San Jose suffers another tough loss to Georgia, 55-49
Sunday May 29, 2011
SAN JOSE, CA - A close contest between the Georgia Force (6-5) and the San Jose SaberCats (5-6) ended in another tough loss as the Force emerged victorious in front of 10,231 fans at a packed HP Pavilion. Despite the loss, National Guard MVP of the Game QB Mark Grieb became the fifth player in AFL history to surpass 40,000 passing yards for his career after posting 358 yards connecting on 24-of-34 (70.6%) for five touchdowns.
The 55-49 loss was difficult for SaberCats Owner/Head Coach Darren Arbet. “It’s real frustrating. You have to make plays for all four quarters and we didn’t finish. It’s a frustrating loss but we have to look ahead to next week.”
After the SaberCats turned the ball over on downs, Force QB Brett Elliott connected with WR CJ Johnson for a 47-yard touchdown on the second play of their drive to put the Force up 7-0. San Jose evened the score at seven on the following offensive series when Grieb found WR Ben Nelson in the back of the end zone. On the ensuing drive the San Jose defense held fast, forcing Georgia into a 27-yard field goal putting them ahead by three at the end of the first quarter, 10-7.
The second quarter began with a rushing touchdown by FB/LB Chad Cook and Georgia answered back when Elliott found WR/DB Larry Shipp on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The scoring continued as Grieb found WR/DB Mervin Brookins for a 42-yard touchdown, the first of his career-high three for the game. Georgia’s OL Benji McDowell scored a rushing touchdown to put Georgia up 31-21. With just seconds to go in the half, Elliott rushed for a 4-yard touchdown following a Grieb interception. Following a penalty on Georgia, the Sabercats scored with no time left on the clock as Grieb found Brookins for a 24-yard touchdown after he avoided numerous defenders to cut the lead to three at 31-28.
The second half opened with a touchdown by Georgia WR/DB Michael Johnson. On the next drive, Grieb found Brookins for a 14-yard touchdown to surpass 40,000 career passing yards. After a quarterback sack by DL Adam Huebner, Georgia was able to convert a 47-yard field goal attempt to go up 41-35. Cook scored his 25th rushing touchdown of the season and K Juan Gamboa recovered the ball in the end zone after a blocked extra point attempt, putting the ‘Cats up 43-41.
A quick 14-yard touchdown catch by Force WR/DB Larry Shipp opened the final quarter of the game and San Jose followed with Nelson’s second touchdown grab of the contest putting San Jose up 49-47. Shipp caught his third touchdown of the game to put Georgia up 55-49 with 29 seconds on the clock, after a successful two-point conversion. The game ended when Grieb connected with WR Scott Schoettgen in the end zone, but the touchdown catch was nullified by a holding penalty with no time left on the clock, giving San Jose their fourth consecutive loss.
Grieb finished the game with 358 passing yards, marking his 45th 300-yard passing game of his career and now stands at 40,124 yards for his career. WR Ben Nelson reached 500 receptions for his career, after notching seven receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. WR/DB Mervin Brookins posted his second consecutive game with 100-plus receiving yards and once again led the team with nine receptions and 136 receiving yards.
The SaberCats (5-6) travel to Dallas on June 4 to take on the Vigilantes (6-5) at 5:30 p.m. PDT. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet as well as KLIV 1590 AM.
National Guard MVP of the Game: San Jose QB Mark Grieb
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game: Georgia WR/DB Larry Shipp
Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Georgia DB Tracy Belton
JLS Ironman: San Jose WR/DB Mervin Brookins
NiFTy Playmaker of the Game: San Jose WR Ben Nelson
Cutter Catch of the Game: WR/DB Mervin Brookins 24-yard touchdown catch at the end of the first half
Spalding Highlight of the Game: San Jose K Juan Gamboa’s recovery of a blocked extra point in the fourth quarter
ABOUT THE SAN JOSE SABERCATS
The ArenaBowl XVI, XVIII and XXI champion San Jose SaberCats (5-6) opened the 2011 season against the defending ArenaBowl champion Spokane Shock on March 11 with a victory as they returned to the Arena Football League for their 15th season in 2011. They head to Dallas for their fifth road game of the season against the Dallas Vigilantes (6-5) next week as they look to move to 6-6. The SaberCats began play in 1995, playing their home games at HP Pavilion. Fans and sponsors can go to www.thesanjosesabercats.com or call 408-673-3400 to sign up to receive the latest news and updates about the SaberCats, as well as to purchase season and single-game tickets. Make sure to follow the SaberCats on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news on the team.
