Firebirds Fall to Defending Champs, 73-71
April 21, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Albany/Indiana Firebirds News Release
SAN JOSE, CA - Raymond Philyaw's two-point pass attempt to offensive specialist Jeremy McDaniel sailed wide as the defending ArenaBowl Champion San Jose SaberCats held off the Indiana Firebirds, 73-71 in front of 13,043 fans at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA Saturday night.
Trailing by eight points with less than a minute remaining, Philyaw hooked up with McDaniel for an 18-yard touchdown reception to pull the Firebirds to within two points with eleven seconds remaining in the contest, only to fall short on the ensuing pass play. Philyaw completed 25-of-37 passes for 345 yards and tied a season-high with eight touchdown passes without throwing an interception for the eighth game in a row dating back to last season. Philyaw has not thrown a pick in 177 pass attempts this year. His 345 yards passing was the most of any Indiana hurler this season. He also rushed for six yards and a score in a losing effort.
In his first game in a Firebirds uniform, rookie wide receiver/defensive back Brian Alford led Indiana in receiving with six catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Alford's 148 receiving yards was the most by a Firebirds receiver this season. McDaniel finished with five catches for 59 yards and two scores.
Quarterback Mark Grieb led the SaberCats, who are the League's number one scoring offense, to its second-highest point total completing 25-of-30 pass attempts for 320 yards and six touchdowns. San Jose offensive specialist James Hundon led the SaberCats' aerial attack with ten catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver/linebacker James Roe follow suit with ten catches of his own for 123 yards and four scores before earning Game MVP honors.
Indiana and San Jose traded scores throughout the entire first half with neither team claiming a lead larger than seven points. SaberCats wide receiver/linebacker Barry Wagner, voted the game's Ironman, scored his 100th career rushing touchdown early in the second quarter and added another on a 2-yard run with 20 seconds left in the half to give San Jose a brief 28-27 lead. However, the Firebirds quickly responded with a strike of their own on a brief two-play 45-yard drive, which was capped off by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Philyaw to wide receiver/defensive back Evan Hlavacek as the 'Birds took a 34-31 lead into the break. Hlavacek finished the contest with four catches for 61 yards and two scores.
The SaberCats re-captured the lead on its first possession of the second half when Grieb completed his first of five second have touchdown passes to Hundon for a 14-yard touchdown only 1:40 seconds into the third quarter.. San Jose would never trail in the second half. Indiana was able to cut the deficit to one on five separate occasions during the second half, however San Jose was able to keep the Firebirds at bay throughout the game's final 30 minutes. Midway through the fourth quarter, Hlavacek returned his fifth kickoff of the season for a touchdown, pulling the Firebirds to within one point. However, the SaberCats eventually came up with some special teams magic of their own when wide receiver/defensive back Kevin McKenzie returned an Indiana kickoff 52 yards to the house, which would prove to be the game-clinching score.
The 71 points scored are the most that the 'Birds have put on the board since week 10 of the 2001 season when they were defeated by the Grand Rapids Rampage, 80-74.
The Firebirds remain on the road next Saturday as the team travels to Buffalo to take on the Destroyers. The game will be broadcast live on UPN Indiana with kickoff set for 6:00 pm (Indianapolis time). The game can also be heard on the Firebirds Radio Network, which includes ESPN Radio 950 AM (Indianapolis), WPZZ 95.9 FM (Franklin, IN), ESPN Radio 1130 AM (Brazil) and ESPN Radio 1300 AM (Terre Haute).
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