Thunder Fall Behind Early, Lose to SaberCats 64 to 45
April 26, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Portland Thunder News Release
Portland Thunder vs. San Jose SaberCats
(Portland Thunder)
SAN JOSE - The Portland Thunder (2-3, 1-1) drop their second straight road decision, 64-45 to the San Jose SaberCats (5-0, 1-0) Saturday night in front of 7,125 at SAP Center in San Jose.
"We dug our own hole," stated Thunder head coach Mike Hohensee, following the loss. "We played undisciplined football, and we can't be successful if we continue to make mistakes."
Thunder quarterback Kyle Rowley completed 19 of 35 passes for 205 yards and three scores with two interceptions. Backup quarterback Darron Thomas took his first snaps of the 2015 season late in the fourth quarter, completing four of seven attempts for 38 yards and two scores.
San Jose quarterback Erik Meyer hit four different receivers in the endzone in the victory, completing 20 of 30 passes for 319 yards and seven total touchdowns. SaberCats receiver DJ Stephens was on the receiving end of three of those Meyer TD's, finishing the night with 10 receptions for 171 yards.
Portland fell behind late in the first half for the second straight week, with the SaberCats outscoring the Thunder 28 to 13 in the second quarter. Penalties were also a problem for the Thunder, committing nine infractions for 61 yards. The Thunder did outscore the SaberCats in the second half 26 to 20.
Thunder wide-out Jamar Howard exited the game midway through the second quarter following an 11 yard reception where he was hit low into the wall by San Jose DB Ken Fontenette. Howard finished with the night with two catches for 25 yards.
The Thunder will head out to the city of Brotherly Love for their final of three straight road games next Saturday, taking on the Philadelphia Soul from the Wells Fargo Center. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm PDT.
Post Game Awards:
Offensive Player of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens
Defensive Player of the Game- SJ DB Ken Fontenette
J Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens
Cutters Catch of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens 43-yard touchdown
AFL Highlight of the Game- SJ WR Reggie Gray kickoff return for a touchdown
Images from this story
Arena Football League Stories from April 26, 2015
- Soul Cast Spell on VooDoo, 55-42 - Philadelphia Soul
- Thunder Fall Behind Early, Lose to SaberCats 64 to 45 - Portland Thunder
- Shock Get First Win of 2015 in Overtime Thriller over Predators - Spokane Shock
- Orlando Drops 56-55 Overtime Decision to Spokane Shock - Orlando Predators
- Rattlers (4-1) Rock the Kiss (0-5), 68-30 - Arizona Rattlers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Portland Thunder Stories
- The OSC Interview: Portland Arena Football Coach Ron James
- Portland Announces Ron James as Head Coach, General Manager
- AFL Takes over Operations of Portland Thunder
- Terry Emmert Statement Regarding Meadowlark Lemon
- Meadow Lemon Issues Statement on Passing of Meadowlark Lemon
