San Jose SaberCats Game Notes

Published on April 16, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Indiana Firebirds (5-6) at SaberCats (7-4).
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2003.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Wes Fritz; Umpire: Tony Payne; Head Linesman: Rich Grube; Line Judge: Kent Payne; Back Judge: James Cole.
Television: No Local television.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald handling play-by-play duties and former San Francisco 49er and four-time Super Bowl champion Keena Turner 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: Series tied at 3-3.
Last Meeting: San Jose 52, Indiana 41 (July 5, 2002 in San Jose).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 1.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (5th season; 48-19 regular season, 53-21 overall). Indiana, Mike Dailey (7th season; 57-38 regular season, 62-42 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats look to end their two-game losing streak and return to their winning ways when they host the Indiana Firebirds on Saturday, April 19. Game time at HP Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m. San Jose saw its 18-game home win streak come to an end with a 45-42 loss to the Detroit Fury on Apr. 11. It was the first home loss and the fewest points scored in a game since May 26, 2001 when Orlando defeated the SaberCats, 59-35. Detroit converted all four of its fourth down opportunities and did not turn the ball over while the SaberCats failed on two fourth down plays and fumbled once. Two future AFL Hall of Famers will take the turf on Saturday as San Jose's Barry Wagner and Indiana's Eddie Brown will square off against each other for the ninth time in their illustrious careers. Brown ranks 1st and Wagner 2nd in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches, while Wagner holds the top spot and Brown follows in career touchdowns scored and points. The two have combined to score 712 touchdowns and catch 1,797 passes in their careers. The all-time series between the clubs is tied at three games apiece with San Jose winning the last outing, 52-41, in San Jose on July 5, 2002.

THE SERIES: This game marks the seventh meeting between the franchises with the all-time series tied at 3-3. The teams split four games when the Firebirds were located in Albany (1990-2000) and have split a pair since their relocation to Indianapolis. San Jose won the last meeting, beating the Firebirds, 52-41, on July 5, 2002 in San Jose. Before that San Jose victory, the Firebirds had won three straight series games...Four of the previous six series games were played in San Jose and the SaberCats own a 3-1 home record...The Firebirds' lone win in San Jose was a 56-53 decision on July 17, 1998.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose set a new AFL record with its 12th consecutive at the start of a season with its 52-41 win over Indiana on July 5, 2002...The Firebirds amassed the third highest single-game total in franchise history and set a SaberCats opponent record with 406 yards of total offense in a 66-63 win on July 15, 2001...Mark Grieb is the only San Jose QB to start two games against the Albany/Indiana franchise. In the last two series games he has completed 31-of-43 (72.1%) of his passes for 474 yards with eight TDs and one interception...Former Albany OL/DL Joe Jacobs, who is currently on San Jose's injured reserve, played four seasons with the Firebirds and is that clubs career leader in QB sacks with 22.0...San Jose OL/DL George Williams had his 1st career reception for 27 yards and a TD against Indiana on July 5, 2002...Indiana DS Evan Hlavacek, who prepped at San Jose's Archbishop Mitty High School, totaled 115 yards on 5 KORs and had 5.5 tackles, a TFL and a PBU when the Firebirds lost in San Jose on July 5, 2002. It was his first AFL game in San Jose.

LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 52, Indiana 41 (Saturday, June 22 • Compaq Center) – The SaberCats secured the top seed for the 2002 playoffs and established a league record with their 12th consecutive win by defeating the Indiana Firebirds 52-41. The SaberCats snapped the old mark set by the 1994 Orlando Predators, who won 11 straight. The SaberCats once again got the game off to a rollicking start when Barry Wagner intercepted a pass from Firebirds quarterback Raymond Philyaw on the first play of the night. Three minutes later, Wagner scored on a 5-yard run for a 7-0 lead. Wagner garnered game Ironman honors for his two-way performance, which included two rushing touchdowns, a touchdown reception and his 40th career interception. Philyaw regained his composure on the Firebirds next drive, hitting Eddie Brown from 11 yards out to even the ball game at 7-7. Moments later, Grieb helped get James Hundon into the franchise record books with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give San Jose the lead for good at 14-7. It was Hundon's 29th touchdown reception on the season, breaking the team mark set by James Roe in 2001. Grieb found Wagner with a 10-yard pass five minutes into the second quarter to push the SaberCats lead to 21-7. After Van Johnson's 12-yard touchdown reception from Philyaw cut the San Jose lead to 21-14, Grieb dumped a pass over the Firebirds defense to lineman George Williams who rumbled his 300-pound frame 27 yards for his first-ever AFL touchdown and a 28-14 San Jose lead. Daron Alcorn completed the first half scoring with a 46-yard field goal. John Dutton took over for Grieb in the third quarter and was 8-for-11 passing with 76 yards and a pair of TD passes to Hundon, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The SaberCats reached the 50-point mark in their 18th straight regular season game.

THE COACHES:

San Jose – Darren Arbet, 5th season
48-19 (.716) reg. season; 53-21 (.716) overall 1-1 (.500) career vs. Indiana

Arbet became the 8th head coach in AFL history to win 50 games and the second fastest to reach the milestone with San Jose's win at Chicago on Mar. 9. Arbet reached 50 in his 69th game while Tim Marcum got win No. 50 in 63 games. 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 48-19 (.716) 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 47-13 (.783) 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.

Indiana – Mike Dailey, 7th season
57-38 (.600) reg. season; 62-42 (.596) overall 3-2 (.600) career vs. San Jose

Now in his seventh season as head coach of the Firebirds, Dailey has compiled a 57-38 (.600) regular season record and is 62-42 (.596) overall. His 62 career wins rank as the 7th highest total in AFL history and he has led the team to a .500 or better record in each of the last six years. In 1999, Dailey guided Albany to a franchise-best 14 overall wins and the first league championship in team history on his way to being named the Coach of the Year. Dailey spent the previous six years as an assistant with the Firebirds prior to taking over the reins when Mike Hohensee resigned before the 1997 campaign. He got his start in the AFL coaching ranks in 1990 coaching the linemen for the Washington Commandos.

RECENT RESULTS: Andy Kelly threw six touchdown passes and the Detroit Fury held on to beat San Jose, 45-42, snapping the SaberCats' 18-game home win streak with a 45-42 win. Kelly gave Detroit the lead for good early in the fourth quarter when he tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Thomas Bailey for a 42-35 lead. For the game Kelly completed 26 of 45 attempts for 243 yards and no interceptions. San Jose opened the scoring on the game's first offensive play when Mark Grieb threw a 37-yard scoring pass to James Hundon just 69 seconds into the game. Following a missed Detroit field goal, Grieb connected with James Roe on a 7-yard scoring play for a 14-0 San Jose lead with 4:09 left in the first quarter. Grieb completed 18 of 28 for 277 yards and four scores on the night. Roe hauled in a game-high nine catches for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Detroit scored three consecutive touchdowns over the second and third quarters to build a 35-28 lead. Kelly's 3-yard scoring toss to Jason Kaiser at the end of the half got the Fury within 28-23 at the break. The Fury took the second half kickoff and grabbed its first lead of the game when Kelly connected with Kelly Snell on a 10-yard scoring pass for a 29-28 Detroit lead. A fumble by James Williams on San Jose's next possession turned into six more points when Kelly found Marcus Nash from 20-yards out to increase Detroit's margin to 35-28. Following a Nick Gatto 36-yard field goal that gave Detroit a 45-35 lead, Roe scored his third touchdown of the game on a 19-yard pass from Grieb to slice San Jose's deficit to three points with 32 seconds left. San Jose failed to recover the on-sides kick and Detroit ran out the clock to win its third straight road game. The SaberCats suffered their first home loss since May 26, 2001 when Orlando beat them 59-35. It was also the fewest points scored in a game since the same contest.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats signed DS Hamin Milligan to help bolster their injury depleted secondary. With Rashied Davis and Anthony Cobbs already on IR and Clevan Thomas nursing a leg injury, the SaberCats inked Milligan, who had been with team in training camp and was a final cut.

INJURY REPORT: Outside the usual bumps and bruises associated with a professional football game, the SaberCats emerged from their game with Detroit relatively healthy.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Sam Hernandez Knee contusion Probable

MILESTONES:

*K Daron Alcorn needs 4 FGs for 100 career.
*OS Aaron Bailey needs 2 TD catches for 40 career.
*FB Matt Kinsinger needs 7 rush yards for 200 career and 1 rush TD for 15 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 1 rush TDs for 100 career and 11.5 tackles for 600 career.
*DS Clevan Thomas needs 2 INTs to tie team season record and 3 to tie league season record.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 2 TD passes for 250 career and 379 pass yards for 3,000 this season.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 10 receptions for 200 career.
*OS James Hundon needs 122 receiving yards for 3,000 career and 3 TD catches for 70 career.
*WR/LB Jerry Reese needs 10 receptions for 250 career and 45 yards for 3,500 career.
*FB/LB Keala Keanaaina needs 21 rush yards for new team single-season record (215).
*OL/DL Sam Hernandez needs 2 sacks for 55 career.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Despite not having an interception in the past two games, the SaberCats continue to lead the circuit in picks with 18 and pass defense rating at 99.3.

TRENDS:

PAYDIRT – San Jose has scored at least one rushing TD in all 11 games this season and dating back to last year, and including playoffs, the streak is at 15 consecutive games. During the steak the SaberCats have scored 45 rushing TDs, an average of three per game. The SaberCats have also topped the 30 rush TD mark in a season for the fifth consecutive year and are on pace to lead the league for a fifth straight season.

TURNOVERS – During their current two-game losing streak, the SaberCats have turned the ball over by fumble or interception three times and failed to convert two fourth down plays. In the same two games, San Jose's opponent has not commited a turnover and was successful on four fourth down plays. The SaberCats still rank 3rd in the league with a +10 turnover margin but have seen that number decrease over the last five weeks with a –5 rating. San Jose is 2-2 on the year when posting a negative game turnover margin.

SIMPLY RED ZONE – The SaberCats lead the league in red zone scoring efficiency at 98 percent having scored 50 of 51 times once inside the opponents 10-yard line. San Jose went 3-for-3 in red zone opportunities against Detroit on Apr. 11 and is 15-for-15 in the last three games. The only time San Jose failed to score inside the red zone was on Mar. 23 against Arizona when a fumbled handoff from the Rattlers 5-yard line dribbled out of the endzone.

FORTY SOMETHING – Darrin Kenney has started every game at center for the SaberCats since joining the team in 2001. Saturday night's game will his 40th consecutive regular season start and including postseason contests, Kenney's streak will reach 47.

WHAT'S THE POINT – San Jose's point total in its 45-42 loss to Detroit on Apr. 11 was its lowest single game output since May 26, 2001. San Jose fell to Orlando 59-35 that night, 32 regular season games ago. Despite their effort, the SaberCats continue to lead the league in scoring at 61.6 ppg and are one of only four teams to score 40 or more points in all 11 games this season. Dallas, Grand Rapids and Tampa Bay are the other teams to surpass the 40-point mark in every game this season.

NOTES:

HE'S BAACK – OS James Hundon had just five catches against Detroit on Apr. 11, but they went for 106 yards for an amazing 21.2 yards per catch. Hundon actually improved on his already league leading average yards per catch total going from 17.3 to 17.8. It was the 14th time in his 27 game career that he topped the 100-yard mark in receiving yards and a career-high tying 3rd straight time. Jhun grabbed his only TD catch on the game's first offensive play and has at least one TD reception in all but one game in his career. He increased his career total to 67 and trails Jerry Reese, the team's all-time leader in TD grabs, by nine.

TOP RUSHERS – The SaberCats have scored a league-best 36 rush touchdowns on the season tying their own team season record and equaling the third highest season output in league history. The SaberCats scored two times on the ground against Detroit on Apr. 11 and are within one rush TD of matching the 1996 Orlando Predators mark for the second highest single season total in AFL history. San Jose is six off the league record of 41 set by the 1996 St. Louis Stampede and could equal that mark in one game. Twice already this season the SaberCats have scored six times on the ground, matching a team and league record.

HALL PASS – Two of the AFL's all-time greats and sure Hall of Famers will meet once again on Saturday night. San Jose's Barry Wagner and Indiana's Eddie Brown rank first and second all-time in eight different league categories and both are in the top 5 in another. Brown holds the edge in receiving categories leading in catches, yards and TDs while Wagner holds the advantage with more TDs scored and points. Through the years the two have combined to catch 1,797 balls for 24,594 yards and 555 TDs. Wagner ranks 3rd and Brown 4th in career all-purpose yards. Wagner has been the better all-around player holding the league mark for rush TDs (99) and tackles (588.5), is 4th in rush attempts (282) and 3rd with 40 interceptions. Below is how the two rank.

HEAD TO HEAD – The two greats have gone against each other nine times previously with the first head-to-head battle taking place on June 25, 1994 when Wagner was with Orlando and Brown with the then Albany Firebirds. In those nine games, five of which were won by Wagner's teams, Barry has 69 receptions for 1,007 yards and 23 TDs. Brown has comparable figures with 83 catches, 1,100 yards and 22 TDs. Wagner has the edge running the ball with 13 TDs and 93 yards on 28 attempts, while Brown has 19 yards and 3 scores on 15 carries. Wagner has been a two-way player his entire career and holds a definitive edge with 43.0 tackles, 3 FFs, 5 PBUs and 2 interceptions compared to just 1 tackle for Brown. Many of Wagner's tackles most likely came on Brown, who has been an OS most of his career.

ALL GOOD THINGS... – The SaberCats saw their 18-game home win streak come to an end at the hands of the Detroit Fury with a 45-42 setback on Apr. 11. Not to worry, though, San Jose has still won 18 of 20 and 27 of its last 30 games at home. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a 28-4 (.875) record at home and under Head Coach Darren Arbet, the SaberCats are 32-7 (.821) in games played in San Jose. The SaberCats have not lost consecutive home games since dropping the final two contests of the 1999 campaign.

CLEVAN THE MAN – Cal Ripken's ironman streak remains intact. But Cal never played arena football. San Jose's Clevan Thomas, who had played every defensive down of every game over the past two seasons, was inactive in San Jose's loss to Detroit on Apr. 11 with a minor injury. Better to have him healthy for the stretch run and playoffs then to risk not having him at all, so was the thought process of the SaberCats coaching staff. Thomas still leads the league in INTs with nine and passes defended with 23 and set a league record with a pick in seven straight games at the start of the year. Only 13 players in the history of the league have more INTs in a season than Thomas

ROE, ROE, ROE – For the 9th straight game WR/LB James Roe led the SaberCats in receptions when he snared nine balls for 151 yards and 3 scores against Detroit on Apr. 11. During this stretch Roe has caught at least six passes in every game and leads the team with 76 grabs, 957 yards and 21 TDs. It was also the 10th time in his career and 2nd straight that Roe had amassed 100-plus receiving yards in a game. With two receptions Roe would match his season career-high of 78, which was set in 2001, and with 63 career TD catches he is just two behind Steve Papin for 3rd place on the team's career list.

RUNNING MAN – FB/LB Keala Keanaaina continues his quest to become the first San Jose player to lead the league in rushing. K.K. tacked on nine more rush yards vs. Detroit on Apr. 11 to increase his league-leading total to 194. Keanaaina surpassed Joey Dozier's 2001 output of 188 for the second-highest total in team history and needs just 21 yards to eclipse Tom Petithomme's 1996 team record of 214. Keanaaina has rushed for 20 or more yards in a game five times already this season and he and Barry Wagner are tied for the league lead in rush TDs with 10, three shy of tying the team's season mark.

INDIANA PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB RAYMOND PHILYAW – The nimble Philyaw has yet to throw an interception this season in 139 attempts, but more importantly the team scores when he plays. He missed five games in the middle of the year and the Firebirds went 1-4 averaging just 35 points a game. With him in the lineup the Firebirds are 4-2 and have averaged 53.8 ppg. Philyaw dismantled Dallas last week in his first start since Week 4 going 23-of-40 for 294 yards and 8 TDs. Against San Jose on July 15, 2001, Philyaw threw for 393 yards and 7 TDs on 31-of-40 passing. On July 15, 2002 in San Jose Philyaw struggled going 7-of-20 for 91 yards and a pick before being lifted in the third quarter.

OS EDDIE BROWN – The AFL's all-time leader in pass receptions, receiving yards and TD catches has done his share of work against the SaberCats. In six career games against San Jose, Brown has totaled 51 catches (8.5 pg), 696 yards (116 pg) and 17 TDs (2.8 pg).

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