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San Jose SaberCats game notes

February 16, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (1-0) at Los Angeles Avengers (2-0).
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2004.
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: STAPLES Center (17,942).
Officials: Referee: Bill Athan. Umpire: Rick DiBernardo. Head Linesman: Tim Podroza. Line Judge: Roger McMinn. Back Judge: Rob Vernatchi.
Television: The SaberCats make their season debut on NBC with this game. Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Pat Haden (color) and Lewis Johnson (sideline) will call the action from this Western Division Battle starting at Noon (PT). The game can be seen locally on NBC11 (KNTV).
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald handling play-by-play duties and Keena Turner supplying the color commentary.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: San Jose leads 6-2.
Last Meeting: San Jose 47-43 on May 17, 2003 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 1.
Season Streaks: San Jose Won 1; Los Angeles Won 2
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (6th season; 54-19 regular season, 60-22 overall). Los Angeles, Ed Hodgkiss (3rd season; 21-11 regular season, 21-13 overall).

OVERVIEW: After opening the season with a 58-43 win at Detroit on Feb. 5, the SaberCats had their open date last week and will have had 16 days off prior to Sunday's game. The SaberCats have had a bye week five times in the previous nine seasons and the club is 4-1 all-time following an open date. The SaberCats led the AFL with seven interception return touchdowns last season and used one in their win at Detroit. Lineman Chuck Reed intercepted a pass late in the first half and returned the ball 38 yards for a score, his 1st career interception return TD, to break a 28-28 tie and give San Jose the lead for good. The defense will have to come up big against an explosive Avengers team that averaged nearly 58 points a game last season and has scored 113 points in 2004. In last season's game in LA, the SaberCats scored 72 points...and lost. It was the most points scored by a San Jose team in defeat and the 16th highest total in team history. San Jose has won six of the eight all-time meetings between the teams, but they have split the four games in Los Angeles with the Avengers winning two of the last three played in STAPLES Center. The Western Division rivals will play twice in just over a month when the Avengers travel to San Jose on March 26.

THE SCHEDULES:
2004 San Jose SaberCats (1-0)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 5 @Detroit Won 58-43
Game Opponent Time Radio/TV
Feb. 22 @Los Angeles 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
Feb. 28 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 7 @New York 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Mar. 14 COLORADO 5:00 pm 1050
Mar. 20 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 26 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 4 @Tampa Bay 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Apr. 10 @Dallas 5:30 pm 1050/WB
Apr. 16 CHICAGO 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 25 @Georgia 9:00 am 1050/NBC
May 1 NEW ORLEANS 7:30 pm 1050
May 9 @Arizona 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
May 16 @Las Vegas 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
May 22 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 pm 1050
May 30 ARIZONA 1:00 pm 1050/NBC

2004 Los Angeles Avengers (2-0)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 8 @ Arizona Won 51-32
Feb. 14 @ Las Vegas Won 62-55
Game Opponent Time TV
Feb. 22 SAN JOSE 12:00 pm NBC
Mar. 1 GEORGIA 7:30 pm
Mar. 14 @ Grand Rapids 9:00 am NBC
Mar. 21 @ Dallas 1:00 pm
Mar. 26 @ San Jose 7:30 pm
Apr. 3 AUSTIN 7:30 pm
Apr. 10 COLORADO 7:30 pm
Apr. 16 DETROIT 7:30 pm
Apr. 25 @ Chicago 12:00 pm NBC
May 1 ARIZONA 7:30 pm
May 9 @ Tampa Bay 12:00 pm NBC
May 16 @ New York 12:00 pm NBC
May 22 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm
May 30 @ Orlando 1:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: The SaberCats lead the all-time series 6-2, but the teams have split the four games in Los Angeles with the Avengers winning two of the last three...Los Angeles' two series wins have come by a combined four points while the SaberCats have won six games by an average of 22.5 points.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Sunday's game the SaberCats open the home portion of their season on Saturday, February 28 against the Grand Rapids Rampage. San Jose has never lost to Grand Rapids posting a 5-0 all-time mark. For the second straight season SaberCats will be the last team in the league to play a home game.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose's point total in its 73-72 loss at LA on Feb. 2, 2003 is the highest ever in a defeat and the 16th highest total in franchise history...San Jose has scored in the 70's four times against LA, the only four 70-point games allowed by the Avengers in team history. The SaberCats put up 78 points twice (5/27/00 and 5/11/02), 75 points (7/8/00) and 72 points (2/9/03)...In eight series games the SaberCats have outsacked the Avengers 15-2 and tallied a team game record six against LA on May 27, 2000...LA's Chris Jackson became the first San Jose opponent to return the opening game kickoff for a TD when he went 51 yards on June 8, 2002...The 147 combined points scored between the teams on July 8, 2000 and the 145 scored on Feb. 9, 2003 represent the second and third highest scoring games in SaberCats history...The SaberCats have intercepted LA's Tony Graziani 10 times in the last four games, including four picks in each of the two games last season...San Jose's James Hundon has 28 receptions, including a game record 14 on May 17, 2003, for 423 yards and nine TDs in four career games against LA...San Jose's .750 winning percentage against LA is the highest against any team it has faced more than six times...San Jose scored a team record 29 first quarter points vs LA (5/27/00) and allowed a team record 35 fourth quarter points to LA (2/9/03).

LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 47, Los Angeles 43 • Saturday, May 17, 2003 • HP Pavilion – Mark Grieb tossed a 20-yard TD pass to James Hundon with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter giving the SaberCats a 47-43 win over Los Angeles clinching home field advantage and a fourth consecutive Western Division title. Hundon's second scoring reception of the game came on his team game record 14th catch. Los Angeles grabbed a 43-40 lead on a 32-yard Tony Graziani to Greg Hopkins scoring
play. Interceptions by Clevan Thomas, who set a league season record with his 13th, and Anthony Cobbs on the first two Avengers' possessions helped San Jose jump to a 20-0 lead after the first quarter. Los Angeles turned the ball over on downs on its third possession and San Jose capitalized when Grieb hit Hundon on a 14-yard scoring play to close out the first quarter. Grieb threw for 339 yards and six touchdowns with a career-high tying 30 completions. Siaha Burley returned the ensuing kickoff 57-yards for a score to start a 26-0 run by the Avengers. They took their first lead of the game at 26-20 on a 35-yard Graziani to Chris Jackson scoring pass. San Jose regained the lead 27-26 and closed out the first half scoring on Grieb's 11-yard TD toss to James Roe. Barry Wagner stepped up in the fourth quarter to help the SaberCats overcome a 2-point deficit. His 8-yard scoring catch early in the quarter gave San Jose a 40-35 lead and he picked off Graziani on Los Angeles' next possession. San Jose failed to capitalize and turned the ball over on downs allowing the Avengers to take the lead. Wagner intercepted his second pass of the quarter with under a minute to go, just one play after Graziani was penalized for an illegal forward pass on a touchdown play. Keala Keanaaina ran for a first down on a fourth-and-one play and San Jose ran out the clock to preserve the win.




ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
May 17, 2003 @San Jose 47, Los Angeles 43
Feb. 9, 2003 @Los Angeles 73, San Jose 72
June 8, 2002 San Jose 55, @Los Angeles 33
May 11, 2002 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 44
June 2, 2001 @Los Angeles 47, San Jose 44
April 14, 2001 @San Jose 52, Los Angeles 30
July 8, 2000 San Jose 75, @Los Angeles 72
May 27, 2000 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 25

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Los Angeles it would...
*Be San Jose's 2nd straight win over LA
*Give San Jose a 2-0 season record
*Give San Jose a 7-2 series advantage
*Give San Jose an 84-44 all-time regular season record
*Give San Jose a 40-25 all-time reg. season road record
*Give San Jose a 31-17 reg. season record vs West Div.
*Give San Jose a 13-10 reg. season road record vs West

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 6th season
54-19 (.740) reg. season; 60-22 (.732) overall
6-2 (.750) career vs. Los Angeles
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats, Darren Arbet owns the second highest regular season winning percentage (.740) in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 60 career wins rank him 8th in league annals. Named AFL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Arbet has guided the SaberCats to four straight double-digit win seasons – the longest current streak in league history – and his teams have compiled a 48-11 (.814) regular season record since the start of the 2000 campaign. Under his direction the SaberCats have set league records for most regular season wins (13 – 2002), most wins in a season (16- 2002), most consecutive wins in a regular season (12 – 2002), most wins to end a season (11 – 2000) and the longest regular season win streak (15 – 2000-01). Of all the teams Arbet has faced, Detroit is the only team the SaberCats have not beaten.

Los Angeles – Ed Hodgkiss, 3rd season
21-11 (.656) reg. season; 21-13 (.618) overall
1-3 (.250) career vs. San Jose
In his first two seasons at the helm, he directed the Avengers to a 19-11 record. No head coach in AFL history won more games in his first two seasons than Hodgkiss, who was the runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award. Last season, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first-round bye in the AFL Playoffs. He became head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season ended. In 2002, Hodgkiss not only led the Avengers into the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he also instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL. Prior to joining the Avengers, Hodgkiss had been with the Indiana Firebirds since 1997. He was the team's offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001). While helping the Firebirds win the 1999 ArenaBowl world championship, Hodgkiss led the Firebirds offense to a league-high 58.7 points per game and finished second in total offense averaging 326.5 yards per game.

RECENT RESULTS: The SaberCats used defensive heroics and a nearly flawless performance by quarterback Mark Grieb to defeat the Detroit Fury, 58-43, in a season opening Arena Football League game on Feb. 5. The win was the sixth straight on opening day for San Jose and avenged a 2003 loss to Detroit at home. Lineman Chuck Reed returned an interception for a score late in the first half to break a 28-28 tie and the SaberCats never trailed the rest of the way. With Detroit driving with under a minute left in the first half, Reed stepped in front of an Andy Kelly offering deep in his own territory and weaved his way 38-yards for the go-ahead score. The SaberCats added a touchdown on the first possession of the second half on a 5-yard pass play from James Roe to James Hundon to increase their lead to 41-28. The SaberCats used a 17-0 scoring run over the third and fourth quarters to post the biggest lead of the game at 58-35 following a 9-yard scoring run by Kevin Buck with 1:48 left in the contest. Detroit struck first on the game's opening possession when Andy Kelly connected with David Hill on a 12-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead just 3:47 into the game. San Jose countered with a 16-yard Grieb to Roe scoring pass and the team's traded scores until Reed's game-changing play. Grieb completed 15-of-19 passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while the league's best rushing offense the past four seasons picked up where it left off, tallying 42 yards and four scores on 14 carries. Buck led the SaberCats with 20 rushing yards and a pair of scores. San Jose came up with big defensive plays in the second half to hold the Fury to just 15 second half points. Sam Hernandez registered his 55th career sack, which resulted in a fumble that he recovered. San Jose scored on the next play. Omarr Smith intercepted his 15th career pass two possessions later and the Buck scored his 2nd TD of the game following the turnover.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats restructured their roster prior to opening night by re-signing several players. The team has not made a roster move over the bye week and nothing has been reported as of press time.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Feb. 4 Re-signed OL/DL George Williams, DS Clevan Thomas and WR/LB James Roe
Feb. 3 Re-signed OL/DL Devin Wyman

INJURY REPORT: San Jose got through Week 1 relatively healthy and had an off week to soothe the bumbs and bruises. OS James Hundon has been experiencing bursitis.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Brian Johnson ITB syndrome Probable
James Hundon Bursitis Probable

MILESTONES:
*The SaberCats need 11 wins for 100 overall in franchise history.
*OS James Hundon needs 1 TD catch for 80 career and 25 receiving yards for 3,500 career.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 2.5 sacks for 30 career.
*DS Clevan Thomas needs 2 INTs for 20 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 5 catches for 900 career and 6 catches for 250 in SJ career.
*WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder needs 7 receiving yards for 8,000 career
*OL/DL Chuck Reed needs 2.5 sacks for 25 career.

TRENDS:
JUMP START – The SaberCats have outscored the Avengers 120 to 62 in the first quarter of their eight games and have shutout Los Angeles three times in the opening stanza. San Jose has led after the opening frame five times in the series with all three first quarter deficits taking place in STAPLES Center. The SaberCats have lost two of those three games. San Jose scored a team record 29 first quarter points in a 78-25 win on May 27, 2000.

PAYDIRT – San Jose has scored at least one touchdown in 31 of 32 quarters played between the two teams. The only time the SaberCats failed to score a TD was on June 2, 2001 when they were shutout in the first quarter of a 47-44 loss in Los Angeles. LA has reached the end zone in 23 of 32 quarters.

ROAD WARRIORS – Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats have posted a 22-8 (.733) record in regular season road games. San Jose went 6-1 in the road in both 2000 and 2002, had a 4-3 record in 2001 and went 5-3 last season.

WHAT A RUSH – The SaberCats set an AFL record with 47 rushing touchdowns last season and scored four times on the ground in their season opening win at Detroit on Feb. 5. Kevin Buck had his 2nd career two-rush TD game and Barry Wagner scored his 108th career rush TD. Matt Kinsinger added the other score for the SaberCats. San Jose has won its last 14 games in which they have at least three rushing scores last falling on July 15, 2001 at Indiana when they scored four times on the ground.

TURNOVER THE TDs – The SaberCats converted all three Detroit turnovers into touchdowns in their 58-43 win over the Fury on Feb. 5 and it took them just two offensive plays to do so. Chuck Reed intercepted an Andy Kelly pass and rumbled 38 yards for the go-ahead score late in the first half and turnovers created by Sam Hernandez and Omarr Smith ended up in 1-play scoring drives. Hernandez's sack, forced fumble and recovery early in the fourth quarter turned into a 3-yard scoring run by Matt Kinsinger on the very next play and Smith's 15th career INT later in the quarter resulted in a 9-yard TD run by Kevin Buck on the following play.

JUST WIN – In 50 career regular season starts as a member of the SaberCats, quarterback Mark Grieb owns a 42-8 (.840) record.

UP YOUR AVERAGE – In the history of the AFL just five teams have averaged over 60 ppg in a season and the SaberCats are the only team to do it more than once. In fact, the SaberCats have turned the trick in each of the last two seasons and three times overall. San Jose led the league last season with an average of 60.4 and topped the circuit in 2002 with a 62.7 ppg average. San Jose eclipsed the 60 point mark for the first time during the 2000 season with an average of 62.2 ppg.

NOTES:
THAT 70's SHOW – The SaberCats have scored 70 or more points in a game 18 times in their history, a total of 127 regular season games. San Jose has reached that mark four times in eight games against the Avengers. San Jose twice scored 78 points in a game, the 6th highest one game total in team history, and scored 75 and 72 points in a game.

THE MALLEY FACTOR – Since taking over as the SaberCats' offensive coordinator with six games remaining in the 1999 season, Terry Malley has had the headset on for 65 regular season games. In those games the SaberCats have scored 3,916 points for an average of 60.2 ppg. The team has averaged over 60 ppg in three of his four full seasons, no other team in league history has averaged over 60 ppg more than once, and the SaberCats have posted four of the six highest per game averages in AFL history under the guidance of Malley.

Team, Year Points Avg.
New York (2001) 898 64.1
San Jose (2002) 878 62.7
Albany (1996) 873 62.4
San Jose (2000) 871 62.2
San Jose (2003) 966 60.4
San Jose (2001) 831 59.4

KEEPING IT CLOSE – On the rare occasions the SaberCats and Avengers lost during the 2003 regular season, it was rarely by more than a touchdown. The Avengers lost four games last year by a combined 21 points, or just 5.5 points per game. San Jose made things even more interesting, losing their four games by a combined nine points – an average of only 2.25 points per game. Two of the team's close losses were against one another with Los Angeles squeaking out a one-point 73-72 victory at STAPLES Center, while the SaberCats earned a four-point 47-43 win at HP Pavilion.

L.A.ND OF OPPORTUNITY – San Jose's 6-2 overall record against the Avengers can be attributed to their ability to force turnovers. Los Angeles has turned the ball over 19 times in eight games against the SaberCats, including Avengers' quarterback Tony Graziani's eight interceptions in 2003. In contrast, San Jose has committed only six turnovers against Los Angeles – a +13 turnover ratio.

PAPER OR PLASTIC – Sam Hernandez, the AFL's all-time leader in QB sacks, tallied the 55th of his career at Detroit on Feb. 5 when he got QB Andy Kelly in the fourth quarter. It was the first career sack against the Fury making them the 22nd team he has registered at least one full sack against in his illustrious career. Hernandez has gotten to Avengers QB's 3.5 times in eight career games against Los Angeles.

HE LOVES L.A. – No one enjoys facing the Avengers more than SaberCats' defensive specialist, Clevan Thomas. The two-time ADT Defensive Player-of-the-Year has picked off a total of four passes in four career games against Los Angeles, including at least one pick in three consecutive contests. Three of Thomas' AFL-record 13 interceptions in 2003 were off of Avengers' quarterback Tony Graziani. Thomas also had more INTs than four teams (CAR-9, COL-10; DAL-11; DET-12) last season and enters the year with 18 career INTs, six behind Pat McGuirk's team record of 24.

TEAM CAREER INT LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 18
3. Tommy Jones 17
4. Barry Wagner 15
5. Herschel Currie 10

WINNING TRADITION – After setting a league record for most regular season wins in 2002 with 13, the SaberCats once again topped the AFL with 12 victories last season and opened the 2004 campaign with, you got it, a win. San Jose has posted a double-digit regular season win total in each of the last four years – the longest current streak in league history and the second longest ever. Arizona had five straight double-digit win seasons from 1996-00. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a league-best 48-11 regular season record. Arizona (41) is the only other team to exceed 40 wins in the same time frame. Below is a look at the records of teams since the 2000 season.

Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 48-11 .814
Arizona Rattlers 41-19 .683
Orlando Predators 38-22 .633
Tampa Bay Storm 37-23 .617
Nashville/Georgia Force 34-26 .567
Grand Rapids Rampage 33-27 .550
Albany/Indiana Firebirds 31-29 .517
Iowa/New York Dragons 29-31 .483
Los Angeles Avengers 29-31 .483
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 23-37 .383
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 23-37 .383
Carolina Cobras 18-42 .300

MOMENTUM SWINGS – San Jose is used to going into games against the Avengers with momentum on their side. In seven of the team's eight meetings, the SaberCats have won their previous regular season game (Including 2001 season opener that was preceded by a 2000 regular season closing win over Buffalo). The lone exception came on June 2nd, 2001 when San Jose traveled to Los Angeles after losing the previous week to Orlando. The SaberCats are 6-1 against the Avengers in games following a victory the previous week. Interestingly, San Jose is also 6-1 the week after those seven games with Los Angeles (Including season-opening win at Detroit 2/5/04 following win over Avengers on 5/17/03 to close 2003 regular season) and 7-1 overall.

PICKIN' IT – The SaberCats have intercepted at least one pass in six of the eight games with LA and have a total of 15 with three INTs being returned for scores. Clevan Thomas and Barry Wagner each have four career INTs against the Avengers and they have each returned one for a TD with both coming off Tony Graziani.

ROE, ROE, ROE – WR/LB James Roe is one of the most underrated players in the AFL. He's is also one of the most versatile. During his five years in the league, the former Baltimore Raven has scored a total of 81 TDs and has reached that mark in a variety of ways. Roe has 75 receiving TDs, three interception returns for scores, returned a pair of fumbles for TDs and had a net recovery on a kickoff for a score. He added another notch to his belt when he threw his first career TD pass at Detroit on Feb. 5. Roe became the first San Jose player other than Mark Grieb to throw a pass in over a season when he took a pitch from Grieb and found James Hundon in the back of the endzone for an easy score.

GOOD GRIEB! – The return of a healthy Mark Grieb could mean trouble to the rest of the AFL. Grieb admittedly struggled in 2003 coming back after a broken collarbone and short offseason. He had a full offseason prior to this year and, according to strength & conditioning coach Fred Stephens, is the strongest he's ever been. Grieb was surgeon-like in dissecting Detroit's secondary completing 15-of-19 passes for 148 yards and two TDs with no INTs. Grieb reached the 14,000 mark in career passing yards and also surpassed the 13,000 plateau in his San Jose career.

TOUCHDOWN MAKERS – Three of the top five TD scorers in team history are battling for position in 2004. James Roe took over sole possession of second place with two scores at Detroit surpassing Jerry Reese. James Hundon tied Reese for 4th all-time with his lone score. Barry Wagner scored a TD to increase his 2nd place total to 91. They all trail Steve Papin, who scored 126 times in his SaberCats career, for the top spot on the chart.

CAREER LEADERS IN TOUCHDOWNS SCORED
Rank Player TDs Scored
1. Steve Papin 126
2. Barry Wagner 91
3. James Roe 81
4. Jerry Reese 79
James Hundon 79

WHAT A CATCH – OS James Hundon led the team in receptions with seven at Detroit on Feb. 5 and has been the top receiver for the squad 19 times in 32 career games played. With his seven grabs on opening night, JHun moved past Shalon Baker into 5th place on the teams career reception list with 227. Below is a look at the SaberCats career reception leaders.

CAREER LEADERS RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Recpts
1. Steve Papin 326
2. Barry Wagner 244
3. Jerry Reese 240
4. James Roe 234
5. James Hundon 227

CENTER OF ATTENTION – With the loss of Darrin Kenney, who voluntarily left the team during training camp, the job of snapping the football falls on three year AFL vets Frank Beede and Dan Loney. Beede, who spent five seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks, made his first career San Jose start in San Jose's season opener in Detroit on Feb. 5. Loney played significant minutes as the No. 2 center and will continue to see plenty of action. Beede had played in 14 games over his first two seasons while Loney had appeared in 16 games during his first two years. Kenney had started every game at center since joining the team for the 2001 season.

SAN JOSE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB MARK GRIEB – Grieb has completed 64.4 percent (125-of-194) of his passes for 1,729 yards and 33 TDs in seven career games against the Avengers. He has started six of those games and the SaberCats are 5-1 with him as a starter. In San Jose's 47-44 win over LA on May 17, 2003, Grieb tied his own team record and tied his career-high with 30 completions while passing for 339 yards. Two of Grieb's career 300-plus passing yard games have come against the Avengers.

WR/DB BARRY WAGNER – The six-time AFL Ironman of the Year has put up some Ironman-like numbers against the Avengers in eight career games. Wags has caught 28 passes for 368 yards and 10 TDs, he has rushed 10 times for 21 yards and four scores and has also intercepted four passes, with one being returned for a score, and forced a fumble.

WR/DB RASHIED DAVIS – The speedy WR/DB didn't play against the Avengers last season after breaking his leg in just his fourth game. Davis was the main kick return man for San Jose in their opener at Detroit on Feb. 5 and amassed 127 yards on five kickoff returns. He had returns of 36, 35, 22, 21 and 13 yards and ranks 3rd in the league after two weeks with an average of 25.4 yards/return.

LOS ANGELES PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB TONY GRAZIANI – The owner of 10 Los Angeles passing records has started the 2004 season where he left off in 2003. Graziani has thrown for 479 yards on 37-of-57 passing (64.9%) with 13 TDs and no interceptions in two season opening victories. Last season he threw for 4,790 yards with 96 TDs against only 15 picks. However, eight of his 15 INTs came in two games against San Jose and he has thrown a total of 10 INTs in his last three games against the SaberCats with three being returned for scores. In four games against San Jose, Graziani has completed just 51.5 percent (70-of-136) passes for 912 yards (228 ypg) with 16 TDs and 10 interceptions.

OS CHRIS JACKSON – The reigning AFL Offensive Player of the Year and last original Avenger caught 117 passes for 1,737 yards and 46 TDs last season and has at least one TD catch in all but two games he's played. C.J. was held without a scoring catch against San Jose on June 8, 2002 when he totaled just six receptions for 24 yards. In six games against San Jose, Jackson has 32 catches (5.3 pg) for 374 yards (62.3 ypg) and eight TDs.













BABY RUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22)
GRAND RAPIDS (Feb. 28
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22)
GRAND RAPIDS (Feb. 28
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) FB/LB Cameron Chance, Detroit
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22)
GRAND RAPIDS (Feb. 28
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)


THE SABERCATS RECORD WHEN...:

Scoring Allowing
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-0
30-39 points 0-0 0-0
40-49 points 0-0 1-0
50-59 points 1-0 0-0
60-69 points 0-0 0-0
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 0-0

Leading after the 1st 0-0
Trailing after the 1st 0-0
Tied after the 1st 1-0

Leading at Half 1-0
Trailing at Half 0-0
Tied at Half 0-0

Leading after the 3rd 1-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-0
Tied after the 3rd 0-0

Scoring First 0-0
Opp. Score First 1-0

More Total Offense 0-0
Less Total Offense 1-0

More Pass Yards 0-0
Less Pass Yards 1-0

More Rushing Yards 1-0
Less Rushing Yards 0-0

Thursday games 1-0
Friday games 0-0
Saturday games 0-0
Sunday games 0-0

On NBC 0-0
WB20 1-0

Outscoring Opponent 1-0
Being Outscored 0-0

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