Avengers edge SaberCats, 71-69
February 21, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 20, 2005) â Los Angeles quarterback John Kaleo threw seven touchdown passes and the Avengers (3-1) withstood a furious fourth quarter comeback by the San Jose SaberCats (1-3) to post a 71-69 win Sunday in an Arena Football League game at STAPLES Center.
Kaleo tossed four scoring passes in the second quarter and WR/LB Greg Hopkins returned an interception three yards for a touchdown helping Los Angeles erase a 14-3 first quarter deficit by outscoring San Jose 34-7 in the second stanza.
The Avengers were aided in the second quarter by four consecutive San Jose turnovers, including two interceptions by Hopkins from his linebacker position. "He (Hopkins) plays it (linebacker) as well as anybody," said SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb. "He does a nice job of stepping up and that's it. I just have to be able to see that better and not give it up to him."
"The guys hung in there at the end but we made a lot of mistakes and any time you make a lot of mistakes you are not going to win football games," said San Jose head coach Darren Arbet.
Kaleo's seventh scoring pass of the game, a 25-yard strike to Jerome Riley with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter, gave Los Angeles it's biggest lead of the game at 68-49 and set the stage for a frantic last minute of play.
Following the one-minute warning San Jose scored twice in eight seconds to draw close. Grieb threw a 41-yard TD pass to James Roe and following an onside kick recovery by lineman Albrey Battle, Grieb teamed with Rashied Davis on a 38-yard scoring play to get San Jose within 68-62 with 52 seconds left.
Remy Hamilton upped the Avengers lead to 71-62 by connecting on a 19-yard field goal with 34 seconds left.
Barry Wagner caught a 13-yard pass on San Jose's next possession to become the AFL's career leader in receptions with 950. He passed former Albany/Indiana Firebird Eddie Brown, who amassed 949 catches in his career. Wagner ended the drive by catching a 9-yard scoring pass with 18 seconds left.
"It's great," said Wagner of his record, "but it doesn't mean anything right now."
Dan Frantz' onside kick attempt sailed out of bounds and the Avengers ran out the clock to break a 3-game losing streak to the SaberCats.
Grieb tied a team record and career-high with 31 completions for 399 yards, the third-highest game total in franchise history, and seven TDs on 46 attempts. James Roe was his favorite target hauling in a game-high 10 passes for 147 yards and three scores.
San Jose's 1-3 record matches the 1996 club for the worst four-game start in franchise history. The SaberCats get an off week before concluding their 3-game road trip at Orlando on Mar. 6
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 21, 2005
- Destroyers game at Georgia moved to 2 p.m. kickoff - Columbus Destroyers
- Georgia Force move kickoff of next home game to 2 pm - Georgia Force
- Nashville Kats game notes - Nashville Kats
- Georgia shuts down Gladiators, 38-13 - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Avengers Hang on at Home, 71-69 - OSC Original by Tim Peterson
- Avengers edge SaberCats, 71-69 - San Jose SaberCats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
