San Jose SaberCats Playoff Game Notes

June 4, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Arizona Rattlers (10-6, 2-0) at San Jose SaberCats (12-4, 1-0).
Date: Sunday, June 8, 2003.
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Bill McCabe; Umpire: Doug Wilson; Head Linesman: Royce Cooley; Line Judge: Gary Cavaletto; Back Judge: Scott Helverson.
Television: The game will be televised nationally on NBC with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. (PDT). Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Pat Haden (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (sideline) make up the announcing crew.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald handling play-by-play chores and Keena Turner supplying the color commentary.
SaberCats Sideline Report: Hosted by Bob Fitzgerald, SSR is shown every Sunday at 11:52 p.m. on NBC11. The information packed 8-minute segment will get you up close and personal with the World Champions.
Internet: Log on to www.knbr1050.com to hear a live webcast of the game. Series Record: Series tied 10-10. Last Meeting: San Jose 59, Arizona 58 (Mar. 23, 2003 in San Jose).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 3.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (5th season; 59-21 overall, 6-2 postseason). Arizona, Danny White (12th season; 127-58 overall, 17-8 postseason).

OVERVIEW: The San Jose SaberCats advanced to the semifinals of the AFL playoffs for the fourth straight season with a 69-48 win over the Georgia Force on May 31. Next up for the SaberCats are the Arizona Rattlers in a game set for Sunday, June 8, at 2:30 p.m. (PT) in the HP Pavilion with the winner advancing to ArenaBowl XVII. Kevin McKenzie was the catalyst for the SaberCats in their quarterfinal win. McKenzie, who scored only four touchdowns during the regular season, broke loose for a league playoff record tying six scores. He tallied three through the air, two on the ground and added a 57-yard kickoff return. San Jose and Arizona will be meeting for the 21st time overall and the third straight year in the postseason. San Jose has won both playoff games and the all-time series is tied at 10-10. The SaberCats have had the better of the series lately winning eight of the last nine games and five straight at home. The rivalry is the second longest running in the league behind only the Orlando/Tampa Bay series.

THE SERIES: The all-time series is tied 10-10 with San Jose having won eight of the last nine meetings and the last five games played in San Jose...San Jose swept the 2003 regular season series winning 49-28 on Feb. 2 in Arizona and 59-58 on Mar. 23 in San Jose...San Jose is 2-0 against Arizona in the playoffs posting a 52-14 win on Aug. 18, 2002 in ArenaBowl XVI and a 68-49 quarterfinal win on Aug. 4, 2001...This will be the 21st meeting between the teams and the series is the second-longest running in the league to only Orlando/Tampa Bay, who have played 32 series games (includes playoffs).

THE STAKES: A trip to ArenaBowl XVII is on the line with the winner of this game playing the Orlando/Tampa Bay winner for the league's championship on Sunday, June 22. If San Jose wins it will host the title game for a second straight season. Arizona would have to travel to the Sunshine State should it be victorious.

SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats and Rattlers are the only teams to win Western Division titles in the nine years since the AFL went to a four-division format in 1995. San Jose won its fourth straight division title this season and also won the title in 1995. Arizona won four straight division titles from 1996 to 1999...The Rattlers have dealt the SaberCats their worst two defeats in franchise history: 75-37 (38 pts) on June 5, 1999 in Arizona and 59-22 (37 pts) on June 9, 1997 in San Jose...San Jose's 38-point win on August 18, 2002 in ArenaBowl XVI (52-14) was Arizona's worst defeat since a 71-21 loss at Orlando on July 17, 1992...San Jose has played the most games (20) and has the most wins (10) against Arizona than any other opponent...San Jose played its first-ever regular season game against Arizona on May 12, 1995 losing to the Rattlers, 43-37, in overtime...Twelve of the 20 series games have been decided by 11 or fewer points while the other eight games have seen the winning team victorious by an average of 26.9 points per game...San Jose won all three series games during the 2001 season while Arizona swept the two-game season series during the 1995, 1997 and 1998 seasons. LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 59, Arizona 58 (Sunday, Mar. 23, 2003 • HP Pavilion) – James Roe made a circus catch in the endzone on the game's final play and Daron Alcorn converted the PAT to give the SaberCats a dramatic 59-58 win over the Rattlers for their 17th straight at home. Roe, named MVP, had game-highs of 9 catches and 103 yards, but none bigger than his 6-yard reception as the horn sounded. Roe was hit by an Arizona defender on the initial touch knocking the ball into the air. He stuck with the play and pulled the ball in with one hand for the game winning score. San Jose QB Mark Grieb completed a season-high 23 passes for 289 yards and five scores and the SaberCats piled up 349 yards of total offense. The Rattlers took a 58-46 lead with 7:40 left in the fourth when QB Sherdrick Bonner tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Orshawante Bryant. It was Bonner's eighth TD pass of the game and he completed 17 of 28 for 219 yards without an interception. San Jose pulled within six at 58-52 when Grieb found Jerry Reese in the corner of the endzone on a 12-yard scoring play with 3:07 left. Reese, playing his first game since last year's ArenaBowl, had 8 catches for 82 yards and three TDs. The SaberCats gambled on the ensuing kickoff and it paid off when Barry Wagner recovered the on-side kick. San Jose drove down the field and Grieb found Roe in the back of the endzone to cap an 8-play, 38-yard drive. Alcorn drilled the game-winning point through the uprights to give San Jose the win. The game was a see-saw battle from the get-go. Each team scored a pair of TDs in the final 1:36 of the half with Bonner finding Randy Gatewood on an 8-yard TD with seven seconds left for a 37-34 Arizona lead at the break. Keala Keanaaina rushed for a pair of scores in the final 96 seconds of the half on runs of 9 and 6 yards and finished with a career-high 43 yards for the game.

THE IFS...:

If the SaberCats defeat Arizona it would...
*Advance them to the ArenaBowl for a 2nd straight year.
*Be their 4th straight win over the Rattlers
*Give them an 11-10 series edge.
*Give them a 3-0 playoff record against the Rattlers.
*Give them a 7-5 all-time playoff record.
*Give them a 7-2 home playoff record.
*Be Darren Arbet's 60th career win.

THE COACHES:

San Jose – Darren Arbet, 5th season
59-21 (.738) overall; 6-2 (.750) postseason 9-3 (.750) career vs. Arizona

Arbet became the 8th head coach in AFL history to win 50 games and the second fastest to reach the milestone with San Jose's win at Chicago on Mar. 9. Arbet reached 50 in his 69th game while Tim Marcum got win No. 50 in 63 games. Arbet guided the SaberCats to a 12-win season in 2003, the fourth straight season of double-figure victories, and owns an overall career record of 59-21 (.738). Under Arbet, San Jose has won the Western Division title in each of the last four years and holds a 53-13 (.803) overall record during that span. Arbet led San Jose to the No. 1 playoff seed in 2003 for the second straight season and third time in the last four years. He is the only coach in SaberCats history to win a playoff game and holds an all-time postseason record of 6-2 (.750). Named AFL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Arbet led the SaberCats to a league record 15-game regular season winning streak and twice in the last three years the SaberCats have had 12-game win streaks.

Arizona – Danny White, 12th season
127-58 (.686) overall; 17-8 (.680) postseason 10-10 (.500) career vs. San Jose

White is the only head coach in team history. In 2001, he became the 2nd head coach in AFL history to reach 100 career wins he also won his 100th regular season game in the 2002 season finale. White's 127 career wins are second only to Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum, who has 156 career victories, and his 17 playoff wins are second to Marcum's 23. White has led the Rattlers to 11 consecutive postseason appearances and two AFL championships (1994 and 1997) while capturing Coach of the Year honors in 1993.

RECENT RESULTS: Kevin McKenzie, who had scored only four touchdowns all season, exploded for a record six tallies, including a 57-yard kickoff return, as the SaberCats advanced to the semifinals for a fourth straight season with a 69-48 win over the 12th-seeded Georgia Force. McKenzie's six scores ties an AFL playoff record and is a new mark for the SaberCats. He also recovered a fumble with 6:51 left in the game that set up the final touchdown, a 5-yard run by veteran Barry Wagner. San Jose (13-4), the top-seed for the second year, broke the game open with a 21-point outburst in the fourth quarter. Defensive pressure by the SaberCats on Georgia quarterback Leon Murray produced two fourth-quarter sacks by Sam Hernandez and Chuck Reed. The Force (9-9) had made it to the quarterfinals with an upset last week at Dallas, 51-49, and had defeated San Jose at home in the third week of the season. San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb was 18 of 23 for 318 yards and four touchdowns, one of those to James Hundon, whose 11 catches for 185 yards also was a playoff record. McKenzie caught three touchdown passes of 6, 45 and 40 yards, the last giving the SaberCats a 62-48 margin with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter. He had rushing scores of one and two yards, but his kickoff return midway through the second period gave San Jose a 28-17 lead. Fourth quarter sacks by Sam Hernandez, the AFL's all-time leader, and Chuck Reed rattled Murray who was 21 of 38 in the game with five touchdowns. The rookie quarterback out of Tennessee State was 8 of 14 in the fourth quarter with a 46-yard strike to Jarrick Hillery that closed San Jose's lead to 55-48. Grieb came right back to McKenzie for 40 yards on the ensuing series and San Jose led, 62-48. It was Reed's sack and then a fumbled reception by Markeith Cooper that led to the SaberCats final score. Wagner, named the Ironman of the game, stripped the ball from Cooper and McKenzie recovered. Grieb staked San Jose to a 34-26 halftime lead on 8 of 11 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown. Grieb's six-yard pass to McKenzie to end the first quarter gave the SaberCats a 14-7 lead. Ironically, the six-touchdown record by McKenzie was set by three others including current teammates Wagner, playing for Orlando, against Iowa in 1995, and Aaron Bailey, playing for Carolina, at Grand Rapids in 2000. Georgia set a record for most return yards in a playoff game with 312. That included a 56-yard scamper by Cooper in the third quarter. The old record was 262 set in a game by Milwaukee in 2000.

INJURY REPORT: OL/DL Devin Wyman sustained a minor shoulder injury against Georgia on May 31 and is listed as probable for the semifinal game.

Player Injury Status
Devin Wyman Shoulder sprain Probable

2003 SEASON REVIEW:

After starting the season with a 1-2 record, the SaberCats won 11 of their next 13 games to claim the No. 1 playoff seed for a second consecutive season and claim their fourth straight Western Division title. San Jose re-lived the memory of their ArenaBowl XVI victory by silencing a sellout America West Arena crowd in the season opening re-match of the 2002 title game. San Jose used a balanced attack to defeat the Rattlers, 49-28. The SaberCats suffered a pair of heart-breaking defeats the next two weeks. Los Angeles used a last-second touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass from Tony Graziani to Greg Hopkins to eke out a 73-72 win. The following week, Georgia's James Brown tossed an 11-yard scoring pass to Darryl Hammond with no time left as the Force won 51-49. Had those games ended a few seconds sooner, San Jose would be undefeated. As it was the SaberCats were reeling with a 1-2 start. Playing its first game at HP Pavilion in Week 4 of the season, San Jose enjoyed some home cooking and took advantage of six turnovers to dispatch the expansion Crush 80-40. The SaberCats intercepted former teammate and ArenaBowl XVI MVP John Dutton four times in his first game in San Jose since leading them to the league title in 2002. Back on the road for two more games, the SaberCats used a 30-0 run over the second and third quarters to erase an early 10-7 deficit and cruised to a 72-37 win over the Las Vegas Gladiators. Two defensive touchdowns supported the effort. San Jose improved to 4-2 and ended a grueling stretch of five of its first six games on the road with a 71-49 win at Chicago. Aaron Bailey made his season debut and set a SaberCats game record with four rushing scores and added a fifth on a 47-yard pass reception to fuel the offense. OL/DL Sam Hernandez made league history by becoming the first player with 50 career sacks. James Roe caught five TD passes and Clevan Thomas returned two kickoffs for scores and set a league record with an interception in his seventh straight game as the SaberCats began a three-game homestand with a 58-41 win over Buffalo to improve to 5-2. With their two losses coming in the final seconds by a combined total of three points, it was time for the SaberCats to turn the tables. James Roe made a circus catch in the endzone with no time left and Daron Alcorn provided the PAT to give San Jose a 59-58 win over Arizona. The SaberCats continued to roll using three Barry Wagner rush TDs and a league record six overall in a 62-40 win over Carolina. San Jose came out lethargic against the winless Cobras and fell behind 20-7 after the first quarter. But a 55-yard kickoff return score by Clevan Thomas sparked the SaberCats to a 55-20 scoring spree over the final three quarters for the team's 18th consecutive home win. Another last second loss, this one at the hands of the Dallas Desperados on a 1-yard TD run with 23 seconds to play, ended the SaberCats' six-game win streak and dropped them to 7-3, a game behind Los Angeles in the Western Division. San Jose suffered its second 2-game losing skid of the year when they were defeated, 45-42, by Detroit in Week 11 ending their 18-game home win streak. Playing their second straight game without DS Clevan Thomas, the SaberCats out-slugged Indiana, 73-71, to get back on the winning track. Mark Grieb completed 25-of-30 attempts with six TDs, three in the fourth quarter, but it was a 52-yard kickoff return touchdown by Kevin McKenzie that supplied San Jose with the difference. A late score by the Firebirds got them within two points but they failed on the potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt. A convincing 65-49 win at Colorado in Week 13 brought San Jose's record to 9-4. Week 14 pitted the past two ArenaBowl champs in what was a classic duel. A Grieb-to-James Roe scoring pass with four seconds left in the game pulled San Jose within a point, then Grieb faked a handoff and bootlegged into the endzone for the game-winning two-point conversion in a 56-55 win over Grand Rapids. Facing the top team in the league in Week 15, the SaberCats secured their spot on top of the league standings with a 47-34 win at Tampa Bay. San Jose entered the final contest tied with Los Angeles, Orlando and Tampa Bay for the best record in the league at 11-4. The SaberCats stymied the high-powered Los Angeles Avengers' offense in a 47-43 win, intercepting Tony Graziani four times to secure the top seed and a fourth straight division title.

PLAYOFF NOTABLES:

POSTSEASON HISTORY – The SaberCats secured a playoff berth for the fourth straight season and the seventh time in their nine-year history. San Jose posted its first-ever playoff win with a 63-40 quarterfinal win over Oklahoma on August 4, 2000. With a 69-48 quarterfinal win over Georgia on May 31, San Jose upped its all-time postseason record to 6-5 with all six wins coming in HP Pavilion. The SaberCats are 0-3 in road playoff games, but they don't have to worry about that this year since they are the top seeded team.

TOP CATS – For the second straight season and third time in the last four years, the SaberCats are the No. 1 seed entering postseason play. San Jose's 12-4 record matched both Tampa Bay and Orlando this season, but the SaberCats held the tie-break edge over the Storm by virtue of their 47-34 win during the regular season. The SaberCats earned the No. 1 seed last season by posting a league record 13 regular season victories (13-1) and their 12-2 mark in 2000 earned them the top overall seed.

SEMIS BOUND – The SaberCats are the only AFL team to reach the semifinal round in each of the last four years. San Jose claimed its first ArenaBowl appearance with a 52-40 semifinal win over Orlando on Aug. 10, 2002 and owns a 1-2 record in semifinal round games. The SaberCats were defeated by Nashville in the semis in 2000 and 2001. Both Arizona and Orlando have reached the semifinal round in three of the last four years with each failing to advance during the 2001 campaign.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCED – The SaberCats have 15 players on their playoff roster that participated in the team's championship run last year and three more currently on injured reserve that played at least one postseason game in 2002. Two players, Darrin Kenney and Barry Wagner, have multiple championship rings. Kenney got one in 1993 with Tampa Bay another in 1997 with Arizona and his third last season. Wagner was with the champion Orlando Predators in 1998 and got his second ring last season with San Jose.

TRENDS:

DOUBLE TROUBLE – The SaberCats posted their 10th victory of the season against Grand Rapids on May 3 and totaled 12 regular season wins on the year, the second highest season total in league history. San Jose has now reached double figures in wins in four consecutive seasons, the longest current streak in the AFL. The Arizona Rattlers own the league record of five straight seasons with 10 or more wins from 1996 to 2000.

HOME SWEET HOME – The SaberCats have won their last four home games and, including playoffs, 22 of their last 23 after having their 18-game home win streak snapped by the Detroit Fury on Apr. 11. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats are an incredible 32-4 (.889) at home and under head coach Darren Arbet they are 36-7 (.837) in games played in San Jose.

SEMIS OR BUST – Darrin Kenney's remarkable streak continues. The 11-year veteran has been a member of a team that has advanced to the semifinals every year. He also has three championship rings. Kenney was a member of the Tampa Bay Storm during his rookie season in 1993 when they won their second title and played four years with Arizona (1997-00) winning a title in 1997. DK got his third ring last year with San Jose.

PAYDIRT – San Jose scored at least one rushing TD in every regular season game this year and established a league record with 47 total. The SaberCats kept rolling in their first playoff game by scoring a league postseason record tying five times on the ground in their 69-48 win over Georgia on May 31. Barry Wagner and Kevin McKenzie each scored twice and James Williams added another as San Jose tied the mark set by Grand Rapids on Aug. 5, 2001.

NOTES:

NICE DEBUT – Kevin McKenzie tied a league playoff record and set a team mark by scoring six TDs in his 1st career AFL playoff game. KMac caught three TD passes, scored twice on the ground and added a 57-yard kickoff return score to earn game MVP honors vs Georgia on May 31. Ironically, he tied the record, which is also held by current teammates Barry Wagner, who scored six times for Orlando against Iowa (8/19/95), and Aaron Bailey, who caught six TD passes for Carolina at Grand Rapids (7/28/02).

WHAT'S THE POINT – San Jose led the league in scoring (60.4 ppg) for the second straight season and third time in the last four years by scoring league records of 966 points and 137 touchdowns. San Jose is the only team in league history to average over 60 points a game in more than one season doing it for the third time in 2003. San Jose averaged 62.2 ppg in 2000 and 62.7 ppg in 2002. The SaberCats also set a team record for most points in a playoff game with their 69-48 win over Georgia.

FINAL FOUR – The four semifinal participants in the 2003 AFL playoffs are the four longest tenured teams in one city in the AFL. San Jose's 9-year run is the fourth longest behind Tampa Bay (13), Orlando (13) and Arizona (12). Each of the franchises has captured a championship with all but San Jose having multiple titles. Tampa Bay has four titles (91, 93, 95, 96) while Arizona (94, 97) and Orlando (98, 00) each have two. San Jose captured its first last season.

ON THE MARK – Playing in his first playoff game since the 2001 season, QB Mark Grieb looked just fine. Grieb connected on a team playoff record 78.3 percent (18-of-31) of his passes for a playoff career-high 318 yards with four TDs against Georgia on May 31. Grieb is San Jose's playoff career leader in completions (98), attempts (153), yards (1,275) and TDs (27). Grieb took all but three snaps the entire 2003 season and set team season records for completions (310), attempts (466), yards (3,966), touchdowns (72) and interceptions (16). He leapfrogged Kurt Warner, Ron Lopez and Pat O'Hara into 13th place in career passing yards (13,876) and also became the 13th player with 1,000 career completions.

JHUN – OS James Hundon amassed the second highest receiving yard total in AFL playoff history by totaling 184 on a team record tying 11 receptions in San Jose's 69-48 win over Georgia on May 31. Albany's Eddie Brown holds the record with 239 receiving yards against Arizona on Aug. 14, 1999. Jhun matched Titus Dixon's team playoff record with 11 catches, which was set against Orlando on Aug. 13, 1995 in San Jose's first playoff game. In six career playoff games Hundon has totaled 51 catches for 668 yards and 13 TDs.

SEASONED VET – WR/DB Barry Wagner has advanced to the postseason in each of his 12 years in the league, eight with Orlando (92-99) and four with San Jose (00-03), and has played in every playoff game. Wagner has played in eight postseason games with San Jose and had participated in all 20 games during his career with Orlando. Wagner scored a pair of TDs against Georgia on May 31 to increase his career playoff total to 60. Wags has 37 TD receptions, 18 rush TDs, 3 on kick returns, one INT return and has a net recovery.

CLEVAN THE MAN – DS Clevan Thomas established a new league record with 13 interceptions this season, one better than both Dameon Porter and Tracey Perkins, and was named ADT Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Thomas also set a league record with an INT in seven straight games at the start of the year and totaled nine in that span. After three games without a pick and two missed due to injury, Thomas ended the campaign with a pick in each of the final four games. In the two games he missed with turf toe, opposing QBs threw for 588 yards (294 ypg) and 14 TDs completing 62.2 percent of their passes (51-of-82) without being intercepted. Named first team All-Arena and to the All-Ironman team, Thomas also led the circuit with 35 pass breakups.

PAPER OR PLASTIC – OL/DL Sam Hernandez, the AFL's career leader in QB sacks with 54.0, tallied a San Jose playoff record 2.0 sacks and Chuck Reed added a third for a team record three against Georgia on May 31. Hernandez has played in nine of San Jose's 11 playoff games and is the team's all-time leader.

INTERCEPTORS – The SaberCats totaled 10 picks in the final four regular season games to post a league-best 28 on the season, the second highest single-season total in league history. San Jose had at least one INT in 12 of 16 games and three times tallied four in a game. In all eight players tallied at least one pick on the year with a league-high seven being returned for scores.

MOST INTERCEPTIONS, SEASON
INTs Team Year
29 Orlando Predators 1992
28 SAN JOSE SABERCATS 2003
26 Albany Firebirds 1996
26 San Jose SaberCats 1998

TOP RUSHERS – The SaberCats ran for a league-best 589 yards on 169 carries this season to lead the league in rushing for a second straight season. San Jose's yardage total represented the 9th highest total in AFL history and the most in a season since Orlando ran for 655 yards in 1997. The SaberCats rushed for 30 or more yards in a game eight times this season with a league season-high of 86, the second highest one-game total in team history, at Colorado on Apr. 27. San Jose ran for 195 more yards on the year than second place Indiana (394).

ARIZONA PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB SHERDRICK BONNER – In 17 career games against San Jose, the 2003 first-team All-AFL quarterback has thrown for 3,648 yards and has completed 58.7 percent (294-of-501) of his passes with 70 TDs and 11 interceptions. He has thrown six or more TD passes in a game seven times and twice has thrown for over 300 yards. However, in two playoff games, Bonner has struggled completing just 46.7 percent (28-of-60) of his passes for 340 yards and five TDs while tossing three INTs. In fact, Bonner has yet to finish a playoff game against San Jose being pulled for Chad DeGrenier in 2001 and Chris Hixson in last year's ArenaBowl.

WR/LB HUNKIE COOPER – The two-time AFL Ironman of the Year (99, 00) has feasted on San Jose. In 19 career games against the SaberCats, Cooper has returned 5 kickoffs for TDs and 2 interceptions for scores. He's also caught 12 TD passes and rushed for five other scores. In fact, Cooper is the only San Jose opponent to return a kickoff and an interception for a TD in the same game. Hunkie turned the trick on April 21, 2001 when he scampered 56 yards for a TD on a kickoff and returned an INT 31 yards for a score. Despite his efforts, the SaberCats pulled out a 48-37 win.

WR/DB RANDY GATEWOOD – A leading candidate for Ironman of the Year honors, Gatewood flourished on the offensive side of the ball after the departure of Chris Horn. Gatewood caught 50 of his 69 balls and snared 24 of his team-high 32 TD catches over the final nine regular season games. In the postseason, however, he's been a non-factor with just one catch in each of Arizona's two games. The 8-year AFL veteran placed 3rd in the AFL with a team season record nine INTs. In 12 career games against San Jose Gatewood has 548 yards on 31 catches with 16 TDs and has posted 35.5 tackles and 2 INTs.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 4, 2003


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