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AFL I Arizona Rattlers

SaberCats Roar Past Rattlers, 66-26

June 16, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


SAN JOSE - Mark Grieb passed for 239 yards and six touchdowns as the San Jose SaberCats (12-3) defeated the Arizona Rattlers (4-12) 66-26 Saturday night at the HP Pavilion.

Rodney Wright caught eight balls for 110 yards and a score, while James Roe added 106 yards and a game-high four touchdowns for the SaberCats, which earned a season sweep over the Rattlers with its fifth consecutive win in the long-standing rivalry.

Chris Sanders completed 22 of his 49 pass attempts for 252 yards and four scores in his second consecutive start in place of an injured Sherdrick Bonner. Sanders also honored his friend and former Orlando Predators teammate Justin Skaggs, who passed away earlier in the day due to a brain tumor. Sanders switched jerseys with Clay Rush prior to the game so he could wear No. 3 - the same number Skaggs wore with the Utah Blaze.

While Rush was far from his sharpest - missing a pair of extra point attempts - it was nonetheless a game the kicker will cherish for the rest of his life as he spent the previous night in Kansas City with his wife who gave birth to the couple's second child, arriving in San Jose hours before kickoff.

Trandon Harvey pulled in 10 balls for 98 yards and two touchdowns, completing his stellar rookie campaign with 1,412 yards, just 140 yards shy of setting a rookie record for receiving yards. Atnaf Harris added 95 yards and a score, while Jeremiah Pope also had a touchdown to go along with his 45 receiving yards.

Arizona never led in the game as Sanders' first pass from scrimmage was tipped at the line and intercepted by Steve Watson. Grieb then led the SaberCats on a 5-play drive, capped by a 2-yard Matt Kinsinger touchdown reception. The Rattlers tied the score at 7-7, responding to San Jose's quick start with a 7-play drive and Harvey's first touchdown of the game. However, missed extra points, turnovers on downs and two additional interceptions were too much for the Rattlers to overcome as Arizona trailed by 18 points at the break and 52-26 after three quarters, scoring just six points in the second half.

With the loss, Arizona concludes its 2007 campaign with four wins, tying the franchise low set in the team's inaugural season when the Rattlers went 4-6. The 40-point deficit marked Arizona's biggest defeat of the season and the team's worst loss since falling 62-36 vs. Nashville in Week 7

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 16, 2007


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