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San Jose SaberCats game notes

April 20, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (7-4) at Colorado Crush (8-3).
Date: Friday, April 22, 2005.
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (PDT).
Site: Pepsi Center (18,093).
Officials: Riley Johnson (Referee); Rick Podraza (Umpire); Neil Brunner (Head Linesman); Paul Engelberts (Line Judge); Bud McCleskey (Back Judge).
Television: The game will be televised live in the Bay Area on KBWB (WB20) with Bob Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and George Atkinson (color) calling the action. KNTV (NBC11) will show the game tape delayed on Sunday, April 24 at 1:00 a.m. following Saturday Night Live.
Radio: San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR-1050 will air the game live in the Bay Area with Joe Castellano (play-by-play) and former SaberCat Steve Papin (color) calling the action.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 3-0.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 55, Colorado 35 on March 14, 2004 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 3.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 71-28 regular season, 80-31 overall). Colorado, Mike Dailey (9th season; 77-50 regular season; 83-55 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats took over first place in the Western Division and snapped their 1-game losing streak in the process with an 83-71 win over the Eastern Division leading Dallas Desperados on Apr. 15. San Jose gets another division leader next when it travels to Colorado to take on the Central Division leading Crush on Friday, April 22. The game will be televised live in the Bay Area on KBWB (WB20) starting at 6:00 p.m. (PDT). Mark Grieb tossed a season-high 8 TD passes, including the 400th of his career, and the SaberCats tied a team record by scoring 12 touchdowns matching the second highest single-game point total in team history in their win over Dallas. The SaberCats scored 80-or-more points in a game for a league record sixth time and it was the second game of 80-plus points this season, leaving them one behind the 1996 Albany Firebirds for the most 80-plus point games in a season. The win also gave San Jose its 100th regular season victory and was head coach Darren Arbet's 80th career coaching win...San Jose has never lost to Colorado outscoring the Crush 200–124 in three games. The SaberCats won the last meeting 55-35 on Mar. 14, 2004 in San Jose and defeated the Crush, 65-49, on April 27, 2003 in the only game played in Denver.

THE SCHEDULES:

2005 San Jose SaberCats (7-4)
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
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-48
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas Won 81-75
Apr. 3 ARIZONA Won 48-27
Apr. 10 @Chicago Lost 39-55
Apr. 15 DALLAS Won 83-71
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Apr. 22 @Colorado 6:00 pm 1050/WB20
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
May 7 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050-680/FSN
May 14 @Arizona 7:00 pm 1050/WB
May 21 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN

2005 Colorado Crush (8-3)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Orlando Lost 36-39
Feb. 5 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-56
Feb. 13 CHICAGO Lost 48-51
Feb. 19 @Arizona Won 74-69
Feb. 27 LOS ANGELES Won 58-40
Mar. 12 @Nashville Won 42-35
Mar. 20 COLUMBUS Won 52-37
Mar. 25 @Dallas Won 66-58
Apr. 3 LAS VEGAS Won 61-40
Apr. 10 PHILADELPHIA Won 77-56
Apr. 17 @Chicago Lost 51-75
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Apr. 22 SAN JOSE 6:00 pm
Apr. 30 @Grand Rapids 5:00 pm
May 8 @New Orleans 12:00 pm
May 13 NASHVILLE 6:00 pm
May 21 @New York 4:00 pm

THE SERIES: The SaberCats have never lost to the Crush going 3-0 all-time with an average winning margin of over 25 points per game...San Jose has outscored Colorado 200-124 in the series and has trailed the Crush only once, 7-6 in the first quarter of the last meeting on Mar. 14 2004...San Jose has outscored the Crush 55-20 in the first quarter of their three series games...The SaberCats posted a 65-49 win over the Crush on April 27, 2003 in the only meeting between the clubs in Colorado.



SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose has scored the first and last touchdowns in all three series games...San Jose has never been down at halftime and has only trailed once in the series, 7-6 in the first quarter of last year's contest...John Dutton set a personal-high and tied a San Jose opponent record with four INTs on Feb. 22, 2003...Mark Grieb set the team-record for highest passer rating in a game with 158.3 after his 18-of-22 (81.8%), 292-yard, six touchdown and zero interception performance...San Jose accumulated 85 yards on the ground on Apr. 27, 2003, which is the second highest rushing total in team history, and has totaled 153 yards and 10 TD in the series...Colorado tied a San Jose opponent's record with six turnovers (four INT, two fumbles) on Feb. 22, 2003...The SaberCats set an AFL record with their 42nd rushing TD of the season in Game #13 on Apr. 27, 2003 (the SaberCats finished the season with 47, but the record was broken by Chicago (49) last season)...Rashied Davis played in his first career AFL game against Colorado on Feb. 22, 2003 and scored his first career AFL touchdown...Davis also tied an AFL record with a 58-yard kickoff return score in the fourth quarter of last year's contest...San Jose tied a league and team record with six rushing touchdowns against Colorado on Feb. 22, 2003...WR/LB James Roe has 19 receptions for 269 yards and 6 TDs with a 12-yard interception return for a score in three games against Colorado...FB Matt Kinsinger has rushed for 57 yards and 3 TDs on 8 carries in three games against Colorado.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SABERCATS 55, Colorado 35 • Sunday, March 14, 2004 • HP Pavilion – Mark Grieb completed 18-of-22 passes for 292 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions as San Jose ended its one-game losing streak by topping the Colorado Crush 55-35. Grieb, who was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game, had a near perfect first half going 10-for-11 for 149-yards with four touchdowns. A failed extra kick by San Jose's Dan Frantz early in the first quarter allowed the Crush to get their first-ever lead over the SaberCats with a 1-yard run by Chad Dukes and a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter. The SaberCats, fueled by three Grieb scoring tosses, went on a 21-0 run to close out the first half with a 27-7 advantage. Barry Wagner prevented the Crush from scoring late in the half with a crushing hit on Colorado's Kevin McKenzie at the San Jose 2-yard line as time expired in the half. Colorado's scoreless second quarter marked the first time this season the Crush failed to put up points in any quarter. McKenzie, who played with San Jose in the 2003 season, scored on an 18-yard pass from John Dutton to open the second half slicing San Jose's lead to 27-14. Colorado would get no closer as the teams traded touchdowns the rest of the second half. San Jose's Fred Coleman playing in his first AFL game scored on a 30-yard pass play late in the third quarter and Rashied Davis returned his league leading third kickoff for a touchdown going 58 yards early in the fourth quarter. Dutton, who in 2002 led the SaberCats to their only league championship, took advantage of San Jose's secondary minus Clevan Thomas to complete 25-of-39 passes for 329 yards. McKenzie caught six passes for a game-high 133 yards. Colorado matched a season low with 35 points scored and dropped to 4-2. The SaberCats upped their record to 4-1.

SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crush.................. 7 0 14 14 – 35
SaberCats......... 13 14 14 14 – 55

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Davis 18 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
COL Dukes 1 run (Brenner kick)
SAN Roe 25 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 7 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Hundon 16 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
COL McKenzie 18 pass from Dutton (Brenner kick)
SAN Roe 31 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
COL Harrell 5 pass from Dutton (Brenner kick)
SAN Coleman 30 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
COL Harrell 16 pass from Dutton (Brenner kick)
SAN Davis 58 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
COL Harrell 3 pass from Dutton (Brenner kick)
SAN Wagner 2 run (Frantz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: COL – Dutton 25-39-0-329; Davis 0-1-0-0. SAN – Grieb 18-22-0-292.
Rushing: COL – Dutton 3-3; Dukes 4-3; Patu 4-3; Young 2-0. SAN – Wagner 3-11; Keanaaina 1-2; Kinsinger 1-0; Grieb 1-(-2).
Receiving: COL – Marshall 10-93; McKenzie 6-133; Harrell 5-63; Peterson 2-23; Hunter 1-14; Dukes 1-3. SAN – Hundon 5-84; Roe 5-83; Davis 5-66; Coleman 3-59.
Kick Returns: COL – Marshall 3-46; Floyd 2-29; McKenzie 1-13. SAN – Davis 1-58; Hundon 2-3.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
March 14, 2004 @San Jose 55, Colorado 35
April 27, 2003 San Jose 65, @Colorado 49
February 22, 2003 @San Jose 80, Colorado 40

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Colorado it would...
*Give San Jose an 8-4 season record.
*Give San Jose a 3-4 road record in 2005.
*Give San Jose a 4-0 series edge over the Crush.
*Be their 2nd straight win.
*Give San Jose a 45-33 all-time regular season road record.
*Give San Jose a 110-59 all-time record.
*Give San Jose a 25-13 all-time record against Central Division teams.
*Give San Jose a 14-8 all-time road record against Central Division teams.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
71-28 (.717) reg. season; 80-31 (.721) overall
3-0 (1.000) career vs. Colorado
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet became the 7th head coach in AFL history with 80 career victories when San Jose defeated Dallas on Apr. 15, 2005 and his career overall winning percentage of .721 (80-31) 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 65-20 (.765) 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). With his next victory, Arbet will move past Michael Trigg into 6th place on the league's all-time coaches wins list.

Colorado – Mike Dailey, 9th season
77-50 (.606) reg. season; 83-55 (.601) overall
3-4 (.429) career vs. San Jose
Dailey is now in his second season in Colorado and ninth as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach. In his first season in Colorado, Dailey helped guide the Crush to the largest turnaround in AFL history, inheriting a 2-14 team and leading them to an 11-5 record in 2004, tied for the best in the league. He also led the Crush to their first playoff appearance and first win, advancing to the AFL Semifinals before falling nine yards short of up-ending top-seeded Arizona and earning a trip to ArenaBowl XVIII. One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in AFL history, Dailey's teams have compiled an overall record of 83-55 record and he ranks fifth on the AFL's all-time list for coaching wins (regular season and playoffs). His teams have made six postseason appearances and he has won three division titles. In 1999, Dailey led the Albany Firebirds to an ArenaBowl title and was named the AFL's Coach of the Year. Dailey has amassed an overall record of 20-9 in his two seasons with the Crush.

RECENT RESULTS: SABERCATS 83, Dallas 71 – Mark Grieb tossed a season-high eight TD passes, including the 400th of his AFL career, and the SaberCats posted their second highest point total in team history with an 83-71 win over Dallas. Grieb threw a pair of scoring passes in each quarter and finished the game 20-of-25 for 267 yards with an interception. His 7-yard strike to Rodney Wright to open the scoring just over two-and-half minutes in was the 400th of his career. The Desperados took their only lead of the game at the start of the second quarter when Clint Stoerner connected with Jason Shelley on an 11-yard pass play and kicker Carlos Martinez added the PAT for a 21-20 lead. Grieb teamed with James Roe on a 32-yard pass play just 1:05 later to help San Jose take a lead it would not relinquish. Roe and Rashied Davis each had seven receptions and scored a combined seven times on the night. "I'm a lucky QB to have these guys (Davis and James Roe) as receivers," said Grieb. Barry Wagner, playing his first game in nearly two months, scored a pair of rushing TDs in the fourth quarter, including a 2-yard plunge with 50 seconds left in the fourth to supply the final margin of victory. After a rough first half, Dallas QB Clint Stoerner completed 12-of-17 second half pass attempts for 208 yards and four TDs to keep the Desperados within striking distance. He ended the night 22-of-38 for 326 yards. Will Pettis led Dallas with a game-high 10 catches for 120 yards and a TD. San Jose's point total tied for the second-highest in team history and the combined total of 154 was the third highest in a game in franchise history. San Jose reached the 80-point mark for the sixth time in club history. Rookie WR/DB Rodney Wright earned game Ironman honors after a career-high 227 all-purpose yards and 9.5 tackles. Lineman Joe Jacobs had career sack No. 12.5 as a SaberCat (35.5 career) to move into sole possession of 2nd place on the team's all-time list. NOTES: Darren Arbet won his 80th career game to become the 7th head coach in AFL history to reach that mark...Rashied Davis tied a career-high with 3 receiving TDs...San Jose's 12 TDs scored tied a team record...K Dan Frantz moved past Carlos Huerta into 2nd place on the club's career kick scoring list...The 4th quarter interception by James Roe was the 7th of his career...Chuck Reed, Jeff Ruffin and Yardon Brantley were inactive for the game.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
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.
Mar. 15 Signed WR/LB Kenneth Solomon to practice squad.
Mar. 26 Activated OL/DL Rex Richards and OL/DL Jeff Ruffin from IR. Placed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie and WR/LB Yardon Brantley on IR.
Mar. 29 Waived WR/LB George Williams from practice squad.
Apr. 2 Activated FB/LB Kevin Buck and WR/DB Erin Damond from IR. Placed OL/DL Tony Plantin and OL/DL Chuck Reed on IR.
Apr. 7 Signed WR/DB DeVon Banks to the practice squad.
Apr. 9 Activated OL/DL Sebastian Barrie from IR. Placed WR/DB Ryan Fernandez on IR.
Apr. 13 Signed DS Niccolo Concellieri to international PS.
Apr. 14 Signed DS Wendell Davis from PS. Activated WR/LB Yardon Brantley and OL/DL Chuck Reed from IR. Placed DS Tremain Mack, OL/DL Rex Richards and FB/LB Steve Warren on IR.
Apr. 16 Signed FB/LB Joey Dozier.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Barry Wagner Foot sprain Probable
Tremain Mack Hamstring strain Probable
Dan Loney Cellulitis Probable

MILESTONES:
*Calvin Schexnayder needs 4 receptions for 600 career.
*Shalon Baker needs 1 TD reception for 60 career.
*Clevan Thomas needs 1 INT to tie Pat McGuirk for team's career lead.
*Barry Wagner needs 198 all-purpose yards to become AFL's all-time leader and 1 reception to move into 3rd place in SJ career receptions.
*Rashied Davis needs 43 KO return yards for 2,000 career, 2 KO return TDs to tie Clevan Thomas for 2nd all-time (10)... Also needs only 93 all-purpose yards to tie his career-high...Needs two rushing TDs for 10 in his career and 279 all-purpose yards to become only the 6th SaberCats to amass 4,000 career.
*Matt Kinsinger needs 19 rush yards for 400 career and 1 rushing TD for 30 in his San Jose career.
*James Roe needs 385 receiving yards to match his career-high of 1,440 set in 2003.
*Matt Kinsinger needs 19 rush yards for 400 career and 1 rushing TD for 30 in his San Jose career.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Crush
Scoring Offense (Rank) 60.1 (1) 57.9 (2)
Scoring Defense 51.5 (11) 50.5 (10)
Total Offense 315.7 (1) 267.5 (14)
Total Defense 285.7 (10) 314.5 (17)
Pass Offense 301.0 (1) 258.0 (10)
Pass Defense
Rushing Offense 14.7 (12) 9.5 (17)
Rushing Defense 14.8 (3) 23.4 (12)
Touchdowns 96 (1) 87 (3)
Pass Rating 122.4 (1) 112.6 (7)
Pass Defense Rating 108.3 (10) 102.2 (6)
Interceptions 13 17
Kickoff Return Avg. 21.5 (1) 15.7 (14)
Field Goal Return Avg. 21.5 (3) 15.0 (8)
Turnover Margin +2 (9) +12 (2)
3rd Down Conversions 44.7% (14) 52.5% (3)
4th Down Conversions 66.7% (1) 0.0% (17)
Sacks By 8 (13) 15 (T-2)
Sacks Against 11 (10) 2 (1)

2005 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 68.5 2
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 59 T-5
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 125.0 1
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 3,335 1
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 259 3
James Roe Receptions 80 7
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,055 5
James Roe TD Receptions 24 7
James Roe Touchdowns 25 T-7
Matt Kinsinger Rush TDs 8 T-5
Rashied Davis All-purpose Yards 1,720 7
Rashied Davis KO Return Avg. 24.8 3
Rashied Davis Kickoff Returns 33 7
Rashied Davis KO Return Yards 817 5
Rashied Davis KO Return TDs 4 1
Dan Frantz Kick Scoring 83 10
Dan Frantz PAT Attempts 93 1
Dan Frantz PATs Made 77 1
Joe Jacobs Forced Fumbles 3 T-5
Joe Jacobs Sacks 4.0 T-8
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 4 T-9

TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN – With just two road games remaining on the schedule, the SaberCats need to win them both to avoid their first losing road record since the 1999 season. San Jose is currently 2-4 in road games this season and has not had a losing record on the road since going 2-5 in 1999. San Jose posted a 4-4 road record last season en route to its second league title in three years.

TWO AND TWO – The SaberCats have scored first in all three games against the Crush and have held a lead for 177 minutes and 58 seconds in the three series games. Colorado's Chad Dukes scored on a 1-yard run and a successful PAT gave Colorado an early 7-6 lead on Mar. 14, 2004. That was the first, and only, time Colorado has held a lead against San Jose in the series. The SaberCats responded 2:02 later on a Grieb-to-Roe scoring pass and went on to win the game 55-35.

DYNAMIC DUO – Of Mark Grieb's 8 TD tosses against Dallas on Apr. 15, four went to James Roe and three went to Rashied Davis, marking the first time since 2002 that two SaberCats have caught at least 3 TD passes in a game. James Hundon and Jerry Reese, each with three, were the last pair to do it on Apr. 20, 2002 in a 52-51 win over the Arizona Rattlers.

JUST WIN – Mark Grieb improved his record as San Jose's starting QB to 59-17 (.776) with San Jose's 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15 and he is 10-6 as the starter in games during the month of April. As the SaberCats starter in road games, Grieb's record stands at 23-14 (.622) and he is 3-0 head-to-head with John Dutton.

WHAT A RUSH – The SaberCats scored four rushing TDs in their 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15 and are now 4-0 on the year when scoring four-or-more times on the ground. Dating back to last season, San Jose has won five straight games when scoring 4-plus rush TDs in a game and overall the club is 26-6.

FIRST BLOOD – Mark Grieb's 400th career TD pass to Rodney Wright opened the scoring in San Jose's win over Dallas on Apr. 15, marking the 4th straight game the SaberCats have scored first. San Jose is 6-2 on the year when putting up the first points in a game.

AFTER THE 80s – The SaberCats reached the 80-point mark in a game for the 6th time in franchise history with their 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15 and following their previous five 80-point games they are undefeated and have scored an average of 63.8 points per game.

THE ROAD DIFFERENCE – San Jose has allowed an average of 60.7 points per game and has held just one opponent under 55 points in its six road games this season while going 2-4. The Crush, meanwhile, is 5-1 at home and averaging 61.3 points while scoring fewer than 50 points just once.

TOUCHDOWN SABERCATS!! – The SaberCats tied a team record for TDs scored in a game with 12 against Dallas on Apr. 15 marking the second time this season San Jose has tied the team touchdown record — they also scored 12 TDs on Mar. 28 at Las Vegas. San Jose has reached double figures in touchdowns in a game five times already this season and leads the league with a scoring average of 60.1 points per game.

AT THE HALF – No game is ever decided at the half way point, but San Jose has not lost in 2005 when leading at the intermission. The SaberCats held a 41-29 lead at the break against Dallas on Apr. 15 and went on to an 83-71 victory raising their season record to 7-0 when leading at halftime. On the flip side, the SaberCats are 0-4 when trailing or tied at halftime.

FOURTH AND – Even though they have not had a fourth down conversion opportunity in their last two games, the SaberCats lead the league with a 66.7 (10-of-15) fourth down success rate and have converted their last six fourth down plays with their last four resulting in TDs. Colorado has attempted only two fourth down conversions and have yet to be successful.

WINNING WAYS – Despite their 55-39 loss at Chicago on Apr. 10, the SaberCats are the only team in the AFL to win 60 regular season games since the start of the 2000 season. The SaberCats secured their 64th victory with a 48-27 win over Arizona on Apr. 3. Orlando, Arizona and Tampa Bay are the only other teams to reach the 50-win mark in the same span.

BEST RECORDS SINCE 2000
Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 65-20 .765
Orlando Predators 56-30 .651
Arizona Rattlers 55-30 .647
Tampa Bay Storm 52-33 .612

NOTES:
400 (and counting) CLUB – QB Mark Grieb reached another career milestone. Having already reached the 20,000 level in career passing yards earlier in the year, Grieb became the 8th player in AFL history to throw 400 career TD passes when he tossed a season-high 8 in an 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15. Grieb connected with Rodney Wright on a 7-yard strike early in the first quarter for his 400th and then found Rashied Davis on a 25-yard scoring play on the team's next possession to move ahead of Jay Gruden into 7th place on the league's all-time list. Grieb is 13 TD passes shy of tying Todd Hammel for 6th place on the all-time list.

AFL CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Rk. Player Team Pass TDs
1. Aaron Garcia New York 694
2. Andy Kelly New Orleans 686
3. Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 632
4. Clint Dolezel Las Vegas 625
5. John Kaleo Los Angeles 476
6. Todd Hammel Chicago 420
7. Mark Grieb San Jose 407
8. Jay Gruden -- 400

CENTURY CLUB – With their win over Dallas on Apr. 15, the SaberCats became the fourth franchise in AFL history to record 100 regular season wins. San Jose joins Tampa Bay (138), Orlando (130) and Arizona (124) as the only teams in league history with triple-digit regular season victories. 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.

THE 80's Vol. I – Darren Arbet earned the 80th head coaching win of his AFL career in San Jose's 83-71 victory over Dallas on Apr. 15. With the win, Arbet becomes just the 7th coach in AFL history to reach 80 victories and he is the second fastest to reach that mark. It took Arbet just 111 games to earn 80 wins while Tampa Bay head coach Tim Marcum reached the 80-win plateau in 96 games. Arbet will face off against fellow 80-win member Mike Dailey Friday in Colorado

FASTEST COACHES TO 80 WINS
Coach Record at 80 Wins Games To 80
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 80-16 (.833) 96
Darren Arbet, San Jose 80-31 (.721) 111
Perry Moss 80-32-1 (.708) 113
Danny White 80-38 (.678) 118
Mike Dailey, Colorado 80-54 (.597) 134
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 80-73 (.523) 153
Michael Trigg 80-85 (.485) 165

THE 80's Vol. II – The SaberCats reached the 80-point mark in a game for a league record 6th time in their 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15 and it was just the 23rd 80-point game in AFL history. The now defunct Albany Firebirds reached the 80-point mark four times, while Arizona and Grand Rapids, each with two, are the only other teams in league history with multiple 80-point games. The point total matches a team record for the second-most in a game and San Jose has twice reached the 80-point mark this season. Only the 1996 Firebirds, with three, have more 80-or-more point games in a season. San Jose is the only team to crack the 80-point mark this season.

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES IN TEAM HISTORY
Pts Opponent, Date Score
85 vs New England (6/9/00) 85-76
83 vs Dallas (4/15/05) 83-71
83 vs Buffalo (7/22/00) 83-56
81 at Las Vegas (3/28/05) 81-75
80 vs Colorado (2/22/03) 84-40
80 vs Houston (7/21/01) 80-27

200 AP CLUB – For only the second time in team history, two SaberCats each surpassed the 200 mark in all-purpose yards. Both Rodney Wright (227) and Rashied Davis (201) exceeded the mark in the SaberCats 83-71 shootout victory over the Desperados on Apr. 15. The only other time this has happened was in 2001, when James Roe recorded 208 all-purpose yards and Barry Wagner registered 200 in San Jose's 58-57 overtime victory over Nashville on Apr. 16.

THE MALLEY FACTOR – Since taking over as the team's offensive coordinator with six games to play in the 1999 season, Terry Malley has been on the sidelines for 91 regular season games and has seen his club score 5,405 points, an average of 59.4 per game. San Jose's 83-point effort against Dallas on Apr. 15 was the 6th 80-point game in team history, all with Malley as the OC, and he has led San Jose to the seven highest scoring games and 11 of the top 12 scoring contests in club history. During each of his five full seasons as the club's offensive guru, Malley has guided the SaberCats to a first or second place ranking in the league in scoring average and TDs scored while leading San Jose to four of the top six scoring seasons in league annals.

HE'S BAAACK – SaberCats fans saw a familiar face in the secondary on Apr. 15 against Dallas. Almost a year since he last suited up for the SaberCats, Wendell Davis was back in uniform starting at DS in place of the injured Tremain Mack. Davis played in 2 games with Grand Rapids this season before returning to the SaberCats and signing to their practice squad on Mar. 1. He was signed to the active roster a day before the game and registered 3.5 tackles, including a TFL in San Jose's win over Dallas.

4 FOR 4 – Crush QB John Dutton, who spent three seasons with the SaberCats (2000-02) and guided them to the ArenaBowl title in 2002, had a string of success unmatched in Colorado's 65-49 loss to San Jose on Apr. 27, 2003. Spanning the third and fourth quarters of that game, Dutton tossed TDs on four consecutive passes. He started by tossing a 30-yard pass to Damian Harrell and following a San Jose score, he went 39 yards to Charlie Davidson on Colorado's next offensive play. Following another San Jose score at the start of the fourth, Dutton teamed with Davidson again on the first play of the drive, this one for 45 yards. He got one more opportunity after an interception and connected with Harrell from 17-yards out. His four passes covered 131 yards.

JACOBS LADDER – OL/DL Joe Jacobs continues to climb up San Jose's career sacks ladder and is now in sole possession of 2nd place with 12.5. Jacobs has recorded a sack in three consecutive contests and has a team-high 4.0 on the season, matching his career-high as a SaberCat which he set last year. He began the campaign tied for 5th on the club's all-time list, but has moved past Leonard Nelson (9.0), Al Noga (11.0) and Mike Ulufale (11.5) on the team's chart. Jacobs is also fast approaching the 40-sack mark for his career. Currently with 35.5, he sits in 7th place on the AFL's all-time list. Former SaberCat Sam Hernandez heads both the AFL career list (58.0) and the SaberCats career list (37.5).

AFL CAREER SACK LEADERS
Rk. Player Sacks
1. Sam Hernandez 58.0
2. Sylvester Bembery 43.0
3. Tom Briggs 40.0
4. Robert Stewart 39.5
James Baron 39.5
6. Andre Bowden 36.0
7. Joe Jacobs 35.5
8. John Moyer 32.0
9. Ernest Allen 31.0
10. Joe March 29.5

THE CRUSHER – San Jose DS Clevan Thomas is no stranger to the Crush combo of John Dutton and Damian Harrell. Thomas has 3 career INTs in two games against Colorado, all off former teammate Dutton during the 2003 campaign. Thomas missed the 2004 contest on IR recovering from knee surgery. Thomas and Harrell were teammates at Florida State in 1997 when Harrell was a senior and Thomas a freshman. Thomas currently ranks tied for 9th in the AFL with a team-high 4 INTs while Harrell, one of the top receivers in the league, is 2nd in TD receptions (29), 7th in receiving yards (1,013) and tied for 10th in catches with 76. Thomas needs one INT to tie Pat McGuirk for the club's all-time lead.

TEAM CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk (95-98) 24
2. Clevan Thomas 23
3. Barry Wagner 18
4. Tommy Jones (98-01) 17
5. Omarr Smith 16

MR. WRIGHT – Less than a week after putting up Ironman-type numbers, rookie Rodney Wright earned his first Ironman of the Game honor. Wright had an outstanding game, amassing a career-best 227 all-purpose yards, catching a TD pass and making a career-high 9.5 tackles, including several bone-crushing hits on special teams. Wright's 135 KO return yards are the 3rd highest total on the season for San Jose and his 40 MFG return yards marks a team season-high. Last week in his 2nd career start and 1st as a WR/DB at Chicago on Apr. 10, Wright posted career-highs of 7 catches, 112 yards and 2 TDs on offense while adding 7.0 tackles and 2 PBUs on defense. Wright also added 20 yards on a pair of KO returns for a game-high 132 all-purpose yards. Wright moved up the depth chart after the club put Ryan Fernandez on IR to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Wright started the season opener at offensive specialist at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30 then missed the next four contests. He is currently the team's 3rd leading receiver with 32 receptions for 348 yards.

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER – After missing the previous five games with a foot injury, Barry Wagner returned to San Jose's lineup and contributed a pair of rushing scores in the team's 83-71 win over Dallas on Apr. 15. Wagner scored on fourth quarter runs of 4 and 2 yards on his only two carries. Wagner's only other rush attempt on the year resulted in a 2-yard scoring plunge at Orlando on Mar. 6 giving the 14-year AFL veteran three TDs on three rush attempts this season. Wags inched closer to becoming the AFL's career all-purpose yardage leader and now trails George LaFrance by 126 for 2nd place and needs 196 to tie Hunkie Cooper.

AFL CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player All-Purpose Yds
1. Hunkie Cooper 20,550
2. George LaFrance 20,480
3. Barry Wagner 20,354

VERSUS COLORADO – Mark Grieb has been nothing short of spectacular against Colorado. San Jose's veteran QB is undefeated in three games against the Crush and has completed over 74 percent of his passes (56-of-75) for 784 yards with 16 TDs and only 1 INT, racking up a whopping 141.9 passer rating...DS Clevan Thomas has three INTs in two games against Colorado, including two picks on Feb. 22, 2003...James Roe has caught 19 passes for 269 yards and six TDs against the Crush and added a 12-yard INT return for a TD on Feb. 22, 2003.




MILESTONES REACHED AGAINST DALLAS:
*Darren Arbet earned his 80th head coaching victory, putting him in an exclusive club that has only six other members.
*With 8 touchdown passes, Mark Grieb (407) surpassed the 400-touchdown mark, becoming only the eighth QB in AFL history to reach that milestone.
*Dan Frantz (210 points) converted on a career-high 11-of-12 PATs, including his last nine PAT attempts, moving him past Carlos Huerta (208) for second place on San Jose's all-time kick scoring list.
*Joe Jacobs (12.5) took over sole possession of second place on San Jose's all-time sacks list.
*Rodney Wright had a career-high 227 all-purpose yards and 9.5 tackles.
*Rashied Davis tied a career-high with three receiving TDs...Davis (1,534) surpassed 1,500 receiving yards in his career.
*Erin Damond set a career-high with 5.0 total tackles as the team's starting DB.
*Barry Wagner (301.5) recorded his 300th career tackle as a San Jose SaberCat against the Desperados.
*San Jose's 12 TDs against Dallas tied a team record.
*San Jose's 83 points matched the second-highest point total in team history, falling just two points shy of the team record (85) set in 2000.
*San Jose and Dallas' combined 154 points was the third highest total in franchise history.

COLORADO PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB JOHN DUTTON – The QB that led San Jose to its first ArenaBowl title in 2002 is trying to repeat that feat and take Colorado to the title game in 2005. Dutton, a SaberCat from 2000-02, is well on his way, guiding Colorado to a conference-best (8-3) record. Along with helping the Crush sit atop the American Conference, Dutton ranks 3rd in the league in TD passes with 65. The gunslinger has yet to defeat San Jose in three tries and has only completed 54-of-100 passes for 787 yards, 11 TDs and six INTs. Dutton threw a career-high four INTs against the SaberCats on Feb. 22, 2003 in San Jose's 80-40 win over the Crush. That game started a string of 11 consecutive games in which Dutton threw an INT.

OS DAMIAN HARRELL – Dutton's favorite target, Harrell set the AFL record earlier this season by catching a touchdown pass in 42 consecutive games, surpassing the previous mark set by Eddie Brown. The 7-year AFL veteran has been one of the AFL's top receivers the past few years and is currently 3rd in the league in scoring with 174 points. For the season, Harrell has hauled in 76 catches for 1,013 yards and 29 touchdowns. In three games against San Jose, all blowout losses, Harrell has caught 14 passes for 252 yards and seven TD's.

WR/LB KEVIN MCKENZIE – Like Dutton, McKenzie is a former SaberCat making an impact with another squad. In two games against San Jose, the four-year AFL veteran has never won but has put up some big numbers. With the Crush last season, he had 133 yards and a TD on only six catches. As a member of the Florida Bobcats in 2001, McKenzie had three TDs on five catches for 70 yards. This season, McKenzie is Colorado's second-leading receiver behind Harrell with 52 receptions for 528 yards and 10 TDs. San Jose QB Mark Grieb must be aware of McKenzie's presence on defense, as he is tied for 4th in the league with 5 INTs and has returned three of them for scores.

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) OS Rashied Davis, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) OS Marcus Nash, Las Vegas
ARIZONA (Apr 3) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) QB Raymond Philyaw, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@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) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
ARIZONA (Apr 3) OL/DL Joe Jacobs, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) WR/DB Etu Molden, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
@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) WR/DB Ryan Fernandez, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) OS Rashied Davis, San Jose
ARIZONA (Apr 3) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) FB/LB Bob McMillen, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)

*Players in Bold won AFL weekly honors





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

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 1-0
by 3 or fewer points 0-2

Leading after the 1st 5-2
Trailing after the 1st 1-0
Tied after the 1st 1-2

Leading at Half 7-0
Trailing at Half 0-3
Tied at Half 0-1

Leading after the 3rd 7-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-3
Tied after the 3rd 0-1

Scoring First 6-2
Opp. Score First 1-2

More Total Offense 4-4
Less Total Offense 3-0

More Pass Yards 4-4
Less Pass Yards 3-0

More Rushing Yards 6-1
Less Rushing Yards 1-3

Thursday games 0-0
Friday games 3-0
Saturday games 1-0
Sunday games 2-4
Monday games 1-0

On NBC 1-4
On WB20 1-0
On NBC11 0-0
On FSN 5-0

vs. West 3-1
vs. Central 1-1
vs. South 1-2
vs. East 2-0

Winning coin toss 2-1
Losing coin toss 5-3

Outscoring Opponent 7-0
Being Outscored 0-4



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 20, 2005


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