Shock Face Opening Round Playoff Matchup with SaberCats
July 30, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, Wash. (July 30, 2014) - The Spokane Shock (11-7) open their playoff run on the road against the San Jose SaberCats (13-5) on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 7:00 p.m. PDT in the SAP Center. The game can be viewed online at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app.
Spokane and San Jose matched up three times during the regular season with San Jose holding the 2-1 edge on the Spokane. However, Shock quarterback Erik Meyer is 3-0 in his career when starting against the SaberCats, including a 73-62 victory in week four of this season.
In his three career starts against San Jose Meyer has thrown for 635 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions and adding five rushing touchdowns.
The Shock enter the playoffs playing their best football of the season having won five-straight contests, three of which have come on the road, while scoring an average of 61.4 points per game. During this stretch Spokane has earned wins against two playoff bound teams in the Portland Thunder and the National Conference No. 1 seed Arizona Rattlers.
Meyer leads a productive trio of receivers in Mike Washington, reigning 2013 Wide Receiver of the Year Adron Tennell, and rookie Rashaad Carter. Washington heads the group with 106 receptions for 1,356 yards and 23 touchdowns while Tennell and Carter have combined for 31 touchdowns and 1,354 yards on 132 catches. Nick Truesdell, another rookie, has seen the field in six games for Spokane, adding 294 yards and five touchdowns to the offensive effort.
Shock defensive back and kick returner Terrance Sanders has scored four times in Spokane's last three games, twice on kickoff returns and twice on interception returns. Sanders and the Shock defense have only given up 46.8 points per game this year, the fourth best mark in the league.
The talented secondary unit of the Shock is aided by the pressure created up front by defensive lineman James Ruffin (14.0 sacks) and Mac linebacker Derrick Summers (10.5 sacks). Spokane's defense created a league-leading 40 sacks this season, a step up from the 33 they recorded in 2013.
Roaming the middle of the field is Spokane's Jack linebacker, Terence Moore, who leads the team in tackles with 89.0 and has also contributed six interceptions, five pass break ups, seven fumble recoveries, and five defensive touchdowns.
San Jose has won six of their last seven contests with the sole loss coming to the Philadelphia Soul on the road when the SaberCats scored only 20 points, a franchise-low scoring mark during road games.
Quarterback Nathan Stanley completed 60 percent of his passes during the regular season for 2,436 yards and 50 touchdowns after filling in for an injured Russ Michna, who threw for 1,901 yards and 44 touchdowns before going on injured reserve on June 5.
Stanley's favorite target, wide receiver Rod Harper, hauled in 100 receptions for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve on July 24 along with fellow receiver Doug Williams. Replacing the injured duo will be veteran wide receivers Ben Nelson and Trandon Harvey.
SaberCats fullback Odie Armstrong is the fourth leading rusher in the AFL, with 58 attempts for 283 yards and 13 touchdowns.
San Jose's defense has done their part to contribute to the team's success as well, allowing a league-best 40.2 points and 249.8 yards per game. Defensive back Ken Fontenette has been a big part of the defensive unit, racking up a team-leading 108.0 tackles and 25 pass break ups.
Despite having played each other nine times since the Shock entered the AFL in 2010, this will be the first-ever playoff matchup between the two Pacific Division rivals. In the playoffs the SaberCats are 15-11 while the Shock are 4-2.
In addition to online coverage of the game on WatchESPN.com the game can be found on the radio at 1050 KNBR in the Bay Area with a companion webcast on KNBR.com.
2015 season tickets for the Shock's 10th Anniversary Season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (509) 242-7462 or visiting SpokaneShock.com.
Arena Football League Stories from July 30, 2014
- McDonough Signs with NFL's Redskins - Portland Thunder
- Shock Face Opening Round Playoff Matchup with SaberCats - Spokane Shock
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