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San Jose SaberCats game notes

March 15, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Grand Rapids Rampage (1-5) at SaberCats (3-3).
Date: Friday, March 18, 2005.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,140).
Officials: Referee: Riley Johnson; Umpire: Rick Podraza; Head Linesman: Julian Mapp; Line Judge: Paul Engelberts; Back Judge: Bud McCleskey
Television: FOX Sports will televise the game on tape delay in the Bay Area on Saturday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. Randy Hahn (play-by-play), Mike Pawlawski (color) call the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Grant Napear (play-by-play) and George Atkinson (commentary). George Atkinson and Troy Clardy host an extended pre-game show beginning at 5:00 p.m. on KNBR-1050.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 6-0.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 62, Rampage 31 on Feb. 28, 2004 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 6.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 66-27 regular season, 75-30 overall). Grand Rapids, Sparky McEwen (1st season; 1-5 regular season and overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats play their second straight home contest when they host the AFL's leading rusher Michael Bishop and the Grand Rapids Rampage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18 at HP Pavilion. FOX Sports Net will air a tape delayed broadcast of the game in the Bay Area on Saturday, Mar. 19 at 8:00 p.m. San Jose won for the 26th time in its last 28 regular season home games and evened its record at 3-3 with a 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. QB Mark Grieb completed his first nine and last nine passes of the game and ended 26-of-34 for 293 yards with three TDs and Matt Kinsinger and Steve Warren each rushed for a pair of scores in the victory. The SaberCats held their opponent to under 40 points for the second straight game and upped their record to 43-6 all-time when doing so...WR/LB James Roe now owns all San Jose's career receiving records after totaling 136 yards on nine catches. Already the team's career leader in receptions and receiving TDs, Roe increased his career receiving yardage total to 4,734 to pass James Hundon (4,648)...The SaberCats have never lost to Grand Rapids winning all six contests, including four wins at HP Pavilion. San Jose won the last meeting between the teams posting a 62-31 win on Feb. 28, 2004 in San Jose.

THE SCHEDULES:

2005 San Jose SaberCats (3-3)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS Won 66-31
Feb. 13 @New Orleans Lost 61-62
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles Lost 69-71
Mar. 6 @Orlando Won 57-38
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA Won 52-26
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas 7:00 pm 1050/WB
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 Grand Rapids Rampage (1-5)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 ARIZONA Lost 38-58
Feb. 5 @Colorado Lost 56-72
Feb. 19 AUSTIN Lost 61-73
Feb. 27 COLUMBUS Won 66-57
Mar. 6 @Tampa Bay Lost 50-70
Mar. 13 CHICAGO Lost 45-48
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Mar. 18 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSN
Mar. 27 @Philadelphia 12:00 pm
Apr. 3 NASHVILLE 12:00 pm
Apr. 8 @Las Vegas 7:00 pm
Apr. 15 @Georgia 4:30 pm
Apr. 23 NEW ORLEANS 4:30 pm
Apr. 30 COLORADO 5:00 pm
May 7 @Nashville 5:30 pm
May 15 @Chicago 10:00 am NBC
May 21 LOS ANGELES 4:30 pm

THE SERIES: The SaberCats have won all six meetings between the clubs and are 4-0 at home against the Rampage...San Jose doubled up against Grand Rapids in the last meeting posting a 62-31 win in San Jose on Feb. 28, 2004...Two of San Jose's wins in the series have come by one point while in the other four victories San Jose has outscored the Rampage 231 to 128...Darren Arbet earned a victory in his 1st career game as San Jose's head coach when Carlos Huerta nailed a 36-yard field goal at the final buzzer to give San Jose a 54-53 win at Grand Rapids on Apr. 24, 1999.


WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Friday's game the SaberCats get nine days before their next tilt, a Monday night matchup at division rival Las Vegas. That game will be played at 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 28.

SERIES NOTABLES: Two of San Jose's six wins over the Rampage have come in the games final seconds. San Jose eked out a 54-53 win in Grand Rapids on a last second Carlos Huerta field goal on April 24, 1999 and a Mark Grieb TD pass and 2-point conversion run gave San Jose a 56-55 win on May 3, 2003...Grand Rapids set a San Jose opponent record by attempting five 2-point conversions on June 17, 2000 – the record has since been tied by Orlando (5/17/02)...Mark Grieb has completed exactly 73 percent of his passes (73-of-100) in four career games against Grand Rapids for 923 yards and 23 TDs. He has thrown 96 consecutive passes without an INT against the Rampage and has tossed just one in his 100 attempts...Grieb has started each of the last four series games against Grand Rapids while the Rampage has used a different starting QB in each of the last three games (Anthony Buich, Clint Dolezel, Craig Kusick)...Rampage OS Chris Jackson is the only player to return the game's opening kickoff for a TD against San Jose. Jackson went 51-yards on June 8, 2002 while a member of the Los Angeles Avengers...The SaberCats shutout the Rampage in the second half of their first ever meeting (5/23/98), marking the second time in team history, and third overall, that San Jose has blanked an opponent in a half. The SaberCats held Iowa without a point in the second half of their game on June 24, 1995 and shutout Las Vegas in the second half on Feb. 5, 2005...The SaberCats defeated Grand Rapids twice in a 12-day span during their AFL record 11-game win streak to close out the 2000 season.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SABERCATS 62, Grand Rapids 31 • Saturday, Feb. 28, 2004 • HP Pavilion – Mark Grieb tossed six scoring passes, four to James Hundon, and the SaberCats stayed unbeaten on the season and won their sixth straight home opener with a convincing 62-31 win over the Grand Rapids Rampage on Saturday night before 15,193 fans at the HP Pavilion. Grieb connected with Hundon on the game's first offensive play for a quick 7-0 lead just 22 seconds into the contest. The two combined on a 10-yard scoring play late in the first quarter as San Jose built a 21-0 lead after one stanza. The pair combined on scoring plays of 28 and 24 yards in the second quarter and Barry Wagner added his 110th career rushing TD on a 1-yard plunge late in the first half as San Jose built a 42-14 halftime lead. Rampage QB Anthony Buich, a Novato native, completed 24-of-47 passes for 219 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, his second coming early in the third quarter as the Rampage pulled to within 42-21. Grieb, the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game completed 12-of-17 passes for 213 yards, threw two more scoring passes in the third quarter, an 18-yarder to James Roe and a 36-yard strike to Calvin Schexnayder, to increase San Jose's advantage to 56-21 after three quarters. Nick Rolovich replaced Grieb in the fourth quarter and completed 3-of-11 passes for 31 yards. He did throw his first career TD pass, an 8-yard strike to Schexnayder that lifted San Jose over the 60-point mark for the second straight game and 38th time in franchise history. Clevan Thomas, named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game, collected his 19th career interception and returned It 43 yards for a score in the first quarter. It was his 4th career interception return TD. He also added 5.5 tackles and two breakups. Fellow DS Omarr Smith also intercepted a pass as the San Jose defense held the Rampage to 220 yards of total offense.

SCORE BY QUARTERS
Rampage................................. 0 14 7 10 – 31
SaberCats................................ 21 21 14 6 – 62

SCORING SUMMARY
Team Play
SAN Hundon 30 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Thomas 43 interception return (Frantz kick)
SAN Hundon 10 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR Perry 1 run (Gatto kick)
SAN Hundon 28 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR Buich 1 run (Gatto kick)
SAN Hundon 24 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Wagner 1 run (Frantz kick)
GRR Buich 1 run (Gatto kick)
SAN Roe 18 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Schexnayder 36 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR FG Gatto 31
SAN Schexnayder 8 pass from Rolovich (kick failed)
GRR Dutcher 15 pass from Buich (Gatto kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: GRR – Buich 24-47-2-219. SAN – Grieb 12-17-0-213; Rolovich 3-11-0-31.
Rushing: GRR – Goolsby 2-3; Perry 2-3; Buich 3-2. SAN – Johnson 1-7; Wagner 1-1; Schexnayder 1-1; Keanaaina 1-0.
Receiving: GRR – Dutcher 6-70; Smith 5-45; Bush 5-23; Ashley 4-21; Bailey 3-57; Goolsby 1-3. SAN – Hundon 5-116; Schexnayder 3-55; Roe 3-38; Wagner 2-19; Davis 2-16.
Kick Returns: GRR – Smith 4-96; Ricks 1-2. SAN – Davis 2-57; Hundon 1-2.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Feb. 28, 2004 @San Jose 62, Grand Rapids 31
May 3, 2003 @San Jose 56, Grand Rapids 55
June 29, 2000 San Jose 52, @Grand Rapids 32
June 17, 2000 @San Jose 68, Grand Rapids 45
Apr. 24, 1999 San Jose 54, @Grand Rapids 53
May 23, 1998 @San Jose 49, Grand Rapids 20

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Grand Rapids it would...
*Give them a 3-game winning streak.
*Put them over .500 for the first time this season.
*Move their season record to 4-3.
*Be their 7th straight win over the Rampage.
*Give San Jose a 27-12 all-time record against Central Division opponents.
*Give San Jose a 14-5 all-time home record against Central Division opponents.
*Give San Jose a 106-58 all-time record.
*Give San Jose a 97-52 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 54-20 all-time reg. season home record.


THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
67-27 (.713) reg. season; 76-30 (.717) overall
5-0 (1.000) career vs. Grand Rapids
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet surpassed John Gregory for sole possession of 7th place in career coaching victories when he won No. 74 on Feb. 5, 2005 and his career overall winning percentage of .717 (76-30) 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 61-19 (.763) 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).

Grand Rapids – Sparky McEwen, 1st season
1-5 (.167) reg. season and overall
0-0 career vs. San Jose
McEwen became the Grand Rapids Rampage's fourth head coach in team history on August 13, 2004. He was the Rampage's offensive coordinator during the team's best three years on the field (2001-03), which included winning ArenaBowl XV in his first season. During those three years, the Rampage's offense scored more points and gained more yards than any other team in the AFL. For 2004, McEwen was the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of arenafootball2. The Yard Dawgz (10-6) finished with the af2's second-best scoring team, the third-best offensive unit and third-ranked passing offense in the 25-team league. His starting quarterback led the af2 in passing touchdowns (84) and finished fifth in passing yards.

RECENT RESULTS: SABERCATS 52, Philadelphia 26 – Matt Kinsinger and Steve Warren each rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Mark Grieb threw for three others helping the San Jose SaberCats (3-3) even their record with a 52-26 win over the Philadelphia Soul (2-5) before an announced crowd of 13,125 at HP Pavilion at San Jose. Kinsinger scored on a 4-yard run and Warren scored from 5-yards out on his first career rush attempt to stake San Jose to an early 14-0 lead. Grieb tossed scoring passes of 31 yards to Rashied Davis and 39 yards to James Roe and Kinsinger scored his second of the game on a 3-yard run in the second quarter to help the SaberCats take a 35-19 haftime lead. After completing his first nine passes of the game, Grieb finished the night 26-of-34 for 293 yards and did not throw an interception for the second straight game. San Jose's defense held Philadelphia to seven second-half points and the team's lowest point total in its two-year existence by intercepting three passes and holding the Soul to just 203 yards of total offense. Defensive Player of the Game Tremain Mack made a one-handed interception of a Tony Graziani pass and Matt Kinsinger, the game's Ironman, snared a tipped ball to thwart two third quarter Soul drives. Clevan Thomas added an interception of Tim Levcik in the fourth quarter. Graziani, who signed the largest free agent deal in AFL history in the off-season, struggled all night completing just 16-of-33 passes for 198 yards as the Soul dropped its fourth straight game. His 1-yard scoring run with under a minute to play in the first half pulled the Soul to within 28-19. James Roe earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with nine catches for a game-high 136 yards and Rashied Davis set a career-high with 10 receptions for 110 yards.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Feb. 4 Activated OL/DL Frank Beede from Refused to Report. Placed OL/DL Kevin Jordan on IR. Signed OL/DL Tony Plantin to practice squad.
Feb. 11 Signed OL/DL Tony Plantin from the practice squad. Activated DS Clevan Thomas from IR. Placed OL/DL Cedric Pittman on IR. Waived DS Tremain Mack.
Feb. 15 Signed WR/LB Dave Klemic to practice squad.
Feb. 17 Signed DS Tremain Mack. Placed DS Omarr Smith on IR.
Feb. 18 Activated OL/DL Sebastian Barrie, WR/LB Yardon Brantley and WR/DB Erin Damond from IR. Placed WR/LB Shalon Baker, OL/DL Frank Beede, WR/DB Rodney Wright and OL/DL Devin Wyman on IR.
Feb. 19 Activated OL/DL Kevin Jordan from IR.
Mar. 1 Signed DS Wendell Davis to the practice squad. Waived WR/LB Mike Duncan from the practice squad.
Mar. 4 Activated WR/LB Shalon Baker, OL/DL Frank Beede, WR/DB Rodney Wright and OL/DL Devin Wyman from IR. Placed OL/DL Jason Andersen, WR/DB Erin Damond, OL/DL Kevin Jordan and WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder on IR.
Mar. 11 Re-signed OL/DL Devin Wyman.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Barry Wagner Foot sprain Probable
Tremain Mack Wrist sprain Probable

MILESTONES:
*Calvin Schexnayder needs 4 receptions for 600 career.
*James Roe needs 3 TDs to pass Steve Papin as team's all-time leader.
*Mark Grieb needs 124 pass yards for 20,000 career, 21 TD passes for 400 career and 59 completions for 1,500 in SJ career.
*Shalon Baker needs 2 receptions for 250 career, 2 TD receptions for 60 career and 4 rush yards for 100 career.
*Barry Wagner needs 204 all-purpose yards to become AFL's all-time leader, 1 reception to move into 3rd place in SJ career receptions and 1.5 tackles for 300 in SJ career.
*Rashied Davis needs 10 receptions for 100 career and 35 KOR yards for 1,500 career.
*Matt Kinsinger needs 1 rush TD for 30 career and 29 yards for 400 career.
*Clevan Thomas needs 3 INTs to tie Pat McGuirk for team's career lead.





2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Rampage
Scoring Offense (Rank) 56.3 (2nd) 52.7 (6th)
Scoring Defense 48.5 (8th) 63.0 (17th)
Total Offense 330.8 (1st) 293.8 (6th)
Total Defense 282.5 (9th) 304.0 (14th)
Pass Offense 315.0 (1st) 238.7 (12th)
Pass Defense 267.8 (11th) 283.8 (14th)
Rushing Offense 15.8 (10th) 55.2 (1st)
Rushing Defense 14.7 (6th) 20.2 (9th)
Touchdowns 49 (T-2nd) 43 (13th)
Pass Rating 111.9 (7th) 107.8 (9th)
Pass Defense Rating 107.8 (10th) 130.5 (17th)
Interceptions 7 (T-8th) 2 (T-16th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 19.7 (3rd) 18.2 (6th)
Field Goal Return Avg. No returns 23.5 (4th)
Turnover Margin +2 (7th) -4 (T-12th)
3rd Down Conversions 37.9 (13th) 34.1 (16th)
4th Down Conversions 54.5 (4th) 50.0 (T-5th)
Sacks By 2 (T-15th) 3 (T-12th)
Sacks Against 6 (T-7th) 8 (T-12th)

2005 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 1,896 2nd
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 67.1 4th
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 31 T-6th
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 115.8 4th
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 1,889 2nd
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 157 3rd
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Game 314.8 1st
James Roe Scoring 96 T-7th
James Roe Touchdowns 16 T-7th
James Roe Receptions 50 T-7th
James Roe Receiving Yards 668 5th
James Roe Rec. Yards/Game 111.3 5th
James Roe TD Receptions 15 T-6th
Matt Kinsinger Rush TDs 7 T-1st
Matt Kinsinger Interceptions 2 T-9th
Rashied Davis KO Return Avg. 23.2 3rd
Rashied Davis KO Return TDs 1 T-6th
Dan Frantz PAT Attempts 46 T-4th
Dan Frantz PATs Made 38 T-5th
Clevan Thomas Intercetions 2 T-9th

TRENDS:
HOME SWEET HOME – The SaberCats remained unbeaten at home winning for the second time this year with a 52-26 decision over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. San Jose has now won 12 of its last 13 and 26 of its last 28 regular season home games. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats are 35-4 (.897) in regular season home games and 43-6 (.878) overall at HP Pavilion. San Jose's all-time record at home (including playoffs) now stands at 61-23 (.726).

SPECIAL TEAMS – Over the last two seasons San Jose's kickoff return coverage has been special. Including playoffs, the SaberCats have not allowed a kickoff return TD in 26 games. The last time an opponent scored on a kickoff return was on May 31, 2003 when Georgia's Markeith Cooper scampered 56 yards in a quarterfinal playoff game.

FOUR SCORES AND... – The SaberCats scored four rushing TDs in their 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11 increasing their all-time record to 22-6 when scoring four or more times on the ground. When scoring exactly four rush TDs the club is 12-6, but when scoring five or more times on the ground the record is a perfect 10-0.

THE HALF CENTURY MARK – San Jose's 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11 was the team's 31st straight when scoring 50-or-more points in a regular season home game. The SaberCats improved their all-time record to 38-2 when cracking the 50-point mark. San Jose's last regular season home loss when scoring 50-plus points came on July 31, 1999 in a 56-52 defeat to the Milwaukee Mustangs.

MARCH MADNESS – San Jose remained unbeaten at home in the month of March with its 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. The SaberCats are now 7-0 all-time in March home games and 10-1 overall during the third month of the year. The team's only March loss came last season on Mar. 7 at New York, a 64-50 defeat.

SECOND HALF SURGE – The SaberCats outscored Philadelphia 17-7 in the second half of their 52-26 win on Mar. 11 and have outscored the opposition 43-7 in the second half of their two home wins. San Jose shutout Las Vegas 26-0 in the second half of its home opener to post a 66-31 win on Feb. 5.

RUN THIS WAY – FB Matt Kinsinger ran for a pair of TDs in the SaberCats 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11 giving him at least one rush TD in five consecutive games, the 2nd longest stretch in club history. Barry Wagner scored at least one rush TD in 8 straight games during the 2003 campaign to establish the team record.

JUST WIN – Mark Grieb improved his record as San Jose's starting QB in games played at HP Pavilion to a startling 33-3 (.917) with a 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. Grieb's overall record as the team's starting QB now stands at 55-16 (.775) and he is 10-1 as the starter in games during the month of March.

WINNING WAYS – Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats are the only team to post 60 regular season wins. San Jose reached the 60-win mark by upending Orlando, 57-38, on Mar. 6. The Predators (53) and Arizona Rattlers (53) are the only other teams to crack the 50-win mark in the same time.

BEST RECORDS SINCE 2000
Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 61-19 .763
Arizona Rattlers 53-28 .654
Orlando Predators 53-28 .654

NOTES:
IRONMAN STREAK SNAPPED – The SaberCats played a game without Barry Wagner in the lineup for the first time since the legendary Ironman joined the club for the 2000 season. Wagner had played in 91 straight games for San Jose and 144 straight overall (including playoffs) before being inactive for the SaberCats Mar. 11 game against Philadelphia. Wagner, who had not missed a game since a broken leg sidelined him for five games in 1996 while he was with Orlando, sustained a bruised foot in the second-to-last play of the game on Mar. 6 against his former team. He is listed as probable for Friday's contest against Grand Rapids.

ON THE MARK – QB Mark Grieb started the Mar. 11 game against Philadelphia by completing his first 9 passes and ended the contest by completing his final 9 attempts. Over the first and fourth quarters of the game, Grieb was 18-of-19 for 148 yards with a TD. Grieb finished the night completing 26-of-34 passes for 293 yards and 3 TDs without an INT. Grieb continues to lead the league with an average of 314.8 pass yards a game and remains on pace to become the first QB in AFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. Grieb last threw an INT in the fourth quarter of a loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 20. Since then has completed 53-of-74 attempts (71.6%) for 689 yards with 11 TDs.

HE'S THE (No.) ONE – James Roe entered the season as the SaberCats all-time leader in TD receptions and took over the top spot in catches at New Orleans on Feb. 13. Roe is now the club's leader in receiving yards after amassing 136 on 9 catches in a win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. Roe upped his career total to 4,734 passing James Hundon who totaled 4,648. It was also the 18th career 100-yard receiving game of Roe's career to break a tie with Steve Papin for 2nd place on the team's career chart. Hundon is the team's leader with 22 career 100-yard receiving games. The team's season leader with 50 catches, 668 yards and 15 TDs, Roe is on pace to break the team's single-season records in all three categories.

TEAM CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Recv. Yards
1. James Roe 4,734
2. James Hundon 4,648
3. Steve Papin 4,282
4. Barry Wagner 3,541
5. Jerry Reese 3,485

PICKIN' IT – The SaberCats tallied 3 INTs in a game for the 20th time in team history during their 52-26 win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. Clevan Thomas had a pick in his 2nd straight game giving him 21 for his career and leaving him just 3 behind the team's career leader Pat McGuirk. Thomas set an AFL record in 2002 by intercepting a pass in seven consecutive games. Rookie Tremain Mack followed up his league Defensive Player of the Week performance by snaring his 1st career INT with a one-handed snag of a Tony Graziani offering. FB/LB Matt Kinsinger also picked off a pass, the 2nd of his career, from his shoe tops that was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Devin Wyman. The SaberCats are now 16-4 when intercepting 3 passes in a game.

TEAM CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk (95-98) 24
2. Clevan Thomas 21
3. Barry Wagner 18
4. Tommy Jones (98-01) 17
5. Omarr Smith 16

GETTING HIS KICKS...AND MORE – Dan Frantz scored a season-high 10 points converting all 7 of his PATs and making a 24-yard FG against Philadelphia on Mar. 11. Frantz increased his career kick scoring total to 171 moving him ahead of Billy Stoyanovich (165) into 3rd place on the team's career chart and The Kicker also moved past Carlos Huerta (139) into 2nd place on the club's career PATs made list with 144. The AFL leader in tackles among kickers last season with 13.0, Frantz was credited with 3 solo stops against the Soul giving him 8.5 total tackles (8 solo) this year making him the 9th leading tacker on the team. He also ran his streak of consecutive made PATs to 10 with his perfect outing.

RUNNING MAN – Matt Kinsinger, the only true FB/LB on the team's roster, ran for 6 yards and 2 TDs on his 3 attempts in the team's win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. Nearly one half of Kinsinger's 15 rush attempts on the year have gone for TDs and he is tied for the league lead with 7 rush TDs this season. Kinsinger leads the team in rush attempts, yards (39) and TDs and continues to climb the team's career charts in all three categories.

TEAM CAREER RUSH YARD LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush Yds
1. Derrick Chachere 442
2. Tom Petithomme 400
3. Matt Kinsinger 358
4. Mike Jones 328
5. Steve Papin 326

TEAM CAREER RUSH ATTEMPT LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush Atts
1. Derrick Chachere 154
2. Steve Papin 145
3. Barry Wagner 117
4. Matt Kinsinger 108
5. Mike Jones 104

TEAM CAREER RUSH TD LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush TDs
1. Barry Wagner 51
2. Steve Papin 43
3. Derrick Chachere 34
4. Matt Kinsinger 28
5. Tom Petithomme 16

DOIN' THE ‘D' – After allowing an average of 56.8 points per game and 320.0 yards of total offense with 3 INTs in the first four games of the year, the SaberCats' defense has clamped down in the last two contests. San Jose has given up just 64 points (32.0 ppg) and 415 yards of total offense (207.5 ypg) while intercepting 4 passes. Over the last two games the SaberCats have shaved 8.3 ppg off their scoring defense average and 37.5 yards off their total defense average.

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER – With Hunkie Cooper recently released by Arizona and George LaFrance long retired, Barry Wagner has his sights set on the league's career all-purpose yardage record. Wagner had his consecutive games played streak snapped at 144 last week when he was inactive with a bruised foot against Philadelphia. With 20,347 career all-purpose yards, Wagner trails LaFrance by just 133 for 2nd place and 203 behind Cooper for the AFL's all-time lead.

AFL CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player All-Purpose Yds
1. Hunkie Cooper 20,550
2. George LaFrance 20,480
3. Barry Wagner 20,347

TWO FOR TWO – FB/LB Steve Warren scored TDs on his first two career carries in San Jose's win over Philadelphia on Mar. 11. His first score came on a 5-yard run in the first quarter, which put the SaberCats up 14-0, and his second TD was on a 4-yard rumble in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. According to Warren, it was the first time he scored a touchdown since middle school. A defensive lineman for most of his career, Warren was converted to FB/LB during training camp due to the team's shortage at the position.

MR. WRIGHT – WR/DB Rodney Wright played in just his 2nd AFL game when he suited up against the Soul on Mar. 11 and made his first career appearance as a DB. Wright played in place of Barry Wagner, who was scratched with a foot injury, and totaled 5 receptions for 34 yards on offense while posting a team-high 6.0 tackles on defense. He did, however, show his inexperience on the defensive side being flagged twice for pass interference and once for illegal contact.

NOT SCORING – The SaberCats held Philadelphia to a franchise-low point total in their 52-26 win on Mar. 11 and improved their all-time record to 21-1 when giving up 30 points or less in a game. The SaberCats have now won 10 consecutive games when allowing 30 or fewer points and the Soul's output was the lowest given up since a 73-17 win over the Oklahoma Wranglers on May 5, 2001. San Jose's only loss when allowing 30 or less points came on June 27, 1997 in a 24-22 defeat to New Jersey.

MORE OR LESS – The SaberCats are one of eight teams in the AFL and one of just two in the American Conference (Colorado) to score more points than they allow and they are the only squad with a non-winning record. The combined record of the other seven teams that score more points than they allow is 33-13 (.717). San Jose's +47 point differential is the 4th best in the Arena Football League.

POINT DIFFERENTIALS
Team Record PF PA Diff.
Dallas 5-2 363 303 +60
New York 5-1 329 277 +52
Tampa Bay 4-2 342 293 +49
San Jose 3-3 338 291 +47
Georgia 5-2 358 314 +44
Colorado 4-2 330 290 +40

COUNTDOWN – With four more 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 96 wins with only Tampa Bay (135), Orlando (127) 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.

MILESTONES REACHED AGAINST THE SOUL
*Rashied Davis had a career-high 10 receptions and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
*Tremain Mack earned his 1st career interception.
*Steve Warren rushed for a pair of touchdowns on his first two career carries.
*Barry Wagner had his 144 consecutive games-played streak snapped.
*Dan Frantz scored a season-high 10 points (7-7 PAT's, 1-2 FG) to increase his career total to 171 surpassing Billy Stoyanovich (165) for 3rd place all-time. He also moved into 2nd place all-time in PATs made (144) surpassing Carlos Huerta (139).
*James Roe (354) surpassed the 350 receptions mark for his career, increasing his franchise lead and, with 136 receiving yards, moved past James Hundon (4,648) for 1st place all-time on team's all-time list with 4,734. It was also his 18th career 100-yard receiving game breaking a tie with Steve Papin and giving him sole possession of 2nd place.

GRAND RAPIDS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS CHRIS JACKSON – The six-year AFL veteran is Grand Rapids' leading receiver this season with 35 catches for 483 yards and also leads the team in scoring with 9 TDs. Before signing with the Rampage, Jackson was a member of San Jose's division rivals the Los Angeles Avengers. In eight games against the SaberCats, Jackson caught 47 passes for 609 yards with 13 TDs. However, Jackson has the honor of being the only San Jose opponent to score a touchdown on the game's opening kickoff, a feat he accomplished with a 51-yard return on June 8, 2002.

QB MICHAEL BISHOP – One of the most exciting players to ever play Arena Football, Bishop uses both his arms and legs as a weapon against opposing defenses. Bishop has thrown 27 TDs with only 3 INTs thus far and, earlier this season, became the only player in AFL history to rush for 100 yards in a game. Amazingly, Bishop has more rushing yards (245) than 16 of the 17 teams in the league. This figures to be a good match-up given that Bishop is averaging 49.0 yards per game and the SaberCats have only allowed 49 or more yards in a game six times in franchise history. Additionally, Bishop's 301.0 average of total offense per game is second only to the SaberCats Mark Grieb (316.0). The second-year Heisman Trophy runner-up will be facing San Jose for the first time on Friday.

FB/LB CHRIS AVERY – With Michael Bishop on your team, it's easy to get overshadowed, especially if you're a fullback. However, Avery has quietly put up solid numbers for the Rampage. In six games this season, Avery has rushed for 70 yards on 19 carries with 5 TDs. He also has 2 receiving TDs to tie for 2nd on the team with 7. On the other side of the ball, Avery is 2nd on the team with 25.5 total tackles, including a sack and a team-high 3 TFLs. A Rampage during his entire five-year career, Avery has faced San Jose only once, earning a sack and rushing for 9 yards on 5 carries with a TD in a 56-55 loss to the SaberCats on May 3, 2003.


WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) QB Shane Stafford, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) OS Calvin Schexnayder, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) QB Andy Kelly, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/DB Tony Locke, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) DS Tramain Jones, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) OL/DL B.J. Cohen, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/LB Greg Hopkins, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, TBY
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) WR/LB Thabiti Davis, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/LB Greg Hopkins, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


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 1-0
30-39 points 0-1 2-0
40-49 points 0-0 0-0
50-59 points 2-0 0-0
60-69 points 1-2 0-2
70-79 points 0-0 0-1
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 0-0
by 3 or fewer points 0-2

Leading after the 1st 3-1
Trailing after the 1st 0-0
Tied after the 1st 0-2

Leading at Half 3-0
Trailing at Half 0-2
Tied at Half 0-1

Leading after the 3rd 3-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-2
Tied after the 3rd 0-1

Scoring First 3-1
Opp. Score First 0-2

More Total Offense 2-3
Less Total Offense 1-0

More Pass Yards 2-3
Less Pass Yards 1-0

More Rushing Yards 3-1
Less Rushing Yards 0-2

Thursday games 0-0
Friday games 1-0
Saturday games 1-0
Sunday games 1-3

On NBC 1-3
On WB20 0-0
On NBC11 0-0
On FSN 2-0

vs. West 1-1
vs. Central 0-0
vs. South 1-2
vs. East 1-0

Winning coin toss 1-1
Losing coin toss 2-2

Outscoring Opponent 3-0
Being Outscored 0-3



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 15, 2005


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