SaberCats Looking to Get Second Straight Win in Iowa
Leanne Cozart
Saturday June 15, 2013
The (8-3) San Jose SaberCats are traveling to Iowa this week to take on the (5-7) Iowa Barnstormers. Coming off of a recent 68-54 win against the Pittsburgh Power, the SaberCats will be hoping to spark a new winning streak in Iowa’s barn. However, the Barnstormers are coming off of a snapped three-game losing streak as they defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 37-33 last week and will be looking to keep this late season momentum going.
Last week the SaberCats started backup quarterback Mitch Mustain, as starter Russ Michna has been out with concussion like symptoms since week 11’s disappointing loss against the Spokane Shock. Last week Mustain completed 21-of-37 passes for 250 yards and six touchdowns with just one turnover for the night. It still seems to be up in the air as far as who will be starting at the quarterback position on Saturday and is looking like it will ultimately be a game time decision.
With the receiving corps producing consistently week to week, there’s no doubt about the fact that Jason Willis, Fred Williams and Huey Whitaker will continue to be the playmakers on offense regardless of who is tossing them the ball. Another impact player thrown into the offensive mix is Amarri Jackson, who scored his first touchdown as a SaberCat last week. Fred Williams has done his part on offense as he’s scored in every game he’s played in this season and he’s also the team’s leading kick returner averaging 20.3 yards per return giving the SaberCats huge field advantage consistently.
Barnstormers defensive back Ter’Ron Benton shared a little insight into what he thinks about the ‘Cats offense going into this week’s matchup, “Even though they’re battling at the quarterback position, when they have a good core like these guys, it doesn’t matter who’s the quarterback.”
The SaberCats will be facing a tough Barnstormers defense that has three defensive linemen with more than three sacks for the year. Defensive lineman Mike Lewis leads the league in two defensive categories as he has 10.5 sacks this season and 12 tackles for loss. He will be a major factor that the SaberCats offensive line needs to stop in order to give their quarterback, whoever that may be, time to make smart decisions. They will need that time as the Barnstormers defense has forced 20 interceptions this season.
A player who has made a big contribution to the Barnstormers aggressive secondary is Ter’Ron Benton as he’s tied for first on his team with five interceptions. Benton shares some keys to facing this tough SaberCats receiving corps, “(First) knowing who is in motion is the key. Second, we cannot give them slots to sit and catch the ball, last play aggressive.”
The SaberCats defense played their part in earning last week’s victory against the Power as they forced turnovers and continued putting pressure on the quarterback throughout the night. The SaberCats depth in the pass rush is evident as there are five men with multiple sacks this season. Expect to see this dominant line coming after Barnstormers quarterback J.J. Raterink from start to finish in this week’s game.
