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SaberCats Game Notes

May 21, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Dallas Desperados (2-3) at SaberCats (5-0).
Date: Saturday, May 25, 2002.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: Compaq Center at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Dave Lambros; Umpire: Al Granado; Head Linesman: Mike McCabe; Line Judge: Art Lucky; Back Judge: James Cole.
Television: No Local Television.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station The Ticket (KTCT) 1050-AM and KNBR 680-AM will broadcast the game live from the Compaq Center with Bob Fitzgerald calling the play-by-play and former San Francisco 49er Keena Turner supplying the commentary.
Internet: Log on to www.ticket1050.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: First meeting.
Last Meeting: First meeting.
Streaks: First meeting.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (35-16 overall, 4th season). Dallas, Joe Avezzano (2-3, 1st season).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats improved to a franchise-best 5-0 and remained the only unbeaten team in the Arena Football League with a convincing 77-45 win over the two-time ArenaBowl champion Orlando Predators in Florida on May 17. San Jose jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the second quarter and was up 42-7 early in the third. San Jose's Barry Wagner, who spent the first eight years of his illustrious AFL career with Orlando, earned Ironman of the Game honors in his first trip back to Orlando since leaving in 2000. Wagner scored three touchdowns and had a game-high 6.0 tackles. If history repeats itself the SaberCats look to be in good shape for a run at the title. The last two ArenaBowl champions, Grand Rapids in 2001 and Orlando in 2000, each started the regular season with five straight wins before capturing the championship. The SaberCats entered their game at Orlando as the highest scoring team in the league and they didn't disappoint. San Jose reached the 70-point mark for the second time in as many weeks and the 11th time in team history. The SaberCats have not lost a game in which they have scored 70 or more points. It was also the second time in the SaberCats' 101 regular season game history that they scored 70 or more points in back-to-back games. San Jose followed a 75-72 win at Los Angeles on July 8, 2002 with an 83-54 win over Buffalo on July 22.

THE SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the SaberCats and expansion Desperados. There are some familiar faces on the Dallas roster, however. Kicker Jason Wells played in eight games with the SaberCats last year and QB Andy Kelly guided the Nashville Kats to semifinal playoff wins over San Jose in 2000 and 2001...Including postseason play, the SaberCats have won six straight games and 15 of their last 16 over Western Division opponents.

THE STAKES: Even with their lofty record the SaberCats hold just a one game lead over the Arizona Rattlers in the Western Division race. The West could be considered the toughest division in the AFL with San Jose (5-0) and Arizona (4-1) holding down the two best records in the league. The combined record of the West is 14-6 (.700) with no other division playing above .500. San Jose needs a win to stay one step ahead of the Rattlers.

SERIES NOTABLES: Dallas quarterback Andy Kelly has thrown for 1,229 yards and 22 touchdowns in six regular season starts against San Jose. Kelly started two games for the Charlotte Rage against the SaberCats during the 1995 season and had four regular season starts as the Nashville Kat's QB...In those six games, Kelly threw 10 interceptions, one of which was returned 43-yards for a touchdown by Jerry Reese on July 7, 1995... Kelly tied an AFL record with a 49-yard pass completion as Charlotte's QB at San Jose on July 14, 1995...As Nashville's starting QB, Kelly directed the Kats to semifinal playoff wins over San Jose in 2000 and 2001. In those two games he completed 43 of 71 passes for 504 yards with 13 TDs and just one interception...Kelly tied an AFL record with a 49-yard pass completion as Charlotte's QB at San Jose on July 14, 1995.

THE IFS...:

If the SaberCats defeat Dallas it would...
*Be San Jose's 8th straight home win (including playoffs).
*Be San Jose's 7th straight win over a division opponent (including playoffs).
*Be San Jose's first win over the Desperados.
*Be San Jose's 63rd regular season victory all-time.
*Give San Jose a 34-18 regular season home record.
*Give San Jose a 23-15 all-time record against Western Division foes.
*Give San Jose a 21-12 record in May games.

THE COACHES:

San Jose – Darren Arbet, 4th season
33-14 (.702) regular season; 35-16 (.686) overall 0-0 (.000) career vs. Dallas
Arbet became the SaberCats' winningest head coach when San Jose beat Arizona in the quarterfinals of the AFL playoffs last year. The win gave Arbet 30 victories in 46 career games. He surpassed former head coach Todd Shell, who posted 29 wins in 57 career games. Arbet owns a 35-16 (.686) overall record and is 33-14 (.702) in regular season games. The SaberCats are 27-6 (.818) in regular season games under Arbet since the start of the 2000 season. He was named the AFL's Coach of the Year in 2000 following a league record tying 12 regular season wins and guided the SaberCats to an AFL record 15 consecutive regular season victories (11 in '00, 4 in '01). Arbet is the only head coach in team history to post a playoff victory.

Dallas – Joe Avezzano, 1st season
2-3 (.400) overall
0-0 career vs. San Jose
An assistant coach with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys for the past 12 years, Avezzano is the first head coach of the expansion Desperados and currently owns a 2-3 (.400) record. He led the Desperados to a 57-44 victory at Carolina on April 20 in their first game. One of the NFL's most successful assistants, Avezzano has captured Special Teams Coach of the Year three times during his Cowboys tenure. Previous head coaching experience came at Oregon State University (1980-84) and Avezzano also played professionally with the Boston Patriots.

RECENT RESULTS: The San Jose SaberCats reached the 70-point mark for the second week in a row and won their fifth straight game to improve to a franchise-best 5-0 with a 77-45 victory over the Orlando Predators. San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb threw three first quarter touchdown passes and the SaberCats defense forced a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and recovered a fumble on Orlando's three first quarter possessions to build a 20-0 lead after the first. Former Predator Barry Wagner scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 1-yard run to increase San Jose's lead to 26-0 lead early in the second quarter. Wagner was named Ironman of the game. Grieb gave San Jose its first quarter bulge by tossing scoring passes of 18 and 30 yards to James Hundon and connecting with Matt Kinsinger on a 17-yard fullback screen. The SaberCats were never threatened after that. Grieb finished the game 17 of 29 for 190 yards and six touchdowns and extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception this season to 154. Wagner, who played eight seasons with Orlando before signing as a free agent with San Jose, also scored on a 4-yard run and caught a 10-yard pass. He added 6.0 tackles on defense. Former Orlando head coach Jay Gruden, who returned to the field as the Predators starting quarterback this season, completed 27 of 46 attempts for 299 yards and seven touchdowns but was intercepted twice. Both picks by San Jose led to scores. Anthony Cobbs snared his first career interception on Orlando's first possession of the second half and two plays later Kinsinger scored his second touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run to give San Jose a 42-7 lead early in the third quarter. Omarr Smith returned an interception 39-yards for a score with just under a minute and a half to play in the game to give San Jose its final scoring total. The 32-point loss was the worst defeat in Predators history. The Predators outgained San Jose 299 to 234 in total offense, but in an effort to overcome their second half deficit, Orlando attempted four consecutive onside kicks to try and gain possession. The strategy was successful once as a recovery led to consecutive touchdowns that narrowed Orlando's deficit to 56-33 early in the fourth quarter.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Two of Dallas' three losses on the year have come by one point. In the Desperados' 52-51 loss to Los Angeles on May 4, Dallas had a potential game-tying PAT blocked with no time remaining on the clock. At New Jersey on April 28, Dallas had a 44-31 lead in the fourth quarter and let it slip away in a 45-44 loss to the Gladiators. A blocked PAT was returned by New Jersey for a two-point defensive conversion and K Jason Wells missed a 49-yard FG attempt with just over two minutes left in that game...Dallas became the first true AFL expansion team since Nashville in 1997 to win its first-ever regular season game when it defeated Carolina, 57-44, on April 20. Chicago and Detroit (2001), Los Angeles and Carolina (2000), Buffalo (1999) and the New York CityHawks (1997) were the previous true expansion teams to lose their first-ever regular season game. Nashville joined the league in 1997 along with New York and beat San Jose 47-21 on May 2, 1997.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats activated former San Jose State standout WR/DB Rashied Davis from injured reserve and then waived him only to sign the talented rookie to the practice squad. The SaberCats have not made any roster moves other than to their practice squad in over two weeks.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES

Date Action Player
5/15 Signed to PS WR/DB Rashied Davis
5/13 Signed to PS FB/LB Kevin Buck
5/13 Activate from IR WR/DB Rashied Davis
5/13 Waived WR/DB Rashied Davis
5/13 Waived from PS FB/LB Chris Underwood
5/13 Waived from PS WR/LB Eddie Williams
5/7 Signed to PS FB/LB Chris Underwood

MILESTONES:

*WR/LB James Roe needs 2 TD catches for 40 career and 20 receiving yards for 1,600 career.
*OS James Hundon needs 14 receptions for 100 career.
*WR/DB Jerry Reese needs 3 TD catches for 70 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 8 catches for 800 career.
*OL/DL Mike Ulufale needs 1.5 sacks for 10 career.
*FB/LB Bob McMillen needs 3 rush yards for 700 career.
*OL/DL Chuck Reed needs 3 sacks for 20 career.
*WR/LB Shalon Baker needs 10 catches for 200 career.
*K Daron Alcorn needs 15 points for 550 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 20 completions for 600 career and 55 pass yards for 8,000 career.

TALE OF THE TAPE: It's safe to say San Jose has the top offensive unit in the AFL. The SaberCats lead the league in scoring (65.4 ppg), total offense (309.0 ypg) and pass rating (149.3), and rank 3rd in pass offense (280.2 ypg) and rush offense (28.8 ypg). San Jose ranks in the top five in 16 of the 26 league team statistical categories. also leads the league in sacks with 8 and rank in the top 5 in seven other categories. Despite allowing 54.8 ppg, third-worst in the league, Orlando ranks 2nd in total defense allowing an average of 229.5 yards per game.

INJURY REPORT: Outside of the usual bumps and bruises associated with a professional football game, the SaberCats remain relatively healthy. DS Wendell Davis (hamstring), OL/DL Brian Lytle (stomach virus) and OL/DL Chuck Reed (hip) were all game-time scratches in San Jose's game at Orlando on May 17. San Jose has not put a player on IR since May 2.

Player Injury Status
Chuck Reed Quad Strain Probable
Frank Beede Leg Contusion Probable

TRENDS:

EFFECIENCY – In their last two games the SaberCats have scored 21 touchdowns and two field goals on 25 offensive possessions. San Jose scored 10 TDs and a field goal in 12 possessions at Orlando on May 17. They ran one play and the final 11 seconds off the clock to end the game in which they won 77-45. Against Los Angeles on May 11, the SaberCats scored 11 TDs and a field goal in their 13 possessions. A missed 39-yard field goal was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect evening.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE – The SaberCats have won seven straight games on their home turf, 10 of their last 11 and 16 of their last 18. Since the start of the 2000 season San Jose owns a 17-3 (.850) record and under Head Coach Darren Arbet the SaberCats are 21-6 (.778) in games played at the Compaq Center.

PLAYING PERCENTAGES – San Jose has held the opposing starting quarterback to a completion percentage of less than 60 percent in each of its five games this season. Orlando's Jay Gruden completed 58.7 percent (27-of-46) on May 17 for the highest completion percentage of any opposing QB this year. In order to achieve that lofty mark, Gruden needed to complete 66.7 percent (10-of-15) of his fourth quarter passes when his team trailed by as many as 38 points and San Jose was playing a prevent defense.

THE SECOND QUARTER – Both San Jose and Dallas have been most successful putting points on the board in the second quarter of games this year. Each team has scored exactly 92 points in the second stanza. The difference being San Jose has scored 235 points in the other three quarters while Dallas has scored just 162 points.

FAST STARTS – Over the last two games the SaberCats have outscored their opponent 40-7 in the first quarter. San Jose jumped to a 20-0 first quarter lead over Orlando en route to a 77-45 win on May 17. Against Los Angeles on May 11, the SaberCats were up 20-7 after the opening frame and went on to a 78-44 win. On the season the SaberCats have outscored their opponent 82-37 in the first quarter and have not trailed in a game this year after the first quarter.

HIGH FIVE – The last two ArenaBowl champions – Grand Rapids in 2001 and Orlando in 2000 – each started their world title run with five straight wins at the start of the season. Grand Rapids lost its sixth game of the 2001 season while Orlando won seven straight before losing its first game of the 2000 campaign.

LEADER – Quarterback Mark Grieb has made 25 regular season starts during his San Jose career and the team has a record of 22-3 in those games.

NOTES:

OFFENSIVE – San Jose became the second team in Arena Football League history to score 77 or more points in consecutive games. The SaberCats followed up a 78-44 win over Los Angeles on May 11 with a 77-45 win at Orlando on May 17. The only other team in AFL history to score 77 or more points in back-to-back games was the 1998 Albany Firebirds who beat Orlando 79-70 on July 25 and the New York CityHawks 77-36 on August 2.

GOOD GRIEB! – Is it too early to start talking about Offensive Player of the Year honors? In Mark Grieb's case, probably not. Once again Grieb did not throw an interception and completed 17 of 29 attempts for 190 yards and 6 TDs at Orlando. Grieb has thrown six or more TD passes in all five games this year. For the year, Grieb has completed 102 of 154 attempts (66.2%) for 1,381 yards and 31 TDs without an interception. Including two playoff games last season, Grieb has now completed 174 consecutive passes and attempted 255 passes without being intercepted and has thrown 56 TD passes during his current streak. Dating back even further, Grieb has just one interception in his last 396 attempts while tossing 84 touchdown passes.

J HUN – Offensive specialist James Hundon had three more TD catches at Orlando on May 17 to raise his league-leading total to 16. Jhun has multiple TD catches in all five games this year and has at least one TD catch in all 11 career games. With his 16 TD receptions, Hundon is on pace for 44 which would break the SaberCats single-season record for touchdowns scored and receiving touchdowns. He also leads the league with 96 points and 593 receiving yards and is second in the AFL with 41 receptions.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS – With all of San Jose's offensive exploits well documented, it's hard to overlook the effort by the defensive unit. The SaberCats forced two missed field goals, two turnovers on downs, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass on Orlando's first seven possessions of their game on May 17 to build a 42-7 lead early in the third quarter of their 77-45 win. Combine that with San Jose's four second half stops against Los Angeles on May 11 and the SaberCats allowed just two touchdowns and a field goal in 13 opponent possessions covering just over a complete game. San Jose also outscored Los Angeles 34-10 in the second half and had a 35-7 halftime lead over Orlando for a combined 69-17 score.

THE RUN RETURNS – After rushing for 5 yards and one TD on 8 carries in their first two games, the SaberCats have totaled 139 yards and 11 TDs on 40 attempts in the last three. The SaberCats continued their ground assault on May 17 at Orlando by rushing for 44 yards and 4 TDs on 16 attempts, the most attempts since they had 17 against Orlando on May 26, 2001. Barry Wagner rushed for a San Jose career-high 22 yards and 2 TDs on five carries in his first game in Orlando since leaving after the 1999 season. Bob McMillen and Matt Kinsinger also scored rush TDs to increase the SaberCats total to a league-leading 12. San Jose now ranks 3rd in the AFL in rushing with an average of 28.8 yards per game.

ROOKIE SENSATION – DS/KR Clevan Thomas continues his impressive play and run at the Rookie of the Year award. Thomas had 5.5 tackles and a career-high 3 passes defended at Orlando on May 17. Thomas leads the team in tackles and passes defended and ranks 8th in the league in both categories. Thomas is the only San Jose player to return a kick that was not an on side attempt and ranks 6th in the AFL in MFG returns (20.0) and 10th in all-purpose yards (119.2).

FROM THE DEUCE – The only af2 alum to play in a regular season game for San Jose, FB/LB Matt Kinsinger has made his presence known. Kinsinger, who played with the Augusta Stallions of af2 in 2000 and the AFL's Houston ThunderBears in 2001, made his first career AFL reception a memorable one. Kinsinger hauled in a fullback screen and rumbled 17-yards for a touchdown at Orlando on May 17. Kinsinger added a 5-yard TD run for his second straight two TD game. Against Georgia on May 4, Kinsinger rushed for a career-high 20 yards on 3 attempts. A week later against Los Angeles on May 11, he had his first career two rushing TD game.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Two San Jose players have been honored by the AFL as the ‘ADT' Defensive Player of the Week so far this season. FB/LB Bob McMillen garnered the award in Week 2 after returning an interception 46-yards for a game-winning touchdown and adding 5.0 tackles at Tampa Bay on April 27. OL/DL Sam Hernandez was the Week 4 recipient after posting 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles in San Jose's 78-44 win over the Los Angeles Avengers on May 11. It was the first 2-sack game for Hernandez since June 9, 2000, and the 12th time in his career he had two or more sacks in a game.

DOUBLE THREAT – WR/LB Shalon Baker has added a new wrinkle to the SaberCats offense. Prior to this season Baker had two rush attempts in 43 career games. He has already carried the ball five times for 29 yards in three games in 2002. Baker has also added 8 receptions for 66 yards and 3 TDs, including the 50th of his AFL career.

PLAYERS/MATCH-UPS TO WATCH:

DALLAS QB ANDY KELLY – Kelly led the Nashville Kats to semifinal playoff victories over San Jose in each of the last two seasons and has a history with the SaberCats. In eight career games against San Jose, including the two postseason games, Kelly has completed 161-of-276 attempts (58.3%) for 1,733 yards and 35 touchdowns. He has, however, thrown at least one interception in six of the eight games and 11 total. Kelly has risen to the occasion with the chips down. In the two playoff games he completed 43-of-71 passes (60.6%) for 504 yards and 13 TDs with just one interception. In last week's loss to Arizona, Kelly completed 25 passes to become the league's career leader in pass completions.

SAN JOSE'S OFFENSE – The SaberCats have scored 11 touchdowns, second-most in a game in team history, in each of their last two games and have scored a league-high 327 points (65.4 ppg) on the year. San Jose is on pace to break the league record for points in a season, which is 898 set by the 2001 New York Dragons. At their current pace the SaberCats would score 916 points. They became just the second team in AFL history with consecutive 77+ point games and have topped the 50-point mark in 11 consecutive regular season games.

JAMES HUNDON – Hundon has been the go-to guy for San Jose this season. He leads the team in receptions (41), receiving yards (593) and receiving TDs (16) through five games and leads the league in scoring, TDs, receiving yards and is tied for 2nd in receptions. With his 16 TD catches so far, Hundon is more than half way to the team's season record of 28, which was set by James Roe in 2001. At his current pace Jhun will have 115 catches, 1,660 yards and 45 TD catches and will obliterate the team season records. Steve Papin holds the season record for receptions (91 in ‘99) and receiving yards (1,256 in ‘98).

RUNNING GAME – In a game known for its pass-happy offenses the running game is rarely mentioned. Well, here we go. In their last three games the SaberCats have rushed for 139 yards and 11 TDs and now rank 3rd in the league in rushing with 28.8 yards per game and lead the AFL with 12 rush TDs. San Jose already has four players with 29 or more rush yards on the year and three players with three or more rush TDs. Dallas leads the league in rush defense allowing just 8.8 yards per game and have given up a league-low 3 rush TDs.

KICKING GAME – Former SaberCat Jason Wells handles the kicking duties for the Desperados and has been a consistent performer. Wells has already made four field goals in five games, bettering his total of three in eight games with San Jose last season. Wells had made four of his first five attempts this season before misfiring on all four tries in Dallas' loss to Arizona last week. Wells missed two PAT attempts and had another blocked in a 52-51 loss to Los Angeles on May 4 and connected on a career-long 50-yard attempt at New York on May 11. San Jose's Daron Alcorn has made a league-high 35 PATs but has converted just 79.5 percent of his PAT attempts. That percentage could be attributed to fatigue. Alcorn has kicked off 27 times and attempted 22 PATs and four field goals in the last two games.

IRONNMAN AND GAME MVP:

Opp, Date Ironman MVP
ARZ (4/21) Clevan Thomas Mark Grieb
@TBY (4/27) Lawrence Samuels Mark Grieb
GEO (5/4) Jerry Reese James Hundon
LOS (5/11) Omarr Smith Sam Hernandez
@ORL (5/17) Barry Wagner Mark Grieb

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