Predators Take Down SaberCats
Daniel Frias
Monday May 28, 2001
On paper it looked like San Jose would win, but on the field it was a whole different ballgame. The Predators, a sub-.500 team before Saturday night’s game, proved why they are the defending Arena Bowl champions. They upset the Cats 59-35 and ended their eight-game home regular season win streak.
Predator’s QB Craig Whelihan was a big reason why they beat the Cats. San Jose has the tenth best pass defense, but it didn’t look that way at the Compaq Center as Whelihan connected with OS Siaha Burley all night.
Orlando scored on almost every single possession. The Cats “D” couldn’t stop Orlando’s offense let alone contain it. Whelihan was smoking. He was unstoppable. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards with seven TD’s. Not to mention he ran one in from the one-yard line in the second quarter to put his team up 21 to 7.
 Steve Papin gave it his best shot, but came up short. Image courtesy of Jeff Marshall |
“Our guys came out and played hard,” said coach Jay Gruden of his team’s win. “Burley and Whelihan were tremendous. We’re getting better and better every week.”
Brother John, head coach for the Oakland Raiders, was on hand to support him and the team that night. He cheered and clapped and whistled every time the Predator’s scored or made a big play.
Although the Cats were down throughout the game, they didn’t give up. They kept on coming and scoring whenever they could. FB/LB Joey Dozier came in for the injured Bob McMillen, who left the game with a broken ankle and rushed for 27 yards and two touchdowns. James Roe, Jerry Reese and Steve Papin each scored a TD. The Cats even cut the predator’s lead to two points by the end of the third quarter (37-35) off a 31-yard TD pass to Reese from Dutton. But that was as close as the Cats would come.
Orlando scored at the beginning of the fourth quarter and their “D” shut out San Jose in the last quarter. Orlando’s pass “D” is ranked eighth for a reason. They kept the Cats to a season-low 35 points. Dutton was only allowed two TD’s in the game and was intercepted in the fourth.
The Cats were still in the game, however, and had a chance to win, but a ‘No Touchdown’ call by the ref cost San Jose some much-needed points and possibly the game.
San Jose was at their three-yard line. With 10 minutes still left in the game, Dutton handed the ball off to Papin. He ran to the right and went up and over. The Predator’s defense stopped Papin at the one, but while still in the air, Papin extended his right arm and the football passed the goal line. Touchdown right? Wrong. The ref said no touchdown. The replay clearly showed the ball and Papin’s arm over the goal line before he went down. I myself was standing right there, five feet from them and saw Papin score the TD. But unfortunately for Papin, the ref didn’t.
The Cats decided to go for it on fourth down instead of the field goal, but once again they were stopped by the Predator’s “D.” The Predators took over and scored a TD just two plays later and converted the two points. It was all over after that. The score was now 52-35. That no-TD play proved to be the difference in the ball game.
“He (the ref) messed up. I got in. But you know that’s the breaks,” said Papin after the game. “I think that was the turning point in the game. They had already stopped us. At that point we kick a field goal and it brings us to six and makes it a one-possession game. If I had to do it all over again, we should have kicked it.”
San Jose travels to the city of angles next week to take on the LA. Avengers.
Daniel Frias was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2001 to 2002.
