER, who went 3-0 as a starter
this season… He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,478 yards, 99
touchdown and 15 interceptions in the regular season… He passed for 204
yards and seven touchdowns in the American Conference Championship
Game… This will be his first career game against Arizona… FB JASON JONES and DB LAROCHE JACKSON are the only players on the Gladiators’ roster with previous ArenaBowl experience… Jones played for the Philadelphia Soul in ArenaBowl XXVI last season while Jackson was a member of the Jacksonville Sharks squad that defeated the Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXIV in 2011… WR DOMINICK GOODMAN
became the franchise’s all-time leading receiver this season with 593
catches for 6,020 yards in his four-year career… He led the team with
eight receptions for 69 yards and three touchdowns in the American
Conference Championship Game… He earned First Team All-Arena honors
after collecting a
League-high 156 receptions for 1,671 yards and 34 touchdowns during the
regular season… He caught 11 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown in
his only previous game against the Rattlers as a rookie in 2011… He
played college ball with the Rattlers QB NICK DAVILA at
the University of Cincinnati and was named MVP of the 2007
International Bowl after hauling in a pair of touchdown passes from
Davila… WR THYRON LEWIS hauled in five catches for 59
yards and three scores in the American Conference Championship Game… He
recorded career-highs with 101 receptions for 1,525 receiving yards and
37 touchdowns in 2014… He recorded a team-high 13 receptions for 157
yards and two touchdowns in his only previous matchup with Arizona as a
rookie in 2011… WR COLLIN TAYLOR logged five receptions
for 48 yards in the American Conference Championship Game… He was the
team’s third-leading receiver on the season with 80 receptions for 976
yards and 20 touchdowns… His last game against the Rattlers came as a
member of the Iowa Barnstormers when he tallied seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown in 2012 (at Arizona, 6/9/12)… DE LOUIS NZEGWU registered a sack in the American Conference Championship Game… He recorded 4.5 tackles in four games as a rookie with the Arizona Rattlers before joining the Cleveland Gladiators late in the 2014 regular season… DE LUKE BLACK
logged a sack and forced fumble in the American Conference Championship
Game… He recorded 20 tackles, 6.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries in
15 games with the Gladiators this season… This will be his first career
game against the Rattlers… NG WILLIE MCGINNIS had
three quarterback hurries in the American Conference Championship Game…
He earned Second Team All-Arena honors after leading the Gladiators with
nine sacks on the year… JLB ALVIN RAY JACKSON
collected eight tackles and a pass breakup in the American Conference
Championship Game… He spent the 2014 regular season with the New Orleans VooDoo,
logging 39 tackles and three interceptions in 14 games with the team…
His last game against the Rattlers came as a member of the VooDoo in
2012 when he collected 3.5 tackles and a forced fumble (vs. Arizona,
5/26/12)… DB MARRIO NORMAN earned First Team All-Arena
honors after setting a new single-season franchise record for
interceptions with 12 in 2014… He was placed on Other League Exempt
after signing with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens on July 29th… DB DOMINIC JONES
led the Gladiators with 9.5 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble
recovery in the American Conference Championship Game… He notched 93.5
tackles, 27 pass breakups, four interceptions, four fumble recoveries
and three forced fumbles in the regular season… He led the Orlando Predators with six tackles and an interception in his last meeting with the Rattlers (vs. Arizona, 7/6/13)… DB LAROCHE JACKSON
recorded six tackles in the American Conference Championship Game… He
led the Gladiators with 105.5 tackles in the regular season… He led the Jacksonville Sharks with eight tackles and a pass breakup against the Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXIV in 2011… DB JOE PHINISEE
recorded 6.5 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception in the
American Conference Championship Game… In the regular season, he
recorded 63 tackles, five fumble recoveries, four pass breakups and four
interceptions… This will be his first career game against the Rattlers…
K AARON PETTREY connected on a 36-yard field goal as
time expired to secure Cleveland’s victory in the AFL Quarterfinals… He
has drilled three game-winning field goals in 2014.
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