SaberCats Scratch Their Way to Victory, 49-35 Over Command
Sunday April 22, 2012
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose SaberCats (4-2) knocked off the Kansas City Command (0-5) 49-35, in front of 9,432 fans at HP Pavilion on Saturday night. Quarterback Mark Grieb finished his night completing 24-29 passes for 315 yards and six touchdowns, and was named the National Guard MVP of the Game. Wide receiver James Roe hauled in seven passes for 88 yards and one touchdown, wide receiver Samora Goodson caught six passes for 77 yards and two scores and three other SaberCats recorded touchdown receptions. The defense again posted a great performance, holding the Command offense to just 35 points.
“I brought Coach (Cedric) Walker in here to do that,” Owner/Head Coach Darren Arbet said following San Jose’s win. “I believe he is the best in the league. We have some players in here for him and they are doing a good job and are getting better and better each and every week.”
Kansas City’s struggling offense came out firing, as quarterback Matt Gutierrez hit wide receiver Bret Smith for a 26-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in the first quarter, giving the Command an early 6-0 lead after an unsuccessful extra point attempt. San Jose responded quickly behind future Arena Football League Hall of Fame quarterback Grieb. The 12-year veteran completed a pass to wide receiver Samora Goodson, who cut back sharply, caused two Command defenders to miss the tackle, and ran into the end zone for the 18-yard touchdown. Gutierrez went right back to Smith for a second 26-yard scoring strike, and Grieb connected with wide receiver James Roe for a 22-yard touchdown, giving San Jose a 14-13 advantage.
After Kansas City opened the second quarter scoring with a 20-yard field goal, the Command recovered a SaberCats’ fumble and attempted a second field goal. The ensuing kick was blocked by SaberCats defensive lineman Tim McGill, however, setting up SaberCats’ possession at the Command 17-yard line. On the next play, Grieb found offensive lineman Mark Lewis who rumbled in for the score, giving the ‘Cats a 21-16 lead. A touchdown catch by wide receiver Bradly Chavez gave Kansas City a brief lead, but with three seconds left in the half, Grieb scrambled and hit wide receiver Hank Edwards for the receiver’s 99th career touchdown reception, putting San Jose up 28-22 at the midway point.
Kansas City once again grabbed momentum early in the half, as defensive back Sergio Gilliam picked off a pass and ran it back for a 51-yard touchdown return, moving Kansas City into the lead, 29-28. Pressured by the Command defensive line, Grieb was once again intercepted by Gilliam, but ‘Cats defensive back Andre Jones responded with an interception of his own on a deep out pass in the back corner of the end zone. Grieb rebounded for a 36-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Ben Nelson, putting San Jose back in front 35-29. Gutierrez found Smith for the tandem’s third touchdown connection of the night, and after the missed extra point attempt, the score was knotted at 35-35. San Jose pushed down field, and wide receiver Huey Whittaker capped the drive with a two-yard run, putting San Jose in front 42-35 after three quarters.
San Jose took advantage of their third forced turnover on the night, leading to a Goodson 16-yard score which stretched the ‘Cats lead to 49-35. Overall, San Jose turned in a tremendous effort defensively, with linebacker Francis Maka and defensive lineman Joe Sykes each collecting two sacks in addition to constant defensive pressure that kept Gutierrez on the move the entire night. In the final minute of play, the ‘Cats defensive hung tough once again, stopping the Command on downs and closing out its third straight home win and 30th out of its last 35 regular season games.
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
San Jose SaberCats.. 14 14 14 7 - 35
Kansas City Command..13 9 13 0 - 49
ABOUT THE SAN JOSE SABERCATS
The ArenaBowl XVI, XVIII and XXI champion San Jose SaberCats, opened their 16th season in the Arena Football League Saturday night. Fans and sponsors can go to 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 2012 season tickets. Make sure to follow the SaberCats on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news on the team.
