The game will mark the Arena Football debut in Columbus. Ohio's capital city is home to the state-of-the-art new Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, which also holds Ohio State basketball games and is the future home of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Kats and Red Dogs were playoff teams in 1998, and both squads have their sights set on the ArenaBowl in '99. The two teams have developed an interesting rivalry over the past two years, beginning when both teams began their inaugural seasons in the league's Eastern Division in 1997. After New Jersey won a heart-pounding game in Nashville earlier in the season, the Kats returned the favor when they posted a 59-45 win to clinch the division title in the season's final game. Last year, in the two teams' only meeting, the Kats recovered a fumble in their own end zone and drove the length of the field late in the game to secure a miraculous come-from-behind victory.
Nashville brings one of the league's top offenses to Columbus. Led by former University of Tennessee stars Andy Kelly and Cory Fleming, the Kats have churned up 7,751 yards of total offense over the last two seasons. Kelly and Fleming have combined for 61 touchdowns in 1997 and '98, and dangerous kick returner Tyronne Jones returned a league-best six kicks for scores last year.
This game will also be the first look Nashville gets at some of their talented off-season signees, including former Cleveland Browns defensive back Isaac Booth and former Miami Dolphin Dewayne Dotson. These newcomers, along with All-Arena defensive specialist Corey Johnson, will have the daunting task of trying to stop Alvin Ashley, New Jersey's dangerous receiving threat.
The Kats-New Jersey contest will also mark the first game for the teams' new head coaches. Nashville's Pat Sperduto was promoted to head coach after Eddie Khayat moved to the general manager's chair during the off-season. The Red Dogs will also unveil their new field general, former assistant Frank Mattiace, who took over when John Hufnagel left to become the quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns.