Thunder look to defeat the undefeated, face 9-0 SaberCats

Published on May 26, 2015 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Portland Thunder News Release


PORTLAND - The Portland Thunder (3-5, 1-1 in Pacific) return home looking to regroup from a difficult east coast road trip while facing the AFL's only remaining undefeated team, the San Jose SaberCats (9-0, 2-0) this Saturday from the Moda Center. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm and fans can listen on Freedom 970AM starting at 2:30pm, and watch live on CSNNW, ESPN3, or the WatchESPN.com app.

The second of three meetings for these Pacific Division rivals will be the only to take place in Portland in 2015. The Thunder could not overcome a 25 point halftime deficit when the sides last met in San Jose, dropping a 64-45 decision despite outscoring the SaberCats in the second half. The SaberCats hold a 4-0 series lead, and enter this weekend's match-up as the AFL's lone undefeated team.

3-1 at the Moda Center this season, the Thunder will again look toward home cooking being their elixir for success. A difficult night in Orlando last Saturday saw the Thunder fall behind in a game they were confident of showing well in. Fresh off a decisive 63-47 victory a week prior against the LA KISS, newly promoted QB Darron Thomas, starting just his second game of the 2015 season, led the Thunder offense on three proficient scoring drives through the first quarter and a half of play against the Predators, before injury sidelined the former Duck, and took a little bit of wind out of the Thunder's sails.

Portland went on to lose its fourth straight road game, 69-43, but lost a bit more in the process. Thomas was ruled out for the remainder of the 2015 season earlier on Tuesday.

"It's unfortunate, because that guy would do anything to be on that field," stated head coach Mike Hohensee. "He was just becoming the quarterback he wanted to be in this league. I know that if this team was looking for something to play for, this would be a good place to start."

Veteran QB Kyle Rowley now reassumes the role of the starter, as it had been just two weeks prior. Rowley was 17 of 21 passing for 182 yards and 3 scores in his relief appearance against the Predators, and will look to build off that good showing as he prepares to tackle a defense that ranks first in points allowed (37.4).

More troublesome than the SaberCats stingy defense is their potent offense. San Jose QB Erik Meyer enjoyed the best statistical game of his SaberCats career last week, completing 30-of-42 passes for 406 yards and nine touchdowns in San Jose's 70-58 win over the Cleveland Gladiators. The former League MVP has recorded a triple-digit passer rating in each of his last four games played. A key to disrupting that level of efficiency will be the Thunder establishing the same fervent pass rush they showed against LA. All four of Portland's defensive front got a hand on KISS quarterback Danny Southwick, recording 4 total sacks for a loss of 14 yards on the evening. The offensive front for San Jose has shown that they are susceptible to mistake, allowing 15 sacks through their nine games this season.

If the Thunder are to play David to San Jose's Goliath, protecting the ball will also go a long way to ensure success. San Jose boasts the league's best turnover margin, at an average of +1.67 in their favor per game.

Transactions:

- The Thunder traded for QB Alex Carder, with the Jacksonville Sharks receiving claim order positioning in exchange for the former Manning, Unitas, and Davey O'Brien Award Candidate. Carder Served as the Sharks' backup quarterback during the middle portion of the 2014 season, completing two of three pass attempts for 19 yards, while also catching four passes for 56 yards as an emergency receiver.

- DL/LB Robert Hayes has been reactivated from IR, and is eligible to play this weekend.

- DL Sione Tuihalamaka has been reassigned. The former Arizona Wildcat made only one appearance for Portland after signing with the club on April 8, 2015

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