Sports stats



Game Preview: National Conference Quarterfinal

August 11, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Portland Thunder News Release


PORTLAND - The #4 seed Portland Thunder are set to compete in their second ever playoff game when they take on the #1 seed San Jose SaberCats in the National Conference Quarterfinal this Friday, August 14, from the SAP Center in San Jose. Kickoff is set for 8:00pm PDT. Fans can listen on 750 AM THE GAME starting at 7:30pm, and watch live nationally on ESPN2 at 8:00pm.

The Thunder have been selected to participate in the National Conference Playoffs following the Arena Football League's Board of Directors' decision to cease operations for the Las Vegas Outlaws due to lack of ownership.

Portland missed the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs outright after a difficult 67-39 loss against the #2 seed Arizona Rattlers in Week 20. Their first loss in over a month decided by more than one score, the Thunder found themselves down 23-0 through a sequence of consecutive big plays for the Rattlers.

"Just about anything that could go wrong, did go wrong," head coach Mike Hohensee stated following the loss. "We're going to put this one behind us. We've talked about what happened that night, and everything we are doing points to moving forward. As a coaching staff we'll be working on being positive all week, to build the confidence back up. We feel we're good enough to be in the playoffs, and I think we can make some noise if we come out and execute like we did over the last few weeks."

The 24 point win over Jacksonville in Week 16, and the 31 point victory over Las Vegas in Week 18 were evidence enough of a team on the rise, but the overtime loss in San Jose in Week 17 sticks out as an opportunity squandered, one the Thunder would love nothing more than to put right.

The Thunder led by 20 at two different points of the first half, and were the first team to shut out the SaberCats in a first quarter all season. Portland saw their lead dwindle, however, through three consecutive San Jose scores sandwiched around the halftime whistle. Tied at 49 with 00:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, a field goal attempt from San Jose kicker Nich Pertuit was blocked by Portland defensive lineman Frank Trotter, forcing the game into the extra frame.

On a 4th-and-2 from the San Jose five yard line, following the SaberCats successful first drive in OT, quarterback Kyle Rowley was unable to find a receiver, allowing the AFL's best to squeeze out the 55-49 victory.

Portland managed 291 yards of total offense that night in San Jose, more than 40 yards above the average allowed per game by the league's third best defense. Furthermore, the Thunder's defensive front sacked SaberCats quarterback Erik Meyer four times, a point of emphasis that should continue to be exploited.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...

Arena Football League Stories from August 11, 2015


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.

OurSports Central