Litaker\'s Fan Blog: 2009 Season In Review

Posted August 03, 2009 by Kasey Johns

2009 Season In Review
by Steve Litaker

As the fans head into the off season we can reflect on a great year that officially started last November.   It was Tuesday, November 18, 2009 that the Southern Indoor Football League announced its charter roster of franchises at O'Charley's Restaurant in Lake Charles, La. The following Tuesday the 25th it was announced that the Austin Franchise would go by the name “Turfcats” and they would be playing at the Travis County Expo Center, in Luedecke Arena.   On one hand that seems like such a long time ago, yet it also seems the season went by too fast.

The time was a hectic one behind the scenes as their VP/GM; Ronald Oswalt was the lone ranger trying to build the franchise from the ground up. Piece by piece and person by person he put together a staff and franchise that proved to be first class.   I recall reading on their website that the field turf and walls had arrived at the arena and would be installed the following day.  Of course I had to drive over and check out the progress.  That was the first time I met Coach Chris Duliban and Tim, the resident arena conversion expert, as they were unrolling the turf across the arena.

Coach and I had a short chat, then he excused himself saying there wasn’t much time left because the players would be showing up for practice at 6:00 and the field was only half laid.  I offered to help and then hung out to watch the very first practice on the new turf.  I ended up attending many of the practices and helping out wherever needed and quickly was accepted into the TurfCat family and like the saying goes, the rest is history.

By the time the first game rolled around on Saturday April 18th, many of the fans and tailgaters of the previous team had joined forces and reunited for a common goal.  To enjoy another season of 50 yard football and renew friendships.  A few that need to be recognized for their efforts to produce a great game day experience for other fans and the team are Matt & Iva, Jason & Paula, Josh, and Mark & Erin.  These are the people that help organize the tailgates, spread the word and rally the fans behind the team.  Purchasing the beverages and food, they did most of the setup, cooking, and cleanup.  Once in the stands they were constant cheerleaders keeping both the fans and players in spirits high.  They definitely helped make the season more enjoyable both on and off the field.   Thanks guys!

Year one turned out very well, the regular season the T-Cats went 5-1 at home and 4-1 on the road earning them the second seed in the playoffs with a home game as their reward.   They even beat the defending back to back champions, the Louisiana Swashbucklers, previously of the Intense Football League in front of the Austin home town crowd.   This was huge for both the fans and the franchise, as most had predicted the `Bucs, in their 8th season, to waltz through the expansion SIFL with ease.   As it turned out, both the Acadiana MudBugs and the Austin Turfcats rose to the occasion and put excellent teams on the field.    The Houma Conquerors put their early front office woes behind them and finished the season strong as a franchise even though their record on the field didn’t show it.

Austin’s home playoff game turned out to be the best game of season one.  It was a knock down drag out game all the way to the final whistle of regulation and fitting to be settled in the first ever over time game in SIFL history.  Austin played in the first ever game of the Southern Indoor Football league, and sadly owns the first loss also.  They played in the first over time game, and won it.  They also played in the first Championship game, The Presidents Cup.  The out come of the Title game was heartbreaking to the T-Cat fans but all in all it was a very successful year one and I can’t wait for year two.

I was fortunate enough to be invited on the road trip to the Championship game by Joe Martinez, Asst. GM and Ronald Oswalt.   It’s always a fans dream to attend the title game for the team you love.   My trip was much more than I could have ever anticipated.   I rode the Players bus, to Lake Charles and back to Austin.   I roomed with “Radio” Jack Dixon, Director of Operations.   I was in the locker room with the team before the game, at half time and spent the game in the player’s bench area.  I even got one of the highly coveted Swashbuckler balls that were in short supply as one of our players awarded me with his game ball.  Spending the weekend with the players and front office it was truly an experience I’ll always remember.  It’s not often you get the chance to see a game from the other side of the fence as a player or coach does.  A special thanks to the ones that made it possible for me to take the best journey a fan could have.

The off season will be slow for the fans; we’ll switch gears as NFL training camps are opening with pre-season to begin in two weeks.   For the Southern Indoor Football League and team front offices nothing will slow down.  The league meetings were last week and many will probably take a short vacation, but then it’s business as usual.  Year one will be broken down on paper, they will look for ways to improve the operation of the league and the teams.   New owners will go through an interview process to see who becomes an expansion team for 2010.  Existing owners will re-evaluate their own operations.   All of the things that make the season happen will get another look see.  Sponsors, advertisers, ticket sales, concessions, parking, hotels, mode of travel, personnel both on and off the field, equipment, venues, the list goes on and on.   Tweaks and improvements will be initiated to strengthen the league and its franchises.

Rest assured that as we go on with other forms of entertainment through the off season, that come next spring all of their hard work will provide us with an improved product  throughout the league.

A sincere thanks goes out to all of the people behind the scenes making the games possible, and also to the coaches and players that must continue to workout and improve their game during the off season.   They all must work hard to be ready for 2010.   We, the fans are the only ones that really have an off season to rest and relax.   Thank you to Albert Martinez for putting a team in Austin.

GO TURFCATS – INTO 2010 AND BEYOND!

Litaker\'s Fan Blog: Week 14 - 2009 SIFL Postseason Round #1

Posted July 17, 2009 by Kasey Johns

2009 SIFL Postseason, Round #1
by Steve Litaker

A new season is upon us. After the seeding, regular season records don’t count, season stats don’t matter.  All four of the teams start with an 0-0 record, and when the dust settles the only thing that matters is the “W”.  The winners this week move into the first ever SIFL Championship game and the losers start preparing for 2010.

Game 1 of the playoffs kick off at 6:30 this Saturday in Austin, Texas just like the first ever SIFL regular season game, and against the same team. The #2 seed Austin Turfcats will host the #3 seed Acadiana Mudbugs.  The T-Cats are looking to make a small adjustment for this one though, that would be a victory.

If you recall, the Mudbugs came into the Expo Center and handed Austin their first loss in franchise history.  The T-Cats were not very impressive on offense, they turned the ball over too many times, and ended up on the wrong end of a 37-29 game.  How did the Turfcats respond to losing their inaugural game?  They held their heads high, said it’s only one game and went to work fixing their mistakes and improving in all aspects of play.  The didn’t lose another home game all year and finished the regular season with a 5-1 home record including a 56-53 victory against the Swashbucklers in week four which many had said was impossible.

The road games went pretty well for Austin also where they went 4-1, their only road loss was to the Swashbucklers 60-43 after jumping out to an early lead and fading in the second half.  They did avenge their only home loss by beating the MudBugs on the road 50-40 to even the series between the two teams.

How do these teams measure up today?  Austin enters the playoffs riding a 4 game winning streak and totally dominated their final game.  They’ve got momentum in their favor along with the Home crowd behind them.  Acadiana on the other hand was 6-5 and lost on the road last week to the Houma Conquerors 40-28.

We can look at this several different ways.  The MudBugs were already locked into the #3 seed and knew no matter the outcome of the game that they were headed to Austin for Round 1 of the Playoffs.  Were they resting players or just not focused and looking ahead?  Either way it would seem they are headed to Austin desperate while the TurfCats  should be confident.

Don’t confuse confidence with arrogance.  They know desperate teams can be dangerous, they also know without focus and execution the underdog can sneak up and bite you as Houma did to the MudBugs last week. You can believe they respect their opponent and will enter the arena ready for a battle and play a full 60 minutes without looking ahead.

The fans need to help though, if everyone brings just one friend to the game with them, it’ll be a great turnout.  Come early and be loud, we need to fill the arena with excitement and electricity so that it engulfs the field.  Let’s make the players and coaching staff as proud to play in Austin as we are proud of what they’ve given us this season.  It also wouldn’t hurt to say a little Prayer for the Houma Conquerors as they head to Lake Charles this week. And don’t forget, for those unable to make it out to the Expo center Saturday night the game will be streamed live over the Net at http://www.turfcats.com/

Game 2 will be in Lake Charles on Monday night starting at 7:00 where the #1 Seed Louisiana Swashbucklers host the #4 Seed Houma Conquerors. The `Bucs finished the season 10-1, their only loss was to the Turfcats and they’re riding a home win streak that dates almost back to the days of leather helmets.  Houma ended up 3-8 but did post a huge upset last week that put them into the #4 Seed.  Did they shoot their wad or do they still have another upset in them that casts memories of the AFL’s  2007 Columbus Destroyers and 2006 Chicago Rush entering the playoffs on a dismal record and a prayer making it to the Championship game, C-Bus lost and the Rush took the trophy.  Just remember, on any given day if the stars align properly underdogs can prevail.

This game will also be streamed live over the Net at  http://www.labucs.com.

Litaker\'s Fan Blog: Week 13 - Last Chance for the Dance

Posted July 09, 2009 by Kasey Johns

Last Chance for the Dance
by Steve Litaker

This Saturday night is the last games of the SIFL regular season and there’s one more postseason berth on the line.  Don’t let the standings fool you - Houma and Texas have the same record in the playoff race.  Texas is 1-8 while Houma is 2-8 in the standings, but Houma’s win over the Lafayette Bayou Bulls doesn’t count towards the playoff seedings. This leaves them both at 1-7 in that race and the Hurricanes have the tie breaker.

On April 19th, Texas beat Houma 46-27 for a +19, then on June 6th Houma beat Texas 34-20 for a +14.  Head to head that puts Texas at +5.  Houma MUST win against Acadiana this Saturday to remain in the race, if Houma loses it doesn’t matter what Texas does Saturday.  If Texas beats Austin they’re in, if Texas and Houma both lose, Texas is in.  Placeyourbets.com has Acadiana and Austin winning their final regular season game on Saturday sending Houma home and Texas to Lake Charles for round one of the Inaugural SIFL Playoffs, and Acadiana to Austin.

Let’s start in College Station at the Arctic Wolf Ice Center where I’ll be rooting on the Turfcats.  This will be my 8th Turfcat game this season, the only three I missed were all in Louisiana.  Last week the T-cats also played Texas on the road and it was an ugly one.  While I’m very happy we left with the “W”, there wasn’t much else to be happy about.

The game produced 17 turnovers, 7 by Austin.  It was also a low scoring affair, but then again it is hard to score when you keep losing the ball.   I just kept thinking how glad I was the game wasn’t against the `Bucs or `Bugs.

Texas started a new QB that was only signed the day before and he threw 7 picks.  At least he had an excuse for being confused about the game plan and routes of the receivers.  Austin played both of their QB’s and it was difficult to tell them apart.  I usually don’t like to dog our own players but WHAT THE…………..!   We looked bad, is this what happens when there’s no kickoffs or missed field goals to return?

This week I want to see a smackdown.  Last chance to enter the playoffs on a high note.  When Acadiana comes to Austin on the 18th they’ll be looking for revenge.  They’re the only team to beat us in our house and they’ll have some confidence.  I hope we can shake off the dropsies this week and head into the post season looking like the team to beat instead of licking our wounds from lack of focus and poor execution.

Some equate games like last week as playing down to the competition, I look at it as a lack of focus.  A mental lapse that can cause injuries.  Not disrespecting the Hurricanes but Austin is the #2 seed in the league!  They shouldn’t struggle against a 1-8 team.  If QB Michael Bishop plays this Saturday the Hurricanes offense will be immensely better than it was last Tuesday.  If Will Pettis plays it adds another terrific offensive weapon.  He might even get some time on the defensive side of the ball where he’s very good but has a reputation of no patience and attempts to jump too many routes early.  Then it’s 50/50 if it’s a pick 6 or he just becomes a piece of burnt toast looking at a Turfcat scamper to the end zone.  I’ve seen pump fakes eat him up.  Maybe neither will play but we had better prepare as if they will.

I would really love to see some more T-Cat fans at the game.  It’s an easy road trip, no hotel needed and tickets are only $10.  If you do go, arrive early for a parking spot and seat.  The space is limited and they did sell out on Tuesday.  I’m not saying the crowd was large, the seating is limited.  Come join us and help send the team into the playoffs knowing the fans are behind them.

Litaker\'s Fan Blog: Week 12 1/2 - Can the Hurricanes play the role of Spoilers?

Posted July 03, 2009 by Kasey Johns

by Steve Litaker

Some of you may be asking how did I come up with “Week 12 and a half?”  This weekend is really Week 12, but the Turfcats don’t play this weekend.  Week 12 was supposed to be a BYE week for Austin and they actually do have the Holiday weekend off and resume play on Tuesday.

Since there’s only 13 weeks in the season and the T-Cats have to make up a postponed game, there isn’t much time to get it in. Austin will be traveling to College Station this Tuesday 7/7 to play the Texas Hurricanes in a makeup game from earlier in the season, and then again on Saturday 7/11 for their final regular game of the season.

This has to be difficult on the players and staff, especially after coming off of a Monday night game last week.  These guys are playing for the love of the game and have real lives and jobs outside of football.  I can only imagine some of the conversations they’ve had with their real employers about needing time off two weeks in a row to work at their part-time job.

Then comes the part of playing two road games in 5 days. There’s a reason football is only played once a week, it’s a brutal and physical sport. You can control your mind and attitude to suck it up and do what you’ve got to do, but the body isn’t so easily fooled. The aches and pains are real, the minor injuries can be pushed too far and become major or long-term. But you know the old saying - when things look bad, just open your eyes to the larger picture and someone else always has it worse than you do.

Example, the Texas Hurricanes. They have two games to make up and only one is on the schedule at the moment, and  they’ll be playing 3 games in 7 days with the Crunch game still in limbo. Luckily, all of them are at home. They play the Mudbugs on Sunday, Austin on Tuesday and then again Saturday. Yikes, two games in three days! And this doesn’t even take into account the postponed game originally scheduled against the Florida Kings.

Let’s speculate - if the Hurricanes lose all 3 of these games and Houma loses all of their remaining games, Houma will still have a one game lead in the standings. Even if you award Texas a win against the Crunch, they’ll have the same record as Houma but lose in the tie breakers. If Houma wins one more game, it might not matter anyways.  You say, what if the Hurricanes win all 3 of their games? HUH, let’s not put the cart before the horse. 

Let’s look at Houma’s remaining games. They play the Swashbucklers and the Mudbugs. Most bookies will tell you Houma loses both. But remember, both of their opponents have already secured their seeds in the post season and could possibly rest some players or take the game lightly and Houma is just as desperate for a win as the Hurricanes are.

Now back to the title – SPOILERS. The Hurricanes can’t affect the Turfcats seeding for the playoffs, but can try to take away some of our momentum heading into the postseason. Texas is fighting for the final playoff spot with Houma. Austin can use the next couple of games to rest some dinged up players, but the Hurricanes can’t. They would love to hand us and the Mudbugs a loss while spoiling Houma’s run for the postseason. IF Austin rests players in their two games against Texas, it does increase their odds of winning. IF the Turfcats walk onto the field overconfident or lacksidazical because the #2 seed is secured, that also increases the odds for a Texas upset. Austin needs to focus as if they were playing the best team. The Hurricanes are desperate for a win and that makes them dangerous. I expect a good game, the last one in Austin went down to the end. The Hurricanes will also be protecting their home turf and Michael Bishop has had some time to gel with his receiving corps.

Litaker\'s Fan Blog: Week 11 - Home Field Advantage is On The Line

Posted June 24, 2009 by Kasey Johns

The Turfcats have completed their inaugural regular season home schedule with a record of 5-1 and have three road games left.  Their only home loss was to the Acadiana Mudbugs in week 1. This week they travel to Acadiana with a chance to seek revenge, even the series at 1-1, and in all likelyhood tie up the right to host a home playoff game.

The T-Cats sit at 6-2 while the Mudbugs currently are at 5-3.  It would take a miracle finish for either Houma or Texas to move into the #3 seed, and one of them will miss the playoffs all together.  The Swashbucklers sit at 8-1 still having to play Texas and Houma, so it looks like they’ve secured the #1 seed barring an unimaginable collapse in the next two weeks.  The 'Bucs close out the regular season with a bye in the final week.

This, my friends, leaves the #2 and #3 seeds between Austin and Acadiana which will be decided this coming Monday. The winner of this week's game will secure the #2 seed and a home playoff game and then face each other once again in Round 1 of the postseason.

After this week's matchup, Acadiana will have their final two games against Houma and Texas, while Austin will play Texas twice in 5 days, both on the road.

The final playoff spot will come down to 1-7 Houma and 1-5 Texas.  Houma still has to play the Swashbucklers, Mudbugs, and Crunch, probably finishing at 2-9.  Texas also has to play the Swashbucklers, Mudbugs, and Crunch, along with the Turfcats twice.  The Hurricanes' toughest stretch will be playing three games in six days... luckily for them, all three are at home.  It looks like they could also finish the season 2-9, unless they are beat up and exhausted from the 3 game stretch in a week's time and the Crunch can pull an upset.

Upsets can rearrange this whole scenario as it’s built off the underdogs losing all of their games in the remaining three weeks of the season.

While a few people have been outspoken and negative all season, and a few others have puffed out their chest in ignorance to spout hatred towards the SIFL, all in all it’s been a normal inaugural season. Sure, the league has encountered some problems and growing pains, but what league hasn’t?

We all know about the AFL. They fumbled their game plan of becoming the 5th major league and priced themselves out of the 2009 season.  There is still an ongoing experiment of restructuring the business plan, but the ownership groups have barricaded themselves into small factions of dissent for each other.

The af2 currently seems to be the most stable as they finish up their 10th season, but they are not without problems of their own. The Quad City Steamwheelers just had to be saved long enough to finish the season and their long term viability is still under review.  Last season they returned to the Championship game being played at the home of the highest seed, this year they’ve flipped back to a neutral site game which has many of the fans in an uproar.

The Intense Football league and United Indoor Football league merged to form the Indoor Football league (IFL) and love to promote themselves as the “Premier” League.  Even though this is also their inaugural season it’s not your standard expansion league or start-up business venture.  Both leagues in the merger were existing, and it’s filled with existing franchises, not startups.

Some IFL fans, and even its commissioner Tommy Benizio, have taken pot shots at the SIFL - which is unprofessional and kind of funny.  You would think the commissioner of a league would be more concerned with solving their own problems instead of attacking others. Mr. Benizio has been unable to form a coherent league as of yet, while the Intense vs United is still an ugly sore festering under his nose as he thumbs it at others.

The IFL didn’t verify information on league franchise applications and ended up punishing one of their teams by turning 5 wins into 5 losses. That’s a pretty severe punishment while the league accepts no responsibility for the error. Then another owner grabs the facemask of an opposing player and tries to give him his full vocabulary of George Carlin’s words you can’t say on TV. Since this owner is a friend of Mr. Benizio, all he got for his actions were a slap on the wrist and a $500 fine.

Now, during this past week's games, one of their players sucker punches an official out of the blue and knocks him out. We’ll have to wait and see if the commissioner has the cahonies to deal with it appropriately. At least the player was arrested for assault and spent the night in jail. What can you expect from the players when owners play the role of Thug themselves?

These are only a few of the examples of difficulties going on in the 50 yard sport where many pretend to be perfect while throwing rocks at others. I could list some similar issues in the 4 major leagues also but there’s not enough room to do so.

That brings us to the SIFL... let’s look a few of the issues people attack them for. Using the Florida Kings as a “Road Only” team.  One forum poster tries to tell us how bad it is and the AFL never did it, when in fact they had more than one.  The reason - the owner of the Pasadena team had serious health issues and was forced to postpone joining the league. Season ticket packages had already been sold league-wide and the league wanted to give the fans every game they deserved, so a road only team was allowed to join.

Moving a team in midseason, another difficult situation that was handled well by the league. What is better, letting a team fold or finding an owner capable of improving the franchise? This also solved many problems caused by one franchise. Once again, the af2 had a similar situation this season with Quad Cities.

A coach pulling his team off the field with seconds left on the clock.  This was poor judgment by a good coach, a mistake he regrets and has apologized for. Still, it’s better than an owner assaulting an opposing player as has happened in another league.

We can debate these forever, and if people carry on an adult conversation in doing so, fine.  As to the haters, there’s no room for you here so move along. People need to climb down from their marble pedestals and accept a serving of reality.  The 50-yard game, no matter the alphabet soup listed in front of their name, are all just one part of a niche sport.  You can’t have a team in your area without a league, and you can’t have a league without several teams.

Fans of individual leagues need to wake up and support the sport itself, you never know when your local team will fold or move.  This sport is built around discretionary income from middle class fans and the economy is stretching all of our budgets thin.  Teams come and go, leagues come and go, all you’ve got left are the players, staff, and fans. We all need to support each other or possibly fold together. Most fans don’t choose the league they watch, they watch the league/team in their area. They’ve all got pock marks underneath their make up so you might want to look in the mirror before climbing up on your soap box of indignation.

Litaker\'s Fan Blog: Week 10 - Hurricane Season Has Its Sights on Austin

Posted June 20, 2009 by Kasey Johns

This week is the final regular season home game for the Turfcats, but look for them to have a home playoff game. They were originally scheduled to play the Texas Pirates but the team has changed ownership.  Their new owner, Terry Williams, has decided to change the team's name to the Texas Hurricanes and move them out of Houston to College Station. The coaching staff and most of the players will be the same for the remainder of the season, but they have already added some new players.

This could help build a natural rivalry between the two teams, after all Austin is the home of the Longhorns while College Station is home to the Aggies.  Maybe next season they can hire Dennis Franchione and adopt that ugly burgundy color.

The last time these two teams met was on May 23rd which Austin won 38-20.  The TurfCats have improved since then and Texas has only played one other game, in a loss to the Houma Conquerors giving Houma their first win of the season.

Last week the TurfCats went toe to toe with the Swashbucklers on the road and were able to put lots of points on the board against the top ranked defense.  Points should come a lot easier this week.  Austin’s defense will take the field with a nasty attitude. Not only do they want to avenge last week’s lapse under an AFL type aerial attack, they also remember the taunts from the peanut gallery by Pirates players of being afraid to play them.  This should be an enjoyable game for the TurfCat faithful.

Let’s take a look at the current standings and the playoff picture:

Louisiana Swashbucklers (7-1)
Austin Turfcats (5-2)
Acadiana Mudbugs (4-3)
Texas Hurricanes (1-4)
Houma Conquerors (1-6)
North Texas Crunch (0-1)
PASM Florida Kings (0-1)

The Kings are history and the Crunch are ineligible for the playoffs, that means only one of the remaining teams will miss the post season. Unless there’s a total melt down in Lake Charles, the Swashbucklers look be the #1 seed with home field advantage throughout.   That leaves the #2 seed up for grabs between the Turfcats and the Mudbugs.  Austin will travel to Acadiana next week to settle this spot.  Players and coaches need to focus on one game at a time while us, the fans, are free to speculate down the road.  While I predict the TurfCats to avenge their loss to the Mudbugs and secure the #2 seed, don’t let their 3 losses fool you.  All 3 were to the Swashbucklers and Acadiana  beat the Turfcats in Austin’s first game of the season.

Once again let me repeat, Austin has improved vastly from their opening game and I don’t see the Mudbugs repeating their defensive dominance with another four interception game against us.  No matter the outcome, the top 3 seeds will be claimed by the Swashbucklers, TurfCats, and the Mudbugs leaving the battle for the final spot between Houma and Texas.  The bad news for the Hurricanes is, counting this weeks game, Texas has to play the Turfcats  3 more times.  The bad news for Houma is they’ve got to play the Swashbucklers twice and close out the season against the Mudbugs. Texas and Houma will be battling for their lives over the last month of the season.

Litaker's Fan Blog: Week 9 - This Week's Prize: #1 Seed

Posted June 11, 2009 by Kasey Johns

This Week's Prize -  #1 Seed
by Steve Litaker

Sure, there’s still a month left in the season after this weeks games, but the winner of the Turfcats–Swashbucklers game will more than likely carry the #1 seed into the SIFL playoffs.  Both teams go into this game with only one loss and there’s a good chance the winner will end the regular season with only one.

The first meeting between the T-Cats and `Bucs was played in Austin with the Turfcats breaking the Swashbucklers' 20 game win streak by defeating them 56-53.  Austin would love nothing more than to also break the `Bucs home win streak, but it won’t come easy. The Swashbucklers have a reputation of dominating opponents at home and draw a sizeable crowd in the Lake Charles Civic Center.

After losing their first game of the season the Turfcats have gone on to winning their last five in a row with improvement in all aspects of the game.  QB Deron Ellis has thrown five interceptions all season, four in the first game and only one in the last five games. Ellis also leads the league in rushing with 41.7 YPG.

What happened to the Swashbucklers in their last game? Have they slipped or did the Acadiana Mudbugs figure them out defensively? The `Bucs came into the league as the team to chase, now nine weeks into the season there’s some film to watch and design game plans around.  Yeah, Louisiana won the game 27-21 but needed some luck to bring the “W” back home. They only averaged 3.1 yards per offensive play for a total of 136 net yards, 22 rushing.

The Mudbugs had ten more offensive plays than the `Bucs, fewer penalties (5 versus 9 for the `Bucs), and time of possession went to Acadiana by ten minutes.  Louisiana needed a 4th down stop with under a minute to play to seal the victory.  The Swashbucklers only had the ball for just under four minutes of the 4th quarter and no score.  There were only 7 points scored in the entire second half!  The `Bucs were only 2 of 9 on 3rd down and 0-1 on 4th down.  They did score on 4 out of 5 Red Zone possessions though. Louisiana missed three field goals and one PAT. Once again I have to ask myself, did the Swashbucklers just have an off day or is the Mudbugs defense really that good?

This Monday's game could come down to sacks and turnovers.  While both the Turfcats and Swashbucklers are near the top of most stat categories, the 'Bucs dominate these two. Louisiana has given up only 3 sacks while burying the opposing QB’s 18 times for an astounding +15. John Paul "Fluffy" Jones has 7 himself! While the Turfcats have given up 9 sacks and got 15 for a plus 6.  In the turnover category the T-cats are a +5 while the 'Bucs are a +11. Louisiana has 18 interceptions of the year!

Austin knows how to score as they lead the league with a 52.2 per game average, and Darrick Wallace always lights it up on special teams (he had 212 All-Purpose yards last week).  The T-Cats also struggle on kick coverage themselves as one of the Crunch players turned in a 174 All-Purpose yardage game with 123 of them on returns. Granted, they did get 12 attempts on returns while the T-cats only got 4.

Sure, the team with the most points wins, but I don’t think the win will be credited to a powerful offense for either team. This game will probably be won on the defensive side of the ball and most importantly the line play. The unheralded guys in the trenches beating their helmets against each other all night will determine the sacks and turnovers that decide the game.

Being a road game usually means being glued to the Twitter updates and spending the night in nervous anticipation. Not this week! All Swashbuckler games have a live feed over the net and it’s free. It'll be linked up here on Turfcats.com on Monday night.

I know what I’ll be doing Monday night, how about YOU?

Fan Blog: Week 8 - Crunch Time

Posted June 03, 2009 by Kasey Johns

by Steve Litaker

Crunch Time has a couple of meanings for the Austin TurfCats as we head towards this week's game.  With five games under their belt and six remaining (only 2 at home), the T-Cats head into the second half of the season in second place.  Not playing last week gave the Swashbucklers the opportunity to pull into first place, but Austin still has a game in hand.

It looks to be a three way race down the stretch as the Swashbucklers sit at 5-1, the TurfCats at 4-1, and Acadiana at 3-2.   Even though the Acadiana Mudbugs have two losses, both are to the same team, the Swashbucklers.  The Swashbucklers only loss is to Austin, and Austin’s only loss is to the Mudbugs.  The T-Cats control their own destiny, they still have to play both the `Bucs and Mudbugs again. Both games are on the road for the TurfCats and will be hard fought games. You can bet the Swashbucklers will have a large and raucous crowd with revenge on their mind.

It will also be Crunch time at the Expo center this Saturday as the TurfCats welcome the North Texas Crunch of the IIFA (Indoor Football Alliance) to town and to the league. The IIFA is based out of the Dallas/Forth Worth area. It is a Semi-Pro developmental league that has had a successful history of moving its players up to the higher leagues. Their coach had communicated with me before the Turfcats original tryouts about Coach Duliban possibly taking a look at a couple of their players, which he did. Some of their guys attended tryouts and one of them, DB Metrick McHenry is still a part of the T-Cats squad.

Yes, they come from a lower league, but don’t let that lead to discounting them or losing focus. The Crunch should prove to be a more formidable opponent than the PASM Florida Kings. Several people around the indoor football forums expect the Crunch to knock off a team or two in the SIFL. Austin needs to take them seriously and work on execution and controlling the game. This is the last live action they’ll see before heading to Lake Charles next week to face the first place Swashbucklers.

The Crunch are the defending Champions of the IIFA and stand undefeated this season at 5-0. They would love to catch us off guard taking them lightly and thinking about next week. I don’t see that happening, the T-Cats after not playing last week are anxious to play again and welcome this as another opportunity to work towards their goal of a championship of their own.

Fan Blog: Week 7 - Deja Vu

Posted May 27, 2009 by Kasey Johns

By Steve Litaker

Last week the Texas Pirates came to Austin, this week the Turfcats head down to Houston to play the Pirates.  There have been some venue complications, but the game will be played in their original venue - Kicks Indoor Soccer Facility in downtown Houston, located at 611 Shepherd Drive. Seating is limited so if you plan on making the trip call now for tickets.

This should be an interesting game, last week I admit the officiating was suspect.  While the Pirates cried foul that it cost them the game, I feel it went both ways.  The T-Cats lost Red Zone position and at least one TD on blown calls, while the Pirates feel the same way.  I was very unhappy at halftime feeling the calls leaned their way, coach Esprit for the Pirates was so upset over the calls that he pulled his team off the field with 43 seconds left in the game.  This was his first game as the head coach of the Pirates and he set a poor precedent with his un-sportsmanship mistake.  But that's all it was, a mistake in the heat of the moment.  Coach Esprit has been fined an undisclosed amount and given an official reprimand by the league front office.

Now that we've played each other last week and have some tape to watch game plans need to be adjusted.  We learned a lot from the game and have found a play that's sure to win the game for us.  Once we get the lead, just grab the ball, leave the field and go get on the bus - haha.

All kidding aside, Coach Troy Esprit is a very good coach and a great guy. Some of you may remember his name from the Copperheads.  He had the team fired up and believing in themselves, they played much better in his first game than they have all season.  Game by game he will improve the Pirates and since we've got to play them three more times this season it could get to become a very good rivalry.

The Pirates defense was better than I had expected, and their run defense for the most part did a great job.  The TurfCats finished with 88 yards rushing, but take out a couple long runs and we were not as strong as usual. Shon Mitchell had 6 carries for 49 yards, but if you take away the 42 yd run that leaves 5 carries for7 yds.  QB Deron Ellis is the leagues leading rusher but only had 25 yds. on 4 carries.  Take away his long of 11 yds. and it becomes 3 for 14, far below his per game average.

The T-Cats also became predictable on first down, 12 runs versus 5 passes. We had been mixing it up more in the past.  Darrick Wallace had a good game receiving,  he was the team leader with 4 catches for 60 yards.  The Pirates only kicked off 4 times which is one of the reasons Wallace had only 32 return yds.  This is only the second time in five games Darrick has been held to under 100 All-Purpose yds., he finished with 92.  Deron had another .5oo passing day with 11 out of 22 for 158 yds. which is pretty good considering he was sacked 4 times and harassed all night long, We recorded 2 sacks.

This was the first game our line work seemed out of sync on both sides of the ball, sure we had some great individual efforts here and there but not the overall domination we had come to expect.  We need to protect our QB better to give the receivers time to run their routes and get after their QB to help the DB's. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying overall they had a bad game.  Just not what we are used to.

I have faith things will be corrected this week in practice and the TurfCats are capable of beating them by more this time around, but all we need is one more point than the opponent for the "W."  So remember guys, once you get the lead grab the ball and run for the bus!

Fan Blog: Up Next, The First of Four Games vs the Pirates

Posted May 20, 2009 by Kasey Johns

By Steve Litaker

The Turfcats head into their fifth game of the season tied for first place, focused on giving their fans another home victory before hitting the road again.   This week's game is against a team in turmoil seemingly trying to rebuild during the season. The Pirates started the season with a 46-27 victory against the Houma Conquerors before unraveling.

Texas lost their next two games by a combined score of 88 to 26 before their head coach, Leon Thomasson, stepped down as they headed into their Bye week. Then, last week's home game against the Florida Kings had to be rescheduled due to a supposed arena problem.  Were the Kings tired of travel only games just to get severely beaten? Or is it just to play with the Pirates' favorite letter of the alphabet, Rrrr, as in Reschedule. A new coach has not been announced and the Pirates website hasn't been updated in awhile. Then again they haven't had much positive news to post.

Nonetheless, they are coming off a two week bye.  Will they be rusty or ready to play?

The T-Cats can't worry about the Pirates' frame of mind, but we will be accommodating as we knock the rust of them and the snot out of them.  Week by week Austin seems to be settling into a rhythm and gelling as a team. Every time an opposing team game plans to neutralize one of our players, another one steps up to the challenge.

Last week the TurfCats got an interception early from Mycal Catchings that he returned for a TD, and late in the game as the Conquerors' attempted a come back, another from Shon Mitchell.  J.R. Turner has settled into the DB position quite nicely and has been a difference maker in the secondary with his big hits.

Once again Darrick Wallace makes the return game look easy as he took two missed field goals back to the house for scores and broke the 100 yard All-Purpose mark, again. Coach Kerry Cash has done a good job of mixing the plays and keeping the opponents off balance. Last week Austin had 11 first downs, 5 by run, 5 by pass, and 1 by penalty.  Deron Ellis was 50% on passing with 1 TD and 2 more on the ground.  At 265 lbs, Deron is much faster than he looks as he scampered for a 35 yd TD while the defenders were grasping at air two steps behind.

The one downside to last weeks game were the penalties... the T-Cats had a season high of 10 called against them after they had been averaging slightly above 4 per game.  Possibly it was a rebuilt line not used to working together, but I'm sure Coach Duliban will have it worked out before this week's game.

NOTES:

• The TurfCats have scored 50 or more points in their last 3 games (all wins)
• The defense has also had a shut-out quarter in each of their last 3 games.

Let's take a look at some of the player awards so far this season for the TurfCats and give some props to the winners.

Vidswap.com Player of the Week:
A Turfcat has won the Award 3 out of the 4 weeks they played a game.
Week #1 -  we lost, it's tough on selection.
Week #2 -  Kevin T. Earvine
Week #3 -  we had a Bye
Week #4 -  Darrick Wallace
Week #5 -  Deron Ellis

SIFL Player of the Quarter:
DEFENSE - Winner, Kevin T. Earvine
SPECIAL TEAMS -  Winner, Darrick Wallace
OFFENSE - Honorable Mention, Deron Ellis
LINE - Honorable Mention, Joshua Sooter and Demond Bedford