Post by fwp on May 8, 2010 6:31:30 GMT -5
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/93179279.html
ALBANY — Say what you will about the Albany Panthers, they don’t take long to take care of business.
Remember, this is a team that was put together on the run, going from an idea to a full squad of players in a matter of a couple of months.
So when the Panthers lost one of their top receivers this week, they were on the phone the next day. And if you think this team had the best corps of receivers in the Southern Indoor Football League up until now, just wait until they line up against Lafayette tonight.
Jonathan Harris broke his finger in practice and is out for at least two weeks, but the Panthers signed Antwone Savage, a native of Albany who once starred at Westover High.
That’s right, the same Antwone Savage who played at Oklahoma, where he won a national title with the Sooners in 2000, and the same Albany native who played for the South Georgia Wildcats last season.
“I’m excited to have him,’’ Panthers coach Lucious Davis said. “You lose one, you get one.’’
But the Panthers aren’t just getting one, they’re getting one of the best.
Savage was a household name at Oklahoma, where he caught 157 passes (fifth all-time for the Sooners) for 2,009 yards (fourth all-time at OU) and amassed 993 yards in kickoff returns (fourth all-time at OU).
He knows arena ball, too. Savage has spent the past five years playing arena football for Spokane, Dallas and the Wildcats. He caught 353 passes for 5,326 yards and scored 145touchdowns during that five-year stretch. He was, most recently, playing for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the AFL, but was released this week.
So the Panthers snatched him in a flash.
“He’s a big time receiver,’’ Davis said. “He has been around, playing five years in arena football. He brings a lot of experience and he’s a big-play receiver. He runs great routes, and he’s a playmaker.’’
Savage will be in the lineup at 7:30 tonight when the Panthers (3-0) face Lafayette for the second time this season. They will need him. Albany may be unbeaten, but it took a frantic comeback to beat Lafayette, 70-64, three weeks ago.
The Panthers also will get back their top receiver, Clenton Rafe, who sat out the last game with a knee injury. Rafe caught 19 passes for 281 yards and scored seven touchdowns in the first two games of the season, and, as it turned out, the Panthers didn’t need him against Greenville, a team they absolutely demolished, 78-13, two weeks ago.
“Rafe is back, and now we have two playmakers. Antwone is another Rafe, just a little taller,’’ Davis said. “Rafe could have played (against Greenville), but the doctors said he needed time to heal. He is well rested after two weeks.’’
Rafe and the rest of the Panthers had a bye week, and Davis gave them that time off, before going back to work this week.
“I don’t like the bye week,’’ said Davis, who spent part of the off week going back home to Houston. “It really kills the momentum we had. You can’t get any rhythm at all when you play a game, then take a week off and then play another game. You can’t get consistency at all. And that’s what we’re striving for in the final eight games.’’
Lafayette, which fired its coach after an opening-night loss and hired veteran arena football coach Skip Foster, is only 1-3, but the Wildcatters played the Panthers close. Davis expects the same tonight.
“They are 1-2 since (Foster) took over, and they’re a much better team than the record,” Davis said. “He’s a real good coach, and he brought in some players. Skill-wise, they are about the same as us. Their defensive backs are good, and their receivers are solid.’’
What bothers Davis the most is the way Lafayette pressured Panthers quarterback Cecil Lester in the first game.
“They’re like us. They are very good up front and put pressure on the quarterback,’’ he said. “The key for us is to protect our quarterback and get after their quarterback.’’
The Panthers created havoc in Greenville’s backfield two weeks ago in the 78-13 win, which was dictated by Albany’s defense. Davis would like to see the same pass rush that created four sacks, including a safety against Greenville, show up against Lafayette.
He doesn’t want to see a repeat of the last game against Lafayette, which wasn’t decided until the Panthers scored a TD with 45 seconds left to come back from a 55-40 deficit.
“I don’t want to see that again. I’m hoping we can put it away before then,’’ Davis said. “We have to be ready. All the coaches in the league keep saying we are the top team, and we know from now on we will have a bull’s eye on our back. We want to stay (at the top of the league).’’
ALBANY — Say what you will about the Albany Panthers, they don’t take long to take care of business.
Remember, this is a team that was put together on the run, going from an idea to a full squad of players in a matter of a couple of months.
So when the Panthers lost one of their top receivers this week, they were on the phone the next day. And if you think this team had the best corps of receivers in the Southern Indoor Football League up until now, just wait until they line up against Lafayette tonight.
Jonathan Harris broke his finger in practice and is out for at least two weeks, but the Panthers signed Antwone Savage, a native of Albany who once starred at Westover High.
That’s right, the same Antwone Savage who played at Oklahoma, where he won a national title with the Sooners in 2000, and the same Albany native who played for the South Georgia Wildcats last season.
“I’m excited to have him,’’ Panthers coach Lucious Davis said. “You lose one, you get one.’’
But the Panthers aren’t just getting one, they’re getting one of the best.
Savage was a household name at Oklahoma, where he caught 157 passes (fifth all-time for the Sooners) for 2,009 yards (fourth all-time at OU) and amassed 993 yards in kickoff returns (fourth all-time at OU).
He knows arena ball, too. Savage has spent the past five years playing arena football for Spokane, Dallas and the Wildcats. He caught 353 passes for 5,326 yards and scored 145touchdowns during that five-year stretch. He was, most recently, playing for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the AFL, but was released this week.
So the Panthers snatched him in a flash.
“He’s a big time receiver,’’ Davis said. “He has been around, playing five years in arena football. He brings a lot of experience and he’s a big-play receiver. He runs great routes, and he’s a playmaker.’’
Savage will be in the lineup at 7:30 tonight when the Panthers (3-0) face Lafayette for the second time this season. They will need him. Albany may be unbeaten, but it took a frantic comeback to beat Lafayette, 70-64, three weeks ago.
The Panthers also will get back their top receiver, Clenton Rafe, who sat out the last game with a knee injury. Rafe caught 19 passes for 281 yards and scored seven touchdowns in the first two games of the season, and, as it turned out, the Panthers didn’t need him against Greenville, a team they absolutely demolished, 78-13, two weeks ago.
“Rafe is back, and now we have two playmakers. Antwone is another Rafe, just a little taller,’’ Davis said. “Rafe could have played (against Greenville), but the doctors said he needed time to heal. He is well rested after two weeks.’’
Rafe and the rest of the Panthers had a bye week, and Davis gave them that time off, before going back to work this week.
“I don’t like the bye week,’’ said Davis, who spent part of the off week going back home to Houston. “It really kills the momentum we had. You can’t get any rhythm at all when you play a game, then take a week off and then play another game. You can’t get consistency at all. And that’s what we’re striving for in the final eight games.’’
Lafayette, which fired its coach after an opening-night loss and hired veteran arena football coach Skip Foster, is only 1-3, but the Wildcatters played the Panthers close. Davis expects the same tonight.
“They are 1-2 since (Foster) took over, and they’re a much better team than the record,” Davis said. “He’s a real good coach, and he brought in some players. Skill-wise, they are about the same as us. Their defensive backs are good, and their receivers are solid.’’
What bothers Davis the most is the way Lafayette pressured Panthers quarterback Cecil Lester in the first game.
“They’re like us. They are very good up front and put pressure on the quarterback,’’ he said. “The key for us is to protect our quarterback and get after their quarterback.’’
The Panthers created havoc in Greenville’s backfield two weeks ago in the 78-13 win, which was dictated by Albany’s defense. Davis would like to see the same pass rush that created four sacks, including a safety against Greenville, show up against Lafayette.
He doesn’t want to see a repeat of the last game against Lafayette, which wasn’t decided until the Panthers scored a TD with 45 seconds left to come back from a 55-40 deficit.
“I don’t want to see that again. I’m hoping we can put it away before then,’’ Davis said. “We have to be ready. All the coaches in the league keep saying we are the top team, and we know from now on we will have a bull’s eye on our back. We want to stay (at the top of the league).’’