San Jose SaberCats Game Notes

April 22, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (8-4) at Colorado Crush (2-10).
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2003.
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. (PDT).
Site: Pepsi Center (17,210).
Officials: Referee: Darrel Leftwich; Umpire: Jeff Carr; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Jim Hatfield; Back Judge: Tony Lombardo.
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 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 series 1-0.
Last Meeting: San Jose 80, Colorado 40 (February 22, 2003 in San Jose).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 1.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (5th season; 49-19 regular season, 54-21 overall). Colorado, Bob Beers (1st season; 2-10 regular season and overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats snapped their 2-game losing skid with a 73-71 win over Indiana on April 19 and will take to the road this week for a battle with division rival the Colorado Crush on Sunday, April 27 at noon (PT) from the Pepsi Center. San Jose can clinch a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a win. Barry Wagner reached yet another milestone in his brilliant AFL career by scoring his 100th rushing touchdown. He added another later in the game and the SaberCats scored three times on the ground to increase their league leading total to 39, the second highest single-season total in AFL history. San Jose needs just three rush TDs to establish a new AFL season record. Mark Grieb completed a team record 83.3 percent (25-of-30) of his passes for 320 yards and 6 TDs and the SaberCats foiled a late Indiana 2-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game. Colorado did San Jose a favor with a stunning win over Tampa Bay on April 20. The SaberCats can now finish as the top seeded team in the upcoming playoffs if they are to win their remaining four games. The SaberCats downed Colorado, 80-40, in the first-ever meeting between the teams back on Feb. 22 in the HP Pavilion.

THE SERIES: San Jose leads the series 1-0 after defeating the Crush 80-40 on Feb. 22 in San Jose. This game will be the first ever between the teams in Colorado.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Sunday's game with the 2-10 Crush, the SaberCats end the season against teams with a combined record of 26-10 through Week 12. San Jose's final three games of the season are against Grand Rapids (8-4), at Tampa Bay (9-3) and versus Los Angeles (9-3). Should the SaberCats win their last four contests they would secure the No. 1 overall seed for the 2003 playoffs.

SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats tied a team single-game record with four interceptions of former teammate John Dutton on Feb. 22...San Jose also tied a team record with six forced turnovers and matched a league and team mark with six rushing TDs...Former SaberCat Joey Dozier had a career-long 32-yard run against his former mates...The SaberCats scored the game's final 31 points in their 80-40 win on Feb. 22 and their total matched the third-highest in team history.

LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 80, Colorado 40 (Saturday, Feb. 22 • HP Pavilion) – Matt Kinsinger and Keala Keanaaina rushed for two TDs each and San Jose had six scores on the ground as the 2002 ArenaBowl Champions took advantage of six Colorado turnovers to defeat the expansion Crush, 80-40. The SaberCats scored 42 points off the six Colorado miscues, four of those in the fourth quarter. In the matchup of quarterbacks, San Jose's Mark Grieb was 19 of 27 for 242 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Dutton, who guided the SaberCats to the ArenaBowl championship after Grieb was hurt in the 13th game last season, was 13 of 28 for 194 yards and three TDs. He was hurt by four interceptions. OS James Hundon was the game's MVP with scoring receptions of 17, 9 and 15 yards and James Roe was the game's Ironman with 7 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. His 12-yard TD interception return closed the scoring for San Jose with one minute left in the game. Colorado's Damian Harrell led all receivers with six catches, 127 yards and two TDs. San Jose's six rushing touchdowns tied both the team and league record. Leading 52-40 going into fourth quarter, San Jose caused two consecutive turnovers that resulted in scores. Barry Wagner's fumble recovery set up an 8-yard run by Matt Kinsinger and on the ensuing kickoff, Wendell Davis recovered a Joe Douglass fumble on the San Jose 21. Grieb then connected with Hundon from 15 yards out and the 'Cats had a 66-40 lead with 9:33 left in the game. Clevan Thomas picked his former teammate and ran it back 14 yards with 4:46 left in the first quarter. That setup a drive that was capped by an 8-yard run by Keanaaina with 1:25 left to give San Jose a 21-6 margin. Thomas had two interceptions on the night, giving him six for the season and 11 in his career. Keanaaina scored again in the second quarter on a 1-yard run to give the SaberCats a 42-37 lead with 32 seconds left.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Result
Feb. 22, 2002 @San Jose 80, Colorado 40

THE IFS...:

If the SaberCats defeat Colorado it would...
*Clinch a fourth consecutive playoff berth.
*Give San Jose a 2-0 series edge.
*Give San Jose a 9-4 season record.
*Be head coach Darren Arbet's 50th regular season win.
*Give San Jose a 79-44 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 37-25 all-time regular season road record.
*Give San Jose a 32-17 record vs Western Division.
*Give San Jose a 12-10 road record vs Western Division.

THE COACHES: San Jose – Darren Arbet, 5th season
49-19 (.721) reg. season; 54-21 (.720) overall
1-0 (1.000) career vs. Colorado

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 49-19 (.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 48-13 (.787) 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.

Colorado – Bob Beers, 1st season
2-10 (.167) reg. season and overall
0-1 (.000) career vs. San Jose

Named head coach of the Crush on July 11, 2002, Bob Beers embarks on his first professional head coaching job. Beers currently owns a 2-10 (.167) mark in his first year in the AFL ranks. A college scout with the NFL's Denver Broncos for seven years, Beers has served as a head coach in the college ranks. Prior to joining the Broncos, Beers was the offensive coordinator for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Beers started with the Broncos in 1995 and will continue to do so in a limited capacity while maintaining his role with the Crush.

RECENT RESULTS: Mark Grieb threw for 320 yards and six touchdowns and the San Jose SaberCats broke their 2-game losing skid with a thrilling 73-71 win over the Indiana Firebirds. Grieb completed his first 10 attemps and was 25-of-30 for the night with five of his scoring tosses coming in the second half. His first was a 14-yard strike to James Hundon just 1:40 into the second stanza that staked San Jose to a 38-34 lead. The SaberCats would never trail after that. Barry Wagner, voted the game's Ironman, scored his 100th career rushing TD on a 1-yard dash early in the second quarter and added another on a 2-yard run with 20 seconds left in the half to give San Jose a 28-27 lead. Indiana's Raymond Philyaw tossed a 36-yard scoring pass to Evan Hlavacek just 13 seconds later and the Firebirds had a 34-28 lead. Philyaw completed 25-of-37 for 345 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has not thrown a pick this year in 177 attempts. Five times in the second half the Firebirds got within a point, but the SaberCats survived. Kevin McKenzie returned a kickoff 52 yards for a score with 2:32 left to give the SaberCats a 73-65 lead. It was McKenzie's first career touchdown on a kick return. The Firebirds took the ensuing kickoff and marched down the field with Philyaw hitting Jeremy McDaniel on an 18-yard scoring play with 11 seconds left. Philyaw's pass attempt on the two-point conversion, which would have tied the game, glanced of McDaniel's hands and the SaberCats held on for the win. Hundon and James Roe each had 10 receptions for San Jose, marking just the third time in team history that two players had double-digit receptions in the same game. Roe and Hundon turned the trick on April 6 in Dallas. Roe added 123 receiving yards and four touchdowns to earn MVP honors. It was the third time this season that Roe has had at least four TD grabs in a game. The SaberCats remain one game behind Los Angeles in the Western Division but have a chance to finish with the best overall record in the league standings if they win their remaining four games.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats signed QB Kevin Daft to the 24-man roster on Apr. 16 and released QB's Bob Bees and Johnny Turman. The team also signed OL/DL Menson Holloway to the practice squad. WR/DB Anthony Cobbs was activated from IR Apr. 18 after three weeks with concussion symptoms and Bees was signed to the team's practice squad.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES

Date Action
4/18 Activated WR/DB Anthony Cobbs from IR. Signed QB Bob Bees to PS.
4/16 Signed QB Kevin Daft. Signed OL/DL Menson Holloway to PS. Waived QB Bob Bees. Waived QB Johnny Turman from PS.
4/9 Signed DS Hamin Milligan.
4/5 Placed WR/DB Aaron Bailey on IR.
4/4 Activated OS James Hundon from IR. Placed WR/LB Jerry Reese on IR.
3/26 Placed WR/DB Anthony Cobbs on IR.
3/22 Activated OL/DL Dan Loney, OL/DL Chuck Reed, WR/LB Jerry Reese and FB/LB James Williams off IR.
3/22 Placed OL/DL Frank Beede, FB/LB Kevin Buck and WR/DB Rashied Davis on IR.

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

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Keala Keanaaina Stinger Probable
Sam Hernandez Knee contusion Probable
Chuck Reed Thumb sprain Probable

MILESTONES:

*K Daron Alcorn needs 3 FGs for 100 career.
*FB Matt Kinsinger needs 5 rush yards for 200 career.
*DB Barry Wagner needs 5.5 tackles for 600 career.
*DS Clevan Thomas needs 2 INTs to tie team season record and 3 to tie league season record.
*WR James Roe needs 13 receptions for new team single-season record (99).
*OS James Hundon needs 1 TD catch for 70 career.
*FB Keala Keanaaina needs 17 rush yards for new team single-season record (215).
*OL/DL Sam Hernandez needs 1 sack for 55 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 24 completions for new team single-season record (250) and 47 for 1,000 career.

TRENDS:

PAYDIRT – San Jose has scored at least one rushing TD in all 12 games this season and dating back to last year, and including playoffs, the streak is at 16 straight. During the steak the SaberCats have scored 48 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.

JUST WIN – In his career as a member of the SaberCats, Mark Grieb owns a 37-8 (.822) regular season record as the team's starting quarterback.

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 31 times in 67 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 33-4. All four of San Jose's 80-point games and 16 of the team's 18 70-plus point games have come with Malley as the team's offensive coordinator.

KICKIN IT – After suffering through a stretch where he missed 11 of 24 PAT attempts, K Daron Alcorn has worked out the kinks and has converted 26 consecutive PATs over the last four games.

THAT 70s SHOW – The SaberCats set a team record by scoring 70-plus points in a game for the fifth time this year in their 73-71 win over Indiana on Apr. 19. The SaberCats reached the 70-point mark in a game four times in both 2000 and 2002. San Jose has reached the 70-point plateau 18 times in its history and the club is 17-1 in those games.

SIMPLY RED ZONE – The SaberCats lead the league in red zone scoring efficiency at 98.1 percent having scored 52 of 53 times once inside the opponents 10-yard line. San Jose went 2-for-2 in red zone opportunities against Indiana on Apr. 19 and is 17-for-17 in its last four 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.

IN THE BEGINNING – Over the last three games the SaberCats have had eight possessions that have started in the first quarter and they have converted all of them into touchdowns.

LINE PLAY – In their last six games the SaberCats have recorded nine sacks while allowing just one. San Jose is tied with Detroit for the fewest sacks allowed in the league with five.

NOTES:

TOP RUSHERS – The SaberCats have scored at least one rush TD in every game this year and have amassed a league-best 39 on the season, the second-highest single-season total in AFL history. San Jose scored three times on the ground against Indiana on Apr. 19 to move past the 1996 Orlando squad and within three rush TDs of eclipsing St. Louis' 1996 league record of 41.

MOST RUSH TDs (SEASON)
Rush TDs Team Year
41 St. Louis Stampede 1996
39 San Jose SaberCats 2003
37 Orlando Predators 1996
36 San Jose SaberCats 1999
35 Milwaukee Mustangs 1997

THE JAMES GANG – Since James Hundon returned to the lineup three games ago, he and James Roe have been the main focus of San Jose's aerial attack. The pair has combined for 55 of the team's 71 receptions (77.5%), 818 yards and 16 TDs over the last three weeks. Roe had 11 catches and Hundon 10 on Apr. 6 in Dallas, just the second time in team history teammates had double-digit receptions in the same game. Against Indiana on Apr. 19, the two each had 10 catches.

ON THE MARK – QB Mark Grieb has been the benefactor of having two of the smoothest receivers in the game on his side. During the same 3-game stretch, Grieb has completed 72.4 percent of his passes (71-of-98) for 926 yards and 17 TDs. Grieb's passer rating over that period is 136.52 and his overall passer rating jumped from 112.62 to 116.41 in the three games. Grieb threw for a season-high 329 yards at Dallas on Apr. 6 and set a team game record by completing 83.3 percent (25-of-30) of his passes for 320 yards against Indiana on Apr. 19. They were his first 300-yard passing games of the season.

CENTURY MARK – Barry Wagner reached yet another milestone in his AFL career by becoming the first player to rush for 100 touchdowns. Wags reached the century mark against Indiana on Apr. 19 on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter. He added another later in the game to increase his league-leading season total to 12, just one shy of Steve Papin's 1999 team record. Wagner has also rushed for 32 TDs in his San Jose career, moving him within two of second place on the team's career list.

RUSH TDs, SEASON
Rush TDs Player Year
13 Steve Papin 1999
12 Barry Wagner 2003
12 Derrick Chachere 1999
11 Steve Papin 2000

RUSH TDs, CAREER
Rush TDs Player Year
43 Steve Papin 1997-01
34 Derrick Chachere 1995-00
32 Barry Wagner 2000-present

HAPPY RETURNS – Kevin McKenzie had his 1st career kickoff return TD when he went 52 yards against Indiana on Apr. 19 to give San Jose a 73-65 lead late in the game. It was the 6th KOR touchdown of the season for the SaberCats, tying Grand Rapids for the league lead. Four players have returned a kickoff for a score this season with Clevan Thomas notching three and Brian Johnson and Barry Wagner each returning an on-side kick attempt for a score. San Jose had never had more than two players return a KO for a score in the same season. McKenzie became the fifth player in club history to return a KO that was not an on-side attempt for a TD.

PAPER OR PLASTIC – Sam Hernandez, the league's career sack leader with 54.0, recorded his fifth sack of the season and first of his career against Indiana on Apr. 19 to become the first player in AFL history to have 5.0 or more sacks in six different seasons. He currently ranks tied for 3rd in the league with his 5.0 sacks and now has at least one full sack against 22 different teams.

CLEVAN THE MAN – DS Clevan Thomas continues to lead the league with nine interceptions and 23 passes defended, that despite missing the last two games with turf toe. Prior to sitting out San Jose's game with Detroit on Apr. 11, Thomas had played every defensive down of every game since entering the league in 2002. 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 set a league record with a pick in seven straight games at the start of the year and only 13 players in the history of the league have more INTs in a season than Thomas.

RUNNING MAN – FB/LB Keala Keanaaina continues his quest to become the first San Jose player to lead the league in rushing. K.K. ran for four yards on his only carry against Indiana on Apr. 19 to increase his league-leading total to 198. Keanaaina has a 43 yard lead over second place Chris Avery of Grand Rapids and needs just 17 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 is also tied for second place in the AFL with 10 rush TDs.

TEAM RUSHING RECORDS (SEASON)
Rush Yds Player Year
214 Tom Petithomme 1996
198 Keala Keanaaina 2003
188 Joey Dozier 2001

ROE, ROE, ROE – James Roe has led or has been tied for the team lead in receptions in each of the last 10 games. Roe snared a team high tying 10 balls (Hundon) against Indiana on Apr. 19, and has at least six catches in each game during the streak. Roe has amassed a season career-best 86 receptions to lead the team and is 13 catches away from setting a new team season record. Roe totaled 123 yards and four TDs on his 10 grabs marking the 11th time in his career and 3rd straight game that he has amassed 100-plus receiving yards in a game. He also has four or more TD grabs in a game three times this season and four times in his career.

PICKS – After recording 18 interceptions in their first nine games of the season, the SaberCats have not had a pick in their last three contests. In those three games opposing QBs Jim Kubiak (DAL), Andy Kelly (DET) and Raymond Philyaw (IND) have combined to throw for 891 yards and 22 touchdowns. In the two games San Jose has played without Clevan Thomas in the lineup, Philyaw and Kelly completed 51-of-82 passes (62.2%) for 588 yards and 14 TDs.

COLORADO PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB JOHN DUTTON – Dutton, who led San Jose to the ArenaBowl title last season, appears to be back on track. He came through with a gutty performance in Colorado's come-from-behind stunner at Tampa Bay on Apr. 20 completing 26-of-38 for 340 yards and six TDs. He engineered the game-winning drive in the final minute to bring the Crush back from a 25-point deficit for just its second win of the season. Plagued by turnovers all season, Dutton is tied for 2nd in the league with 15 interceptions thrown and has tossed at least one in each of his last eight games. He threw a career-high four INTs in the first game with San Jose on Feb. 22. He ranks 5th in the league in yards per game (272.1), 8th in completion percentage (63.8) and 7th in TD passes (58).

OS DAMIAN HARRELL – One of the most outstanding receivers in the league, the 6-foot-3 Harrell ranks 2nd in receiving yards (1,296), 3rd in receiving touchdowns (34) and 4th in total catches (88). Harrell, in his fifth AFL season, needs only 45 yards to surpass his 1,340 total he collected in 2001 with Toronto and is only 11 grabs shy of his 2001 total of 98. He tallied 127 receiving yards and two TDs on six catches against San Jose on Feb. 22. Harrell, out of Florida State, could go against another Seminole, Clevan Thomas, the SaberCats outstanding defensive specialist.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 22, 2003


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