And San Jose did just that. After winning back-to-back weeks in Portland and in Los Angeles to bounce back to a winning record of 4-3, the SaberCats returned home to face a true test against another winning record team that had arguably one of the best offenses in the league. Saturday night’s win was not only important in moving up to 5-3 and retaining the winning record, but it was also important for the team to prove to itself that it could in fact beat a playoff-caliber team, and that it stood a chance against the league’s top franchises.

 

“They played great, and they played hard,” head coach Darren Arbet said, summarizing the tone of the night. “I said three weeks ago that despite the brutal conditions, we’re not running off in fear. And here we are playing well.”

 

Playing well was the best description for the SaberCats during their matchup, simply because all components of the team stood out. Perhaps the biggest factor of the game was the defense. Despite Orlando having an average scoring streak of 70 points over the past two weeks, San Jose cut the figure in half, limiting the Predators to a season-low of 35 points. This was primarily due to the heavy pile of turnovers that the SaberCats defense forced, especially in the first quarter.

 

Even though San Jose began on the defensive side of the ball, the team still jumped to a shocking 21-0 lead in the first quarter. It all started when a bobbled snap by quarterback Jason Boltus was recovered and returned to the end zone by Luis Vasquez. With an electrified atmosphere, the dominance did not stop there, as an interception by Kenny Okoro led to a 1-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Russ Michna. Then, on the Predators’ third offensive drive, Boltus bobbled a second snap that was recovered by Terrance Carter. Russ Michna’s four-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Curry gave San Jose its biggest lead of the first half.

 

“It was pure excitement at the beginning of the game,” defensive lineman Luis Vasquez explained. “We wanted to keep our winning streak going. We never let off the pedal.”

 

From the general perspective, it’s true that San Jose never took its foot off the gas. Specifically however, that wasn’t entirely true. Despite the huge chunk of momentum stolen by the SaberCats early in the game, the second quarter would prove to be a brutal one, as a 28-7 lead would be cut to 28-22 due to a touchdown on 4th and 15 from Boltus to Greg Carr, a San Jose turnover in the red zone on downs, and a touchdown fumble recovery by Michael Simons topped with a 2-point conversion to Terrence Campbell.

 

Fortunately, the SaberCats grabbed the momentum back just before the end of the half, as a fumbled kickoff return by Tanner Varner was led to a special teams touchdown by Curry, giving San Jose back its comfortable three-possession lead at 49-29.

 

“We went through the motions,” Curry said following the game. “We came as a full and complete unit: offense, defense, and special teams. And we made each other go.”

 

Unfortunately for Orlando, the most tragic story of the night was not the loss of the game, but the loss of their starting quarterback. Towards the end of the first half, Boltus managed to release the ball to Greg Carr, but heavy pressure and a low hit led to a major injury in the legs. No details are available as of this writing, but it is likely that Boltus will be out for a multitude of weeks, if not the rest of the season.

 

Backup quarterback Wilson Masoud came into the game to relieve Boltus, but was unsuccessful in leading the Predators back into a rhythm. At the end of the half, back-to-back sacks and a failure to execute resulted in a 49-29 halftime lead for the SaberCats. Throughout his performance under center, only six points were scored by the Predators, and seven sacks were allowed. Once a 3-yard touchdown run by J.J. Payne at the start of the second half led San Jose to a 56-29 lead, the rest of the game proved to be quiet, yet comforting.

 

Perhaps the most comforted person of all was quarterback Michna. Thanks to the heavy defensive performance, Michna did not see the field as often as a regular week, but he still played considerably well, going 14-of-24 for 149 yards, five touchdowns, and most importantly, zero interceptions. His main receiver was Jason Willis, who had seven receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Not only does San Jose sit in a comfortable spot at 5-3, but it also has a comfortable week ahead of it: the bye week. The following week, the Cats will have the luxury of facing division rival in Portland at home, a team which the SaberCats managed to handle on the road – not just once, but twice.

 

“Our defense simply has to play the way they played tonight,” Darren Arbet said when asked about how he plans to lead his team to a successful season. “Our defense is getting better and better every week. In this league, you have a good defense, and then your offense is able to get it going.”

Griffin Aseltine is an 18-year-old high school student and freelance writer who resides in San Jose, California. He has been fond of watching sports ever since experiencing the culture in his area shift a strong focus towards the San Francisco Giants following their World Series victory in 2010. Griffin became a San Jose SaberCats fan on the opening week of the 2012 season and has been a season ticket holder since 2013. He has contributed to First Stop Fantasy as a San Francisco 49ers writer since the start of the 2013 NFL season and has written for ArenaFan since the start of the 2014 AFL season. You can follow Griffin on Twitter @superduperm1.