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San Jose SaberCats game notes

February 2, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Las Vegas Gladiators (1-0) at SaberCats (0-1).
Date: Saturday, February 5, 2005.
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Terry Brown; Umpire: Rick Lowe; Head Linesman: Rusty Baynes; Line Judge: Gary Caveletto; Back Judge: Scott Helverson.
Television: FOX Sports Net will broadcast the game with Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Mike Pawlawski (commentator) calling the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Barry Tompkins (play-by-play) and Keena Turner (commentary). Tim Liotta and George Atkinson host an extended pre-game show live from HP Pavilion starting at 3:30 p.m.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 2-1.
Last Meeting: Las Vegas 44, San Jose 35 on May 16, 2004 in Las Vegas.
Series Streaks: Las Vegas Won 1.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 64-25 regular season, 73-28 overall). Las Vegas, Ron James (1st season; 1-0 regular season and overall).


OVERVIEW: Coming off one of the worst defeats in team history, the defending ArenaBowl champion SaberCats play their 11th home opener on Saturday, Feb. 5 against Western Division foe the Las Vegas Gladiators. San Jose's 30-point loss at Tampa Bay (63-33) on Jan. 30 was the third-worst in team history and its point total was the lowest since May 29, 1999...The SaberCats have had plenty of success on the HP Pavilion turf over the years posting a 33-4 regular season record over the last five years and a 51-20 all-time mark. The SaberCats are also 20-8 all-time against Western Division teams at home and have never lost a game in San Jose to a team from Las Vegas. San Jose beat the Gladiators last season and beat the Las Vegas Sting, 35-31, on June 9, 1995 ...The SaberCats are unbeaten in home openers under head coach Darren Arbet, going 6-0, and are 7-3 all-time...The SaberCats have beaten the Gladiators twice in three all-time meetings and have surpassed the 70-point mark in both victories. San Jose's point total in its 79-62 win over the Gladiators in San Jose on Mar. 20, 2004 is the fifth highest in franchise history...The Gladiators won the last meeting between the clubs taking a 44-35 decision on May 16, 2004 in Las Vegas...The opener will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. to allow for a special post-game concert from San Jose's own rock group Smash Mouth.
THE SCHEDULES:

2005 San Jose SaberCats (0-0)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS 6:00 pm 1050
Feb. 13 @New Orleans 12:00 pm 1050-680/NBC
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles 3:00 pm 1050/NBC
Mar. 6 @Orlando 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas 7:00 pm 1050
Apr. 3 ARIZONA 6:00 pm 1050-680
Apr. 10 @Chicago 10:00 am 1050/NBC
Apr. 15 DALLAS 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 22 @Colorado 6:00 pm 1050
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE 7:30 pm 1050
May 7 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050-680
May 14 @Arizona 7:00 pm 1050
May 21 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050

2005 Las Vegas Gladiators (1-0)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 LOS ANGELES Won 46-37
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Feb. 5 @San Jose 6:00 pm FSN
Feb. 11 NEW YORK 7:00 pm
Feb. 20 GEORGIA 3:00 pm
Feb. 26 @Nashville 5:30 pm
Mar. 4 AUSTIN 7:00 pm
Mar. 12 @Columbus 4:00 pm
Mar. 19 @Arizona 6:00 pm
Mar. 28 SAN JOSE 7:00 pm
Apr. 3 @Colorado 12:00 pm
Apr. 8 GRAND RAPIDS 7:00 pm
Apr. 17 @Philadelphia 10:00 am NBC
May 1 @Chicago 10:00 am NBC
May 7 DALLAS 7:00 pm
May 14 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm
May 22 ARIZONA 12:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: The series dates back to 1997 when the Gladiators were located in New Jersey. San Jose leads the all-time series with the combined New Jersey/Las Vegas franchise 4-2 and has won both games in San Jose...The SaberCats are 2-1 against the Las Vegas team, but lost the last series meeting, 44-35, on May 16, 2004 in Las Vegas...San Jose won the only series meeting between the clubs in San Jose, 79-62, on March 20, 2004...The only other meeting between the clubs came on Mar. 2, 2003 with the SaberCats defeating the Gladiators, 72-37, in Las Vegas.

WHAT'S AHEAD – Following their home opener the SaberCats do not return to HP Pavilion until Mar. 11 when they host the Philadelphia Soul. San Jose will play three consecutive road games, matching a franchise-long road trip, and has its bye week before returning home.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose's point total in its 79-62 win over Las Vegas last season tied for the fifth-highest in team history...San Jose's point total in its 44-35 loss at Las Vegas last year was its lowest since scoring the same amount on May 26, 2001 in a 59-35 loss to Orlando...The SaberCats tied a league and team record with six rushing TDs in a game (3/20/04) and totaled nine in the two games...Gladiators QB Clint Dolezel threw for a San Jose opponent record 451 yards...Mark Grieb tied a career-high and team record with three interceptions at Las Vegas on May 16, 2004...Rashied Davis collected his 1st career interception at Las Vegas on Mar. 2, 2003...Barry Wagner's 50-yard INT return at Las Vegas on May 16, 2004 was the second-longest in team history...Omarr Smith's 48-yard INT return on Mar. 20, 2004 vs Las Vegas is the third-longest in SaberCats history...In the last series meeting the SaberCats squandered a 21-point lead and fell to the Gladiators, 44-35, on May 16, 2004 in Las Vegas...Since changing their name to Gladiators prior to the 2001 season, the Las Vegas franchise is 0-4 in season opening road games.

LAST SERIES MEETING: Las Vegas 44, SaberCats 35 • Sunday, May 16, 2004 • Thomas & Mack Center – Clint Dolezel tossed five touchdown passes and the Gladiators outscored the San Jose SaberCats 44-14 over the final two-and-a-half quarters to lift Las Vegas to a 44-35 win over San Jose. Gladiators OS Marcus Nash caught three scoring passes and had 11 receptions in the game to set a new AFL single-season record with 137 catches. His 8-yard touchdown catch late in the third tied the game at 28-28 and his 21-yard scoring reception gave the Gladiators their first lead of the game at 36-28 with just over 12 minutes remaining. San Jose jumped out to a 21-0 lead on three Barry Wagner scores. He scored on a pair of 1-yard runs in the first quarter and returned an interception 50 yards, the second longest return of a pick in SaberCats history, to give the SaberCats a three touchdown lead halfway through the second quarter. Wagner also caught five passes for 49 yards to become the AFL's all-time leader in receiving yardage, surpassing the mark set by Eddie Brown. Wagner hauled in a 10-yard pass from Mark Grieb early in the second quarter to eclipse the record. After Mark Grieb threw his only scoring pass of the game, a 3-yard strike to Fred Coleman with 8:20 remaining to pull San Jose within a point at 36-35, Dolezel put the game away for Las Vegas. He scored from a yard away on a fourth down play with 39 seconds left then tossed a strike to Coco Blalock for the 2-point conversion and a nine-point lead. San Jose failed to score 40 points in a game for the first time since May 26, 2001 and suffered their second straight loss. For the first time since the 2001 season the SaberCats played without James Hundon and James Roe in the lineup. Wagner was the team's leading receiver with five receptions for 49 yards The teams tied a league record for combined penalties with 21 and each club turned the ball over four times.


Score By Quarters
SaberCats................................. 17 7 7 7 – 35
Gladiators................................. 0 12 16 16 – 44

SCORING SUMMARY
Team Scoring Play
SAN Wagner 1 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Wagner 1 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Wagner 50 interception return (Frantz kick)
LVG Robinson 9 pass from Dolezel (pass failed)
LVG Nash 9 pass from Dolezel (pass failed)
LVG Blalock 39 pass from Dolezel (Dolezel pass)
SAN Johnson 1 run (Frantz kick)
LVG Nash 8 pass from Dolezel (Dolezel pass)
LVG Nash 21 pass from Dolezel (Dolezel rush)
SAN Coleman 3 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LVG Dolezel 1 run (Dolezel pass)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: SAN – Grieb 18-27-3-192. LVG – Dolezel 28-47-3-289.
Rushing: SAN – Kinsinger 2-10; Wagner 5-5; Johnson 1-1; Keanaaina 1-(-4). LVG – Carter 5-10; Dolezel 2-2; Robinson 1-0.
Receiving: SAN – Wagner 5-49; Coleman 4-65; Schexnayder 4-33; R.Davis 3-25; Baker 2-20. LVG – Nash 11-117; Robinson 6-48; Blalock 4-68; Shaw 4-17; Bryant 2-27; Bonner 1-12.
Kick Returns: SAN – Coleman 2-29; Wagner 1-18; R.Davis 1-5. LVG – Blalock 5-107.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
May 16, 2004 @Las Vegas 44, San Jose 35
Mar. 20, 2004 @San Jose 79, Las Vegas 62
Mar. 2, 2003 San Jose 72, @Las Vegas 37
June 14, 1998 San Jose 51, @New Jersey 33
July 11, 1997 San Jose 51, @New Jersey 36
June 27, 1997 New Jersey 24, @San Jose 22

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Las Vegas it would...
*Be San Jose's 7th straight home opening win.
*Be San Jose's 1st win of the season.
*Break San Jose's 1-game losing streak to Las Vegas.
*Give San Jose a 3-1 series edge over the Gladiators.
*Give San Jose a 21-8 all-time reg. season record against Western Division teams
*Give San Jose a 94-50 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 52-20 all-time reg. season home record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
64-25 (.719) reg. season; 73-28 (.723) overall
2-1 (.667) career vs. Las Vegas
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet is currently tied with John Gregory for 7th place in career coaching victories with 73 and his career overall winning percentage of .723 (73-28) ranks as one of the best in AFL history. Last season Arbet led his club to its second league title in three years and the SaberCats tied a league record by winning 10 or more regular season games for the fifth consecutive season. Since the start of the 2000 season his teams have compiled a 58-17 (.773) regular season record and 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).

Las Vegas – Ron James, 1st season
1-0 (1.000) reg. season and overall
0-0 career vs. San Jose
Ron James enters his first season as the head coach of the Gladiators and his seventh season in the Arena Football League. A former line coach with the Gladiators and Houston ThunderBears in the AFL, James also coached a combined fourteen years at the collegiate level. A four-year starter at offensive tackle at Siena College, James was a N.C.F.A All-America First Team and two-time First-Team All-Conference selection. He became the first Gladiators coach to win a season opener when Las Vegas defeated Los Angeles, 47-36, on Jan. 30.

ROSTER MOVES: Prior to their season opener the SaberCats placed OS James Hundon on IR and signed veteran WR/LB Shalon Baker to the active roster.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Jan. 22 Placed DS Clevan Thomas and FB/LB Kevin Buck on Injured Reserve.
Jan. 24 Waived K Nick Browne, FB/LB Jamaal Cherry, WR/DB Chad Lucas, DS Ron Ockimey, FB/LB Sigmund Platt, OL/DL Kurt Sigler and WR/DB George Williams. Released WR/LB Shalon Baker.
Jan. 24 Placed OL/DL Jeff Ruffin, WR/DB Yardon Brantley, OL/DL Rex Richards, OL/DL Sebastian Barrie on IR.
Jan. 26 Signed WR/LB Shalon Baker, WR/LB Mike Duncan and WR/LB George Williams to the practice squad.
Jan. 28 Re-signed OL/DL Cedric Pittman and OL/DL George Williams. Signed WR/LB Shalon Baker from the practice squad. Placed OS James Hundon on IR.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
James Hundon Cervical Spine OUT
Kevin Jordan Ankle sprain probable

MILESTONES:
*Head Coach Darren Arbet needs 1 win to move ahead of John Gregory into sole possession of 7th place in career victories. Each currently has 73
*QB Mark Grieb needs 3 completions for 1,400 career
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger needs 18 rush yards for 350 career
*DS Omarr Smith needs 2 INTs for 25 career and 8.5 tackles for 100 in SJ career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 4 TDs for 400 career; 1 rush TD for 120 career, and 176 receiving yards for 13,000 career.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 134 receiving yards to pass Steve Papin for 2nd place on SJ career list.


2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Gladiators
Scoring Offense (Rank) 33.0 (16th) 46.0 (T-7th)
Scoring Defense 63.0 (14th) 37.0 (5th)
Total Offense 306.0 (5th) 280.0 (10th)
Total Defense 280.0 (10th) 202.0 (2nd)
Pass Offense 297.0 (4th) 244.0 (9th)
Pass Defense 269.0 (13th) 189.0 (2nd)
Rushing Offense 9.0 (13th) 36.0 (4th)
Rushing Defense 12.0 (7th) 13.0 (8th)
Touchdowns
Pass Rating 68.2 (16th) 84.2 (12th)
Pass Defense Rating 137.8 (17th) 85.0 (7th)
Interceptions 0 (T-12th) 2 (T-3rd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 20.7 (3rd) 11.0 (13th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 0.0 (T-3rd) 0.0 (T-3rd)
Turnover Margin -2 (T-15th) 0 (T-3rd)
Sacks By 1 (T-5th) 2 (T-2nd)
Sacks Against 2 (T-14th) 1 (T-7th)

2004 SEASON IN REVIEW:
REGULAR SEASON – The SaberCats have set the standard for success in the Arena Football League and 2004 was no different. Going 11-5, the team tied for the best overall record in the league and matched an AFL record by posting 10-or-more wins in a season for the fifth consecutive year. San Jose started the year quickly by posting its sixth straight season opening win, beating the Detroit Fury 58-43 in the Motor City. Heroics by Rashied Davis allowed the SaberCats to defeat the Avengers, 61-55, in Los Angeles. Davis tied a team record by returning two kickoffs for scores. For the second straight year the SaberCats were the last team to play a home game, but it was worth the wait. Jumping out to a 21-0 lead, San Jose cruised to a 62-31 win over Grand Rapids to improve to 3-0. San Jose lost more than a game in Week 5. A cross-country trip that saw the team fly into Philadelphia and bus to New York due to weather problems also ended the team's run. The Dragons dealt the SaberCats a 64-50 loss and in the process the team lost DS Clevan Thomas for the year with a knee injury. Calvin Schexnayder and Jerry Reese also sustained injuries that forced them to leave the game. Home cooking was just what the SaberCats needed, and it came in the form of a three-game homestand. San Jose posted wins over Colorado, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to improve to 6-1 on the year. San Jose tied a league record with six rushing TDs and scored the fifth-most points in team history in their 79-62 win over the Gladiators. A thrilling game with the Avengers extended San Jose's regular season home win streak to seven games. James Roe intercepted a Tony Graziani pass and returned it 7-yards for a score to give the SaberCats their first lead of the game. It was the first INT thrown by the L.A. signal-caller on the year. A trip to Tampa saw the last two ArenaBowl champs square off in a Sunday matinee. Roe followed his defensive heroics with an offensive outburst as he tied a league record with seven TD receptions, including the game winner with just :07 remaining, to lift San Jose to a 62-55 win. Grieb tied a career-high and team game record with nine scoring tosses. The Dallas Desperados scored a late touchdown to snap San Jose's 4-game win streak in Week 10. Jason Shelley's 6-yard scoring run with 25 seconds left offset a 13-catch, 179 yard effort by James Hundon to give Dallas a 58-54 win. A matchup with Central Division leading Chicago in Week 11 saw San Jose win again at home. Brian Johnson scored his 1st career rushing TD and the SaberCats used a 21-6 fourth quarter run to upend the Rush 51-43 extending their home winning streak to eight. A road trip to Georgia saw the SaberCats jump out to a 49-14 lead and cruise to a 63-34 win over the Force in Week 12 to improve to 9-2 on the season. James Roe became just the second player in franchise history with 300 career receptions when he snared a 16-yard TD pass from Grieb midway through the third quarter. The two teams with the best record in the AFL met in Week 13 when San Jose hosted New Orleans. Both squads entered the contest with identical 10-2 records, but it was San Jose who proved to be the better team on this night. The SaberCats overcame an early 20-7 deficit and outscored the VooDoo 40-7 in the second half to post a 68-34 win. Grieb had a perfect second half going 10-for-10 for 155 yards and three scores and San Jose's defense intercepted four John Fitzgerald passes, tying a team record. A bump in the road came on the road in Weeks 14 and 15. The SaberCats suffered back-to-back losses at Arizona, 58-41, and Las Vegas, 44-35, sending the team home for the final two games with a 10-4 record. The loss at Arizona marked the first time all season the SaberCats failed to score at least 50 points in a game and the point total against the Gladiators was the lowest since the 2001 season. The SaberCats secured a top-4 seed in the playoffs and got back in the win column with a 48-36 win over the expansion Philadelphia Soul in Week 16. The brawl for it all took place on the final weekend of the regular season when the SaberCats hosted rival Arizona with the winner taking the Western Division title and the No. 1 seed for the postseason. The SaberCats jumped out to a 34-14 lead but failed to hold the advantage and dropped their third straight game to the Rattlers. A potential game winning scoring pass was dropped by Barry Wagner with seven seconds remaining and a Dan Frantz 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown as time expired. Individual accolades came to QB Mark Grieb as he set new league standards by completing 73 percent of his passes and amassed a passer rating of 133.5. Grieb completed over 70 percent of his passes in 12 of 16 games. Wagner, in his 13th season, surpassed former Albany/Indiana Firebird Eddie Brown as the AFL's career leader in receiving yards and ended the year with a career total of 12,812.

PLAYOFFS – The SaberCats limped into the playoffs having lost three of their last four regular season games, but the team played a solid three quarters in its playoff opener against Tampa Bay. San Jose built a 35-12 halftime lead and was up 56-25 entering the fourth quarter. But the Storm didn't let up. The SaberCats survived being outscored 27-0 in the fourth quarter to advance to the semifinals for a fifth consecutive season with a 56-52 win. A gutsy performance by QB Mark Grieb, who had been 0-3 as a starter in the semis, propelled San Jose to its second ArenaBowl appearance in three years. Grieb, who was injured during San Jose's title march in 2002, finally exorcised the demons and a solid defense led San Jose to a 49-35 win over Chicago. The SaberCats became the first visiting team to win an ArenaBowl since 1998 when they ventured into America West Arena and defeated Arizona, 69-62, snapping the Rattlers 10-game win streak and handing them their 3rd straight title game loss. Grieb set an ArenaBowl record with 8 TD passes and was named Offensive MVP while WR/LB James Roe tied three title game records with his five scoring catches to earn Ironman honors.

2004 SEASON RESULTS
Date Opponent Result Score Record
Feb. 5 @Detroit Won 58-43 1-0
Feb. 22 @Los Angeles Won 61-55 2-0
Feb. 28 GRAND RAPIDS Won 62-31 3-0
Mar. 7 @New York Lost 50-64 3-1
Mar. 14 COLORADO Won 55-35 4-1
Mar. 20 LAS VEGAS Won 79-62 5-1
Mar. 26 LOS ANGELES Won 55-52 6-1
Apr. 4 @Tampa Bay Won 62-55 7-1
Apr. 10 @Dallas Lost 54-58 7-2
Apr. 16 CHICAGO Won 51-43 8-2
Apr. 25 @Georgia Won 63-34 9-2
May 1 NEW ORLEANS Won 68-34 10-2
May 9 @Arizona Lost 41-58 10-3
May 16 @Las Vegas Lost 35-44 10-4
May 22 PHILADELPHIA Won 48-36 11-4
May 30 ARIZONA Lost 43-50 11-5
Playoffs
June 5 TAMPA BAY Won 56-52 12-5
June 12 CHICAGO Won 49-35 13-5
June 27 @Arizona (AB) Won 69-62 14-5

TRENDS:
HOME OPENERS – The SaberCats have never lost a home opener under head coach Darren Arbet, going 6-0 since he took over in 1999. In those games San Jose has outscored the opposition 377 to 219 for an average winning margin of over 26 points per game. Overall the team is 7-3 in the first game of the season played in San Jose.

HOME SWEET HOME – Over the last five seasons the SaberCats are 33-4 (.892) in regular season home games and 41-6 (.872) overall at HP Pavilion. The SaberCats posted regular season home records of 7-1 in each of the last two seasons and went 7-0 in 2002. The SaberCats had won 10 consecutive regular season home games before losing the finale last year to Arizona, 50-43, and won 18 consecutive (including postseason) from May 26, 2001 to April 11, 2003. The team owns a 51-20 (.718) all-time record in regular season home games.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE – In each of the SaberCats' last two home openers they have doubled the score of their opponent. In last year's opener San Jose defeated Grand Rapids 62-31, on Feb. 28. In the 2003 home opener, San Jose beat Colorado, 80-40, on Feb. 22.

FOLLOW UP – The SaberCats have played at home 18 times following a loss on the road and the team is 13-5 all-time in those games.

HOW THE WEST IS WON – The SaberCats are 20-8 (.714) all-time in home games against Western Division foes and have won 14 of their last 15 games against division opponents at HP Pavilion. However, San Jose lost its last home game dropping the 2004 regular season finale, 50-43, to division rival Arizona on May 30.

THIRTY SOMETHING – San Jose's point total in its 63-33 loss at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30 was its lowest under Offensive Coordinator Terry Malley and the fewest points scored in a game since a 34-30 loss to Iowa on May 29, 1999. It was also just the fourth game in the 30's since Malley took over the controls with six games left in the 1999 season, a span of 92 regular and post season games. Following the three previous 30-point games the SaberCats have scored a total of 153 points (51 ppg) and won twice.

NOTES:
WINNING TRADITION – The SaberCats posted a league-high regular season win total for the third straight season in 2004 and they posted double-digit wins for the fifth straight year, tying an AFL record. Arizona had five seasons of 10 or more wins from 1996-2000. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a league-best 58-17 regular season record. Arizona (53) is the only other team to exceed 50 wins in the same time frame. Below is a look at the current records of teams that have been in the league since 2000.

Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 58-17 .773
Arizona Rattlers 53-22 .707
Orlando Predators 49-26 .653
Tampa Bay Storm 46-29 .613
Nashville/Georgia Force 41-34 .547
Iowa/New York Dragons 37-37 .500
Los Angeles Avengers 36-39 .480
Grand Rapids Rampage 34-41 .453
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 32-43 .427
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 28-47 .373

REGULAR SEASON WOES – Dating back to last year the SaberCats have lost two straight regular season games and four of their last five. In between, though, the club had a glorious three-game win streak that carried it to the 2004 ArenaBowl XVIII title. San Jose has not lost three consecutive games since dropping the final three contests of the 1999 campaign.

HUNDON-LESS – The SaberCats will be without one of their top receiving threats for some time after placing OS James Hundon on IR Jan. 28. Hundon experienced numbness in his right arm in practice last week and an MRI revealed a bulging disc in his upper back. As of right now there is no timetable for his return to the field.

SIN CITY – The Gladiators are not the only AFL team to have called Las Vegas home. The Sting played in Las Vegas in 1994 and 1995 before relocating to Anaheim for the 1996 campaign. In the SaberCats' 1995 inaugural season, they beat the Sting, 32-27, in Las Vegas on May 20 for their first ever win. San Jose completed the season sweep by defeating the Sting, 35-31 in San Jose on June 9 of that year.

HITTING THE ROAD – Following their home opener on Feb. 5, the SaberCats will not see the HP Pavilion for five weeks. The team hits the road for three games and has its bye week mixed in before returning home on Mar. 11 to host the Philadelphia Soul. The three consecutive road games match the longest road trip in franchise history.

THAT 70's SHOW – The SaberCats have scored 70 or more points in a game 19 times in franchise history, including twice in three games against the Las Vegas Gladiators. San Jose won at Las Vegas, 72-37, on Mar. 2, 2003 and posted the fifth-highest point total in team history in a 79-62 win over the Gladiators in San Jose on Mar. 20, 2004. Overall San Jose is 18-1 when reaching the 70-point barrier with its only loss coming at Los Angeles, 73-72, on Feb. 9, 2003.

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES
Points Date Score
85 vs New England (6-9-00) W, 85-76
83 vs Buffalo (7-22-00) W, 83-54
80 vs Colorado (2-22-03) W, 80-40
80 vs Houston (7-21-01) W, 80-27
79 vs Las Vegas (3-20-04) W, 79-62
79 vs Portland (5-8-99) W, 79-51

HIGH AND LOW – The SaberCats posted a season-high and season-low point total in their two games against Las Vegas last season. San Jose's point total in its 79-62 win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20 was a season-high and tied for the fifth highest total in team history. The SaberCats scored a season-low in their 44-35 loss at Las Vegas on May 16, the team's lowest total since scoring 35 points in a loss to Orlando on May 26, 2001, a span of 50 regular season games.

PASSING FANCY – San Jose QB's Mark Grieb and Nick Rolovich combined to throw a team single-game record 51 passes in the SaberCats 63-33 loss at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30. Grieb tossed a career-high 49 passes, the 2nd highest individual total in team history, and Rolovich added two attempts as the combined total eclipsed the old record of 50 set on May 4, 1996 at Arizona. Tony Kimbrough tossed all 50 attempts in that game.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS – With his next victory, San Jose Head Coach Darren Arbet will move into sole possession of 7th place on the league's all-time coaches win list. Arbet is currently tied with former Iowa/New York/Carolina coach John Gregory with 73 career coaching victories. Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum heads the list with 168 wins followed by former Arizona coach Danny White with 141.

Coach, 2005 Team Record Pct
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 168-63 .727
Danny White 141-65 .684
Perry Moss 86-35 .711
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 85-78 .521
Michael Trigg, Philadelphia 79-84 .485
Mike Dailey, Colorado 75-53 .586
Darren Arbet, San Jose 73-28 .723
John Gregory 73-57 .562

COUNTDOWN – With seven regular season wins the SaberCats will become the fourth franchise in AFL history to post 100 victories in regular season play. San Jose currently has 93 wins with only Tampa Bay (132), Orlando (124) and Arizona (122) having more. Tampa Bay and Orlando both came into existence in 1991 while Arizona joined the league in 1992. San Jose didn't join the AFL until 1995.
MR. WRIGHT – Playing in his first career AFL game and starting at OS in place of the injured James Hundon, former Fresno State University standout Rodney Wright showed his explosiveness with the ball. Wright was the only SaberCat to rush the ball scoring twice and gaining 9 yards on 3 carries. He also caught 6 passes for 66 yards and had a kickoff return touchdown called back on a holding penalty.

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER – If you play 13 years in an 18-year old league you are likely to hold some records. Barry Wagner holds some records. The AFL's career leader in scoring, TDs scored, rushing TDs, receiving yards and tackles is closing in on anther milestone. At Tampa Bay on Jan. 30, Wagner amassed a game-high 171 all-purpose yards to raise his San Jose career total to 5,645 surpassing Titus Dixon for 2nd place on the club's all-time list. His effort raised his overall career total to 20,046 making him just the third player in league history to eclipse the 20,000 mark. Wagner trails only George LaFrance and Hunkie Cooper for the career lead.

AFL CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE
Rank Player Recv. Yards
1. George LaFrance 20,480
2. Hunkie Cooper 20,454
3. Barry Wagner 20,046
4. Eddie Brown 16,437
5. Steve Papin 15,427

CASTING CALL – DS Rashied Davis played the opener with a cast on his right hand after breaking a bone in training camp. Davis started the game and was credited with 4.0 tackles and the team's only PBU. Dating back to last season and including the playoffs, Davis has started six straight games at DS.

HAPPY RETURNS – The SaberCats have totaled 7 interceptions in three games against the Las Vegas Gladiators and have returned one for a score in each of the games. San Jose's starting defensive of backfield of Barry Wagner, Rashied Davis and Omarr Smith each have two picks in the games against Las Vegas while Clevan Thomas added the other. Wagner and Smith also registered the second and third longest INT returns in team history against the Gladiators. Wagner returned a pick 50 yard for a score at LV on May 16, 2004 while Smith went 48 yards with his against the Gladiators on Mar. 20, 2004. Thomas returned a pick 32 yards for a TD at Las Vegas on Mar. 2, 2003.

TEAM CAREER INT LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 19
3. Barry Wagner 18
4. Tommy Jones 17
5. Omarr Smith 15

WELCOME TO THE AFL – WR/DB Ryan Fernandez, OS Rodney Wright and FB/LB Steve Warren all made their AFL debuts at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30. Fernandez, the former Stanford DB, caught 5 passes for 62 yards and posted 1.5 tackles on defense. Warren, a three-year NFL veteran, started on defense for San Jose at linebacker. Making his San Jose debut was former Arizona Rattler Jason Andersen, who backed up Dan Loney at center.

THE DIFFERENCE – With James Hundon out of the lineup, WR/LB James Roe, aka The Difference, will be a key offensive weapon for the SaberCats. Roe had a team-high 7 receptions for 83 yards and 2 scores at Tampa Bay to surpass Hundon as the team's second all-time receiver with 311 career catches. With 16 more receptions, Roe will overtake Steve Papin as the team's all-time leader. Already the team's career leader in TD catches, Roe is also climbing the career receiving yardage chart.

CAREER RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Receptions
1. Steve Papin 326
2. James Roe 311
3. James Hundon 307
4. Barry Wagner 288
5. Jerry Reese 243

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Recv. Yards
1. James Hundon 4,648
2. Steve Papin 4,282
3. James Roe 4,149
4. Jerry Reese 3,485
5. Barry Wagner 3,334

LAS VEGAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB CLINT DOLEZEL – Dolezel was the only QB to pass for over 400 yards in a game last season throwing for 451 at San Jose on Mar. 20. His effort was the fourth-highest in AFL history and the second-best in Dolezel's career. It also marked the first time the SaberCats had allowed an opponent to throw for over 400 yards in a game. In six career games against the SaberCats, Dolezel has completed 158-of-255 attempts (62%) for 1,909 yards with 39 TDs. He has, however, thrown at least one INT in each of the six games for a total of 13. Barry Wagner tallied a pair of interceptions and Omarr Smith added one in the last meeting between the teams on May 16, 2004 in Las Vegas.

OS MARCUS NASH – Last year's Offensive Player of the Year did his share of damage against the SaberCats last season. In two games Nash caught 23 passes for 306 yards with 8 TDs and his 12 receptions, 189 yards and 5 TDs at San Jose on Mar. 20 were season-highs for a San Jose opponent. Nash hauled in 11 passes when the teams played in Las Vegas on May 16 to break the AFL's single-season record for receptions.

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 0-1 0-0
40-49 points 0-0 0-0
50-59 points 0-0 0-0
60-69 points 0-0 0-1
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 0-0
by 3 or fewer points 0-0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On NBC 0-1
On WB20 0-0
On NBC11 0-0

vs. West 0-0
vs. Central 0-0
vs. South 0-1
vs. East 0-0

Winning coin toss 0-0
Losing coin toss 0-1

Outscoring Opponent 0-0
Being Outscored 0-1

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 2, 2005


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