SaberCats Defeat Power in a 68-54 Victory Despite Late Mistakes

Leanne Cozart
Sunday June 9, 2013

Going into this game, with a new starting quarterback on both the San Jose SaberCats (8-3) as well as the Pittsburgh Power (3-8), there was a lot of uncertainty in the air. Considering the circumstances, two backup quarterbacks making their starting debuts, this game was really anybody’s to take when it came down to the final minute.

In the fourth quarter there were some mistakes that almost cost the SaberCats the game. It started when defensive end Jabari Fletcher was contributing on offense and fumbled the ball in the red zone which was recovered by the Power. The Power capitalized on this mistake and responded with a touchdown to cut down the SaberCats lead to 54-48.

Following this mishap, with only one minute left to play in the game and the SaberCats holding a six point lead, the Power had a huge turning point when defensive back Sergio Gilliam intercepted SaberCats backup quarterback Mitch Mustain’s pass and returned it 46 yards for the score. This tied the game and earned the AFL Highlight of the Game.

Shortly after this defensive score, was a very crucial time in the game as the Power missed their extra point attempt that would’ve secured the lead. With the game tied at 54 and under a minute to play, Mustain showed his ability to respond to adversity when he efficiently moved the offense downfield and converted to take back the lead at 61-54.

With 12 seconds to play in Arena Football, really anything can happen. In this matchup between two battling teams, Iron Man Huey Whitaker decided to take the game in his own hands. Whitaker earned Riddell Defensive Player of the Game when he picked off the Power quarterback Derek Cassidy’s pass and brought it in for a score to seal the victory, leaving no hope or time for the Power to respond. This defensive score marked the second ‘Cats touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the game.

The SaberCats defense did a great job at picking up the slack when they needed to, as they forced two turnovers on downs in the second half, which ultimately gave the offense a chance to extend their lead and pull away from the Power.

With this victory, the SaberCats proved that last week’s loss in Spokane hasn’t set a new tone as they played much better in all phases of the game. It wasn’t the easiest triumph for the ‘Cats, but it was notch of confidence they can use as momentum in these final months of the season. After their five-game winning streak was snapped, they’ll look to build off of this victory to begin a new streak.

In his first start of the season with the SaberCats, Mustain completed 21-of-37 passes for 250 yards and six touchdowns. Mustain started the first half with a lot of quick reads and was making consistent connections with his receiving corps and as the night went on he got a little more comfortable taking some shots downfield. It wasn’t until the last minute of the fourth quarter that Mustain took a big risk and threw his first and only interception of the night.

“I’m proud of him. He was thrown into it last week, and this time he had a full week to prepare. He did a great job,” said SaberCats Head Coach Darren Arbet according to the San Jose Mercury News.

On the SaberCats offense there was big help from both Amarri Jackson who brought in his first score as a SaberCat and Fletcher, a converted defensive end who did an outstanding job on offense with three rushing scores. Jason Willis had a productive night also as he caught two touchdown passes against his former team.

Cassidy did a good job in his first career start considering he wasn’t preparing to play leading up to the game. He finished the night completing 19-of-41 passes for 261 yards with six touchdowns and one interception thrown in the final seconds of the game. Cassidy consistently connected with the talented Washington and Talley throughout the night, brought in a rushing touchdown and in the first half converted on all but one drive.

Fred Williams- Impact Player of the Game

JLS Playmaker of the Game and SaberCats receiver Fred Williams was the impact player in this victory. Williams had a big night on both offense and special teams, giving the ‘Cats the edge against the Power throughout the game finishing with a season-high 269 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Williams averaged over 26 yards on his kickoff returns and following his big night he continues his streak of eight consecutive games with a touchdown.