SaberCats Game Notes

Published on March 4, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (3-2) at Chicago Rush (2-3).
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2003.
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: Allstate Arena (16,000).
Officials: Referee: Darrel Leftwich; Umpire: Jeff Carr; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Jim Hatfield; Back Judge: Tony Lombardo.
Television: Sunday's game will be the featured West Coast matchup on NBC with Mike Breen calling play-by-play and former Buffalo Destroyers head coach Ray Bentley supplying color commentary. Marty Snider will report from the sidelines.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station The Ticket (KTCT) 1050-AM will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald handling play-by-play duties and George Atkinson supplying the color commentary. SaberCats Sideline Report: Hosted by Bob Fitzgerald, SSR is shown every Sunday at 11:52 p.m. on NBC11. The information packed 8-minute segment will get you up close and personal with the World Champions. Internet: Log on to www.ticket1050.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: San Jose leads 1-0.
Last Meeting: San Jose 74, Chicago 68 (June 15, 2002 in San Jose).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 1.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (5th season; 44-17 regular season, 49-19 overall). Chicago, Mike Hohensee (10th season; 62-59 regular season, 67-65 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats conclude their season opening stretch of five of their first six games on the road with a duel against the Chicago Rush on Sunday, March 9. The contest will be regionally televised to the West Coast by NBC starting at 3:00 (PT) from the Allstate Arena. Following a 2-game losing streak, the SaberCats have posted a pair of convincing wins to up their record to 3-2 and move into a first place tie with Los Angeles in the Western Division standings. With their 72-37 pounding of Las Vegas on March 2, the SaberCats have oustscored their opponents 152-77 in the past two weeks. San Jose forced four Las Vegas turnovers and leads the league with a +13 turnover margin converting 16 of the 18 turnovers into touchdowns. San Jose DS Clevan Thomas returned his league-leading seventh interception of the season for a touchdown and moved past Barry Wagner into second place on the SaberCats' all-time INT list with 12. After losing three straight to start the season, the Rush has won consecutive games and looks for its first win over San Jose.

THE SERIES: San Jose has won the only series meeting between the teams beating Chicago 74-68 on June 15, 2002 in San Jose...This will be the first game between the teams in Chicago.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Sunday's game the SaberCats will play seven of their remaining 10 games at home, including three straight starting on Friday, March 14 against the Buffalo Destroyers. San Jose does not have a road trip longer than a single game the rest of the season.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose's Clevan Thomas set team game records with 252 combined kick return yards and three TDs against the Rush on June 15, 2002...The combined point total in San Jose's 74-68 win represents the highest scoring game in Rush history and the 4th highest scoring game in SaberCats history...Chicago's Antonio Chatman set a SaberCats opponent record with 354 all-purpose yards (109 receiving, 245 KOR) in the game...The SaberCats intercepted Rush QB Billy Dicken three times in the game, including one each by Clevan Thomas and Barry Wagner. Chicago set a SaberCats opponent record for third quarter points by scoring 32 times and the team's combined for 52 points in the quarter.

LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 74, Chicago 68 (Saturday, June 15, 2002 • Compaq Center) – San Jose's Clevan Thomas returned three kicks for touchdowns, but it was Omarr Smith who made the big plays to lift San Jose to a thrilling 74-68 victory over the Chicago Rush. With 1:27 left in the fourth quarter and his team leading 67-62, Smith intercepted an errant pass from Rush QB Billy Dicken with a diving catch. On the next play, Smith hauled in a 34-yard TD pass from Mark Grieb to help secure the win. Thomas got the home side off to a roaring start by returning the opening kickoff 53-yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game. His 252 combined kick return yards and three scores established new franchise records. Thomas increased San Jose's lead to 34-17 when he parlayed a 56-yard field goal attempt by the Rush's David Cool off the net into a 52-yard touchdown return. Thomas became the first player in franchise history to return a missed field goal and a kickoff for a touchdown. The SaberCats' 34-23 halftime lead was short-lived, however. On the first drive of the second half, Dicken hit Dameon Porter with a 7-yard TD pass and on the ensuing kickoff Chicago's Lindsay Fleshman dived on the loose ball in the end zone to give the Rush its first lead of the night, 35-34. Thomas made up for his botched return attempt on the ensuing kickoff returning the ball 55-yards for a score. The lead changed hands six different times before Smith finally secured the win for San Jose. For his efforts Thomas garnered the game's Most Valuable Player award while Smith was named the Ironman of the night for his game-saving two-way plays. Dicken, who hadn't thrown an interception in 91 attempts entering the contest, was picked three times with two of the interceptions leading to San Jose scores. Thomas and Wagner joined Smith as SaberCats interceptors.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES

Date Score
June 15, 2002 @San Jose 74, Chicago 68

THE IFS...:

If the SaberCats defeat Chicago it would...
*Give San Jose a 2-0 all-time mark vs. the Rush.
*Give San Jose a 3-game win streak.
*Give San Jose a 4-2 season record.
*Be Head Coach Darren Arbet's 50th career victory.
*Give San Jose a 74-42 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 36-24 regular season road record.
*Give San Jose an 18-10 all-time record vs. Central Division teams.

THE COACHES:

San Jose – Darren Arbet, 5th season
44-17 (.721) reg. season; 49-19 (.721) overall 1-0 (1.000) career vs. Chicago
Last season Arbet guided the SaberCats to the best regular season record (13-1) ever in league history, the most victories in a season (16) and the franchise's first league title. Arbet has compiled a 44-17 (.721) career mark in regular season games and currently owns the third-best regular season winning percentage in AFL history among coaches with at least 10 victories. Named AFL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Arbet's teams have gone 43-11 (.796) overall in the past four seasons. Spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Arbet led the SaberCats to a league record 15-game regular season winning streak and twice in the last three years the SaberCats have had 12-game win streaks.

Chicago – Mike Hohensee, 10th season
62-59 (.512) reg. season; 67-65 (.508) overall 0-5 (.000) career vs. San Jose
Hohensee was hired as the Rush's first head coach in September 2000 and in his third season he currently owns an 18-15 (.545) regular season record and is 20-17 (.541) overall. Hohensee has coached Washington (1990), Albany (94-96), Anaheim (97) and New England (99-00) and owns a 62-59 (.512) regular season record and a 67-65 (.508) career mark in 10 seasons as an AFL head coach. Last season Hohensee became the sixth coach in AFL history to reach 60 regular season wins when Chicago defeated Dallas on July 13.

RECENT RESULTS: Quarterback Mark Grieb threw four touchdown passes and the San Jose defense scored a pair of touchdowns to propel the SaberCats to a 72-37 win over the Las Vegas Gladiators before a crowd 8,627 at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday afternoon. Grieb completed 18-of-27 attempts for 252 yards with no interceptions and was named the game's MVP. Following a 31-yard Steve Videtich field goal that gave Las Vegas a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, Grieb connected twice with James Roe on scoring plays of 17 and 21 yards to give San Jose a 21-10 lead with just under six minutes to play in the half. San Jose defensive specialist Clevan Thomas intercepted a Jay McDonagh pass on the Gladiators next possession and returned the ball 32 yards for a score to give San Jose a 28-10 lead with a minute to play. It was Thomas' league-leading seventh interception of the year and the third returned for a score. Veteran Todd Hammel replaced McDonagh on Las Vegas' next possession. McDonagh completed 9-of-21 for 86 yards and two interceptions. After Las Vegas turned the ball over on downs, Daron Alcorn drilled a 22-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to increase the SaberCats lead to 31-10. Barry Wagner scored two second half touchdowns for San Jose, one on a fumble recovery in the endzone and the other on a 3-yard run, his 92nd career rushing touchdown, for a 58-30 lead with 9:35 to play in the game. James Hundon caught his second TD pass of the game, a 29-yard toss from Grieb with 3:17 remaining, to give him two or more TD grabs in all five games this season and 17 straight dating back to last season. Hundon finished with seven catches for a season-high 118 yards. Roe scored his third touchdown of the game on the Gladiators next possession when he recovered a Todd Hammel fumble at the Las Vegas 7-yard line and scampered into the endzone to supply the SaberCats with their final margin of victory. In just over two quarters of play, Hammel completed 13-of-23 for 228 yards and three scores. Mike Horacek led all receivers with 11 receptions for 166 yards. San Jose rookie Rashied Davis was tabbed Ironman of the game after rushing for five yards and a TD, catching a 9-yard pass and collecting 4.0 tackles and his first career interception.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Chicago is 4-0 all-time at home against Western Division opponents. The Rush defeated Los Angeles earlier this season, 54-53, and twice last year beat Dallas. Chicago's first home win against a Western Division foe came in 2001 against Houston...Chicago has a 13-4 all-time record at home...Rush head coach Mike Hohensee threw the first TD pass in AFL history back on June 19, 1987 as a member of the Pittsburgh Gladiators. He also played in the first ArenaBowl.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats signed free agent WR/LB Jerry Reese and placed him on IR. Reese, San Jose's career leader in TD receptions, is recovering from off-season knee surgery. The team also placed OL/DL Chuck Reed on IR for emotional stress. Reed left the team to be with his ailing mother in Louisiana.

MILESTONES:

*OL/DL Sam Hernandez needs 1 sack for 50 career.
*K Daron Alcorn needs 4 FGs for 100 career and 4 points for team's all-time lead.
*OS James Hundon needs 6 receiving yards for 2,500 career and 2 TD catches for 2nd place all-time.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 8 rush TDs for 100 career.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 2 TD catches for 50 career.
*DS/KR Clevan Thomas needs 20 kick return yards for 2,000 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 708 passing yards to pass Ron Lopez for 14th on AFL's career list.

TALE OF THE TAPE: San Jose leads the league in scoring at 64.4 ppg while the Rush have allowed the fewest points in the league at 37.4 ppg...The SaberCats are a league-best plus-13 in turnover margin while Chicago ranks near the bottom of the pack (13th) with a minus-4 margin...The Rush boasts one of the top defensive units with league best rankings in scoring defense and pass defense and the second-best mark in total defense.

TRENDS:

ROAD WARRIORS – The SaberCats finish off a season opening stretch of five of their first six games on the road with their contest at Chicago. San Jose evened its 2003 road record at 2-2 with a 72-37 win at Las Vegas on March 2 and owns an 18-7 (.720) record in regular season road games since the start of the 2000 campaign.

40 SOMETHING – After having their streak of 50+ point games snapped in the season opener, the SaberCats must now settle for a streak of 40+ point games. That stretch (including postseason) reached 31 straight last week in their 72-37 win at Las Vegas on March 2. The SaberCats last failed to reach the 40-point mark in a 59-35 loss to Orlando on May 26, 2001.

THE MALLEY FACTOR – Since Terry Malley took over as the SaberCats offensive coordinator with six games remaining in the 1999 season, the team has reached the 60-point mark 27 times in 60 games (includes playoffs). Prior to his arrival the SaberCats had scored 60 or more points six times in 65 games. San Jose's all-time record when reaching the 60-point plateau is 30-3. All four of San Jose's 80-point games and 14 of the team's 16 70-plus point games have come with Malley as the team's offensive coordinator.

PICKIN' IT – Dating back to last season and including playoffs, the SaberCats have had at least on interception in their last 11 games for a total of 21 picks. With nearly half the team total is last year's Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year Clevan Thomas with 10. Barry Wagner, the second leading interceptor in league history has had a pair of interceptions in that time, but none so far this season. The SaberCats increased their 2003 season interception total to 12 with a pair off Las Vegas QB Jay McDonagh on March 2, and are on pace for 38 on the year. The AFL record for INTs in a season is 29 set by Orlando in 1992.

JUST WIN – In his career as a member of the SaberCats, Mark Grieb owns a 32-6 regular season record as the team's starting quarterback.

SIMPLY RED ZONE – The SaberCats are a perfect 19-for-19 on scoring chances inside the red zone this season, scoring 16 touchdowns and three field goals once getting inside the opponents 10-yard line. San Jose scored three TDs and a field goal for a 4-for-4 red zone performance in a 72-37 win at Las Vegas on March 2.

BIG GEORGE – The return of OL/DL George Williams to the SaberCats means one thing – wins. Williams played in 12 regular season games and all three playoff contests last season and the team went unbeaten. Williams was activated off IR on Feb. 21 and the SaberCats are 2-0 since his return. San Jose now owns a 17-0 record with Williams in the lineup.

TOs = TDs – Over the last four games the SaberCats have forced 17 turnovers, 16 of which have resulted in San Jose touchdowns. San Jose capitalized on the first three Las Vegas turnovers, converting them into scores. The final Gladiators' turnover occurred at the end of the game and the SaberCats ran out the clock in their 72-37 win on March 2. On the season the SaberCats have a league-leading +13 turnover margin.

NOTES:

CHASING 50 – San Jose head coach Darren Arbet captured his 49th career victory in San Jose's win at Las Vegas on March 2 and his next win will make him the 8th coach in league history to win 50 games. With a win Sunday, Arbet will reach the 50-win mark in just his 69th game, the second fastest to reach 50 behind only Tim Marcum, who got win No. 50 in his 63rd game. Perry Moss and John Gregory each got win No. 50 in their 75th game while it took Indiana's Mike Dailey 77 games. Arizona's Danny White got his 50th in game No. 85.

POINTS – The SaberCats scored 70 or more points in a game for the third time this season and 16th time in team history with their 72-37 win at Las Vegas on Mar. 2 and lead the league with a scoring average of 64.4 points per game. Fourteen of San Jose's 16 70+ point games have come since the start of the 2000 season and the team record for most 70+ point games in a season is four, accomplished in both 2000 and 2002.

DEFENSIVE SCORES – San Jose not only has one of the top offensive units in the league, the defense can score too. The SaberCats scored a pair of defensive TDs, a 32-yard INT return by Clevan Thomas and a 7-yard fumble recovery by James Roe, at Las Vegas last week to give them seven defensive scores on the year. Thomas has three INT returns while Sam Hernandez and Roe each have one. Roe and Keala Keanaaina have each returned a fumble for a touchdown.

WHAT A RUSH – The SaberCats scored four rushing TDs in their 72-37 win at Las Vegas on Mar. 2 and have scored 10 times on the ground in the past two weeks. San Jose currently leads the circuit in rushing TDs with 15 and also has the top ranked rushing unit averaging 34.2 yards per game. Rookie Keala Keanaaina leads the league with 77 rush yards and Matt Kinsinger ranks 6th with 44 yards. Five players have rushed for 2 or more scores with Keanaaina leading the way with 4. Kinsinger, Kevin Buck and Barry Wagner, the AFL's career leader in rush TDs with 92, each have three while rookie Rashied Davis has added a pair.

CLEVAN THE MAN – Clevan Thomas, the 2002 Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year, had his league-leading 7th interception of the year at Las Vegas on March 2, and has at least one pick in all five games this season. With an INT at Chicago, Thomas can match the team record of six straight games with a pick, set by Tommy Jones in 1998. Thomas also moved ahead of Barry Wagner into third place on the SaberCats career INT list with his 12th and trails only Jones (17) and Pat McGuirk (24) for the team's all-time lead.

SACK MASTER – OL/DL Sam Hernandez, a 10-year AFL veteran in his sixth season with San Jose, is the league's all-time leader with 49 career quarterback sacks and is also San Jose's career leader with 28.5. During his illustrious career, Hernandez has been credited with at least one full sack against 19 teams and has 2.0 or more sacks in a game 12 times.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS – QB Mark Grieb moved over the 11,000-yard mark in career passing yards with 252 in a win at Las Vegas on Mar. 2. Grieb currently has 11,005 yards in his career and trails former SaberCat Ron Lopez by 707 yards for 14th place on the league's all-time list. Grieb began the season in 16th place but has since past Kurt Warner into the 15th spot.

KICKIN IT – Daron Alcorn became the second kicker in team history to reach the 200-point mark when he converted 9-of-10 PATs and a FG for 12 points to increase his SaberCats career total to 205. Alcorn needs just four points to surpass Carlos Huerta as the team's career leader. Huerta amassed 208 career points from 1999 to 2001. Alcorn's 22-yard FG at Las Vegas was the 96th of his career, and he needs just four more to become the fourth player in league history with 100 in a career.

ROE, ROE, ROE – WR/LB James Roe moved into 6th place in career TDs when he scored three times at Las Vegas on Mar. 2. Roe's third TD of the game came on a 7-yard fumble recovery that upped his career total to 54, one more than Titus Dixon. During his three years with San Jose, Roe has 48 receiving TDs, 3 INT return TDs, 2 scores on fumble recoveries and a net recovery.

WEEKLY BESTS – One week after playing his 1st career AFL game and scoring a TD, rookie WR/DB Rashied Davis snared his 1st career interception...Clevan Thomas set a team single-season record with his 3rd INT return TD of the year when he went 32-yards with his league-high 7th pick of the year...Backup QB Bob Bees saw action under center for the first time this season when he took two snaps at the end of the game...DS Wendell Davis was credited with a career-high 10.0 tackles, including 9 solo stops...OL/DL George Williams has his 2nd career reception.

(all milestones occurred at Las Vegas on Mar. 2, 2003)

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