Post by rkb on Jun 6, 2008 10:36:59 GMT -5
www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=274464&pub=1&div=Sports
White adds impact player to MudCats' defense
6/6/2008 6:29:13 AM
Daily Journal
By John L. Pitts
Daily Journal
He was formally introduced at a news conference on Tuesday, but Derrick White announced his arrival from the first play for the Mississippi MudCats' defense last Saturday.
White, the MudCats’ leading tackler a year ago, spent much of the night in the Carolina Speed's backfield – just like old times for the linebacker who first came to public prominence in three seasons (2002-04) at the University of Georgia.
"You could see his impact from the first snap," said MudCats head coach Brian Brents, whose team left Tupelo late Thursday for a game against the winless Florida Stingrays on Saturday. "He gives our defense a whole new attitude."
A year ago, as an indoor football rookie, White led the MudCats with 125 tackles and led the league with 23.5 sacks. He went right back to work in Saturday’s 59-17 win – the team’s best defensive effort of the year.
That was no coincidence.
"It made everybody up their game," said defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. "Tim Love had his best game of the season and Naton Stewart probably had his best game. It's great to bring back a guy who everybody knows and respects."
White was recently placed on "recallable waivers" by the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers and, after conferring with his wife, returned to the MudCats' roster.
"Last year, we made a great run here but we came up a little short," White said earlier this week. "There are a great core of guys here, and I couldn't wait to get back on the floor with them. Hopefully, this time we can bring a title home."
Defense keeps focused
MudCats coaches were pleased that their defense never really let Carolina off the deck after roaring to a 39-0 lead early in the the second quarter.
Under similar circumstances on April 26, the MudCats led Augusta 36-3 early in the second quarter but were outscored 31-10 in the second half.
"It's all about keeping focus," said Patterson. "This is a veteran team that now knows how easily a 40-point lead can become a seven-point lead if you don’t keep playing hard."
In 11 games, the MudCats have come up with 12 quarters where the opposing team has scored fewer than 10 points – including six shutout quarters – and four halves where the opposing team has been held to single digits.
The latest of those was Saturday, when Carolina trailed 46-4 at halftime.
Around the league
With four weeks of the regular season remaining, six of eight American Indoor Football Association playoff berths have been filled, with Erie (9-3), Reading (8-3) and Florence (7-4) in the Eastern Conference and Mississippi, Wyoming (9-1) and Arizona (8-2) in the Western.
From the MudCats' point of view, the plot thickened a little bit as Wyoming lost 55-40 at home to Arizona last Friday, dropping the Calvary into a tie with the 'Cats for the best record in the conference. Wyoming still has to visit Arizona, on June 28.
Columbus (8-3) has a decided edge on Augusta (6-5) for the last Western Conference playoff berth. Huntington (6-5), which has won just once in five games since an upheaval on its roster in late April, is clinging to a slim lead against Carolina (5-6).
n Only Wyoming and the MudCats are unbeaten in road games this season, both at 4-0. As a whole, league teams are winning a paltry 39.5 percent (34-52) of their road games.
- Statistics for Saturday's MudCats-Speed game have not yet been posted at the AIFA's Web site, making it difficult to evaluate league stat leaders for the season.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/6/2008, section 0 , page 0
White adds impact player to MudCats' defense
6/6/2008 6:29:13 AM
Daily Journal
By John L. Pitts
Daily Journal
He was formally introduced at a news conference on Tuesday, but Derrick White announced his arrival from the first play for the Mississippi MudCats' defense last Saturday.
White, the MudCats’ leading tackler a year ago, spent much of the night in the Carolina Speed's backfield – just like old times for the linebacker who first came to public prominence in three seasons (2002-04) at the University of Georgia.
"You could see his impact from the first snap," said MudCats head coach Brian Brents, whose team left Tupelo late Thursday for a game against the winless Florida Stingrays on Saturday. "He gives our defense a whole new attitude."
A year ago, as an indoor football rookie, White led the MudCats with 125 tackles and led the league with 23.5 sacks. He went right back to work in Saturday’s 59-17 win – the team’s best defensive effort of the year.
That was no coincidence.
"It made everybody up their game," said defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. "Tim Love had his best game of the season and Naton Stewart probably had his best game. It's great to bring back a guy who everybody knows and respects."
White was recently placed on "recallable waivers" by the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers and, after conferring with his wife, returned to the MudCats' roster.
"Last year, we made a great run here but we came up a little short," White said earlier this week. "There are a great core of guys here, and I couldn't wait to get back on the floor with them. Hopefully, this time we can bring a title home."
Defense keeps focused
MudCats coaches were pleased that their defense never really let Carolina off the deck after roaring to a 39-0 lead early in the the second quarter.
Under similar circumstances on April 26, the MudCats led Augusta 36-3 early in the second quarter but were outscored 31-10 in the second half.
"It's all about keeping focus," said Patterson. "This is a veteran team that now knows how easily a 40-point lead can become a seven-point lead if you don’t keep playing hard."
In 11 games, the MudCats have come up with 12 quarters where the opposing team has scored fewer than 10 points – including six shutout quarters – and four halves where the opposing team has been held to single digits.
The latest of those was Saturday, when Carolina trailed 46-4 at halftime.
Around the league
With four weeks of the regular season remaining, six of eight American Indoor Football Association playoff berths have been filled, with Erie (9-3), Reading (8-3) and Florence (7-4) in the Eastern Conference and Mississippi, Wyoming (9-1) and Arizona (8-2) in the Western.
From the MudCats' point of view, the plot thickened a little bit as Wyoming lost 55-40 at home to Arizona last Friday, dropping the Calvary into a tie with the 'Cats for the best record in the conference. Wyoming still has to visit Arizona, on June 28.
Columbus (8-3) has a decided edge on Augusta (6-5) for the last Western Conference playoff berth. Huntington (6-5), which has won just once in five games since an upheaval on its roster in late April, is clinging to a slim lead against Carolina (5-6).
n Only Wyoming and the MudCats are unbeaten in road games this season, both at 4-0. As a whole, league teams are winning a paltry 39.5 percent (34-52) of their road games.
- Statistics for Saturday's MudCats-Speed game have not yet been posted at the AIFA's Web site, making it difficult to evaluate league stat leaders for the season.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/6/2008, section 0 , page 0
