Defense Key to SaberCats Victory
Daniel Frias
Sunday August 5, 2001
Yes, the offense put 68 points on the board, but it was their defense that helped them secure the win. The ‘Cats “D” stepped up big. Every player from OL/DLs Mike Ulufale and Albrey Battle to WR/DB Shalon Baker to DS Terrance Joseph contributed to this sweet victory.
“Everybody stepped up,” said WR/DB Jerry Reese, who scored two touchdowns in the game and had a big interception as well. “You work hard and you want things to pay off and now it’s just like everything is starting to pay off.” I think he’s right. For the first time in a while, San Jose played like a well-oiled machine. They were phenomenal and played a near-flawless game. They didn’t commit any turnovers and caused Arizona to make mistakes that they capitalized on.
The ‘Cats came out smoking, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter. Arizona kept it close, however, and were within striking distance the entire first half of the game until San Jose blew the game wide open in the third quarter. They scored another trifecta of TD’s to take a 54-30 lead going into the fourth. The Rattlers tried to come back but it was too little too late. The Rattlers didn’t have enough venom to poison the ‘Cats.
“They started of strong; they kept it going all the way through; and they finished strong,” said San Jose head coach Darren Arbet of his team’s performance.
“They played great on defense,” said SaberCats QB and game MVP Mark Grieb. “And I think that was the difference. Offensively were going to score, but defensively that’s where you win in the playoffs… is by playing defense.”
Grieb set a team playoff record for completions and TD’s in a game. He completed 23 of 33 passes for eight TD’s and threw for 280 yards. Grieb’s front line gave him excellent pass protection allowing him the opportunity to shine. He had so much time to throw the football, that on one play I could have sworn I saw him take out his cell phone and order pizzas for his teammates. (I think they even put him on hold.)
Ulufale said, “We dominated on the front line. We played awesome football today.” They sure did. On defense, the ‘Cats recorded two sacks, two INT’s, and deflected six passes.
“We knew we had to play,” said Arbet. “We wanted to come out and make a statement. This is the play offs. We had to play consistent. That’s all we really talked about (at halftime). What we had to do and the guys went out and they did it. The guys did a good job and they never quit.”
The ‘Cats did a tremendous job. If they continue to play the way they did yesterday, they should have no problem next week in the Battle of the C/Kats in Nashville.
Daniel Frias was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2001 to 2002.
