Thunder fall behind early, lose to SaberCats 64 to 45
Sunday April 26, 2015
SAN JOSE – The Portland Thunder (2-3, 1-1) drop their second straight road decision, 64-45 to the San Jose SaberCats (5-0, 1-0) Saturday night in front of 7,125 at SAP Center in San Jose.
“We dug our own hole,” stated Thunder head coach Mike Hohensee, following the loss. “We played undisciplined football, and we can’t be successful if we continue to make mistakes.”
Thunder quarterback Kyle Rowley completed 19 of 35 passes for 205 yards and three scores with two interceptions. Backup quarterback Darron Thomas took his first snaps of the 2015 season late in the fourth quarter, completing four of seven attempts for 38 yards and two scores.
San Jose quarterback Erik Meyer hit four different receivers in the endzone in the victory, completing 20 of 30 passes for 319 yards and seven total touchdowns. SaberCats receiver DJ Stephens was on the receiving end of three of those Meyer TD’s, finishing the night with 10 receptions for 171 yards.
Portland fell behind late in the first half for the second straight week, with the SaberCats outscoring the Thunder 28 to 13 in the second quarter. Penalties were also a problem for the Thunder, committing nine infractions for 61 yards. The Thunder did outscore the SaberCats in the second half 26 to 20.
Thunder wide-out Jamar Howard exited the game midway through the second quarter following an 11 yard reception where he was hit low into the wall by San Jose DB Ken Fontenette. Howard finished with the night with two catches for 25 yards.
The Thunder will head out to the city of Brotherly Love for their final of three straight road games next Saturday, taking on the Philadelphia Soul from the Wells Fargo Center. Kickoff is set for 3:00pm PDT.
Post Game Awards:
Offensive Player of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens
Defensive Player of the Game- SJ DB Ken Fontenette
J Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens
Cutters Catch of the Game- SJ WR D.J. Stephens 43-yard touchdown
AFL Highlight of the Game- SJ WR Reggie Gray kickoff return for a touchdown
About the Portland Thunder
The Portland Thunder are back with a BOOM this 2015 AFL Season. Tickets and sponsorships are now available. For more information, email us at info@portlandthunder.com or call 503-773-4235. For all the latest news and discussion on the Portland Thunder, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@pdxthunder).
