San Jose SaberCats game notes
July 11, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Chicago Rush (12-4; 1-0) at SaberCats (13-3; 1-0)
Date: Saturday, July 14, 2007.
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Perry Havener; Umpire: Jeff Carr; Head Linesman: Mike McCabe; Line Judge: Dana McKenzie; Back Judge: James Cole; Alternate: Dennis Lipski.
Television: Saturday's Conference Championship game will be televised live on ESPN with Trey Wingo (play by play) and Mark Schlereth (color) calling the action.
Radio: KNBR-1050 will carry the game live with Grant Napear and Keena Turner on the call. The station will air an extended pregame show with hosts Dan Dibley and Ray Woodson live from HP Pavilion starting at 10:00 a.m.
Statistics: Complete team and league stats are available at www.aflmedia.com.
Opening Line: SaberCats -3 (over/under 107).
Internet: A live webcast is available at www.KNBR.com.
Series Record: All-time series tied 4-4.
Series Streak: Chicago Won 4.
Last Meeting: Chicago 48, SaberCats 45 (March 9, 2007 at Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Ill.).
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (9th season; 96-40 reg. season; 11-5 post season; 107-45 overall).
Chicago, Mike Hohensee (14th season; 107-89 reg. season; 12-9 postseason; 119-98 overall).
OVERVIEW: The SaberCats advanced to the American Conference Championship game and will host the Chicago Rush for the second straight season, and the third time in the last four years, with an ArenaBowl berth on the line. San Jose will also be playing in the semifinal round of the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons following a 76-67 win over Colorado on July 7. Chicago advanced with a 52-20 pounding of Los Angeles on July 9. Saturday's game will be televised live on ESPN at 1:00 p.m. (PT) and San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR 1050 will broadcast live with an extended pregame show getting under way at 10:00 a.m. Mark Grieb tied an AFL postseason record with 9 TD passes and James Roe set a team record with 14 catches leading San Jose to 11 TDs on its 11 possessions in the Divisional Round victory over the Crush. The win extended San Jose's streak to 11 and kept the SaberCats undefeated at home (9-0) this year. The Rush defeated San Jose, 59-56, in last year's Conference Championship game, the last home loss for the SaberCats, and went on to win ArenaBowl XX. Chicago has won four straight over San Jose, including a 48-45 win in Chicago earlier this season on Mar. 9, following a 4-game San Jose series win streak. San Jose beat Chicago 49-35 in the 2004 semis.
THE SCHEDULES
2007 SAN JOSE SABERCATS (13-3; 1-0)
Date Opponent Result Score (Rec)
Mar. 4 @Los Angeles Won 66-58 (1-0)
Mar. 9 @Chicago Lost 45-48 (1-1)
Mar. 24 @Georgia Lost 62-64 (1-2)
Mar. 31 TAMPA BAY Won 69-49 (2-2)
Apr. 6 COLORADO Won 72-44 (3-2)
Apr. 13 @New Orleans Lost 54-67 (3-3)
Apr. 21 LOS ANGELES Won 73-49 (4-3)
Apr. 28 UTAH Won 69-48 (5-3)
May 5 @Arizona Won 56-49 (6-3)
May 12 LAS VEGAS Won 61-34 (7-3)
May 19 GRAND RAPIDS Won 69-44 (8-3)
May 25 @Nashville Won 48-34 (9-3)
Jun. 1 ORLANDO Won 59-52 (10-3)
Jun. 9 @Utah Won 70-49 (11-3)
Jun. 16 ARIZONA Won 66-26 (12-3)
Jun. 25 @Las Vegas Won 73-46 (13-3)
Date Playoff Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
July 7 COLORADO Won 76-67 (1-0)
July 14 CHICAGO 1:00 pm 1050/ESPN
2007 CHICAGO RUSH (12-4; 1-0)
Date Opponent Result Score
Mar. 4 @Kansas City Lost 41-54 (0-1)
Mar. 9 SAN JOSE Won 48-45 (1-1)
Mar. 18 NEW YORK Won 61-40 (2-1)
Mar. 24 @Columbus Won 55-47 (3-1)
Apr. 1 LOS ANGELES Won 66-31 (4-1)
Apr. 7 @Nashville Won 66-54 (5-1)
Apr. 21 @Grand Rapids Won 75-54 (6-1)
Apr. 30 PHILADELPHIA Won 54-43 (7-1)
May 7 COLORADO Won 59-48 (8-1)
May 14 @Dallas Lost 48-52 (8-2)
May 19 NASHVILLE Lost 27-44 (8-3)
May 26 @Arizona Won 53-47 (9-3)
Jun. 2 @Los Angeles Lost 47-50 (9-4)
Jun. 9 GRAND RAPIDS Won 55-32 (10-4)
Jun. 18 @Colorado Won 66-57 (11-4)
Jun. 23 KANSAS CITY Won 48-21 (12-4)
Date Playoff Opponent Time (PT) TV
July 9 LOS ANGELES Won 52-20 (1-0)
July 14 @San Jose 1:00 pm ESPN
THE SERIES: The all-time series is tied at 4-4 and each team has won one playoff game...The Rush has won the last four contests after San Jose posted victories in the first four...Both playoff games have been played in San Jose with the SaberCats posting a 49-35 win on June 12, 2004 and the Rush winning 59-56 on June 3, 2006...San Jose's last series win was the June 12 semifinal victory vaulting the SaberCats into ArenaBowl XVIII...Following semifinal round wins, both teams went on to capture ArenaBowl titles, San Jose in 2004 and Chicago in 2006.
SERIES NOTABLES:
Chicago beat San Jose for the first time, 55-39, on April 10, 2005 giving head coach Mike Hohensee his first win over the SaberCats in nine tries...There have been two postseason meetings between the teams with the winner advancing to the ArenaBowl and winning a league title. San Jose defeated Arizona in ArenaBowl XVIII in 2004 and Chicago beat Orlando in ArenaBowl XX last season...In their four series wins the SaberCats averaged 61.3 points per game while scoring just an average of 47 ppg in their four losses...Mark Grieb has started all 8 games against Chicago throwing for 2,369 yards and 42 TDs with 7 INTs. In four San Jose wins he has tossed just 1 INT with a QB rating of 130.3 while in four losses he's tossed 6 INTs and has a rating of 112.9...San Jose's leading receiver James Roe has played in all 8 games with 58 catches for 679 yards and 12 TDs...Clevan Thomas has the only San Jose INT of Matt D'Orazio and has totaled 4 against the Rush in his career...Jeremy Unertl has proven to be Mark Grieb's kryptonite. The Chicago DB has intercepted Greib twice in each of the last two regular season meetings (3/9/07 and 2/26/06)...San Jose set a team record for combined kick return yards with 252 (200 KOR, 52 MFG) and 3 return TDs against Chicago on June 15, 2002...Clevan Thomas was responsible for all three return scores (2 KOR, 1 MFG return), including a 53-yard score on the opening kickoff...Rush K and former SaberCat Dan Frantz has kicked a FG at the end of the 1st half in each of the last 2 games, including a 51-yarder in last season's Conference title game, and hit a Chicago team record 56-yard FG on Mar. 9, 2007...San Jose allowed a record 32 third quarter points against Chicago and the teams combined for a SaberCats record 52 third quarter points on June 15, 2002...Seven different players have suited up for both teams, including current Rush players FB Bob McMillen (San Jose 2001-02) and K Dan Frantz (San Jose 2004-05) and Charles Pauley, Andy Chilcote, Jai Hill, Curtice Mcfarlane and Hamin Milligan.
LAST SERIES MEETING:
SaberCats Fall To Rush, 48-45
Rosemont, Ill (Mar. 9, 2007) - Chicago quarterback Matt D'Orazio threw five touchdown passes and the defending ArenaBowl champion Rush held on to defeat the San Jose SaberCats, 48-45, before a sellout crowd at Allstate Arena. D'Orazio completed 14 of 27 passes for 117 yards with three of his scoring passes going to Bobby Sippio, including the game's opening score following a San Jose turnover. Recently acquired Andy McCullough caught seven passes for 45 yards and a pair of scores. San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb completed a team record 37 passes for 346 yards and six touchdowns, but the veteran signal caller was intercepted twice by Chicago's Jeremy Unertl. San Jose also lost a fumble and turned the ball over on downs. Rodney Wright hauled in a 43 yard strike from Grieb late in the first quarter to give San Jose a brief 14-10 lead. But Jonathan Ordway took the ensuing kickoff 57 yards for a score to give the lead back to Chicago for good, 17-10. Trailing by 17 points in the fourth quarter, San Jose used a pair of scoring catches by James Roe to pull within three at 41-38, but San Jose failed to recover one of its two onside kicks in the final five minutes and dropped a fourth straight game to the Rush. Wright had a game and career-high 13 catches for 119 yards, Roe caught 11 passes for 99 yards and Ben Nelson added 11 receptions for 121 yards. George Williams figured in on the scoring as well with a team record two scoring grabs from his tight end position on short yardage plays in the red zone. The SaberCats managed 349 yards of offense compared to Chicago's 127. NOTES: Rodney Wright, Ben Nelson and James Roe became the first trio of receivers to grab double-digit receptions in the same game...Chicago's Jeremy Unertl intercepted two Mark Greib passes for the second time in as many regular season games...Former SaberCat Dan Frantz hit a Rush team record 56-yard field goal in the 1st quarter.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
SaberCats........................ 14 3 7 21 - 45
Rush............................... 17 10 7 14 - 48
SCORING SUMMARY
CHI Sippio 23 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN G.Williams 5 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
CHI FG Frantz 56
SAN Wright 43 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
CHI Ordway 57 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
CHI Sippio 3 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN FG Haglund 25
CHI FG Frantz 39
CHI McCullough 12 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN G.Williams 2 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
CHI Sippio 9 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 9 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
SAN Roe 12 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
CHI McCullough 8 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN Nelson 5 pass from Grieb (Haglund kick)
TEAM STATISTICS SAN CHI
First Downs 26 10
Total Net Yards 349 127
Rush Atts-Net Yards 4-9 11-13
Net Yards Passing 340 114
Comp-Att-Int 37-54-2 14-27-1
KO Returns-Yards 4-75 4-114
MFG Returns-Yards 1-1 0-0
INT for-Yards 1-0 2-37
Penalties-Yards 12-74 11-64
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Sacks By-Yards 1-3 1-6
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: SJ-Grieb 37-54-2-346. CHI-D'Orazio 14-27-1-117.
Rushing: SJ-Grieb 1-10; Wright 1-0; Kinsinger 1-0; Geathers 1-(-1). CHI-D'Orazio 7-5; McMillen 3-5; Merritt 1-3.
Receiving: SJ-Wright 13-119; Nelson 11-121; Roe 11-99; G.Williams 2-7. CHI-McCullough 7-45; Sippio 4-42; McMillen 2-17; Merritt 1-13.
Kick Returns: SJ-Wright 4-75; Smith 1-1. CHI-Ordway 4-114.
ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Mar. 9, 2007 @Chicago 48, San Jose 45
Jun. 3, 2006 Chicago 59, @San Jose 56 (playoff)
Feb. 26, 2006 @Chicago 54, San Jose 48 (ot)
Apr. 10, 2005 @Chicago 55, San Jose 39
Jun. 12, 2004 @San Jose 49, Chicago 35 (playoff)
Apr. 16, 2004 @San Jose 51, Chicago 43
Mar. 9, 2003 San Jose 71, @Chicago 49
Jun. 15, 2002 @San Jose 74, Chicago 68
THE COACHES
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 9th season
107-45 (.704) overall; 11-5 (.687) postseason
4-4 (.500) career vs. Chicago
5-4 (.556) career vs. Mike Hohensee
Two-time Arena Football League Coach of the Year and ArenaBowl champion Darren Arbet is in his 9th season as head coach of the San Jose SaberCats and second as the club's general manager. In 2007 Arbet became the fifth head coach in AFL history to win 100 games when San Jose defeated Las Vegas on May 12. Arbet also guided the SaberCats to their eighth straight winning season and playoff appearance by going 13-3, the seventh time in his nine seasons the team has posted a double-digit regular season win total. The team also captured its second straight Western Division title and sixth under Arbet (7th overall). Arbet has compiled the third-best postseason winning percentage (.667) and is one of just six head coaches in league history to amass 10 playoff victories. Under the direction of Arbet San Jose has enjoyed unmatched success vaulting the franchise to elite status in the AFL. Since the start of the 2000 season, Arbet's second as head coach, the SaberCats have claimed two ArenaBowl championships (2002, 2004), compiled the most regular season wins (93), the second-most playoff wins (10) and have averaged nearly 12 victories a season. In addition, the club has set league records for regular season wins in a season (13 in 2002), overall wins in a season (16 in 2002), consecutive wins in a regular season (12 in 2002), regular season wins to end a season (11 in 2000) and the longest regular season win streak (15 in 2000-01). Arbet's ties to the AFL date back to the late 1980s when he played two seasons as a fullback/linebacker with the Los Angeles Cobras (1988) and Maryland Commandos (1989) before a wrist injury that required three surgeries ended his career. During his playing days, Arbet lined up against former Philadelphia head coach Michael Trigg, who was a quarterback with the Detroit Drive, and Georgia Force offensive coordinator Steve Thonn, who played WR/DB with the Chicago Bruisers.
Chicago - Mike Hohensee, 14th season
119-98 (.548) overall; 12-9 (.527) postseason
4-8 (.333) career vs. San Jose
4-5 (.444) career vs. Darren Arbet
Chicago Rush head coach Mike Hohensee is the third-winningest coach in AFL history with 118 career victories. He is one of five coaches in AFL history with 100 or more wins, joining Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum, Utah coach Danny White, Colorado coach Mike Dailey and San Jose coach Darren Arbet in the 100-win club. The only head coach in Rush history, Hohensee has guided Chicago to a 72-50 overall record and playoff appearances in each of the team's seven seasons. In addition to winning ArenaBowl XX under Hohensee, the Rush has won three Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007) and advanced to the AFL semifinals four times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006), including each of the past three seasons. One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 21 seasons, Hohensee has a regular season record of 107-89 (including a 63-45 mark with the Rush) and a 12-9 career postseason ledger. In addition he has led the Rush to seven consecutive playoff berths and three Central Division titles (2002, 2004 and 2007).
2007 FINAL TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category (Rank) SaberCats Rush
Scoring Offense 63.2 (2) 54.3 (7)
Scoring Defense 47.6 (2) 44.9 (1)
Total Offense 300.7 (7) 254.9 (19)
Total Defense 281.3 (5) 273.4 (2)
Pass Offense 288.7 (6) 233.9 (19)
Pass Defense 266.2 (5) 248.1 (2)
Rushing Offense 12.0 (15) 21.0 (8)
Rushing Defense 15.1 (6) 25.2 (17)
Pass Rating 125.0 (3) 122.5 (6)
Pass Defense Rating 99.1 (4) 91.4 (1)
Interceptions 22 (3) 24 (1)
Kickoff Return Avg. 19.7 (4) 18.8 (8)
Field Goal Return Avg. 3.7 (19) 20.0 (5)
Turnover Margin +21 (2) +26 (1)
3rd Down Conversions 54.1% (3) 44.7% (15)
4th Down Conversions 65.0% (1) 59.1% (7)
Sacks By 19 (t-5) 14 (t-11)
Sacks Against 17 (t-10) 25 (t-15)
2007 SABERCATS AMONG AFL LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 288.0 4th
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 71.0 2nd
Mark Grieb Passing TDs 100 4th
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 562 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Yards 4,608 3rd
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 399 2nd
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 125.4 3rd
Mark Grieb Total Offense 4,635 3rd
Mark Grieb Total Offensive TDs 102 4th
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Attempt 8.2 4th
A.J. Haglund Kick Scoring 158 1st
A.J. Haglund FG Percentage 55.6 5th
A.J. Haglund PAT Percentage 92.8 5th
A.J. Haglund FGs Made 10 t-8th
A.J. Haglund PATs Made 128 1st
A.J. Haglund PAT Attempts 138 1st
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,560 6th
James Roe Receptions 127 7th
James Roe Receiving TDs 40 t-7th
Ron Jones Fumbles Recovered 3 t-8th
Ron Jones Fumbles Forced 4 t-9th
Ron Jones Sacks 7.0 t-8th
Ron Jones Tackles for Loss 9.5 t-7th
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 9 t-3rd
Clevan Thomas Passes Defended 30 4th
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Forced 5 t-3rd
Clevan Thomas INT Return Yards 119 6th
Clevan Thomas INT Return TDs 2 t-4th
Phil Glover Fumbles Forced 5 t-3rd
Phil Glover Fumbles Recovered 4 t-3rd
Trestin George KOR Average 23.6 1st
Trestin George KOR Yards 872 9th
Trestin George KOR TDs 2 t-8th
Steve Watson Fumbles Recovered 3 t-8th
Rodney Wright KOR Average 22.9 3rd
Rodney Wright KOR TDs 3 t-5th
Omarr Smith INT Return TDs 2 t-4th
Omarr Smith INT Return Yards 86 10th
Omarr Smith Passes Defended 22 t-10th
Marquis Floyd Passes Defended 22 t-10th
THE IFS...
If the SaberCats defeat Chicago it would...
*Advance them to their 3rd ArenaBowl
*Break a 4-game losing streak to the Rush
*Be their 12th consecutive win
*Be their 10th straight home win
*Be their 12th all-time playoff win
*Give them a 5-4 series advantage
*Give them a 12-8 all-time postseason record
*Give them an 11-4 home playoff record
*Give them a 3-4 record in semifinal round games
*Give them 137-73 all-time overall record
RECENT RESULTS
SABERCATS ADVANCE WITH 76-67 WIN
Grieb Tosses 9 TD Passes In Win Over Colorado
SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 7, 2007) - Receiver James Roe caught five of Mark Grieb's nine touchdown passes and linebacker Steve Watson made two key extra point blocks as the San Jose SaberCats overcame a torrid offensive onslaught by the Colorado Crush, 76-67, Saturday in an Arena Football League American Conference semifinal game. Grieb's nine scores tied the AFL record for touchdowns in a playoff game and the 76 points were the 3rd highest in league history. The SaberCats (14-3), winners of 11 in a row, will meet the Chicago Rush in the American Conference Championship game. Greib, who got caught up in a duel with former teammate John Dutton, passed for 316 yards, 100 less than Dutton, but took the SaberCats to paydirt on each of the team's 11 possessions. Dutton, who led the SaberCats through the 2002 playoffs and their first ArenaBowl title, was near flawless as he connected on all but three passes through three quarters. He ended with eight touchdowns on 29-of-37 passing. Neither quarterback threw an interception. Roe caught 14 passes for 135 yards and sidekick Ben Nelson, hauled in three of seven Grieb tosses for scores. Colorado (9-9) led only once in the game, 35-34, at halftime and thanks to Watson's two blocked kicks and a key miss by Crush kicker Jason Ball with 9:01 left, gave San Jose a 62-60 margin in the 4th quarter. However, it was Roe's 4th TD grab with 1:01 left in the third that gave the SaberCats a lead they never relinquished. It was a 7-yarder that gave San Jose a 55-48 lead. It was Colorado's Brad Pyatt that teamed with Dutton in the 4th that kept the game tight. Pyatt caught TD passes of 44 and 30 yards and Willie Quinnie' 36-yard catch and run that kept the Crush within two points. After Quinnie's score with 4:05 left, Grieb directed a 45-yard drive, burning nearly four minutes off the clock that ended with a 25-yarder to Ben Nelson. A.J. Haglund's 10th extra point in 11 attempts gave San Jose a 76-67 lead at the one minute mark of the game. Dutton took over with 58.9 seconds remaining on the Crush 10-yard line but four incomplete passes, sandwiched between a Phil Glover sack and a pitch fumble by backup quarterback Brandon Kirsch, was a conglomeration of mistakes and time ran out on the Denver-based team that had beaten San Jose on its way to the 2005 ArenaBowl title. Glover had a pair of rushing touchdowns and also caught a 5-yard flair pass from Grieb for another score as San Jose put together an overall outstanding effort after a first-round bye for winning the Western Division. NOTES: Grieb becme the 4th player in AFL postseason history to throw for 3,500 career yards and took over 3rd place on the postseason pass TD list with 79 and he also had the most TD passes in team playoff game history with 9 and the 2nd most attempts (41) and completions (30)...Rodney Wright had the second most KOR yards in a team playoff game with 145...James Roe set a team playoff record with 14 receptions also had the 2nd most TD catches (5) and 3rd most receiving yards (135)...Phil Glover tied a team playoff record with 2 rushing TDs and tied a postseason sack record with 2.0...The teams combined for the second-highest point total (143) in an AFL playoff game...Steve Watson set an AFL postseason record with 2 blocked PATs...San Jose set a playoff point total record and scored the 3rd most in an AFL playoff game.
2007 SEASON REVIEW
New rules, new roster, same result. The SaberCats, like every team in the AFL, faced some uncertainty about the 2007 season with free substitution rules and an opening-day roster that included eight rookies. But things started off smoothly for the defending Western Division champs with a 66-58 win in Los Angeles on opening night, the team's first opening day win since 2004, the last time the SaberCats won the ArenaBowl. The SaberCats lost some momentum from their season opening win when they dropped a tough 48-45 decision at the defending champion Rush. It was also the 4th straight loss to Chicago. Following their off week, the SaberCats traveled again, this time to Georgia and dropped another nail-biter, 64-62, to the Force. The last team in the league to play a home game, the SaberCats got back in the W column with a convincing 69-49 win over Tampa Bay and followed that with a 72-44 defeat of the Crush. But the team's road woes continued the following week with a disastrous 67-54 loss to the New Orleans VooDoo. Four turnovers offset Mark Grieb's 445-yard performance as the SaberCats dropped to 3-3. San Jose would not lose another game. After a pair of home wins over Los Angeles and Utah, the SaberCats were back in a familiar spot - first place in the division. Mark Grieb surpassed the 30,000 career passing yard mark and the defense registered four sacks and five turnovers in a win over the Blaze. San Jose snapped a 2-game road losing streak and beat Arizona for their 3rd straight win, 56-49, on May 5. The defense overshadowed the offense in a win over Las Vegas on May 12, giving head coach Darren Arbet his 100th career victory. Omarr Smith and Clevan Thomas each returned a pick for a score and Marquis Floyd snared a pair of INTs in a 61-34 win. Grieb tossed 9 TD passes and the SaberCats easily defeated Grand Rapids, 69-44, on May 19. Sparked by a relentless defensive effort, the SaberCats posted their first-ever win in Nashville and secured their 8th straight playoff berth with a 48-34 triumph. San Jose forced six turnovers and Marquis Floyd had his second 2-INT game of the year. San Jose finally played a close game and prevailed 59-52 over Orlando clinching a second straight Western Division title and running its winning streak to seven games. At Utah on June 9, Mark Grieb set a franchise record by throwing 10 scoring passes, including the 600th of his career, as the SaberCats posted a 70-49 win over the Blaze. With the top playoff seed in the conference on the line, the SaberCats didn't let up in their final two games, defeating division rivals Arizona and Las Vegas. The SaberCats ended the year with a perfect 8-0 home record, becoming the first American Conference team to go unbeaten at home since the 16-game schedule was adopted in 2003. The SaberCats set league records by scoring 60-or-more points in a game 11 times and winning nine contests by 20-or-more points. They set a team record with 42 takeaways and tied a team record by allowing fewer than 50 points in a game 12 times.
PLAYOFF NOTABLES
The Drive to ArenaBowl XXI New Orleans continues this week with the Conference Championship games. Both tilts will take place on Saturday, July 14 with San Jose hosting the American Conference and Georgia hosting the National conference title games. The two Conference champs will face each other in ArenaBowl XXI in New Orleans on July 29. Of the four remaining teams, the SaberCats have appeared in the most ArenaBowl games with two appearances and two titles while the Rush has appeared in one ArenaBowl with a title and Georgia has one trip. Columbus has never been to an ArenaBowl.
WILD CARD ROUND
American Conference Wild Card
6/30 (6) Colorado 49, (3) KANSAS CITY 42
7/2 (4) LOS ANGELES 64, (5) Utah 42
National Conference Wild Card
6/29 (4) PHILADELPHIA 41, (5) Orlando 26
6/30 (6) Columbus 56, (3) TAMPA BAY 55
DIVISIONAL ROUND
American Conference Semifinals
7/7 (1) SAN JOSE 76, (6) Colorado 67
7/9 (2) CHICAGO 52, (4) Los Angeles 20
National Conference Semifinals
7/7 (6) Columbus, 66, (1) DALLAS 59
7/8 (2) GEORGIA 65, (4) Philadelphia 39
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
American Conference Championship
7/14 (2) Chicago at (1) SAN JOSE, 1:00 p.m. (PT)
National Conference Championship
7/14 (6) Columbus at (2) GEORGIA, 10:00 a.m. (PT)
SEE YA IN THE PLAYOFFS - The SaberCats are making their 8th consecutive postseason appearance in 2007, the 2nd longest active streak in the AFL and the 4th longest overall. The Orlando Predators own the longest current streak at 16 straight seasons. Tampa Bay had its streak of 15 consecutive playoff trips snapped in 2006 and Arizona made 12 straight playoff appearances form 1993-2004. The Chicago Rush is right behind the SaberCats, appearing in their seventh straight postseason.
RIVALRY BREWING - The SaberCats and Rush have a playoff history with the two playing for the right to advance to the ArenaBowl for the 3rd time in the last four seasons. San Jose beat Chicago, 49-35, in a semifinal round game in San Jose on June 12, 2004 and went on to win ArenaBowl XVIII. Chicago returned the favor last season, beating San Jose, 59-56, on June 3 in San Jose and went on to beat Orlando in ArenaBowl XX.
SEMI FORMAL - With their win over the Crush on July 7, the SaberCats advanced to the semifinal round of the postseason for the 7th time in the last 8 seasons. San Jose has won at least one playoff game in those seven seasons and all 11 of the team's playoff wins have come since the 2000 season. Over the past 8 seasons the SaberCats and Arizona Rattlers have the most postseason wins with 11 while Orlando and Chicago have posted 9 playoff wins. Four teams, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Georgia and Colorado each have won 5 playoff games since the 2000 campaign.
PLAYOFF HISTORY - San Jose is making its 8th consecutive postseason appearance and 11th in the team's 13-year history. The SaberCats improved their all-time postseason record to 11-8 (.579) with their win over Colorado on July 7, and are now 10-4 (.714) all-time in postseason games in HP Pavilion, including an 9-2 mark in their last 11.
SABERCATS YEARLY PLAYOFF RESULTS
Year Opponent Score Round
1995 ORLANDO L, 37-55 Quarters
1997 at Iowa L, 59-68 Quarters
1998 at Tampa Bay L, 46-65 Quarters
2000 OKLAHOMANASHVILLE W, 63-40L, 42-51 QuartersSemis
2001 ARIZONAat Nashville W, 68-49L, 47-71 QuartersSemis
2002 TAMPA BAYORLANDOARIZONA W, 55-48W, 52-40W, 52-14 QuartersSemisArenaBowl XVI
2003 GEORGIAARIZONA W, 69-48L, 49-66 QuartersSemis
2004 TAMPA BAYCHICAGOat Arizona W, 56-52W, 49-35W, 69-62 QuartersSemisArenaBowl XVIII
2005 at Colorado L, 48-56 Divisional
2006 ARIZONACHICAGO W, 62-48L, 56-59 DivisionalSemis
2007 COLORADOCHICAGO W, 76-67??? DivisionalSemis
PLAYOFF WINS - The SaberCats are one of just five teams in AFL history to win 10 or more playoff games and with a pair of postseason victories they will tie the Detroit Drive for the fourth-most. With an 11-8 playoff record San Jose sits behind Orlando (22), Arizona (21), Tampa Bay (20) and the Drive (12) for the most playoff wins in AFL history.
ALL-TIME POSTSEASON WINS
Rank Team Playoff Wins
1. Orlando Predators 22
2. Arizona Rattlers 21
3. Tampa Bay Storm 20
4. Detroit Drive 12
5. San Jose SaberCats 11
6. Chicago Rush 9
BYE, BYE - The AFL's 12-team playoff format brings a first-round bye to the four division winners. The league first expanded the field from 2000 through 2003 and following a return to the 8-team format in 2004 and 2005, returned to 12 teams in 2006. In all six seasons the AFL had a 12-team format with a first-round bye, the SaberCats are the only team to have the first week of postseason action off in every season and are undefeated following the bye..
PLAYOFF TESTED - Of the players on San Jose's 2007 roster (active and IR) who have played in a game this season, seven were members of both ArenaBowl championship teams (2002 & 2004). Clevan Thomas, James Roe, Omarr Smith, Mark Grieb, Matt Kinsinger, Dan Loney and George Williams all have two rings from the SaberCats. Roe and Grieb have played the most playoff contests in a SaberCats uniform of anyone on the team's current roster with 13. Omarr Smith has played in 14 career postseason games, including 3 with Tampa Bay in 2003.
AGAINST CHICAGO - The SaberCats and Rush will be meeting for the 8th time on Saturday and the 3rd time in the postseason. San Jose has faced only one team more times in the postseason, that being Arizona, whom the SaberCats have faced 5 times. San Jose has also played Tampa Bay 3 times in the playoffs. Chicago, on the other hand, has faced no team more than San Jose in the postseason. The Rush has played Orlando an equal amount of times.
BEEN THERE BEFORE - Playoff experience talk always seems to come up as the postseason gets underway in any professional sports league. The San Jose SaberCats finished the 2007 regular season posting a 13-3 record with a mixture of wily veterans and vigorous youngsters on the squad. Heading into their first playoff game, the veteran experience should provide leadership during the most critical games and the oblivious attitude of the first and second-year players could provide the spark. The SaberCats have 13 players with two or more years of experience in the AFL and those members have played in a combined 80 playoff games. The remaining 10 on the active roster, 6 of them rookies, have yet to feel the excitement of an AFL playoff contest. Omarr Smith has played in the most playoff games (14) with James Roe and Mark Grieb suiting up in 13 apiece.
STREAKING - Entering the playoffs on an extended winning streak has not necessarily been a good thing for San Jose. The SaberCats entered the 2000 playoffs riding an 11-game win streak before being bounced by Nashville in the semifinals. In 2003 the SaberCats were on a 5-game streak entering the postseason before Arizona knocked them out, again in the 2nd round, and last year they were riding a 7-game winning streak before falling to Chicago in the conference championship game. In San Jose's first championship season of 2002, the team split its final two regular season games and in 2004 lost three of their last four regular season games before winning three straight in the playoffs.
LORD OF THE RINGS - San Jose DB Omarr Smith has the unique distinction of the being the only player in AFL history to capture three consecutive ArenaBowl championships. Smith won his first ring in 2002 helping the SaberCats to their first league title. In 2003 he left for Tampa Bay and again captured a title. He returned to San Jose for the '04 season and was an integral part of the SaberCats title winning team. On all three occasions, Smith's teams defeated the Arizona Rattlers for the title.
TRENDS
HOME COOKIN' - The SaberCats went 8-0 on the HP Pavilion turf this season becoming the only American Conference team to win all its regular season home games since the league adopted the 16-game schedule in 2003. San Jose extended its win streak to 9 straight with a Divisional Round playoff win over Colorado on July 7. Under head coach Darren Arbet the SaberCats are 67-14 (.827) overall at HP Pavilion and 10-4 (.714) in playoff games.
TAKETH AWAY - San Jose finished second to only Chicago in the AFL in takeaways in 2007. San Jose had a club record 42 takeaways this year, second to only Chicago's 43. The SaberCats intercepted 22 passes, the 3rd highest total in the AFL, and recovered a league-best 20 fumbles to place 2nd in the AFL with a +21 turnover margin. San Jose bettered the 1998 team record of 41 takeaways.
THAT 60's SHOW - The SaberCats set an AFL record in 2007 by scoring 60-or-more points in a game 11 times and posting a 10-1 record in those games. San Jose topped the 60 mark once again and posted a team playoff record point total in its 76-67 win over Colorado on July 7. The win improved San Jose to 65-8 (.890) in all games when topping the 60-point mark and 6-0 during postseason games. The SaberCats placed 2nd in the league in scoring offense with an average of 63.2 ppg, the highest average in team history and the 4th time since the 2000 season that San Jose averaged more than 60 points per game.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE - Due in large part to their AFL record nine wins by 20 or more points and outscoring their opponents by 192 points in 8 home wins, the SaberCats led the AFL in per game average scoring differential during the regular year at +15.6 by scoring an average of 63.2 points per game and allowing 47.6 ppg. It's no coincidence that the four teams with the best records in the league rank in the top 4 and 9 of the 12 playoff teams finished with a plus margin. San Jose led the league in average scoring differential for the 6th time in the last 8 seasons and had the largest margin since the 2000 San Jose team ended the year with a +15.9 margin. With a -4.0 average scoring differential, Colorado had the worst margin of any 2007 playoff team.
TOP AVERAGE SCORING DIFFERENTIALS
Team Avg. For Avg. Against Diff.
San Jose (13-3) 63.2 47.6 +15.6
Dallas (15-1) 63.5 50.4 +13.1
Georgia (14-2) 62.9 52.2 +10.7
Chicago (12-4) 54.3 44.9 +9.4
LUCKY 13 - The SaberCats posted 13 regular season wins in 2007 for the second time in franchise history. San Jose established a then AFL record with 13 victories back in 2002, the same year the club went on to win its first ArenaBowl title. The 2002 SaberCats squad was voted the best team in the first 20 years of the AFL by the league's 20th season Historical Committee.
THE ROARING 20's - Showing its dominance on both sides of the ball, the SaberCats established an AFL record by winning nine games by 20-or-more points during the 2007 season. Seven of those wins came at HP Pavilion where the SaberCats outscored their opponent 538 to 346. Included in those wins was a 28-point victory (72-44) over Colorado on Apr. 6. Five of San Jose's six wins over the Crush have been by 16+ points, four have been by 20 or more points and two have been by 40 or more points. San Jose has outscored Colorado 422 to 265 in its six series wins. The 1998 Tampa Bay Storm held the league record of 8 wins by 20 or more points.
PICKIN IT - After intercepting just 4 passes in the first six games of the year, the SaberCats totaled 18 INTs over the final 10 games and pilfered at least one pass in each game of their season-ending 10-game regular season winning streak outpicking the opposition 18 to 4. Behind Clevan Thomas (9), Marquis Floyd (6) and Omarr Smith (5), the starting defensive trio combined for 20 of the team's third-best AFL pick total of 22. Thomas and Smith each had a pair of TDs on INT returns and Floyd added one giving the SaberCats a league-high tying 5 on the year.
DO THE D - The SaberCats tied a team season record by allowing fewer than 50 points in a game 12 times during the regular season. San Jose placed 2nd in the league in scoring defense behind Chicago allowing just 47.6 ppg and reeled off 11 straight wins when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game. The team's last loss when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game was at Chicago on Mar. 9 in a 48-45 loss to the Rush.
ON THE MARK - After throwing 9 interceptions in the first six games of the year, Mark Grieb tossed just four in the final 10 games covering 307 attempts. Grieb ended the regular year with a streak of 97 throws without an INT and tossed 41 passes against Colorado in the Divisional Round upping his streak of attempts without an INT to 138.
TO THE POINTS - San Jose's Divisional Round playoff contest against Colorado was anything but a defensive battle. The SaberCats won the game 76-67 in what amounted to be the second-highest point total (143) in an AFL playoff game. The largest total came in 2001 in a game where Grand Rapids defeated the Indiana Firebirds 83-70 to advance to ArenaBowl XV. San Jose scored touchdowns on all 11 of their offensive possessions and Colorado, after turning the ball over on their opening drive, capitalized with TDs on 10 of their next 11 drives. The SaberCats' 76 points established the highest postseason total in franchise history and is the 3rd largest total in an AFL playoff game.
NOTES
CENTURY CLUB - SaberCats' head coach Darren Arbet can tie Colorado's Mike Dailey for 4th place on the all-time coaches win list with a victory over Chicago on Saturday. Arbet joined the Century Club earlier this season with a 61-34 win over Las Vegas on May 12. Chicago's Mike Hohensee won his 100th game last season and is the 3rd winningest coach in AFL history with 119. Hohensee moved into sole possession of 3rd place on the postseason coaches wins list with 12 while Arbet posted his 11th last week tying Jay Gruden and Perry Moss for 4th. Tim Marcum (25) and Danny White (20) are the AFL leaders in playoff wins.
CAREER COACHING RECORDS
Rk. Coach (Year) Team Record
1. Tim Marcum (19th) Tampa Bay 190-85
2. Danny White (15th) Utah 156-84
3. Mike Hohensee (14th) Chicago 119-98
4. Mike Dailey (11th) Colorado 108-73
5. Darren Arbet (9th) San Jose 107-45
TITLE TOWN - The SaberCats clinched their 2nd straight Western Division title and 7th overall with their 59-52 win over Orlando on Jun. 1 and own the most division crowns of any team since the AFL went to a 4-division format 13 seasons ago in 1995. Arizona, Tampa Bay and the defunct Albany Firebirds each own five titles while Orlando and Iowa have four each. The 2007 Eastern Division champion Dallas Desperados captured their 2nd straight and 3rd overall and the 2007 Southern Division champion Georgia Force won a second title. Chicago won the Central Division title in 2007, its third crown. The AFL's tie-break format was used to determine winners in case of a first-place tie.
JUST WIN - The SaberCats won their 13th game of the season with their 73-46 win at Las Vegas on Jun. 25, tying the 2002 team record for most regular season wins. San Jose's 7 seasons with 10 or more regular season wins matched Tampa Bay for the second-most in AFL history, one behind both Orlando and Arizona. All seven of San Jose's 10+ win seasons have come since the 2000 campaign and the SaberCats have the league's best regular season record over that span at 90-32.
REGULAR SEASON RECORDS SINCE 2000
Team Record Pct
San Jose SaberCats 90-32 .738
Orlando Predators 76-46 .623
Arizona Rattlers 71-51 .582
Tampa Bay Storm 71-51 .582
Chicago Rush (2001) 63-45 .583
Los Angeles Avengers 60-62 .492
Dallas Desperados (2002) 59-34-1 .633
MARK OF A CHAMPION - SaberCats' signal caller Mark Grieb became the 4th quarterback in AFL history to throw for more than 3,500 career postseason yards in a 76-67 divisional round playoff win against Colorado on July 7. Grieb completed 30 of his 41 pass attempts for 315 yards and 9 TDs to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors. The most prolific QB in the AFL over the last four years now has 3,691 playoff passing yards and needs 333 yards to pass Andy Kelly for 3rd place on the career postseason passing yards list. Grieb further solidified his name as one of the greatest QBs to ever play by snatching the 3rd place spot on the career postseason passing TD list. With 9 against the Crush, Grieb's playoff total escalated to 79, which moved him past Jay Gruden who finished his career with 77 TDs. If Grieb tosses 3 TDs on Saturday in the American Conference championship, he will eclipse Andy Kelly's postseason mark of 81 to move into 2nd place - Sherdrick Bonner is the leader with 127. Grieb's 9 TDs set a SaberCats' franchise record and tied the AFL mark for the most in a playoff game and his attempts (41) and completions (30) were the 2nd highest totals in the team's postseason history.
CAREER POSTSEASON PASSING YARDS
Rk. Player Yards
1. Sherdrick Bonner 6,761
2. Jay Gruden 4,778
3. Andy Kelly 4,023
4. Mark Grieb 3,691
5. John Dutton 3,167
MOST PASS YARDS, LAST 5 AFL REG. SEASONS
Rank Player Pass Yards
1. Mark Grieb, San Jose 22,322
2. Clint Dolezel, Dallas 21,537
3. John Dutton, Colorado 21,065
4. Tony Graziani, Philadelphia 18,648
5. Andy Kelly, New Orleans 18,637
MR. ROE-BOTO - James Roe is becoming a name as synonymous to the AFL as Jerry Rice is to the NFL. The 8-year arena football veteran helped the SaberCats to a 76-67 victory over the Crush on July 7 after hauling in 14 passes for 135 yards and 5 TDs. His reception total was the highest in team playoff history and tied the 2nd highest total in league history, and he accumulated the 2nd most TD catches and 3rd most receiving yards in a SaberCats' playoff game. With 14 catches, Roe recorded his 90th career postseason reception and moved past Lawrence Samuels (78) and ex-teammates James Hundon (79) and Calvin Schnexnayder (89) to claim 8th place on the playoff reception leaderboard. He needs 6 grabs to pass Stevie Thomas who sits in 7th place with 95 career postseason receptions and 10 to take the 6th place position away from Arizona's Randy Gatewood (99). In 13 career playoff games, Roe has amassed 90 receptions for 1,073 yards and 24 TDs. He is only the 9th player in the history of the AFL to record more than 80 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in the playoffs. Roe's sits in 10th place all-time with 24 postseason TD receptions. He also surpassed James Hundon as the team's career postseason leader in receptions and receiving yards.
CAREER POSTSEASON RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Receptions
1. James Roe 90
2. James Hundon 79
3. Barry Wagner 58
CAREER POSTSEASON RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. James Roe 1,108
2. James Hundon 973
3. Barry Wagner 638
CAREER POSTSEASON RECEIVING TDs
Rank Player TD Recpts
1. James Roe 24
2. James Hundon 18
3. Barry Wagner 16
THE WRIGHT STUFF - San Jose wide receiver Rodney Wright provided an enormous spark to the SaberCats' special teams unit on July 7 against the Colorado Crush. The former Fresno State standout returned 5 kickoffs for 145 yards (29.0 ypr) to provide the SaberCats with solid field position to start their offensive drives. Wright's return total was the 2nd most KOR yards in club playoff history. His longest scamper was for 44 yards and was on his way to the endzone before being illegally slide-tackled by the Crush's kicker Jason Ball. Wright also added 7 catches for 82 yards to help San Jose earn a 76-67 victory over the Denver-based squad. His 227 all-purpose yards was also the 4th highest playoff game total.
PHIL-THY - San Jose LB/FB Phil Glover brought to life the Ironman element of the Arena Football League in the SaberCats' 76-67 win over the Colorado Crush on July 7. Glover ran the ball 4 times for a pair of rushing TDs, had a 5-yard TD catch and also sacked Colorado QB John Dutton twice on defense. His second sack came with 43 seconds left in the 4th quarter and helped seal the deal for the SaberCats to advance to the American Conference championship. Glover's sack total and rushing TD total tied team playoff records and earned him Ironman of the Week honors from the AFL.
BLOCK PARTY - All-Rookie Team linebacker Steve Watson built upon his stellar regular season performance during his first AFL playoff game on July 7 against the Colorado Crush. Watson registered 6.0 total tackles on the day but it was his 2 blocked extra point attempts that provided the SaberCats with surges of momentum. After San Jose kicker A.J. Haglund missed his only PAT of the game, the SaberCats trailed by one point at halftime. Colorado's first TD of the second half tied the game at 41, but Watson busted through the line to reject kicker Jason Ball's attempt to take the lead. San Jose never trailed in the game from that point on and Watson added another blocked PAT in the 4th quarter to sustain the SaberCats' 55-54 lead. Watson is the first player in AFL postseason history to record two blocked kicks in a single game. The Defensive Player of the Game also had a team-high 2 blocked kicks during the regular season.
GETTING HIS KICKS - After setting league records for PATs attempted and converted in 2007, San Jose kicker A.J. Haglund continued his record-breaking ways in the divisional round playoff game against Colorado on July 7. His 11 PATs attempts and 10 made broke team postseason marks of 10 tries and 9 conversions that was most recently held by Dan Frantz from 2006. Haglund's 10 PATs tied two other kickers for the 2nd most in an AFL postseason game. There was not a FG attempted by either kicker in the 76-67 shootout, but Haglund did make the first tackle of the game on the opening kickoff - he led all kickers during the regular season with 15.5 total tackles.
MOVIN' ON UP - DB Clevan Thomas ended the regular year with a pick in each of his final four games and finished the season tied for 3rd in the AFL with 9. Thomas became the 8th player in AFL history to record 40 career INTs with a pick against Arizona on Jun. 16 and tied Kevin Gaines, Corey Johnson and Damon Mason for 5th place all-time with pick at Las Vegas on Jun. 25. Clevan's pick total represents the second-highest in his 6-year career, he had a league record 13 picks in 2003, and he has recorded 5 or more INTs in a season 5 times. Thomas has a pair of INTs during his playoff career and picked off a Matt D'Orazio pass during the regular season meeting between the SaberCats and Rush back on Mar. 9.
MOST INTERCEPTIONS, AFL, CAREER
Rank Player INTs
1. Kenny McEntyre, Kansas City 73
2. Durwood Roquemore, None 50
3. Barry Wagner, None 48
4. Mark Ricks, None 44
5. Clevan Thomas, San Jose 41
Kevin Gaines, Philadelphia 41
Corey Johnson, None 41
Damon Mason, Austin 41
VERY SPECIAL TEAMS - Special teams play proved to be a cornerstone of the team's success in 2007. San Jose's kickoff return unit placed 4th in the AFL with an average of 19.6 yards per return, led by the duo of Trestin George and Rodney Wright. George led the circuit with a 23.6 yard return average while Wright placed third at 22.9. The two combined for 5 KOR scores and the team tied for the league lead with 7. San Jose ranked 2nd in KO coverage with a 16.2 average per return and allowed just 2 KOR scores, one by Chicago's Jonathan Ordway on Mar. 9. San Jose didn't allow an opponent onside kick recovery the entire season while recovering four of their own and K A.J. Haglund led the league with 158 kicking points while setting an AFL record with 128 PATs made. San Jose was the only team in the AFL to have four players in the top 20 in special teams tackles led by Steve Watson, who placed 4th with 17.0. Haglund ranked 8th and finished 1st among all AFL kickers with 15.5 while Phil Glover (14.5) and Marquis Floyd (13.5) placed 12th and 15th respectively.
THREE'S COMPANY - For the first time in SaberCats history, a trio of wide receivers eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier for the season. James Roe (1,560), Ben Nelson (1,257), and Rodney Wright (1,076) all went over the 1K plateau in 2007. San Jose was the only team to have 3 wideouts with more than 1,000 yards receiving and two players with 100 or more receptions - Roe (127) and Nelson (101). Wright was only three catches shy of getting to 100 on the year and he and Nelson only played in 11 games each. Austin was the other team to have three receivers break the 1,000-yard mark.
THREE'S COMPANY II - San Jose's starting defensive backfield of Clevan Thomas, Omarr Smith and Marquis Floyd started all 16 games and helped the SaberCats hold opponents to the lowest completion percentage in the AFL at 57.2, one of only two teams to have a percentage against below 60. The trio combined for 54 pass breakups, 20 INTs and 229.5 tackles while placing in the top 10 in passes defended. Thomas placed 4th in the AFL with 30 PDs (9 INTs, 21 PBUs) while Smith (5, 17) and Floyd (6, 16) tied for 10th in the league.
BY GEORGE! - George Williams, otherwise known as "The Big Sexy", played in his 6th AFL season as a lineman for the SaberCats but had his most productive year of his career on the offensive side of the ball. Williams caught 5 passes at the tight end position in 2007 for 16 yards and all 5 were snatched in the endzone. He caught two TDs in games at Chicago on Mar. 9 and at Utah on June 9 with his solo TD reception coming against Orlando on June 1. Williams set the season record for most TD catches by a SaberCats lineman with 5 - the previous mark (3) was held by Al Noga in 1996 - and grabbed the team's career record with 6. Defensively, Williams tied a lineman franchise record with 10 PBUs and also accounted for 15.0 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, 3.0 sacks, 1 FR and his 1st career blocked field goal.
SEMIFINAL ROUND HISTORY
The SaberCats and Rush have met twice before in the semifinal round of the AFL playoffs with each team winning once. The clubs tussled on June 12, 2004 and again last season on June 3. Here is a recap of those games:
Saturday, June 12, 2004 at HP Pavilion
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Jun. 12, 2004) - Mark Grieb's eight-yard pass to James Hundon and his seven-yard run capped a 14-point swing in the final five minutes sparking San Jose to a 49-35 win over the Chicago Rush. The win propelled the SaberCats into the league's championship game, ArenaBowl XVIII. Grieb's fourth touchdown pass to Hundon, and his fifth overall, broke a 35-all tie with 4:47 left in the final period. Rookie DS Charles Pauley's interception of a Chad Salisbury pass with 3:40 remaining setup the final score. Salisbury had replaced starter Raymond Philyaw, who was hurt in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Etu Molden tipped the ball and Pauley grabbed it at the Chicago 21 and returned it to the seven. Grieb, named the offensive player of the game, went back to pass on 3rd and goal, saw a lane and ran, diving from the one into the end zone. After Dan Frantz' extra point kick, the SaberCats led 49-35 lead with 1:50 left. On the ensuing kickoff, Barry Wagner forced Molden to fumble and Rashied Davis recovered for San Jose with 1:17 remaining. The SaberCats then ran out the clock for the win. Grieb was 27 of 40 passing for 273 yards without an interception, although he was pressured all afternoon from the Chicago line. Hundon caught four TD passes and had 10 catches for 95 yards. Barry Wagner had the other TD in a game that was tied five times. Philyaw was 1-of-2 with a first-quarter score on a 19-yard pass to Jeremy McDaniel. He elected to run the ball on a second down play and had picked up 16 yards when Wagner just turned him outside and when he cut back twisted his right knee. In relief, Salisbury was nine of 16 and had a pair of TDs. He connected with McDaniel for 3 yards and Molden for 33. San Jose's first lead of the game came early in the fourth quarter when Grieb connected with Hundon for eight yards for a 35-28 margin.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Rush............................... 7 14 7 7 - 35
SaberCats........................ 0 21 7 21 - 49
SCORING SUMMARY
CHI McDaniel 19 pass from Philyaw (Gispert kick)
SAN Wagner 1 run (Frantz kick)
CHI Molden 2 run (Gispert kick)
SAN Hundon 14 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
CHI McDaniel 3 pass from Salisbury (Gispert kick)
SAN Hundon 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Wagner 19 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
CHI Molden 6 run (Gispert kick)
SAN Hundon 8 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
CHI Molden 33 pass from Salisbury (Gispert kick)
SAN Hundon 8 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Grieb 7 run (Frantz kick)
TEAM STATISTICS CHI SAN
First Downs 13 24
Total Net Yards 179 284
Rush Atts-Net Yards 7-38 8-17
Net Yards Passing 141 267
Comp-Att-Int 10-18-1 27-40-0
KO Returns-Yards 7-111 5-59
MFG Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
INT for-Yards 0-0 1-14
Penalties-Yards 11-61 13-97
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Sacks By-Yards 2-6 0-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: CHI-Salisbury 9-16-1-122; Philyaw 1-2-0-19. SJ-Grieb 27-40-0-273.
Rushing: CHI-Philyaw 1-16; McGourty 1-11; Molden 2-8; Alfonzo 2-4; McMillen 1-1; McDaniel 1-(-1). SJ-Grieb 1-7; Johnson 3-7; Wagner 3-3; Keanaaina 1-0.
Receiving: CHI-McDaniel 4-43; Molden 3-50; McGourty 2-40; Alfonzo 1-8. SJ-Hundon 10-95; Roe 9-98; Wagner 5-40; Johnson 2-34; Coleman 1-6.
Kick Returns: CHI-Molden 4-56; McDaniel 3-55; SJ-Coleman 3-44; Wagner 2-15.
Saturday, June 3, 2006 at HP Pavilion
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Jun. 3, 2006) - Matt D'Orazio threw six touchdown passes and ran for another lifting the Chicago Rush to a 59-56 win over the SaberCats in the Arena Football League's American Conference Championship game. The win advanced the Rush its first ever ArenaBowl and snapped San Jose's 8-game winning streak. D'Orazio completed 21-of-36 attempts for 219 yards in the game with five of his scoring tosses going to OS Bobby Sippio. Sippio totaled 7 catches in the game for 78 yards. San Jose took its largest lead of the game early in the second quarter when Mark Grieb tossed a 19 yard scoring pass to Kevin McKenzie for a 21-10 advantage with 9:08 left in the quarter. Grieb completed 28-of-36 for 314 yards and five touchdowns and also scored on a 10-yard run. But Chicago's DeJuan Alfonzo countered with a 51-yard kickoff return score on the ensuing kick and a sack and forced fumble by John Moyer on San Jose's next possession resulted in a 1-yard scoring run by D'Orazio helping the Rush reclaim the lead at 22-21 with 3:45 left in the first half. The teams traded touchdowns until early in the fourth quarter when, following a San Jose turnover on downs, D'Orazio hit Sippio on a 17-yard scoring toss for a 52-42 Rush lead with 7:35 remaining. San Jose countered when Grieb hit a streaking McKenzie down the sideline for a 40-yard scoring play after a Rush defender fell down. McKenzie figured in the scoring late in the fourth by returning a kickoff 58 yards for a score bringing San Jose within three with 27 seconds left, but Brian Schmitz' onside kick attempt was recovered by Sippio and the Rush ran out the clock to advance to the ArenaBowl. The SaberCats played the entire second half without FB/LB Brian Johnson, who sustained a knee injury late in the second quarter, and OL/DL Rex Richards, who injured his calf. Roe also sustained an injury early in the fourth and didn't return.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Rush............................... 10 22 7 20 - 59
SaberCats........................ 7 21 14 14 - 56
SCORING SUMMARY
CHI FG Frantz 20
SAN Roe 6 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
CHI Sippio 23 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN Grieb 10 run (Schmitz kick)
SAN McKenzie 19 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
CHI Alfonzo 51 kickoff return (Frantz kick failed)
CHI D'Orazio 1 run (Frantz kick failed)
SAN Floyd 34 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
CHI Sippio 9 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
CHI FG Frantz 51
SAN Roe 8 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
CHI Sippio 5 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN McKenzie 2 run (Schmitz kick)
CHI Alfonzo 3 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick failed)
CHI Sippio 17 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN McKenzie 40 pass from Grieb (Schmitz kick)
CHI Sippio 6 pass from D'Orazio (Frantz kick)
SAN McKenzie 58 kickoff return (Schmitz kick)
TEAM STATISTICS CHI SAN
First Downs 21 19
Total Net Yards 234 329
Rush Atts-Net Yards 12-21 6-22
Net Yards Passing 213 307
Comp-Att-Int 21-36-0 28-36-0
KO Returns-Yards 8-134 6-150
MFG Returns-Yards 1-17 0-0
INT for-Yards 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-18 12-75
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1
Sacks By-Yards 1-7 1-2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: CHI-D'Orazio 21-36-0-215. SJ-Grieb 28-36-0-314.
Rushing: CHI-D'Orazio 9-20; McMillen 1-1; Molden 2-0. SJ-Grieb 1-10; Johnson 1-5; Glover 2-4; McKenzie 1-2; Floyd 1-1.
Receiving: CHI-Sippio 7-78; Robinson 5-54; Alfonzo 3-25; Molden 3-25; Cook 1-16; Dantzler 1-15; McMillen 1-2. SJ-Floyd 10-116; Nelson 7-87; Roe 6-37; McKenzie 5-54.
Kick Returns: CHI-Wright 4-64; Alfonzo 2-59; Sippio 2-28; Robinson 1-0. SJ-McKenzie 5-122; Thomas 1-28.
2007 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
DL Ron Jones, Defensive Player of the Week (Wk9)
DB Clevan Thomas, Defensive Player of the Month (June)
LB Steve Watson - All-Rookie Team
K A.J. Haglund - All-Rookie Team
DB Clevan Thomas - All-Arena (1st Team)
WR James Roe - All-Arena (2nd Team)
DL Ron Jones - All-Arena (2nd Team)
K A.J. Haglund - All-Arena (2nd Team)
WR/LB Jason Geathers - All-Ironman Team
2007 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
This past season proved to be a record-setting one for several SaberCats. Numerous game and season marks were either broke or tied. Below is a breakdown.
Individual Game Record No.
Brian Johnson Rush Attempts 9 (tied)
Ben Nelson Receptions 14 (tied)
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 54
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 37
Mark Grieb Pass Yards 445
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 10
Rodney Wright KOR TDs 2 (tied)
Steve Watson Total Tackles 12.0 (tied)
Steve Watson Solo Tackles 11 (tied)
Steve Watson Fumbles Recovered 2 (tied
Ron Jones Tackles For Loss 3.0 (tied)
Ron Jones Fumbles Forced 2 (tied)
Alan Harper Sacks 2.5 (tied)
Clevan Thomas Fumbles Forced 2 (tied)
Individual Season Record No.
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 398
Mark Grieb TD Passes 100
James Roe Receptions 127
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,560
James Roe TD Receptions 40
A.J. Haglund Kicking Points 158
A.J. Haglund PATs Made 128
A.J. Haglund PATs Attempted 138
Omarr Smith Total Tackles 87.5
Omarr Smith Solo Tackles 79
Steve Watson Assisted Tackles 33
Ron Jones Tackles For Loss 9.5
Phil Glover fumble recoveries 4 (tied)
CHICAGO PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB MATT D'ORAZIO - After leading the Rush to an ArenaBowl championship in his first year with the team, the six-year AFL veteran guided his offense to a 10-4 regular season in 2007. D'Orazio played in all 16 games for Chicago this season, throwing for 3,787 yards and 82 TDs on 351-of-506 passing. He ranked 4th among league leaders in pass completion rate (69.4%), 6th in passer rating (122.4) and his passing TD and yardage totals were 10th best in the AFL. In two career regular seasons games against the SaberCats, D'Orazio has completed 43 of his 66 pass attempts for 468 yards and 12 TDs with 1 INT. The only time San Jose has faced D'Orazio in the postseason was during the American Conference championship in San Jose, where the SaberCats fell 59-56 after D'Orazio tossed 6 TDs and ran for another to earn Offensive MVP honors.
WR BOBBY SIPPIO - A candidate for Most Valuable Player in 2007, Sippio is the backbone of the Chicago Rush offense. He caught more than half (63.8%) of the team's 83 TDs through the air and accounted for more than one-third (35.3%) of the Rush's reception total of 354. Sippio's 53 TD catches was the top mark in the league and he finished the season ranked 4th in receiving yards (1,737) and 8th in receptions with 125 despite missing 3 games with an injury. In three career regular season games against San Jose (2 Dallas/1 Chicago), Sippio been contained for the most part, only catching 13 passes for 174 yards and 7 TDs. During the American Conference championship on June 3, 2006, Sippio hauled in 7 passes for 79 yards and 5 TDs in a 59-56 Chicago victory.
FB BOB MCMILLEN - Regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the history of the AFL, McMillen is the only player ever to have rushed for more than 100 yards in seven straight seasons - a streak that ended in 2007. McMillen ranks 2nd in career rushing yards (1,508) and attempts (484), and has posted the 3rd most rushing TDs (85) in the history of the league. A member of the SaberCats organization for two seasons, including the 2002 Championship team, McMillen has played against his former team 15 times (9 Arizona/6 Chicago), racking up 96 yards and 4 TDs on 28 carries. In his two playoff appearances against the SaberCats, McMillen has been held in check after only gaining 1 yard on 1 carry on each occasion.
POSTSEASON PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
COL (7/7) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
CHI (7/14)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
COL (7/7) LB Steve Watson, San Jose
CHI (7/14)
IRONMAN PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
COL (7/7) FB/LB Phil Glover, San Jose
CHI (7/14)
THE SABERCATS RECORD WHEN...:
Scoring Allowing
2007 2007
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
0-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 1-0
30-39 points 0-0 2-0
40-49 points 1-1 8-1
50-59 points 2-1 2-0
60-69 points 6-1 1-2
70-79 points 5-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0
2007
Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 2-0
by 3 or fewer points 0-2
Leading after the 1st 12-0
Trailing after the 1st 1-2
Tied after the 1st 1-1
Leading at Half 11-0
Trailing at Half 2-2
Tied at Half 1-1
Leading after the 3rd 13-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-3
Tied after the 3rd 1-0
Scoring First 12-1
Opp. Score First 2-2
More Total Offense 7-2
Less Total Offense 7-1
More Pass Yards 6-2
Less Pass Yards 7-1
Equal Pass Yards 1-0
More Rushing Yards 9-0
Less Rushing Yards 5-3
Equal Rushing Yards 0-0
Thursday games 0-0
Friday games 3-2
Saturday games 9-1
Sunday games 1-0
Monday games 1-0
vs. Western Division 8-0
vs. Central Division 4-1
vs. Southern Division 2-2
vs. Eastern Division 0-0
Winning coin toss 6-1
Losing coin toss 8-2
Outscoring Opponent 14-0
Being Outscored 0-3
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 11, 2007
- Conference Championship Preview - AFL I
- Burley Named AFL Offensive Player Of The Year - Utah Blaze
- Utah's Siaha Burley Named Offensive Player Of The Year - AFL I
- San Jose's Grieb Continues Assault On Postseason Passing Records - AFL I
- 2007 Total Attendance To Hit Two Million During Conference Championship Week - AFL I
- Moyer Named AFL's Defensive Player Of The Week - Chicago Rush
- San Jose SaberCats game notes - San Jose SaberCats
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