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San Jose SaberCats game notes

May 18, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Georgia Force (11-4) at SaberCats (8-7).
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Dennis Lipski (Referee); Richard Brown (Umpire); Rod Pearson (Head Linesman); Art Lucky (Line Judge); Joe Duncan (Back Judge).
Line: TBD.
Television: Fox Sports Net Bay Area will air the game tape delayed on Monday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Randy Hahn (play by play), Mike Pawlawski (color) and F.P. Santangelo (sideline) call the action.
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 George Atkinson (color).
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 3-1.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 63, Georgia 34 on April 25, 2005 in Georgia.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 2.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 72-31 regular season, 81-34 overall). Georgia, Doug Plank (1st season; 11-4 regular season and overall).

OVERVIEW: Despite their third consecutive loss, a 54-44 defeat at Arizona on May 14, the SaberCats can still clinch a berth in the postseason with a win over the Georgia Force in their regular season finale on Saturday, May 21. San Jose has lost three straight games for the first time since closing out the 1999 season, but a win over the visiting Force, or a Las Vegas loss, will secure a sixth consecutive postseason appearance for the SaberCats. Fox Sports Net Bay Area will air the game tape delayed from HP Pavilion on Monday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m. San Jose committed three turnovers in its loss to the Rattlers and has turned the ball over 10 times during its current 3-game losing streak. Rashied Davis scored three TDs in the loss increasing his season total to 41 setting a new team record. He broke Steve Papin's 2000 record of 38. Mark Grieb threw for 289 yards and now has 4,568 on the year, the second-highest single season total in AFL history, and needs just 195 pass yards to establish a new league record. Georgia holds the best record in the AFL at 11-4 and clinched the top spot in the National Conference with its 63-56 win over Dallas on May 14...San Jose leads the all-time series with Georgia 3-1, and has won both meetings in San Jose. The SaberCats defeated the Force, 63-34, on April 25, 2004 in the last meeting between the clubs.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 San Jose SaberCats (8-7)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63 (0-1)
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS Won 66-31 (1-1)
Feb. 13 @New Orleans Lost 61-62 (1-2)
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles Lost 69-71 (1-3)
Mar. 6 @Orlando Won 57-38 (2-3)
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA Won 52-26 (3-3)
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-48 (4-3)
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas Won 81-75 (5-3)
Apr. 3 ARIZONA Won 48-27 (6-3)
Apr. 10 @Chicago Lost 39-55 (6-4)
Apr. 15 DALLAS Won 83-71 (7-4)
Apr. 22 @Colorado Won 89-41 (8-4)
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE Lost 55-57 (8-5)
May 7 LOS ANGELES Lost 42-54 (8-6)
May 14 @Arizona Lost 44-54 (8-7)
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
May 21 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN

2005 Georgia Force (11-4)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 NEW ORLEANS Won 46-44
Feb. 4 @Los Angeles Lost 41-46
Feb. 12 ARIZONA Won 61-47
Feb. 20 @Las Vegas Won 38-13
Feb. 25 @Austin Won 66-63
Mar. 6 COLUMBUS Won 55-48
Mar. 12 @New York Lost 51-53
Mar. 19 ORLANDO Won 49-47
Mar. 26 @New Orleans Won 43-40
Apr. 2 @Tampa Bay Lost 38-48
Apr. 8 AUSTIN Won 56-53
Apr. 15 GRAND RAPIDS Won 62-41
Apr. 22 @Orlando Lost 49-52
May 8 TAMPA BAY Won 52-40
May 14 DALLAS Won 63-56
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
May 21 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSN

THE SERIES: The SaberCats lead the all-time series 3-1, including a 2-1 mark in regular season games...San Jose is 2-0 in games played in HP Pavilion, winning 59-53 on May 4, 2002 in the first ever meeting between the clubs, and 69-48 on May 31, 2003 in a quarterfinal playoff game...The SaberCats became the first visiting team to win in the series by posting a 63-34 victory on April 25, 2004 in the last meeting between the teams...Georgia's lone series win came in the first ever game at the Gwinnett Center, 51-49 on Feb. 16, 2003...The SaberCats are averaging exactly 60 points per game, scoring 240 points in the four series meetings.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose set a Georgia Force opponent's record with 55 rushing yards in their 59-53 victory on May 4, 2002...Georgia had a franchise low 157 net yards against the SaberCats on May 4, 2002 but still managed to score 53 points...San Jose allowed an opponents record 29 points in the second quarter against the Force on 5/4/02... FB/LB Matt Kinsinger scored his first rushing TD as a SaberCat on May 4, 2002 and has rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries in 4 games against the Force...FB/LB Kevin Buck established a career-high with two rushing TDs at Georgia on Feb. 16, 2003...Clevan Thomas had a career-long 44-yard interception return for a touchdown on Feb. 16, 2003...QB Mark Grieb had the first three INT game of his career on Feb. 16, 2003...On Apr. 25, 2004, Grieb threw eight touchdown passes to five different receivers, only the fourth time in team history five or more receivers have a caught a TD pass in the same game...In their four series games, the SaberCats have averaged exactly 60 points per game and have scored 10-or-more points in 13 of the 16 quarters played against Georgia...San Jose has scored 18 times in 19 red zone opportunities against the Force.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SABERCATS 63, Georgia 34 • Sunday, April 25, 2004 • Gwinnett Center – Quarterback Mark Grieb threw eight touchdown passes to lead the San Jose SaberCats (9-2) to a 63-34 win over the Georgia Force (4-8) on April 25. The win keeps the SaberCats atop the AFL standings after 12 weeks of the season. Grieb tossed scoring passes to three different receivers to stake San Jose to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. Barry Wagner scored on a 9-yard pass and Fred Coleman added a 13-yard TD reception to give the SaberCats a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. The scoreless opening frame marked the fourth straight quarter the Force was held without a point. James Hundon hauled in a 5-yard pass to give San Jose its three-touchdown lead. Georgia ended its scoring drought when Leon Murray hit Markeith Cooper on a 27-yard pass play with 7:44 left in the first half. San Jose opened its biggest lead of the game following another 21-0 run. Grieb found Rashied Davis on a 20-yard scoring pass to end the first half and opened the second half with a pair of touchdown strikes to James Roe to build a 49-14 lead. Roe's second scoring reception came from 16-yards out and was the 300th catch of his career. He finished with a team-high five catches for 77 yards and three scores. After sitting out for a series in the fourth quarter, Grieb returned and found Roe again, this time on a 28-yard scoring play and hit Coleman on a 4-yard scoring strike following a Davis interception. Grieb, named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game, completed 17-of-24 for 203 yards. Davis earned U.S. Army Ironman honors after catching three passes for 36 yards and a score while adding his second interception of the season. San Jose's point total is its second highest output of the year and the SaberCats have scored 50-or-more points in all 11 contests.

SCORE BY QUARTERS
SaberCats......... 14 21 14 14 – 63
Force.................. 0 14 7 13 – 34

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Wagner 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Coleman 13 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Hundon 5 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GEO Cooper 27 pass from Murray (McLaughlin kick)
SAN Coleman 2 run (Frantz kick)
GEO Cooper 7 pass from Murray (McLaughlin kick)
SAN Davis 20 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 16 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GEO Murray 15 run (McLaughlin kick)
GEO Burks 35 pass from Murray (McLaughlin kick)
SAN Roe 28 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Coleman 4 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GEO Burks 30 pass from Murray (Thomas rush failed)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: SAN – Grieb 17-24-0-203. GEO – Murray 18-31-1-249.
Rushing: SAN – Kinsinger 3-8; Coleman 3-6; Johnson 4-1. GEO – Murray 6-31; Thomas 2-8; Younger 2-3.
Receiving: SAN – Roe 5-77; Coleman 4-48; Wagner 4-37; Davis 3-36; Hundon 3-34. GEO – Cooper 9-117; Burks 3-80; Ward 3-25; Evans 2-17; Anderson 1-10.
Kick Returns: SAN – Davis 2-50; Wagner 2-46. GEO – Cooper 7-105.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
April 25, 2004 San Jose 63, @Georgia 34
May 31, 2003 @San Jose 69, Georgia 48 (Playoff)
Feb. 16, 2003 @Georgia 51, San Jose 49
May 4, 2002 @San Jose 59, Georgia 53

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Georgia it would...
*Give San Jose a 9-7 season record.
*Clinch a playoff berth for the sixth consecutive year.
*Break their 3-game losing streak.
*Increase their series lead to 4-1.
*Be San Jose's 3rd straight win over the Force.
*Give San Jose a 111-62 all-time record.
*Give San Jose a 57-22 all-time regular season home record.
*Be San Jose's sixth consecutive winning season.
*Give San Jose a 6-2 home record this season.
*Give San Jose a 25-14 all-time record against Southern Division teams.
*Give San Jose a 15-6 all-time home record against Southern Division teams.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
72-31 (.699) reg. season; 81-34 (.704) overall
3-1 (.750) career vs. Georgia
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 surpassed Michael Trigg for 6th place with San Jose's win at Colorado on Apr. 22. His overall winning percentage of .704 (81-34) 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 66-23 (.742) 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).

Georgia – Doug Plank, 1st season
11-4 (.733) reg. season and overall
0-0 career vs. San Jose
On July 30, 2004, Doug Plank was announced as the new head coach of the Georgia Force becoming the fourth head coach in the team's history. Plank comes to the Force having served as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Rattlers from 2002-2004, which included three consecutive ArenaBowl appearances. Following a 3-5 start in 2004, the Rattlers turned their season around to finish with a league-best tying 11-5 record and secure the top seed in the AFL playoffs. In 2002, Plank helped guide the Rattlers defense to a number one regular season ranking in rushing defense and scoring defense. In his three years with the Rattlers, he coached four First Team All-Arena selections, two Second Team All-Arena players and four All-Ironman Team choices, including 2003 AFL Ironman of the Year Randy Gatewood. A former member of The Ohio State University football team, Plank played in three consecutive Rose Bowls, 1973, 1974, and 1975, while starring for legendary coach Woody Hayes. Plank possesses a wealth of football experience that includes an impressive career in the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1975 NFL Draft and started at safety for eight seasons. The "46 Defense" created by Buddy Ryan was named for Plank's jersey number and aggressive style of play. Plank was also the first Bears rookie to ever lead the team in tackles.

RECENT RESULTS: Arizona 54, SABERCATS 44 – Sherdrick Bonner tossed six touchdown passes and the Rattlers (6-9) forced three turnovers to put the playoff chances of the defending champion SaberCats (8-7) in jeopardy with a 54-44 win over San Jose in an Arena Football League game on Saturday. Bonner completed 18-of-29 for 228 yards without an interception as the Rattlers snapped a two-game losing streak to San Jose and extended the SaberCats losing streak to three games. Arizona struck first when Bonner tossed a 24-yard scoring strike to Randy Gatewood on the first offensive possession and the Rattlers never trailed. San Jose tied the game at 7-7 when Rashied Davis hauled in a 6-yard scoring pass from Mark Grieb. Davis established a new San Jose season record with his 39th touchdown of the year breaking Steve Papin's 2000 record. Davis tied the game at 14-14 with a 56-yard kickoff return at the end of the first quarter, but Arizona responded on the ensuing kickoff when Tom Pace scampered 55 yards to quickly give Arizona the lead back. Arizona scored twice more following the kickoff return touchdown to build its lead to 34-14 early in the third quarter. Pace would add his second kickoff return score of the game early in the fourth quarter by taking an onsides attempt 11-yards. Grieb completed 29-of-44 attempts for 289 yards, but was intercepted twice by Randy Gatewood. Grieb has tossed seven picks in his last three games and San Jose has committed a total of 10 turnovers in that span. The SaberCats are still in playoff contention and need a win next week against Georgia to secure its sixth consecutive postseason appearance. NOTES: The SaberCats won the coin toss for the first time in five games...Rashied Davis broke Steve Papin's single season TD record with a 7-yard reception in the 1st quarter...San Jose converted two two-point conversion attempts for the first time in a game since May 4, 2002...Grieb has thrown for 4,568 yards on the year, the second-highest single season total in AFL history.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
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.
Apr. 21 Placed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie on IR.
Apr. 28 Activated FB/LB Steve Warren from IR. Placed FB/LB Kevin Buck on IR.
May 5 Activated OL/DL Sam Hernandez from RTR.
May 6 Activated WR/DB Ryan Fernandez and DS Tremain Mack from IR. Placed WR/LB Yardon Brantley and DS Wendell Davis on IR.
May 13 Activated FB/LB Kevin Buck and OL/DL Tony Plantin from IR. Placed FB/LB Steve Warren and OL/DL George Williams on IR.

MILESTONES:
*Rashied Davis needs one 100-yard receiving game to break the team season record of 7...needs 101 receiving yards to tie James Hundon's 2002 record of 1,464...needs 1 KOR touchdown to tie the team season record of 6 shared by Clevan Thomas (2002) and Steve Papin (1999)...needs one 10+ reception game to tie the team record of four set by James Roe in 2004.
*Mark Grieb needs 194 yards to tie the AFL record (4,762) set by Jim Kubiak in 2003...needs 1 touchdown to reach 80 in a season for the first time in his career.
*Rodney Wright (1) needs one more MFG return for a TD to establish a new team record in a season.
*Calvin Schexnayder needs 4 receptions for 600 career.
*James Roe needs 121 receiving yards to match his career-high of 1,440 set in 2003...needs 145 yards to tie the team season record...needs four touchdown receptions to match his career-high of 31.
*Barry Wagner needs 162 all-purpose yards to become AFL's all-time leader...needs 2 rushing yards for 250 in his San Jose career...needs 1 rushing TD for 125 in his AFL career.

*Matt Kinsinger needs 7 rush yards to give him 400 in his SaberCats career, which would also tie him with Tom Petithomme for 2nd place on the team's all-time list.
*Shalon Baker (61) needs 4 receiving TDs to tie Steve Papin (65) for 4th place on the team's all-time list.
*San Jose needs one more 80-point performance to set the league record for most 80-point games in a season. They are currently tied with the now defunct Albany Firebirds with three.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Force
Scoring Offense (Rank) 59.4 (1) 51.3 (8)
Scoring Defense 51.5 (12) 46.1 (2)
Total Offense 316.9 (1) 281.7 (8)
Total Defense 280.4 (9) 296.9 (12)
Pass Offense 300.9 (1) 263.1 (9)
Pass Defense 263.7 (9) 278.7 (13)
Rushing Offense 16.0 (11) 18.6 (9)
Rushing Defense 16.7 (2) 18.3 (7)
Touchdowns 129 (1) 108 (9)
Pass Rating 120.3 (1) 119.3 (2)
Pass Defense Rating 108.9 (10) 106.7 (6)
Interceptions 16 (7) 12 (T-12)
Kickoff Return Avg. 21.4 (2) 17.6 (10)
Field Goal Return Avg. 27.8 (1) 17.4 (8)
Turnover Margin -1 (T-9) -2 (11)
3rd Down Conversions 44.8 (13) 50.0 (T-5)
4th Down Conversions 58.3 (2) 55.6 (5)
Sacks By 10 (T-13) 15 (T-9)
Sacks Against 18 (12) 11 (7)

2005 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 305.9 1
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 68.7 1
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 79 5
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 121.7 1
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 4,568 1
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 354 3
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 304.5 1
James Roe Receptions 104 T-8
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,319 8
Rashied Davis Touchdowns 41 T-2
Rashied Davis All-purpose Yards 2,380 5
Rashied Davis KO Return Avg. 24.5 2
Rashied Davis TD Receptions 28 T-8
Rashied Davis KO Return TDs 5 T-1
Rashied Davis Receiving Yards 1,363 7
Rashied Davis Scoring 246 T-2
Dan Frantz PAT Attempts 122 1
Dan Frantz PATs Made 103 1
Joe Jacobs Forced Fumbles 3 T-6
Joe Jacobs Tackle's for Loss 6.5 T-10
Matt Kinsinger Rush TDs 9 T-7
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 6 T-5
Rodney Wright MFG Yards 94 6
Rodney Wright MFG Return TDs 1 T-1

TRENDS:
HOME SWEET HOME – Although San Jose has dropped two in a row at home for the first time since 1999, they still own a commanding record at HP Pavilion. Including the postseason, the SaberCats still have a distinct home field advantage winning 14 of their last 17 games, 18 out of their last 22 and 36 of their last 41 at home. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats are 38-6 (.864) in regular season home games and 46-8 (.852) overall at HP Pavilion. The team has not lost three consecutive regular season home games in one year in its history. San Jose did lose the final game of the 1997 season and opened the 1998 campaign with consecutive home defeats.

SLUMP – After San Jose's 89-41 dismantling of Colorado on Apr. 22, the SaberCats have dropped three consecutive contests, including two in a row at home. This marks the first time since 1999—San Jose's first year under head coach Darren Arbet—that San Jose has lost three straight games. The SaberCats have never lost four consecutive games in one season in their history. They did lose three straight games to open the 1998 season after ending the 1997 campaign with a loss for a franchise record four-game losing skid.

REGULAR SEASON FINALES – Saturday's regular season finale against the Force will mark San Jose's third regular season finale at home and the 9th in their 11-year history. The SaberCats hold a 6-4 record all-time in the final game of the regular season and own a 4-4 record when finishing up the regular season at HP Pavilion.

SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES – The second quarter hasn't been kind to the SaberCats lately. San Jose has failed to score in the second quarter of their past two games—both losses. Against Arizona and Los Angeles, San Jose's offense was stopped on all six possessions in the second quarter. In their seven losses this season, San Jose has been outscored 158-63 in the second quarter. The SaberCats own a 1-6 record when putting up fewer points in the second quarter. In their eight wins, the SaberCats have outscored their opponents 194-119.

TURNOVERS – In their last three games—all losses—the SaberCats have turned the ball over 10 times (7 interceptions, 3 fumbles). San Jose lost the football three times in its loss at Arizona on May 14 (2 INTs, 1 fumble). Against Los Angeles, San Jose coughed the ball up four times (three INTs, one fumble) and versus Nashville, they committed three turnovers (2 INTs, one fumble). In each of the SaberCats three losses, the opposition's points off of turnovers surpassed their margin of victory. In total San Jose's 10 turnovers have led to 33 points for the opposition.

PENALTY PARADE – For the 6th consecutive game, the SaberCats were flagged for double-digit penalties, continuing their recent alarming trend. Against the Rattlers, San Jose committed 13 penalties totaling 67 yards, which gave Arizona four first downs. Since the game against Chicago on Apr. 10, the SaberCats have committed a total of 71 penalties for 435 yards, giving their opponents a new set of downs 25 times. Meanwhile, San Jose's opponents have committed only 48 penalties for 269 yards giving the SaberCats just 17 first downs. That's 23 more penalties and 166 extra yards for the other team.

HEADS OR TAILS – San Jose won the coin toss for the first time since Apr. 3—a span of five games—but it did not change their fortunes as they suffered their third loss in a row. For the season San Jose is 6-5 when losing the coin toss and 2-2 when winning the toss.

SCORING FIRST – For the first time since Mar. 18, the SaberCats did not score first. San Jose won the coin toss and deferred to Arizona, who registered the game's first points on a 24-yard TD pass from Sherdrick Bonner to Randy Gatewood. San Jose had scored first in each of its previous six games. The team is 7-4 on the year when putting up the first points in a game.

THE MAGIC TOUCH – Barry Wagner remains perfect when rushing the ball. Returning to the lineup after being inactive against the Avengers, Wagner plunged into the endzone in the fourth quarter from a yard deep on his only carry of the night. For the season, the AFL's career leader in rushing TD's (124) is a perfect five-for-five: five carries and five rushing touchdowns.

NOTES:
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS – While the playoff picture still isn't settled with one week remaining in the regular season, at least it has cleared up a bit. This weekend, both Colorado and Los Angeles clinched division titles, leaving San Jose, Las Vegas and Chicago vying for the final two playoff spots in the American Conference. San Jose can clinch its 6th consecutive trip to playoffs with a win over Georgia on May 21 OR a Las Vegas loss to Arizona on May 22. Chicago can clinch a playoff berth with either a win over Nashville OR losses by either Las Vegas or San Jose. The Gladiators need to win AND have either San Jose or Chicago lose. Should San Jose and Chicago both win, Chicago would be the third seed while San Jose would be the fourth seed by virtue of the tiebreaker. If San Jose and Las Vegas get in, San Jose would be the third seed and Vegas would be the fourth seed.

REPEAT? – San Jose's current three-game skid is certainly cause for concern. However, last season, San Jose ended the regular season on less than a high note. The SaberCats lost three of their final four games heading into the playoffs. In the playoffs, where anything can happen, San Jose captured their second ArenaBowl title in three years. There will be one main difference though. Last year, despite the end of the season struggles, San Jose still hosted the first two rounds of the playoffs before traveling to Arizona for the ArenaBowl. This year, should the SaberCats qualify for the playoffs, they will pack their bags for either Colorado or Los Angeles in the first round.

ON THE MARK – Mark Grieb continued his late season struggles throwing two interceptions against Arizona, but managed to move within striking distance of the AFL single-season passing yards record. Grieb (4,568) needs just 194 passing yards—Grieb's lowest total of the season is 245 yards—to break the record of 4,762 set by Jim Kubiak of Dallas in 2003. Grieb's 6-yard toss to Rashied Davis in the first quarter at Arizona on May 14 set a new team record for most TD passes in a season. He finished the game with four TD passes, increasing his team-record total to 79. However, his two interceptions against the Rattlers gave Grieb seven in his last three games and tied the team record for most INTs in a season (16). Despite his recent struggles, Grieb remains the league leader in passer rating (121.7), total offense (305.9), passing average per game (304.5) and passing yards (4,568), and ranks 5th in the league in touchdowns (79).

MOST PASSING YARDS, AFL SEASON
Rk Player Team Yards
1. Jim Kubiak, Dallas 2003 4,762
2. Mark Grieb, San Jose 2005 4,568
3. Aaron Garcia, New York 2001 4,515
4. Andy Kelly, New Orleans 2005 4,465
5. Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2004 4,450

400 (and counting) CLUB – For the first time in two weeks, QB Mark Grieb will not be facing a fellow member of the 400+ career touchdown pass club. On May 7, Grieb went up against former SaberCat John Kaleo and last week, faced arch-rival Sherdrick Bonner. The Force's Matt Nagy, who started the season as the backup before assuming the starting job when Jim Kubiak went down with an injury, has 138 touchdowns in his three-year AFL career. Grieb threw 4 TD passes against Arizona to increase his career total to 427. In four games against Georgia, Grieb has thrown for 21 touchdowns, including an 8-TD performance on Apr. 25, 2004.

AFL CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Rk. Player Team Pass TDs
1. Aaron Garcia New York 718
2. Andy Kelly New Orleans 713
3. Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 657
4. Clint Dolezel Las Vegas 648
5. John Kaleo Los Angeles 499
6. Mark Grieb San Jose 427
7. Todd Hammel Chicago 422
8. Jay Gruden -- 400

RAH-SHIED – Rashied Davis' three TD performance at Arizona on May 14 set a new team record for both touchdowns in a season (41) and points in a season (246), breaking the previous mark of 38 TDs and 228 points set by Steve Papin in 2000. For the second consecutive week, Davis fell less than five yards shy of becoming the first player in San Jose history to record eight 100-plus yard receiving games in a season. Davis had 98 and 96 receiving yards against Los Angeles and Arizona, respectively. Hauling in 11 catches against Arizona gave Davis three 10+ reception games in a season, tied for the second highest season total in team history. Despite playing the first two games strictly on defense, Davis is currently tied for second in the league in scoring (241 points) and touchdowns (41), second in kick return average (24.5), tied for first in kick return touchdowns (5), and fifth in all-purpose yards (2,380). Davis is a legitimate Offensive Player of the Year candidate in his first full season as OS.

TEAM SINGLE SEASON TOUCHDOWNS
Rk. Player Year TDs
1. Rashied Davis 2005 41
2. Steve Papin 2000 38
3. James Hundon 2002 35
4. James Roe 2003 33
5. Steve Papin 1999 32
Steve Papin 1998 32

FLIP FLOP – A week after being overtaken on the team's career receiving yards list by teammate Shalon Baker, Barry Wagner regained the fourth spot. Wagner's nine-yard reception in the 4th quarter against the Rattlers gave him 3,572 receiving yards as a SaberCat, just three yards more than Baker, who was inactive for the game. Wagner is fourth on the team with 24 receptions.

TEAM CAREER RECEIVING YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. James Roe 5,302
2. James Hundon 4,648
3. Steve Papin 4,282
4. Barry Wagner 3,572
5. Shalon Baker 3,569

GETTING THE POINTS ACROSS – Despite failing to break the 50-point barrier for the second consecutive game, the SaberCats are now just 9 points shy of becoming the 7th team in AFL history to score 900 or more in a season. With 891 points, the SaberCats need 37 points to move into a tie for second place and 75 points to tie the AFL record they set in 2003. San Jose continues to lead the league in scoring (59.4 points per game), total offense (316.9 yards per game) and touchdowns (129). San Jose has averaged 63.6 points in their three wins over Georgia. This year, however, the Force have allowed more than 60 points in a game just once and rank 2nd in the league allowing just 46.1 points per game.

MOST POINTS, AFL SEASON
Rank Team (Year) Points
1. San Jose SaberCats (2003) 966
2. Grand Rapids Rampage (2003) 925
3. Los Angeles Avengers (2003) 924
4. Arizona Rattlers (2003) 917
5. Dallas Desperados (2003) 910
6. Los Angeles Avengers (2004) 904

ROE-LIFIC – It's hard to notice James Roe when OS Rashied Davis and QB Mark Grieb get much of the attention, but he is quietly putting together one of the best receiving years of his career. For the year, Roe leads the team in receptions (104) and is second behind Davis in yards (1,319) and TD receptions (27). His 1,319 receiving yards are the second highest total of his career and only 121 yards shy of his personal best (1,440) set in 2003. Roe is also within reach of the SaberCats single season receiving yards record of 1,464 set by James Hundon in 2002, but will need a monster game (145 yards) to tie the record. Against Los Angeles on May 7, Roe became the first SaberCat in history with 400 receptions. In his sixth season with the SaberCats, Roe is the club's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards (5,385) and TD catches (127).

DYNAMIC DUOS – For the second straight week, two of the league's best receiving duos will square off in San Jose's Rashied Davis and James Roe, and Georgia's Troy Bergeron and Derek Lee. Last week, Davis and Roe went head-to-head with Arizona's Siaha Burley and Randy Gatewood, who lead the league with 61 combined TD receptions. In the game, Davis and Roe teamed-up for 179 receiving yards and three TD receptions, but Burley and Gatewood had the last laugh, finishing the night with four scores and, more importantly, the win. Davis (1,363) and Roe (1,319) have the most receiving yards of any twosome in the league this year with 2,682 and have added 55 touchdowns. Bergeron and Lee, both rookies, are not far behind with 2,384 combined receiving yards and are in front of San Jose's duo with 59 receiving scores.

GEORGIA ON MY MIND – The SaberCats have a history with the Force, not just on the field either. After the franchise was sold and relocated to Georgia from Nashville prior to the 2002 season, the SaberCats were Georgia's first opponent at its new home. San Jose defeated the Force, 68-35, in a preseason game on April 12 in the first AFL game played in Phillips Arena. For the 2003 season, the Force moved to Gwinnett County and played its home games at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, where the SaberCats were once again the Force's first opponent. Georgia defeated San Jose, 51-49, before a sellout crowd of 11,200 in the first-ever event held at the new venue.

DIVISION LEADERS – In their final regular season game, San Jose will play the Georgia Force who not only lead the Southern Division, but also own the best record in the league. Excluding Wk. 1 of the AFL season, San Jose has faced a team atop its division or sharing the division lead seven times this year and own a 5-2 record against them. Their only two losses came at the hands of the Avengers in Wk. 4 and Wk. 15.

Date Team (Record) Division Result
Feb. 2 Las Vegas (1-0)* Western W, 66-31
Feb. 20 Los Angeles (2-1)^ Western L, 69-71
Mar. 6 Orlando (4-1)* Southern W, 57-38
Mar. 28 Las Vegas (5-3) Western W, 81-75
Apr. 15 Dallas (6-3-1) Eastern W, 83-71
Apr. 22 Colorado (8-3)^ Central W, 89-41
May 7 Los Angeles (8-5)^ Western L, 42-54
*best record in the league at the time
^best record in the conference at the time

RETURNED! – Rashied Davis and Tom Pace returned back-to-back kickoffs for scores at Arizona on May 14, marking just the 2nd time in SaberCats history that has been accomplished. Davis scampered 56-yards with his league-high tying 5th return for a TD late in the first quarter to knot the score at 14-14, but on the ensuing kickoff, Pace went 55-yards to give the Rattlers a lead they would not relinquish. The last time back-to-back kickoffs were returned for scores was on August 6, 1995, when the SaberCats hosted, you got it, Arizona. Hunkie Cooper and Titus Dixon did the honors that night.

MILESTONES REACHED AGAINST ARIZONA:
*Rashied Davis set team records for TDs in a season with 41 and scoring with 246, breaking Steve Papin's record of 38 TDs and 228 points set in 2000...With his 56-yard kickoff return TD, Davis (five KOR TDs) moved into sole possession of third on San Jose's list for most KOR TDs in a season...His 11-catch performance gave him three 10+ reception games for the season, tied for second on San Jose's list.
*Mark Grieb (4,568) surpassed Aaron Garcia (4,515) for 2nd place on the league's single-season passing yards list...Set a new team record for most TD passes in a season with 79...set a new team records for most attempts (515) and most completions in a season (354).
*Barry Wagner (3,572) passed Shalon Baker (3,569) for 4th place on the team's career receiving yards list.
*Kevin Buck earned his first career-reception, a 5-yard pass from Grieb in the fourth quarter.
*Matt Kinsinger caught a career-long 20-yard pass in the second quarter.
*San Jose's loss to Arizona gave them three consecutive defeats for the first time since 1999.
*San Jose posted its first losing road record (3-4) since going 2-5 in 1999.
*San Jose converted two two-point conversions for the first time in a game since May 4, 2002.

GEORGIA PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS CHRIS JACKSON – Jackson returns to San Jose for the 2nd time this season after facing the SaberCats earlier in the year as a member of the Grand Rapids Rampage. In that game, Jackson returned a kickoff 55 yards for a TD and hauled in two scoring passes. Less than two weeks after playing San Jose, Jackson was dealt to the league-leading Force at the trading deadline for Dialleo Burks and future considerations. Jackson has made an immediate splash with his new team, averaging 133.2 receiving yards in 5 games and adding 16 TDs. In Georgia's last contest, Jackson set a new Force record with 173 receiving yards and 5 TDs. Jackson has scored in all nine games against San Jose as a member of the Rampage and Los Angeles Avengers. In his career against the SaberCats, Jackson has caught 53 passes for 660 yards and 16 total TDs. He also has the honor of being the only San Jose opponent to score a TD on the game's opening kickoff, a feat he accomplished with a 51-yard return on Jun. 8, 2002 while with Los Angeles.

OS TROY BERGERON – In his first year in the AFL, Bergeron has proven to be one of the top rookies in the league. Bergeron currently leads the Force in receiving yards (1,264) and TDs (30), and ranks 2nd on the club in scoring (182 points). He also has a chance to break the league's rookie receiving yards record of 1,335 set by Oronde Gadsden in 1998. The AFL's youngest player at 21, Bergeron ranks in the top five in all-purpose yards (2,391), MFG return yards (122) and kick return yards (1,007) and is in the top 10 in the league in scoring (182 points) and receiving TDs (30). In an impressive AFL debut, Bergeron caught 6 passes for 116 yards and 3 TDs in Georgia's opening day win over New Orleans.

WR/LB DEREK LEE – Lee is the second part of Georgia's dynamic rookie duo (with Bergeron) that rank second in the league in combined TD receptions (59). Lee, who signed to the Force roster in training camp after being brought in on a two-day waiver, leads the club in receptions (103) and scoring (184), and ranks second in receiving yards (1,120) and receiving TDs (29). He ranks in the top 10 in the league in receptions, scoring and receiving TDs. Lee needs just two more receptions to break the rookie record of 105 set by Mike Baker in 1996. At a towering 6-5, Lee is a big target for quarterbacks and a disturbance in the box. In his best career game on Mar. 12, Lee torched the New York Dragons for 148 receiving yards and 6 TD receptions.


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) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) QB Leon Murray, Nashville
LOS ANGELES (May 7) OS Tony Locke, Los Angeles
@Arizona (May 14) QB Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona
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) DS Clevan Thomas, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) DS Khalil Carter, Nashville
LOS ANGELES (May 7) OL/DL Michale Spicer, Los Angeles
@Arizona (May 14) OL/DL Wendall Gaines, Arizona
GEORGIA (May 21)


ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, Tmpa Bay
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) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
LOS ANGELES (May 7) WR/DB Kevin Ingram, Los Angles
@Arizona (May 14) WR/LB Randy Gatewood, ArizonaWR/LB Tom Pace, Arizona
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 2-0
30-39 points 0-2 2-0
40-49 points 1-2 2-0
50-59 points 2-1 0-4
60-69 points 1-2 0-2
70-79 points 1-0 2-1
80+ points 3-0 0-0

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

Leading after the 1st 6-3
Trailing after the 1st 1-0
Tied after the 1st 1-4

Leading at Half 8-1
Trailing at Half 0-5
Tied at Half 0-1

Leading after the 3rd 8-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-6
Tied after the 3rd 0-1

Scoring First 7-4
Opp. Score First 1-3

More Total Offense 5-7
Less Total Offense 3-0

More Pass Yards 5-6
Less Pass Yards 3-0

More Rushing Yards 6-2
Less Rushing Yards 2-5

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

On NBC 1-4
On WB20 2-1
On FSN 5-2

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

Winning coin toss 2-2
Losing coin toss 6-5

Outscoring Opponent 8-0
Being Outscored 0-7



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 18, 2005


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