SaberCats clinch Western Divison title wtih 73-70 win over Tampa Bay
June 15, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif (June 14, 2008) - It was an old fashioned shootout Saturday night as San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb threw nine touchdown passes leading the San Jose SaberCats to a 73-70 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm in Arena Football League action.
The SaberCats posted their first win over a National Conference team and clinched their third straight Western Division title, and eighth overall, securing a first round bye in the postseason.
Trailing 14-7, the SaberCats scored 31 points in the second quarter and used an 18-yard A.J. Haglund field goal as time expired to break the fifth tie of the game staking San Jose to a 38-35 lead at the break.
Back-to-back scoring grabs by Cleannord Saintil midway through the fourth quarter gave San Jose a 66-49 lead. The second score came following the second interception of the game by Clevan Thomas, who tied Barry Wagner for third place all-time with 48 career.
Saintil had four touchdowns and 107 yards on 12 receptions. James Roe caught three scoring passes and Rodney Wright added two. Grieb completed 26-of-38 passes for 274 yards and tossed his 700th career TD pass.
Tampa Bay's Brett Dietz set a franchise record with 10 touchdown passes, two coming in the final minute of the fourth quarter to close the final gap. He finished with 309 yards on 25-of-43 passing. Lawrence Samuels had a team-high 11 catches, including the 1,000th of his storied career.
NOTES:
San Jose had a season-high point total and improved to 29-1 when topping the 70-point mark...The win was San Jose's 15th straight at home over a Southern Division team...Two sacks by the defense raised the team's league-best total to 29...Andrew Browning played his 1st career AFL game and posted a sack and FF...A.J. Haglund set a SaberCats single-season kick scoring record (171) and extended his streak of made PATs to 30...Steve Watson set a SaberCats season record for assisted tackles in a season...Brian Johnson became San Jose's all-time leader in rush attempts with 156 and caught his 24th career pass tying Derrick Chachere for team's career lead by a FB...Tampa Bay's Sedrick Robinson became the AFL's all-time leader in kickoff return yards.
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