SaberCats Improve To 8-0 With Come From Behind Win At Los Angeles
June 9, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
LOS ANGELES (June 8, 2002) -- The San Jose SaberCats used a near perfect defensive effort in the second half to overcame a 9-point halftime deficit and improve to 8-0 on the season with a 52-33 win over the Los Angeles Avengers before 10,122 at the STAPLES Center on Saturday night.
San Jose held Los Angeles to 3 points and just 13 yards of offense in the second half and Barry Wagner scored three times as the SaberCats outscored the Avengers 31-3 after the intermission.
Wagner's second touchdown of the game and first of the second half came on a 1-yard run with 4:42 left in the third quarter and followed a Bob McMillen 16-yard scoring run to give the SaberCats their first lead of the game at 35-30.
Los Angeles kicker Remy Hamilton booted a 42-yard field goal to close the gap to 35-33 before San Jose reeled off 17 unanswered fourth quarter points.
Avengers' offensive specialist Chris Jackson returned the opening kickoff of the game 51-yards for a score to give Los Angeles a quick 7-0 lead. Following a 3-yard scoring run by Wagner that tied the game, Hamilton nailed a 29-yard field goal and Greg Hopkins caught a 9-yard TD pass from Tony Graziani to give Los Angeles a 17-7 lead after the first quarter.
Following a 25-yard Hamilton field goal that gave Los Angeles a 20-7 lead, the SaberCats twice pulled within six points. James Williams scored on a 6-yard run and Jerry Reese caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mark Grieb. Hamilton closed out the first half scoring and gave the Avengers a 30-21 advantage with a 42-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.
Wagner tied a San Jose record by scoring his third rushing TD of the game early in the fourth quarter and on the ensuing Avengers possession he intercepted a Graziani pass and returned it 19-yards for his fourth TD of the game giving San Jose a 49-33 lead with just over ten minutes left. Daron Alcorn nailed a season-long 50-yard field goal with 3:45 remaining to close out the scoring.
Grieb completed 17-of-32 passes for 179 yards with just one TD pass but the SaberCats ran for 69 yards and scored five times on the ground.
Meanwhile, San Jose limited Los Angeles to just 127 yards of total offense and held Chris Jackson, the league's top offensive specialist, to 6 catches for just 24 yards and no receiving touchdowns.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 9, 2002
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