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San Jose SaberCats game notes

April 25, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (7-6) at Los Angeles Avengers (3-10).
Date: Saturday, April 29, 2006.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: STAPLES Center (17,942).
Officials: Referee: Bill LeMonnier; Umpire: Mike Delaney; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Paul Engelberts; Back Judge: Billy Beckett.
Television: TV20 will televise the game live in the Bay Area with Bob Fitzgerald (play by play) and Keena Turner (color) calling the action. NBC11 will show the game tape delayed at 1:00 a.m. Sunday, Apr. 30, immediately following Saturday Night Live.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Ted Robinson (PxP) and Steve Papin (color). The two will host a 30-minute pre-game show starting at 7:00 p.m. live from the STAPLES Center.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Saturday night's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 8-5
Last Meeting: Los Angeles 75, SaberCats 61 (Mar. 12, 2006 in HP Pavilion).
Series Streak: Los Angeles Won 3.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (8th season; 80-37 regular season, 89-41 overall). Los Angeles, Ed Hodgkiss (5th season; 41-34 regular season, 41-38 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats climbed above the .500 mark for the first time this season, posted their fourth straight win and gained the top spot in the Western Division with their record come-from-behind win over Austin on Apr. 22. Mark Grieb tossed his 500th career TD pass and San Jose twice overcame a 22-point deficit to post a thrilling 63-59 win. San Jose moved into a first place tie with Arizona at 7-6 and can clinch their 7th consecutive playoff berth with a win this week. SaberCats will play their final regular season road game Saturday when they travel to Los Angeles for a 7:30 p.m. game. The Bay Area's TV20 will televise the game live and KNBR-1050 will also broadcast live from STAPLES Center. Grieb became the 6th QB in AFL history with 500 career TD passes when he found James Roe in the corner of the endzone with 17 seconds left for the game-deciding points. Roe tied a team single-game record with 14 receptions and added 4 TD catches. San Jose's comeback from 22 points down equaled the largest in team history. The SaberCats overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Florida 56-55 in overtime on June 30, 2001...San Jose holds an 8-5 series lead over Los Angeles, but the Avengers have won the last three meetings, including a 75-61 decision on Mar. 12, 2006 in HP Pavilion.

THE SCHEDULES:

2006 SAN JOSE SABERCATS (7-6)
Date Opponent Result Score (Rec)
Jan. 28 UTAH Lost 35-48 (0-1)
Feb. 6 @Las Vegas Lost 48-51 (0-2)
Feb. 12 @Arizona Won 58-50 (1-2)
Feb. 19 @Grand Rapids Lost 52-66 (1-3)
Feb. 26 @Chicago Lost (ot) 48-54 (1-4)
Mar. 4 @Utah Won 65-50 (2-4)
Mar. 12 LOS ANGELES Lost 61-75 (2-5)
Mar. 17 GEORGIA Won (ot) 56-55 (3-5)
Mar. 25 @Nashville Lost 48-51 (3-6)
Apr. 2 ARIZONA Won 61-49 (4-6)
Apr. 7 @Tampa Bay Won 52-43 (5-6)
Apr. 14 LAS VEGAS Won 69-59 (6-6)
Apr. 22 AUSTIN Won 63-59 (7-6)
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Apr. 29 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm 1050/20
May 6 COLORADO 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
May 13 COLUMBUS 7:30 pm 1050/CSN

2006 LOS ANGELES AVENGERS (3-10)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 29 ARIZONA Won 40-31 (1-0)
Feb. 5 @Philadelphia Lost 33-47 (1-1)
Feb. 12 @Grand Rapids Lost 41-66 (1-2)
Feb. 18 CHICAGO Lost 46-65 (1-3)
Feb. 25 UTAH Lost 66-68 (1-4)
Mar. 5 @Orlando Lost 34-59 (1-5)
Mar. 12 @San Jose Won 75-61 (2-5)
Mar. 19 COLORADO Won 60-57 (3-5)
Mar. 24 @Arizona Lost 45-58 (3-6)
Apr. 2 @Las Vegas Lost 49-63 (3-7)
Apr. 9 @Kansas City Lost 45-62 (3-8)
Apr. 15 @Utah Lost 61-63 (3-9)
Apr. 22 NEW YORK Lost 61-70 (3-10)
Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Apr. 29 SAN JOSE 7:30 pm TV20
May 6 NASHVILLE 7:30 pm
May 13 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm AFL Net

THE SERIES: The SaberCats lead the all-time series 8-5 but Los Angeles has won the last three meetings, including a 75-61 win earlier this season on Mar. 12 in HP Pavilion...The teams have split six games played in STAPLES Center with L.A. winning 71-69 in the last contest held there on Feb. 20, 2005...The last three games played in STAPLES Center have been decided by a combined 9 points...Four of San Jose's 23 70-plus point games have come against the Avengers...Seven of the 13 series games have been decided by 6 or fewer points...The SaberCats' point total in a 73-72 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2003 is its most ever in a defeat...The Avengers can become the 7th division opponent ever to sweep a home-and-home series from San Jose.
WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Saturday's game the SaberCats conclude the 2006 regular season with a pair of home games. San Jose faces the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush on Saturday, May 6 and plays the Coloumbus Destroyers for the first time ever on Saturday, May 13 in the season finale. Both games will be broadcast live on the team's flagship radio station KNBR-1050.

SABERCATS SIDELINE REPORT: Bob Fitzgerald returns as host of the SaberCats Sideline Report, 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:
Los Angeles' 14-point win (75-61) on Mar. 12, 2006 was its largest in the series...The SaberCats margin of victory in their eight wins against Los Angeles is 18 points...San Jose's point total in a 73-72 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2003 is its highest ever in a defeat...The SaberCats' point total in their 71-69 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 20, 2005 is the second highest ever in a defeat...San Jose has four of the nine 70-point regular season games allowed by the Avengers: 78 points twice (5/27/00 and 5/11/02), 75 points (7/8/00) and 72 points (2/9/03)...San Jose scored a team record 29 first quarter points vs. L.A. (5/27/00) and allowed a team record 35 fourth quarter points to L.A. (2/9/03)...Four of Mark Grieb's 29 career 300-yard passing games have come against Los Angeles...The SaberCats 53-point win (78-25) over the Avengers on May 27, 2000 is the worst loss in Los Angeles history...San Jose also handed L.A. its fourth-worst loss with a 34-point win (78-44) on May 11, 2002...L.A. WR/DB Kevin Ingram became just the 3rd player to intercept 3 San Jose passes in a game when he did so on May 7, 2005...Avengers WR/LB Greg Hopkins' 3-yard INT return for a TD on Feb. 20, 2005 was his 2nd against San Jose. He and Hunkie Cooper are the only players with 2 INT return scores against the SaberCats...San Jose scored 20 points in the final minute of play in their loss to the Avengers on Feb. 20, 2005...The teams combined for 762 yards of offense, the 2nd highest total in SaberCats history, on Mar. 12, 2006.

LAST SERIES MEETING: 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 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 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.
Kick Returns - LA: Burns 4-88; Ingram 3-46. SJ: Wagner 9-200; Smith 1-0.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Mar. 12, 2006 Los Angeles 75, @San Jose 61
May 7, 2005 Los Angeles 54, @San Jose 42
Feb. 20, 2005 @Los Angeles 71, San Jose 69
Mar. 26, 2004 @San Jose 55, Los Angeles 52
Feb. 22, 2004 San Jose 61, @Los Angeles 55
May 17, 2003 @San Jose 47, Los Angeles 43
Feb. 9, 2003 @Los Angeles 73, San Jose 72
June 8, 2002 San Jose 52, @Los Angeles 33
May 11, 2002 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 44
June 2, 2001 @Los Angeles 47, San Jose 44
Apr. 14, 2001 @San Jose 52, Los Angeles 30
July 8, 2000 San Jose 75, @Los Angeles 72
May 27, 2000 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 25

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category (Rank) SaberCats Avengers
Scoring Offense 55.1 (3) 50.5 (T-9)
Scoring Defense 54.6 (14) 59.2 (18)
Total Offense 318.5 (1) 288.5 (T-7)
Total Defense 286.5 (10) 282.4 (8)
Pass Offense 304.1 (1) 268.8 (6)
Pass Defense 270.4 (12) 261.5 (8)
Rushing Offense 14.4 (14) 19.8 (8)
Rushing Defense 16.2 (4) 20.9 (11)
Pass Rating 116.5 (6) 101.1 (12)
Pass Defense Rating 113.1 (13) 120.1 (18)
Interceptions 12 (T-8) 12 (T-8)
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.2 (14) 16.3 (13)
Field Goal Return Avg. 9.5 (16) 15.4 (11)
Turnover Margin +3 (6) +1 (T-9)
3rd Down Conversions 47.7% (9) 46.8% (11)
4th Down Conversions 40.0% (14) 52.0% (6)
Sacks By 14 (T-8) 5 (18)
Sacks Against 12 (T-9) 28 (17)

2006 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 308.9 1st
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 68 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 326 1st
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 4,013 1st
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 308.7 2nd
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 116.0 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 498 3rd
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Recovered 3 T-3rd
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Forced 4 T-3rd
Clevan Thomas Total Tackles 69.5 10th
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 5
Clevan Thomas Passes defended 17 T-11th
Brian Schmitz PAT Kicks Made 79 4th
Brian Schmitz PAT Kick Attempts 90 T-3rd
Phil Glover Rushing TDs 11 T-1st
Phil Glover Rush Attempts 39 6th
Marquis Floyd Fumbles Forced 3 T-7th
Joe Jacobs Sacks 4.0 T-9th
Joe Jacobs Tackles for Loss 5.5 T-9th
James Roe Scoring (pts) 158 10th
James Roe Scoring (TDs) 26 10th
James Roe Receptions 94 10th
James Roe TD Receptions 26 9th
Brian Johnson Rush TDs 8 T-7th
Ben Nelson Yards/Catch 15.5 T-7th

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Los Angeles it would...
*Give San Jose an 8-6 season record.
*Be their 5th straight win.
*Snap Los Angeles' 3-game series win streak.
*Give them a 9-5 series advantage.
*Be their 3rd straight road win over a Western Division opponent.
*Give them a 45-27 all-time record against Western Division opponents.
*Give them an 18-15 all-time road record against Western Division opponents.
*Give them a 49-38 all-time regular season road record.
*Give them a 110-62 all-time regular season record.
*Give them 119-69 all-time record.
THE COACHES:
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 8th season
80-37 (.684) reg. season; 89-41 (.685) overall
8-5 (.615) career vs. Los Angeles
5-4 (.556) career vs. Ed Hodgkiss
Now in his eighth season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet moved into sole possession of 5th place on the AFL's all-time wins list surpassing Perry Moss when San Jose defeated Tampa Bay on Apr. 7. It was Arbet's 87th career victory. 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 74-29 (.718) 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.

Los Angeles - Ed Hodgkiss, 5th season
41-34 (.547) reg. season; 41-38 (.519) overall
4-5 (.444) career vs. San Jose
4-5 (.444) career vs. Darren Arbet
Now in his fifth season as head coach of the Avengers, Hodgkiss has compiled a regular season record of 41-34 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs in each of his first four years. In his first two seasons at the helm, he directed the Avengers to a 19-11 record. No head coach in league history has won more games in his first two seasons than Hodgkiss. Last season, the Avengers captured their first Western Division title with a 10-6 record and led the AFL in offensive scoring percentage (74.4). In 2004, the Avengers went 9-7 and led the AFL in scoring at 56.5 points per game. In 2003, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first-round playoff bye. Hodgkiss, who was the runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award, oversaw the league's most efficient offense. Hodgkiss became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season. In his first season as a head coach at any level, he instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL, scoring an average of 52.2 points per game. Prior to joining the Avengers, he was the Indiana Firebirds' offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001) and was part of an ArenaBowl championship in 1999.

CHASING 90 - San Jose head coach Darren Arbet is on the verge of his 90th career win. On Apr. 7 Arbet moved ahead of Perry Moss into sole possession of 5th place on the all-time wins list with 87 and needs just one more for 90. With a win Saturday, Arbet will reach the milestone in his 131st game. Danny White got his 90th win in game 130 while Tim Marcum reached the 90-win mark in just 112 games.

CAREER COACHING RECORDS
Rk. Coach Team Record
1. Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 180-75
2. Danny White Utah 146-73
3. Mike Hohensee Chicago 100-93
4. Mike Dailey Colorado 97-62
5. Darren Arbet San Jose 89-41
ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats activated OL/DL Julius Gant from IR and placed OL/DL Fitu Tu'ua on the injured list Apr. 21 prior to the Austin game. The club also re-signed starting center Dan Loney to a 2-year extension on Apr. 24. Loney has been the team's starter since 2005.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Mar. 23 Signed OL/DL Frank Beede. Activated WR/LB Kevin McKenzie from IR. Placed WR/DB Marquis Floyd and WR/LB Jason Geathers on IR.
Apr. 1 Activated FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston, OL/DL Chuck Reed and WR/DB Rodney Wright from IR. Placed OL/DL Van Brown, OL/DL Julius Gant and WR/LB Kevin McKenzie on IR. Released OL/DL Nikia Adderson.
Apr. 3 Activated from IR and waived WR/LB Fred Coleman.
Apr. 6 Activated WR/DB Marquis Floyd from IR. Placed WR/DB Rodney Wright on IR.
Apr. 13 Activated WR/LB Jason Geathers, OL/DL Joe Jacobs and OL/DL Fitu Tu'ua from IR. Placed DS Terrance Joseph and OL/DL Chuck Reed on IR.
Apr. 21 Activated OL/DL Julius Gant from IR. Placed OL/DL Fitu Tu'ua on IR.
Apr. 24 Re-signed OL/DL Dan Loney.

INJURY REPORT: At press time the SaberCats had 12 players on injured reserve. League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for two weeks. The players listed below with an asterisk by their name are eligible to be activated to the 24-man roster for this week's game.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Atnaf Harris* L foot stress IR
Chris Lewis* Back strain IR
Rufus Brown* L wrist sprain IR
Alan Harper* Flu symptoms/Knee IR
Calvin Schexnayder* R Ankle Sprain IR
George Williams* L knee IR
Van Brown* Hyperextended Elbow IR
Kevin McKenzie* R Ankle sprain IR
Rodney Wright* Foot IR
Chuck Reed* L groin strain IR
Terrance Joseph* L ankle IR
Fitu Tu'ua Dislocated finger IR

RECENT RESULTS: SABERCATS 63, Austin 59 - Saturday, April 22, 2006 - HP Pavilion at San Jose - San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb threw his 500th career touchdown pass with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter to help the SaberCats (7-6) overcome a 22-point deficit and rally for their fourth straight win with a 63-59 victory over the Austin Wranglers (8-5). Grieb completed 29-of-43 attempts for 311 yards with his sixth scoring pass of the game and 500th of his career going to James Roe from 5-yards out helping the SaberCats to their largest come-from-behind victory in team history. Roe tied a SaberCats' single-game record with 14 receptions and added four touchdowns and 133 receiving yards. The Wranglers turned three San Jose turnovers into points in the first quarter to take a 21-0 lead after the first stanza. Dane Krager and Henry Bryant each scored on 1-yard runs and John Fitzgerald threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Derrick Lewis. Austin grabbed a 35-13 lead midway through the second quarter following a 5-yard Fitzgerald to Greg Brown scoring pass. Fitzgerald threw for 249 yards and four scores on 21-of-32 passing. Sedrick Robinson's first of two kickoff return touchdowns came with 3:08 left in the first half giving the Wranglers their second 22-point lead of the game at 42-20. Trailing 45-27 starting the second half, the SaberCats scored three consecutive touchdowns and grabbed their first lead of the game at 49-45 when Barry Wagner stripped Robinson of the ball on a kickoff return and lineman Wes Stephens recovered in the endzone. Robinson ended Austin's second half scoring drought when he caught a 6-yard pass with 7:04 left in the game. Following a 34-yard Grieb to Ben Nelson scoring play, Fitzgerald teamed with Kevin Nickerson on a 43-yard touchdown pass giving the Wranglers a 59-56 lead with 2:52 left.

Score By Quarters
Wranglers................................ 21 24 0 14 - 59
SaberCats................................ 0 27 8 28 - 63

SCORING SUMMARY
AUS Krager 1 run (Sievers kick)
AUS Bryant 1 run (Sievers kick)
AUS Lewis 7 pass from Fitzgerald (Sievers kick)
SAN Roe 4 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
AUS Robinson 54 kickoff return (Sievers kick)
SAN Nelson 38 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
AUS Brown 5 pass from Fitzgerald (Sievers kick)
SAN Roe 20 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
AUS Robinson 54 kickoff return (Sievers kick)
SAN Johnson 1 run (Schmitz kick)
AUS FG Sievers 20
SAN Roe 11 pass from Grieb (Nelson pass)
SAN Glover 3 run (Schmitz kick)
SAN Stephens 0 fumble recovery (Schmitz kick)
AUS Robinson 6 pass from Fitzgerald (Sievers kick)
SAN Nelson 34 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
AUS Nickerson 43 pass from Fitzgerald (Sievers kick)
SAN Roe 5 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing-AUS: Fitzgerald 21-32-1-249. SJ: Grieb 29-43-1-311.
Rushing-AUS: Krager 3-6; Bryant 3-5; Nickerson 1-(-2). SJ: Glover 4-7; Johnson 3-4; Wagner 1-1.
Receiving-AUS: Lewis 7-70; Nickerson 5-95; Robinson 3-52; Winston 2-16; Brown 2-8; Arp 1-5; Holsey 1-3. SJ: Roe 14-133; Nelson 6-120; Wagner 5-36; Johnson 2-7; Pauley 1-8; Floyd 1-7.
Kick Returns-AUS: Robinson 9-227. SJ: Pauley 8-147.

TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - The SaberCats conclude the road portion of their 2006 regular season on Saturday and need a win to reach the .500 mark and avoid a second straight losing season in away games. San Jose went 3-5 on the road last season and was .500 (4-4) in 2004. The SaberCats have had just three sub-.500 records in road games during a season and have never had consecutive losing seasons. San Jose went 2-5 in both 1996 and 1999 along with its 3-5 mark last season.

THAT 60's SHOW - San Jose reached the 60-point mark for the 5th time this season and the 54th time in team history in a regular season game in their 63-59 win over Austin on Apr. 22. The SaberCats raised their all-time record to 47-7 (.870) when scoring 60 or more points in a regular season game. San Jose's last loss when reaching the 60-point mark came earlier this year on Mar. 12 in a 75-61 loss to Los Angeles.

THE SERIES - The SaberCats have played a home-and-home series with a Western Division opponent 31 times in their history and have been swept just six times. The last division opponent to win both games in a season from San Jose was Los Angeles, which won both games last season for its first sweep of San Jose.

HIGH FIVE - The last time Los Angeles and San Jose played, the Avengers were riding a five-game losing streak when they came into HP Pavilion and defeated the SaberCats, 75-61, on Mar. 12. The teams will meet again on Saturday with the Avengers once again stuck in a five-game slide. The SaberCats will be looking for their own 5-gamer, wins that is.

GETTING OFFENSIVE - The SaberCats eclipsed the 300-yard mark in total offense for a club record 10th time this season with 319 in their win over Austin on Apr. 22. They bettered the 2001 and 2005 team record of nine games with 300 or more yards of offense and lead the AFL with an average of 318.5 per game. Two of San Jose's top five total offense games have come against L.A., including a 402-yard effort earlier this year on Mar. 12. San Jose is on pace to amass nearly 5,100 yards of offense for the season and would become the first team in AFL history to surpass the 5,000 yard level.

MOST TOTAL YARDS, AFL SEASON
Rank Team Year Total Yds
1. Las Vegas 2005 4,996
2. San Jose 2005 4,991
3. Dallas 2003 4,807
4. Las Vegas 2004 4,807
5. New Orleans 2005 4,764

ZERO RETURNS - The SaberCats went another game without returning a kickoff for a TD and are one of six teams without a KOR score this season. Rashied Davis and Clevan Thomas were the last San Jose players to return a kickoff for a score doing so in the 2005 regular season finale against Georgia on May 21. San Jose has never gone an entire season without a KOR touchdown.

NOT SO SPECIAL TEAMS - The SaberCats allowed a pair of kickoff return touchdowns to Austin's Sedrick Robinson on Apr. 22 and have given up three in the last two games and a league-high 7 on the year matching a team record. San Jose also allowed 7 KOR scores during the 2000 campaign but countered with 4 of their own.

NOTES:
CALL IT A COMEBACK - The SaberCats rallied, boy did they rally, in their 63-59 win over Austin on Apr. 22. San Jose twice trailed by 22 points in the game (35-13, 42-20) but used four consecutive stops at the start of the second half to rally for the biggest come-from-behind win in a regulation game in team history. San Jose also rallied from 22-points down to defeat Florida in overtime on June 30, 2001 and overcame an 18-point deficit in regulation time to beat Tampa Bay in a playoff game on Aug. 3, 2002.
PLAYOFF BREAKDOWN - Six teams from the American Conference qualify for postseason play, two division winners and four wild card teams (best records among non-division winners). Colorado leads the Central and has clinched a playoff spot while San Jose can clinch its 7th consecutive postseason berth with a win at Los Angeles on Saturday. San Jose leads the West by virtue of its two wins over Arizona. Division winners get a first-round bye while the highest-seeded wild card team hosts the lowest seed and the second-highest seed hosts the second-lowest. Below is the American Conference breakdown through 13 weeks of the season.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
1) Colorado 9-4
2) San Jose 7-6 (win head-to-head vs. ARI)
3) Arizona 7-6 (win head-to-head vs. NAS)
4) Nashville 7-6
5) Chicago 5-8 (win head-to-head vs. LVG & UTA)
6) Las Vegas 5-8 (win head-to-head vs. UTA)
-------------------------------------------------------
7) Utah 5-8
8) Grand Rapids 4-9
9) Los Angeles 3-10

If the playoffs were to start this weekend, the SaberCats and Colorado would get byes while Arizona would host Las Vegas and Nashville would host Chicago. But we all know the playoffs DON'T start this weekend.

THE WACKY WEST - It was expected to be a competitive division, and it has been all season long. The SaberCats moved into a first place tie with Arizona and hold the head-to-head tie-break with a pair of wins over the Rattlers this season. Arizona ends the year with games at Dallas (Apr. 29), against Las Vegas (May 6) and at Colorado (May 12). Following Saturday's game, San Jose ends the season with a pair of home games against Colorado (May 6) and Columbus (May 13). 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
San Jose 7 6 -- .538 4-3 4-6
Arizona 7 6 -- .538 4-3 6-4
Las Vegas 5 8 2.0 .385 3-2 4-5
Utah 5 8 2.0 .385 3-4 5-5
Los Angeles 3 10 4.0 .231 2-4 3-6

ROE-LIFIC - WR/LB James Roe continues to light up the field for San Jose. Known as 'The Difference', Roe equaled a team single-game record with 14 receptions and added 4 TDs and 133 receiving yards in San Jose's 63-59 comeback win on Apr. 22. Roe established a team record with his 5th double-digit reception game of the year (19th career) and tied a record with his 7th 100-yard receiving game (27th career). Roe currently has 94 receptions on the year, the 5th highest season total in team history, and is close to his 2005 team record of 116. He has jumped into the league's top 10 in receptions (94-10th) and receiving TDs (26-9th) despite missing nearly three full games at the start of the season. For his phenomenal performance against the Wranglers, Roe earned his 2nd Offensive Player of the Game honor.
MOST RECEPTIONS, TEAM, GAME
Rk Player Opponent, Date Recpts
1. James Roe v Austin (4/22/06) 14
James Hundon v Los Angeles (5/17/03) 14
3. Ben Nelson v Georgia (3/17/06) 13
James Roe @New Orleans (2/13/05) 13
James Hundon @Dallas (4/10/04) 13
James Hundon v Georgia (5/4/02) 13
James Roe v Arizona (4/21/01) 13
Steve Papin @Los Angeles (7/8/00) 13

FITS LIKE A GLOVER - FB/LB Phil Glover has fit in nicely to the SaberCats lineup in his first season with the team. Glover ran for 7 yards and his league-high tying 11th TD in San Jose's win over Austin on Apr. 22. Glover also chipped in with a career-high tying 4.0 tackles as San Jose overcame a 22-point deficit. Glover and fellow FB/LB Brian Johnson have been jousting all season for the team's rushing lead and Glover leapfrogged Johnson for the top spot with 82 yards. Johnson has 81. Glover has scored at least one rush TD in seven of the team's 13 games and climbed into a three-way tie with Jason Fife and Chris Sanders for the league-lead while matching Steve Papin's 2000 total for the 5th highest in SaberCats season history.

MOST RUSH TDs, TEAM, SEASON
Rank Player Year Rush TDs
1. Barry Wagner 2003 18
2. Steve Papin 1999 13
3. Barry Wagner 2004 12
Derrick Chachere 1999 12
5. Phil Glover 2006 11
Steve Papin 2000 11

ON THE MARK - Mark Grieb joined an elite group of AFL QB's on Apr. 22 when he tossed his 500th career TD pass. Grieb's milestone was also the game-winner as it came with 17 seconds left in the game and provided San Jose with a 63-59 win over Austin. Grieb threw for 311 yards in the game on 29-of-43 passing and has seven 300-yard passing games on the year. He became the 1st QB this season to reach 4,000 yards passing (4,013) and leads the AFL in total offense (308.9 ypg) and pass completions (326). Grieb needs 784 yards in the next three games to break his 2005 league record of 4,796 passing yards. During San Jose's current 4-game winning streak, the 2002 Offensive Player of the Year has thrown for 1,283 yards (320.7 ypg) and has completed 65.6 percent of his passes (103-of-157) with 23 TDs and just two interceptions. Over that same 4-game stretch the SaberCats are scoring an average of 61.3 points per game and totaling an average of 338.8 yards of offense.
CAREER TD PASSES, AFL
Rank Player, Team TD Passes
1. Aaron Garcia, New York 757
2. Andy Kelly, Utah 752
3. Clint Dolezel, Dallas 745
4. Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 729
5. John Kaleo, Columbus 550
6. Mark Grieb, San Jose 500

THE LEGEND CONTINUES - Just like the Energizer Bunny, Barry Wagner just keeps going. Returning to the lineup against Austin on Apr. 22 after sustaining a hamstring injury the week before, Wagner caught 5 passes to raise his San Jose career total to 330 and moved past Steve Papin into 2nd place on the team's all-time list. Always a threat on special teams as well, Wago forced a fumble on an Austin kickoff return that was recovered by lineman Wes Stephens in the endzone for a TD that gave San Jose its first lead of the game. The FF was Wago's 18th as a member of the SaberCats breaking a 1st place tie with Sam Hernandez on the team's career list. Wagner is also slowly closing in on his 1,000th career reception. With a career total of 981, Wagner needs just 19 catches.

CAREER RECEPTIONS, TEAM
Rank Player Receptions
1. James Roe (00-present) 514
2. Barry Wagner (00-present) 330
3. Steve Papin (97-01) 326
4. James Hundon (01-04) 307
5. Shalon Baker (98-05) 263

CAREER FORCED FUMBLES, TEAM
Rank Player FFs
1. Barry Wagner (00-present) 18
2. Sam Hernandez (98-05) 17
3. Joe Jacobs (01-present) 9
4. Leonard Nelson (96-99) 7
5. Clevan Thomas (02-present) 6

FULL NELSON - Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Nelson totaled 120 receiving yards and 2 TDs on 6 catches in San Jose's win over Austin on Apr. 22. It was Nelson's 6th 100-yard receiving game in 8 starts this season and put him over 1,000 (1,114) for the year. If he continues at his current pace, Nelson would amass 1,486 yards and break Troy Bergeron's 2005 rookie record of 1,372. That number would also eclipse the SaberCats team record of 1,480, set by James Hundon in 2002.

MOST RECEIVING YARDS, ROOKIE, AFL SEASON
Rk Player Year Rcv Yards
1. Troy Bergeron, Georgia 2005 1,372
2. Oronde Gadsden, Portland 1998 1,335
3. Chris Jackson, Los Angeles 2000 1,325
4. Eddie Brown, Albany 1994 1,324
5. Etu Molden, Chicago 2004 1,280
6. Derek Lee, Georgia 2005 1,235
7. Mike Baker, St. Louis 1996 1,223
8. Hunkie Cooper, Arizona 1993 1,214
Ben Nelson, San Jose 2006 1,114

THE INTERCEPTOR - DS Omarr Smith snared his 26th career interception and 18th as a SaberCat providing the team with a second-half spark in their come-from-behind win over Austin on Apr. 22. With his pick Smith moved ahead of Tommy Jones into 4th place on the team's career list, just one behind Barry Wagner and six behind Pat McGuirk. Smith also added 4.5 tackles in the game as the SaberCats defense made three consecutive stops at the beginning of the second-half to ignite San Jose's comeback win. Smith tallied 8 INTs during the 2003 season when he was a second-team All-AFL pick with Tampa Bay.

CAREER INTERCEPTIONS, TEAM
Rank Player INTs
1. Clevan Thomas (02-present) 30
2. Pat McGuirk (95-98) 24
3. Barry Wagner (00-present) 19
4. Omarr Smith (00-present) 18
5. Tommy Jones (98-01) 17

IN THE AUSTIN GAME:
Barry Wagner had 5 receptions to move ahead of Steve Papin into 2nd place on the team's career list...Mark Grieb had his 7th 300-yard passing game of the season...James Roe set a team record with his 5th double-digit reception game of the season and tied a team record with his 7th 100-yard receiving game...Omarr Smith had his 26th career interception...Sedrick Robinson tied a SaberCats opponent record for the second-most KOR touchdowns in a game with two...Austin set a SaberCats opponent record by scoring 45 first half points...San Jose raised its all-time record to 47-7 when scoring 60-or-more points in a regular season game...Ben Nelson had his 6th 100-yard receiving game of the year in eight starts...San Jose posted its 12th straight home win over a Southern Division opponent...Clevan Thomas had the 200th solo tackle of his career...Austin DS Damon Mason registered his 800th career tackle...The SaberCats posted their largest comeback win in a regulation game in team history (22 points) surpassing the previous record of 18-points set in a 55-48 win over Tampa Bay in a second round playoff game on August 3, 2002.

LOS ANGELES PLAYERS TO WATCH:
WR/LB GREG HOPKINS - The former Ironman of the Year and four-time All-Arena team selection has continued to play particularly well against the SaberCats. In 12 career games against the SaberCats, Hopkins has 60 receptions for 705 yards and 14 TDs and contributed 4 INTs, two of which were returned for TDs, on defense. In the Avengers first meeting against the SaberCats this season, Hopkins caught 6 passes for 32 yards and had a 1-yard TD run with 1.5 tackles on defense.

K REMY HAMILTON - Now in his 5th season with the Avengers, the 2005 AFL Kicker of the Year has put up big numbers against San Jose during his career. In 12 games against San Jose Hamilton has made 58-of-68 (85.2%) PATs and 19-of-28 (67.8%) FGs, including five of 40+ yards. Against San Jose earlier this season, Hamilton made 8-of-9 PATs and FGs of 19 and 25 yards in the Avengers win. Hamilton leads the AFL in kick scoring with 142 points making 23-of-30 (76.6%) FGs and 73-of-79 (92.4%) PATs.

WR/DB KEVIN INGRAM - The 2005 Ironman of the Year is one of the top two-way players in the league. Ingram leads the Avengers in receiving with 92 catches for 1,143 yards and 29 TDs and also has a team-high 5 INTs. He became the 3rd San Jose opponent to intercept 3 passes in a game on May 7, 2005 with his third pick being returned for a TD securing Los Angeles' 54-42 win. Ingram has played in 8 games against San Jose in his career catching 29 passes for 294 yards and 7 TDs with 4 interceptions on defense.

QB SONNY CUMBIE - Entering his rookie season in the AFL, Cumbie has started the last nine games completing 209-of-359 passes for 2,534 yards with 48 TDs and 5 INTs. The former Texas Tech quarterback had his best game this season against the SaberCats on March 12, 2006 when he completed 23-of-34 attempts for 348 yards with 6 TDs and NO interceptions for a passer rating of 140.69 in the Avengers 75-61 win.
WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTA (1/28) QB Joe Germaine, UTA
@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
@UTA (3/4) QB Mark Grieb, SJS
v LAA (3/12) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
v GEO (3/17) WR/LB Derek Lee, GEO
@NAS (3/25) WR/LB Cory Fleming, NAS
v ARZ (4/2) OS Ben Nelson, SJS
@TBY (4/7) OS Freddie Solomon, TBY
v LVG (4/14) QB Mark Grieb, SJS
v AUS (4/22) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTA (1/28) DS Kelvin Hunter, UTA
@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
@UTA (3/4) DS Clevan Thomas, SJS
v LAA (3/12) DS Antuan Simmons, LAA
v GEO (3/17) DS Nate Coggins, GEO
@NAS (3/25) DS Monty Montgomery, NAS
v ARZ (4/2) DS Joe Todd, ARZ
@TBY (4/7) DS Omarr Smith, SJS
v LVG (4/14) DS Clevan Thomas, SJS
v AUS (4/22) WR/LB Greg Brown, AUS
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

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
v GEO (3/17) FB/LB Phil Glover, SJS
@NAS (3/25) WR/LB Cory Fleming, NAS
v ARZ (4/2) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
@TBY (4/7) WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, TBY
v LVG (4/14) WR/LB James Roe, SJS
v AUS (4/22) WR/DB Sedrick Robinson, AUS
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

THE SABERCATS RECORD WHEN...:

Scoring Allowing
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-0
30-39 points 0-1 0-0
40-49 points 0-3 2-1
50-59 points 3-1 5-3
60-69 points 4-1 0-1
70-79 points 0-0 0-1
80+ points 0-0 0-0

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

Leading after the 1st 4-3
Trailing after the 1st 3-1
Tied after the 1st 0-2

Leading at Half 3-1
Trailing at Half 4-5
Tied at Half 0-0

Leading after the 3rd 4-2
Trailing after the 3rd 3-4
Tied after the 3rd 0-0

Scoring First 4-4
Opp. Score First 3-2

More Total Offense 5-5
Less Total Offense 2-1

More Pass Yards 4-5
Less Pass Yards 3-1

More Rushing Yards 5-0
Less Rushing Yards 2-5

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

On NBC 1-2
On TV20 3-2
On NBC11 0-1
On FSN 2-1
On Comcast 1-0

vs. West 4-3
vs. Central 0-3
vs. South 3-0
vs. East 0-0

Winning coin toss 5-6
Losing coin toss 2-0

Outscoring Opponent 7-0
Being Outscored 0-6

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