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San Jose SaberCats game notes

March 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Georgia Force (4-3) at SaberCats (2-5).
Date: Friday, March 17, 2006.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Bill LeMonnier; Umpire: Rick Nelson; Head Linesman: Kavin McGrath; Line Judge: Darrel Leftwich; Back Judge: Rich Wilborn.
Television: The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net with Barry Tompkins (play by play) Mike Pawlawski (color) and Amy Gutierrez (sideline). FSN Bay Area will air the game tape delayed on Saturday, Mar. 18 at 10:00 a.m.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald handling play-by-play duties and former 49er Keena Turner adding commentary. The station will air an extended pregame show live from HP Pavilion starting at 5:00 p.m.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 4-1.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 54, Georgia 48 (May 21, 2005 in HP Pavilion).
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 3.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (8th season; 75-36 regular season, 84-40 overall). Georgia, Doug Plank (2nd season; 15-8 regular season, 17-9 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats failed in their attempt to win consecutive games for the first time since Apr. 15-22, 2005 and fell to 2-5 on the year dropping a 75-61 decision to the Los Angeles Avengers on Mar. 12. San Jose must now deal with the Georgia Force following a short week. The teams will tangle on St. Patrick's Day, Friday, March 17 with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. at HP Pavilion. San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR 1050 will air the game live with FSN Bay Area showing a tape-delayed broadcast at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Mar. 18. Mark Grieb tossed eight touchdown passes for the second straight week and threw for 395 yards, the fourth-highest single game total in team history, and Barry Wagner made his season debut with 200 all-purpose yards to overtake Hunkie Cooper as the league's career leader. However, the SaberCats failed to stop the Avengers and fell one game behind the leaders in the Western Division. Georgia, last year's ArenaBowl runner up, defeated Columbus, 68-50, on Mar. 10 and will have had a full week between games. San Jose has won three straight games over the Force and four of the five games all-time, including a 54-48 win on May 21, 2005 in the regular season finale. The SaberCats have never lost three consecutive home games in one season and need a victory on Friday to avoid doing that.
THE SCHEDULES:

2006 San Jose SaberCats (2-5)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 UTAH Lost 35-48
Feb. 6 @Las Vegas Lost 48-51
Feb. 12 @Arizona Won 58-50
Feb. 19 @Grand Rapids Lost 52-66
Feb. 26 @Chicago Lost (ot) 48-54
Mar. 4 @Utah Won 65-50
Mar. 12 LOS ANGELES Lost 61-75
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Mar. 17 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Mar. 25 @Nashville 5:00 pm 1050/NBC11
Apr. 2 ARIZONA 3:00 pm 1050/NBC
Apr. 7 @Tampa Bay 4:30 pm 1050/20
Apr. 14 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Apr. 22 AUSTIN 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 29 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm 1050/20
May 6 COLORADO 7:30 pm 1050
May 13 COLUMBUS 7:30 pm 1050

2006 Georgia Force (4-3)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 ORLANDO Won 48-31
Feb. 4 COLORADO Lost 59-61
Feb. 10 @Tampa Bay Lost 60-62
Feb. 17 @Las Vegas Won 54-34
Feb. 24 KANSAS CITY Won 51-19
Mar. 4 AUSTIN Lost 52-53
Mar. 10 @Columbus Won 68-50
Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Mar. 17 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSN
Mar. 26 TAMPA BAY 12:00 pm
Apr. 1 @Kansas City 5:00 pm
Apr. 9 @Austin 1:00 pm
Apr. 14 @Orlando 4:30 pm
Apr. 22 DALLAS 4:30 pm
Apr. 29 CHICAGO 4:00 pm
May 6 @New York 4:00 pm
May 13 PHILADELPHIA 4:00 pm

THE SERIES: The SaberCats lead the all-time series 4-1 and have won the last three games between the teams. The SaberCats are also 3-1 in regular season games and unbeaten at home against the Force with a record of 3-0...Both of San Jose's regular season home wins over the Force have come by exactly six points, including last year's 54-48 win on May 21. The SaberCats posted a 59-53 win at home on May 4, 2002 and were victorious in the only playoff game between the teams, 69-48, on May 31, 2003...Georgia's only win in the series came on Feb. 16, 2003 in the first event ever held at the Gwinnett Arena. The team has since moved its home games to the downtown Phillips Arena in Atlanta...San Jose is the only visiting team to win a game in the series, 63-34, on Apr. 25, 2004.
WHAT'S AHEAD: San Jose travels to the Music City to play the Nashville Kats on Saturday, Mar. 25 at 5:00 p.m. (PT). The Bay Area's NBC affiliate KNTV (NBC11) will broadcast the game live with San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR 1050 also airing the contest. Following this game the SaberCats will end the year with five of their last seven games at home.

POST GAME CONCERT: Bay Area rockers Third Eye Blind will hold a post game concert immediately following the SaberCats/Arizona Rattlers game on Sunday, April 2. The group will have the stage for approximately 60 minutes and all fans holding a ticket to the game will have the opportunity to witness the free event. The game is set to kickoff at 3:00 p.m. (PT).

SABERCATS SIDELINE REPORT: Bob Fitzgerald returns as host of the SSR, which airs every Sunday during the season on NBC11 at 11:50 p.m. immediately following Sports Sunday. Join Fitz and a special guest every week for this action-packed 8-minute segment.

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 154 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...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 caught a TD pass in the same game...The SaberCats averaged nearly 59 points per game in the five series meetings and have scored 10-or-more points in 15 of the 20 quarters played against Georgia...San Jose has scored 22 times in 25 red zone opportunities against the Force.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SaberCats 54, Georgia 48 - Saturday, May 21, 2005 - HP Pavilion - In a game the SaberCats (9-7) needed to win, they did just that, defeating the Georgia Force (11-5) 54-48 to break their three-game losing streak and earn their sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs in front of 13,892 fans at HP Pavilion. QB Mark Grieb threw five TD passes and 228 yards, breaking the AFL single-season record for most passing yards. Grieb, the Offensive Player of the Game, completed 20-of-31 passes without an interception and finished the season with 4,796 yards, breaking Jim Kubiak's (4,762) single season passing mark set in 2003. Ironman of the Game James Roe caught 12 passes for 121 yards and three TD's while Rashied Davis added four catches for 57 yards and three scores of his own, including his sixth kickoff return TD of the season, a 56-yard dash to begin the game. It was San Jose's first kickoff return for a TD to open the game since June 22, 2002. The game was starting to look like a blowout when Grieb connected with Davis on a six-yard strike as time expired in the half to give the SaberCats a commanding 40-13 halftime lead. But Georgia's talented rookie duo of Troy Bergeron and Derek Lee, who combined for 19 catches, 222 yards and five TDs in the game, scored four times in the second half as Georgia tried furiously to erase a 27-point halftime deficit. Backup QB Glen Gauntt's 1-yard run with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter pulled Georgia within six points, but their ensuing onside kick attempt was knocked out-of-bounds by Roe and the SaberCats ran out the clock to seal the win. NOTES: Barry Wagner was named Defensive Player of the Game after registering a TFL, a forced fumble, two PBUs and a team-high 5.5 tackles...Clevan Thomas returned an onside kick 14 yards for the score, his first TD of the season...K Derek Schorejs made his SaberCats debut, converting on 6-of-8 PATs...Mark Grieb increased his team record for most passing TDs in a season to 84 and became the first player in history to reach the 80-TD mark...Rashied Davis tied a team record for most kickoff return TDs in a season with six and finished the season with a team record for TDs (44) and scoring (264)...Jeff Ruffin collected his first career sack...Rex Richards registered his first career assisted tackle.

Score By Quarters
Force....................................... 0 13 14 21 - 48
SaberCats................................ 14 26 7 7 - 54

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Davis 56 kickoff return (Schorejs kick)
SAN Roe 25 pass from Grieb (Schorejs kick)
SAN Wagner 2 run (Schorejs kick)
GEO Lee 26 pass from Nagy (kick failed)
SAN Thomas 14 kickoff return (Schorejs kick)
GEO Jackson 21 pass from Nagy (Garner kick)
SAN Davis 29 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
SAN Davis 6 pass from Grieb (kick blocked)
GEO Lee 24 pass from Gauntt (Garner kick)
SAN Roe 10 pass from Grieb (Schorejs kick)
GEO Bergeron 26 pass from Gauntt (Garner kick)
GEO Lee 6 pass from Gauntt (Garner kick)
SAN Roe 5 pass from Grieb (Schorejs kick)
GEO Lee 21 pass from Gauntt (Garner kick)
GEO Gauntt 1 run (Garner kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: GA - Nagy 12-22-0-123; Gauntt 15-18-0-177. SJ - Grieb 20-31-0-228.
Rushing: GA - Thomas 1-2; Gauntt 1-1. SJ - Buck 2-5; Dozier 2-5; Wagner 4-5; Roe 1-0.
Receiving: GA - Lee 10-114; Bergeron 9-108; Jackson 4-49; Smith 1-12; Carey 1-8; Thomas 1-8; Gauntt 1-1. SJ - Roe 12-121; Davis 4-57; Wagner 2-28; Dozier 1-16; Baker 1-6.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
May 21, 2005 @San Jose 54, Georgia 48
Apr. 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

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category (AFL Rank) SaberCats Force
Scoring Offense 52.4 (7) 56.0 (3)
Scoring Defense 56.3 (16) 44.1 (2)
Total Offense 303.7 (5) 269.7 (12)
Total Defense 297.0 (12) 291.4 (11)
Pass Offense 293.4 (4) 254.7 (11)
Pass Defense 280.0 (13) 268.4 (10)
Rushing Offense 10.3 (15) 15.0 (10)
Rushing Defense 17.0 (5) 23.0 (13)
Pass Rating 117.9 (6) 119.1 (5)
Pass Defense Rating 119.7 (15) 101.1 (8)
Interceptions 6 (T-10) 6 (T-10)
Kickoff Return Avg. 17.2 (9) 17.8 (6)
Field Goal Return Avg. 12.0 (15) 8.5 (16)
Turnover Margin +1 (T-9) +3 (T-3)
3rd Down Conversions 39.0% (15) 69.4% (1)
4th Down Conversions 38.5% (14) 16.7% (18)
Sacks For 9 (T-4) 9 (T-4)
Sacks Against 8 (T-12) 4 (T-5)

2006 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 299.9 3rd
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 37 T-4th
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 167 5th
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 2,097 3rd
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 299.6 3rd
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 116.9 6th
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 256 T-4th
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 65.2 8th
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 3 T-10th
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Recovered 2 T-1st
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Forced 2 T-4th
Marquis Floyd INT Return TDs 1 T-4th
Marquis Floyd Fumbles Forced 2 T-4th
Joe Jacobs Sacks 3.0 T-6th
Joe Jacobs Tackles for Loss 4.5 5th
Brian Schmitz PAT Kicks Made 41 7th
Brian Schmitz PAT Kick Attempts 47 8th
Phil Glover Rushing TDs 5 T-4th
Phil Glover Sacks 2.0 T-7th

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Georgia it would...
*Give them a 3-5 season record.
*Be their 4th straight win over the Force.
*Give them a 5-1 lead in the all-time series.
*Be their first home win of the season.
*Give them a 26-14 all-time record against Southern Division opponents.
*Give them a 16-6 all-time home record against Southern Division opponents.
*Give them a 105-61 all-time regular season record.
*Give them a 58-24 all-time reg. season home record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 8th season
75-36 (.676) reg. season; 84-40 (.677) overall
4-1 (.800) career vs. Georgia
1-0 (1.000) career vs. Doug Plank
Now in his eighth season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet currently ranks 6th in the AFL with 84 career victories and needs just two more wins to tie Perry Moss for 5th place. Last season Arbet led the SaberCats to their 6th consecutive winning season and playoff appearance. Since the start of the 2000 season his teams have compiled a 69-28 (.711) 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). Last season Arbet became the second fastest head coach to reach 80 career wins, doing it in 111 games. Only Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum, who reached the 80-win mark in 96 games, got to that milestone quicker.

Georgia - Doug Plank, 2nd season
15-8 (.652) reg. season; 17-9 (.654) overall
0-1 (.000) career vs. San Jose
0-1 (.000) career vs. Darren Arbet
Doug Plank enters his second season as head coach of the Georgia Force in 2006. In his first season as an AFL head coach, he led the Force on a magical ride to ArenaBowl XIX. Plank was voted 2005 AFL Coach of the Year after leading the Force to a league best 11-5 regular season record, the Southern Division title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Plank has coached in four straight ArenaBowls. He helped lead the Arizona Rattlers to three previous ArenaBowls as their defensive coordinator. A former member of The Ohio State University football team, Plank played in three consecutive Rose Bowls (1973-75). While at Ohio State, he played for legendary coach Woody Hayes. Plank brings with him a wealth of football experience that includes an impressive career in the NFL. He was selected 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.

CAREER COACHING RECORDS
Rk. Coach Team Record
1. Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 178-71
2. Danny White Utah 144-69
3. Mike Hohensee Chicago 98-89
4. Mike Dailey Colorado 94-59
5. Perry Moss None 86-35
6. Darren Arbet San Jose 84-40

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats waived OL/DL Jeff Ruffin, who played in just five games during his two seasons with the team. Ruffin's release opened a roster spot and the club signed former Miami Dolphins property OL/DL Van Brown, the younger brother of NFL veteran linebacker Chad Brown, to a three-year deal. The team also placed OL/DL Chuck Reed and WR/LB Kevin McKenzie on IR. Just prior to their Mar. 12 game, the SaberCats activated 14-year veteran Barry Wagner off IR.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Feb 10 Activated OL/DL Julius Gant, OL/DL Dan Loney, OL/DL Alan Harper and WR/LB Ben Nelson from IR. Placed OL/DL Jeff Ruffin, OL/DL George Williams and WR/LB Kevin McKenzie on IR.
Feb 11 Activated DS Omarr Smith from IR. Placed FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston on IR.
Feb 18 Activated WR/LB James Roe from IR. Placed WR/LB Ben Nelson on IR.
Feb 21 Re-signed OS Atnaf Harris.
Feb 25 Activated WR/LB Kevin McKenzie and OL/DL George Williams from IR. Placed WR/LB Fred Coleman and OL/DL Alan Harper on IR.
Mar 3 Activated WR/LB Ben Nelson from IR. Placed WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder on IR
Mar 8 Waived OL/DL Jeff Ruffin.
Mar 10 Signed OL/DL Van Brown. Re-signed OL/DL Alan Harper and put OL/DL Chuck Reed on IR.
Mar 11 Activated WR/DB Barry Wagner from IR. Placed WR/LB Kevin McKenzie on IR.

INJURY REPORT: At press time the SaberCats had 13 players on injured reserve. League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for two weeks. Last week the SaberCats put OL/DL Chuck Reed (knee arthritis) and WR/LB Kevin McKenzie (groin) on IR and replaced them on the roster with OL/DL Van Brown and WR/DB Barry Wagner. The players listed below with an asterisk by their name are eligible to be activated to the 24-man roster for the game against Georgia on Mar. 17.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Albrey Battle* R ankle tendonitis IR
Atnaf Harris* L foot stress IR
Chris Lewis* Back strain IR
Rufus Brown* L wrist sprain IR
Jason Geathers* R Hip flexor IR
Fitu Tu'ua* L 3rd finger IR
Rodney Wright* Turf toe IR
JaJuan Huddleston* Finger IR
Fred Coleman* Ankle sprain IR
Alan Harper* Flu symptoms IR
Calvin Schexnayder* R Ankle Sprain IR
Chuck Reed R Knee Arthritis IR
Kevin McKenzie Groin strain IR

MILESTONES
Player Milestone Needs
Mark Grieb 25,000 career pass yards 122
Mark Grieb 24,000 SJ career pass yards 125
Mark Grieb 2,000 career completions 87
Mark Grieb 450 SJ career TD passes 1
Barry Wagner 50 career INTs 3
Clevan Thomas 30 career INTs 2
Calvin Schexnayder 8th place in AFL career receptions 4
5th place in AFL career receiving yards 193
James Roe 150 career TD receptions 7
Phil Glover 200 career rush yards 17
Phil Glover 15 career rush TDs 2
Joe Jacobs 40 career sacks 1.5
Karl Bates 10 career sacks 0.5
Terrance Joseph 10 career INTs 1
Omarr Smith 25 career INTs 1
Brian Schmitz 60 career FGs made 2
Kevin McKenzie 3,000 career receiving yds 318
Kevin McKenzie 50 career TDs 4

RECENT RESULTS: Los Angeles 75, SABERCATS 61 - Sunday, March 12, 2006 - HP Pavilion - Quarterback Sonny Cumbie threw for 348 yards and six touchdowns in his third career start leading the Los Angeles Avengers to a 75-61 win over the San Jose SaberCats. It was the second straight win for the Avengers in San Jose and third overall in the series. Behind Cumbie and OS Tony Locke, who had seven catches for 168 yards and four touchdowns, the Avengers (2-5) scored on every possession, including the final time they had the ball when the pair hooked up on a 27-yard scoring pass with no time left on the clock. San Jose (2-5) quarterback Mark Grieb threw eight scoring passes for the second straight week and completed 28-of-41 passes for 393 yards with no interceptions. His 33-yard scoring pass to rookie Ben Nelson with 4:50 left in the second quarter gave San Jose its last lead of the game at 21-16. Kevin Ingram returned the ensuing onside kick attempt by San Jose 9-yards for a score and caught touchdown passes of 29 and four yards to give Los Angeles 37-28 lead at halftime. San Jose's Barry Wagner returned nine kickoffs for 200 yards, giving him 20,613 career all-purpose yards moving him past Hunkie Cooper as the AFL's all-time leader in that category. Wagner made his return to the lineup and played sparingly other than on special teams. With the score 68-61 late in the fourth quarter, San Jose drove to the Los Angeles 10-yard line and had the ball first-and-goal. But four straight incomplete passes by Grieb gave the ball back to the Avengers with 2:36 remaining. Los Angeles proceeded to run out the clock, converting on a third-and-nine play with under a minute left, before scoring on the final play of the game.

Score By Quarters
Avengers................................. 3 34 21 17 - 75
SaberCats................................ 7 21 20 13 - 61

SCORING SUMMARY
LAA FG Hamilton 19
SAN Roe 5 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Hopkins 1 run (kick blocked)
SAN Pauley 36 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Ford 3 run (Hamilton kick)
SAN Nelson 33 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Ingram 9 kickoff return (Hamilton kick)
LAA Ingram 29 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 30 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Ingram 4 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)
SAN Nelson 40 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Burns 57 kickoff return (Hamilton kick)
SAN Glover 9 run (kick failed)
LAA Locke 46 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 11 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA Jackson 39 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)
SAN Pauley 11 pass from Grieb (kick blocked)
LAA Locke 27 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 17 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
LAA FG Hamilton 25
LAA Locke 27 pass from Cumbie (Hamilton kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing - LA: Cumbie 23-34-0-348. SJ: Grieb 28-41-0-393.
Rushing - LA: Ford 4-10; Hopkins 1-1; Cumbie 2-1; Cage 1-0. SJ: Glover 1-9.
Receiving - LA: Locke 7-168; Ingram 7-68; Hopkins 6-32; Jackson 2-56; Burns 1-24. SJ: Roe 12-154; Nelson 11-162; Pauley 3-56; Floyd 2-21.
TRENDS:
THAT 60's SHOW - San Jose reached the 60-point mark for the 51st time in a regular season game in their 75-61 loss to Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and it was just the seventh time the SaberCats lost when scoring 60-or-more points in a game. The team's all-time record dipped to 44-7 (.863).

THREE'S A CROWD - The SaberCats have never lost three consecutive home games during the same season, but they are one loss away from doing that. San Jose has twice lost three straight at home, the first time coming at the end of the 1995 season. San Jose lost its final regular season game and playoff tilt that year before opening the 1996 season at home with a loss. San Jose ended the 1997 season with a loss at home then opened the 1998 campaign with a pair of home defeats.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE - Despite losing their first two home games of the 2006 season, the SaberCats still have an impressive home field record under head coach Darren Arbet. Since Arbet took over as head coach in 1999, San Jose is 43-11 (.796) in regular season games and 51-13 (.797) in all games played in HP Pavilion. In their 12-year history the SaberCats have posted a 57-24 (.704) record in regular season home games.

AND COUNTING - Since returning from his opening night injury, WR/LB James Roe has had four straight games with 100-plus yards in receptions. Roe had 154 yards on 12 catches against Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and is one 100-yard game away from tying James Hundon for the most consecutive 100-yard receiving games in team history with five. No other player in SaberCats history has registered four straight games with triple-digit receiving yard totals.

THE OTHER CONFERENCE - For the first time this season the SaberCats will play a team outside the American Conference when they host the National Conference/Southern Division Force on Friday. San Jose has won 10 straight home games, including playoffs, against Southern Division opponents with Georgia being victimized three times during the streak. San Jose's last home loss to a team from the Southern Division came on May 26, 2001 to Orlando, 59-35.

OUTPUT - The SaberCats have scored 126 points in their last two games (63.0 ppg) and have seen their season average on the year rise over four points in two weeks. Prior to their game at Utah on Mar. 4, the SaberCats were averaging 48.2 ppg, but after scoring 65 in a win over the Blaze and putting 61 on the board against Los Angeles on Mar. 12, the team's average has increased to 52.4 ppg, good for 7th place in the AFL.

THREE UNDER - A good score if you're on the golf course, but not for the SaberCats. At 2-5 the SaberCats find themselves 3-games under .500 for the second time this season, they were 1-4 following their loss at Chicago on Feb. 26, and for just the fourth time in club history. San Jose was 5-8 at one point during the 1996 season and started the 1998 campaign with three straight losses. The team has never been four games under .500 in its history.

PROVING COSTLY - Turnovers are costly in any game, but especially in Arena Football when every possession is a scoring opportunity. The SaberCats lost a fumble and turned the ball over on downs once in their loss to Los Angeles on Mar. 12 while the Avengers didn't turn the ball over and scored every time they had the ball. San Jose has a plus-6 turnover margin in their two wins with just one turnover. In their five losses, the SaberCats have turned the ball over 12 times and are a minus-5 in turnover margin.

THE FORCE BE WITH YOU - Georgia is 4-3 on the year, but the Force's three losses have been by a combined five, yes that's right, five points. Georgia twice failed on 2-point conversion attempts late in the game and lost by a pair each time. The Force suffered a 61-59 loss to Colorado on Feb. 4 and dropped a 62-60 decision at Tampa Bay on Feb. 10. Georgia was held scoreless in the fourth quarter of its 53-52 loss to Austin on Mar. 4.

NOTES:
THE WACKY WEST - It was expected to be a competitive division, and it is with three teams tied for the top spot and the other two just one game behind in the standings. San Jose dropped out of a first place tie with its loss to Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and the Avengers jumped right back into the thick of the race after breaking their five-game losing streak. The three teams that played outside the division all posted impressive wins last week with Utah beating Nashville, Arizona defeating Orlando and Las Vegas upending Grand Rapids. A change in the 2006 playoff format has the four division winners receiving a first round playoff bye and hosting a game in the second round. Games within the division take on more importance this year with head-to-head competition factoring as the main tie-breaker. Since the AFL went to a four-division format in 1995, no team with a sub-.500 record has won a division title and just two teams, Orlando (2002) and New York (2003), have won division titles with a .500 mark.

2006 WESTERN DIVISION STANDINGS
Team W L GB Pct Div Conf
Utah 3 4 -- .429 2-2 3-2
Las Vegas 3 4 -- .429 1-0 2-1
Arizona 3 4 -- .429 1-2 2-2
San Jose 2 5 1.0 .286 2-3 2-5
Los Angeles 2 5 1.0 .286 2-1 2-3

RECORD BREAKER - Playing in his first game of the year, Barry Wagner tallied 200 yards on nine kickoff returns and in the process became the AFL's career leader in all-purpose yards. Already the league's career leader in scoring (2,466), touchdowns scored (406), rushing TDs (125), receptions (962) and receiving yards (13,090), Wagner surpassed both George LaFrance and Hunkie Cooper against Los Angeles on Mar. 12. Wagner's 39-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter supplied the yardage needed for the 14-year veteran to grab yet another AFL record.

CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE LEADERS
Rk Player All-Purp Yards
1. Barry Wagner 20,613
2. Hunkie Cooper 20,586
3. George LaFrance 20,480
4. Eddie Brown 16,437

FULL NELSON - Rookie Ben Nelson started his second straight game at OS against Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and totaled 11 receptions for 162 yards and two long TDs (33 and 40 yards) in the 75-61 loss. In his first two games as the team's starting OS, Nelson has recorded 18 receptions for 239 yards and 3 TDs, numbers comparable to other great OSs that have worn the Green and Gold. James Hundon had 21 catches for 339 yards and 8 TDs in his first two starts at OS in 2001 and Titus Dixon totaled 19-264-3 in 1995. Nelson's numbers are better than those of Steve Papin (15-217-5) in 1997 and Rashied Davis (14-173-2) in 2005. Nelson played his first career AFL game as a WR/LB on Feb. 12 at Arizona before starting the last two contests. The SaberCats are 2-1 in games Nelson has played in and are averaging over 61 points a contest.

ON THE MARK - Mark Grieb threw for 393 yards, tied for the fourth-most in team history, and added 8 TD passes for the second straight week in a loss to Los Angeles on Mar. 12. In his last two games Grieb has thrown for 688 yards and 16 TDs with no interceptions while completing 70.7 percent of his passes (53-of-75). However, Grieb misfired on his last six attempts against the Avengers, including four straight incompletions when the SaberCats had the ball first-and-goal at the L.A. 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Grieb has started all five series games against the Force completing 96-of-142 passes for 1,201 yards with 26 TDs and four INTs. Grieb's first career 3-INT game came at Georgia on Feb. 16, 2003 but in 10+ quarters of action against the Force since then he has thrown 63 passes without and interception

MOST PASSING YARDS, TEAM, GAME
Rank Player Date Yards
1. Mark Grieb v Nashville 6/16/01 430
2. Mark Grieb v Florida 6/30/01 418
3. Mark Grieb at Los Angeles 2/20/05 399
4. Mark Grieb v Los Angeles 3/12/06 393
Tony Kimbrough at Arizona 5/4/96 393
6. Mark Grieb at Chicago 4/10/05 368

PAPER OR PLASTIC - After posting only an assisted tackle against Los Angeles on Mar. 12, lineman Joe Jacobs is still 1.5 sacks away from becoming the 5th player in AFL history to record 40.0 for a career and is just one sack away from tying Robert Stewart for 5th place on the league's career chart. Jacobs has recorded 15.5 of his career total 38.5 sacks as a member of the SaberCats and ranks 2nd all-time behind Sam Hernandez on the team's chart.

AFL CAREER SACKS LEADERS
Rk Player 2006 Team Sacks
1. Sam Hernandez None 59.0
2. Sylvester Bembery None 43.0
3. James Baron Nashville 41.5
4. Tom Briggs Austin 41.0
5. Robert Stewart None 39.5
6. Joe Jacobs San Jose 38.5

FITS LIKE A GLOVER - Free agent FB/LB Phil Glover has fit right in with the SaberCats in his first season with the club. The 4th year veteran had the only carry of the game for San Jose against Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and rumbled 9 yards for his team leading 5th rushing TD of the season. Glover is tied for 4th in the AFL in rush TDs and is also the team's leading rusher with 37 yards on 16 carries. Glover blocked a Remy Hamilton PAT attempt against Los Angeles as well, the first blocked PAT by a SaberCat since Joey Dozier at Arizona on May 14, 2005.

ROE-LIFIC - Since returning to the lineup following his opening night injury, WR/LB James Roe has posted some startling numbers. Roe tallied his second straight 12-reception game with 154 yards and 4 TDs against Los Angeles on Mar. 12 and in four games since his return to the lineup has totaled 39 catches for 505 yards and 12 TDs. Those four-game figures averaged over a complete 16-game schedule would be 156-2,020-48. Roe established a career-high in the L.A. game with his 4th consecutive 100-yard receiving game putting him in select company as well. His is just the 2nd player in team history with four straight 100-yard games and is one behind James Hundon for the team's record. Roe has a team best 24 career 100-yard receiving games and his seven 100-yard games in 2001 is tied with Shalon Baker (1999), James Hundon (2003) and Rashied Davis (2005) for the most in a single season.

TEAM CAREER 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES
Rank Player 100-yd games
1. James Roe 24
2. James Hundon 22
3. Steve Papin 17
4. Shalon Baker 10
5. Jerry Reese 9

TEAM CAREER RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Receptions
1. James Roe 460
2. Steve Papin 326
3. Barry Wagner 311
4. James Hundon 307
5. Shalon Baker 263

TEAM CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Receiving Yds
1. James Roe 6,022
2. James Hundon 4,648
3. Steve Papin 4,282
4. Barry Wagner 3,600
5. Shalon Baker 3,575

LETHAL COMBINATION - For just the 5th time in team history a pair of teammates had double-digit reception totals and for the 16th time triple-digit receiving yardage totals in the same game when James Roe (12-154) and Ben Nelson (11-162) did the honors against Los Angeles on Mar. 12. In fact, Roe has been one of the teammates with 10-plus catches on all five occasions and has had 100 or more yards 10 times. Over the last two games Nelson and Roe have combined for 42 catches, 508 yards and 11 TDs.

Player (recpts) Opponent Date
Roe (12); Nelson (11) v Los Angeles 3/12/06
Roe (11); Hundon (14) v Los Angeles 5/17/03
Roe (10); Hundon (10) v Indiana 4/19/03
Roe (11); Hundon (10) at Dallas 4/6/03
Roe (11); Baker (11) v Nashville 6/16/01

IN THE LOS ANGELES GAME:
WR/LB James Roe surpassed the 6,000 yard mark in receiving yards (6,022), 140 career TD catches (143) and had his 460th career reception.
QB Mark Grieb had his 1,900th career completion.
Los Angeles scored every time it touched the ball (10 TDs, 2 FGs).
The teams combined for 741 net passing yards, the highest combined total in San Jose's history.
WR/LB James Roe (12) and OS Ben Nelson (11) each had double-digit receptions, marking just the 5th time in team history teammates had 10 or more catches in the same game.
Los Angeles tied its record for most second quarter points allowed by the SaberCats with 34.
Omarr Smith returned to the lineup starting at DS in just his second game of the year posting 2.5 tackles.
Barry Wagner had 200 yards in kickoff returns, tied for the 6th highest total in team history.

FORCE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS CHRIS JACKSON - The 2003 Offensive Player of the Year has played exceptionally well against San Jose. Jackson has scored in all ten games against the SaberCats as a member of the Rampage, Avengers and the Force. He was a member of Grand Rapids at the beginning of the 2005 season before being traded to the Force in exchange for WR/LB Dialleo Burks and future considerations. In his last meeting with the SaberCats on May 21, 2005 the 2000 Rookie of the Year caught 4 passes for 49 yards with 1 TD and had 4 KOR for 59 yards. He has been the only San Jose opponent to score a TD on the game's opening kickoff which was accomplished with a 51-yard return on June 8, 2002 while he was a member of the Avengers. In his career against the SaberCats, he has caught 57 passes for 709 receiving yards and 17 total TDs.

QB MATT NAGY - The four-year veteran set a Force franchise record in 2005 by throwing 66 TD passes in a single season. In his last meeting with the SaberCats in 2005, he played the first half of the game completing 12-of-22 attempts for 123 yards with 2 TDs and no INTs. He was selected to the 2005 All-Arena Second Team and ended the season with a 119.0 passer rating ranking him third in the league. He has played for New York, Carolina and Georgia and has completed 822-of-1,073 attempts for 8,422 yards with 175 TDs and 27 INTs.

WR/LB DEREK LEE - The 2005 AFL All-Rookie Team selection leads his team in receptions with 61 for 602 yards and 11 TDS. In 2005, Lee ranked 6th in the league in TD receptions with 33 and finished the year with 113 catches for 1,234 yards with 21.5 total tackles on defense and 2 KOR for 13 yards and a TD. In the regular season finale against the SaberCats, Lee led his team in receptions with 10 for 114 yards and 4 TDs. He is currently ranked third in the AFL in receptions with 61.

WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) QB Joe Germaine, UTAH
@LVG (2/6) OS Marcus Nash, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) OS Calvin Schexnayder, SJS
@GRR (2/19) WR/DB Timon Marshall, GRR
@CHI (2/26) OS C.J. Johnson, CHI
@UTAH (3/4) QB Mark Grieb, SJS
v LAA (3/12) WR/LB James Roe, SJS

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) DS Kelvin Hunter, UTAH
@LVG (2/6) DL Wilky Bazile, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) DS Clevan Thomas, SJS
@GRR (2/19) DS Johnnie Harris, GRR
@CHI (2/26) DS Jeremy Unertl, CHI
@UTAH (3/4) DS Clevan Thomas, SJS
V LAA (3/12) DS Antuan Simmons, LAA

IRONMAN PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) WR/DB Orshawante Bryant, UTAH
@LVG (2/6) WR/DB Coco Blalock, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) WR/DB Charles Pauley, SJS
@GRR (2/19) WR/DB Marquis Floyd, SJS
@CHI (2/26) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
@UTAH (3/4) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
v LAA (3/12) WR/DB Kevin Ingram, LAA

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