By Shawn Whelchel
It wasn’t the cleanest of games for the league leading SaberCats, but San Jose managed to extend their undefeated streak to 11 games on Friday night after steadily dispatching the Spokane Shock by a score of 55-26.
Friday’s contest saw chippy play, bad penalties and a slow second half from both teams, but big plays from WR Reggie Gray and solid footwork from QB Erik Meyer propelled the team to a victory.
The former 2013 AFL Most Valuable Player, Meyer, got to work early against his old team, as he jettisoned the SaberCats to an early 7-0 lead after breaking off a 6-yard touchdown run just three plays into the first possession of the game.
The AFL leading defense then took the field, but got off to a sloppy start, as a trio of penalties inside the red zone gave the Shock new life before QB Warren Smith returned the favor by plowing his way into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run of his own. The SaberCats would retain the lead however after K Taylor Rowan missed wide right of the goal post.
San Jose would start to pull away from Spokane during their next possessions, as Gray caught his AFL leading 25th touchdown reception before Meyer would plunge into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown to take a commanding 21-6 lead. San Jose’s defense would falter on their next possession, allowing Warren Smith to sneak into the back of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown reception on fourth down, but they would again pad their lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Kelley with just 16 seconds left in the half, taking a 28-13 advantage into the locker room.
The third quarter slowed to a crawl for both teams, as injuries and penalties led to stoppages and a lack of offensive momentum throughout the frame. After getting a defensive stop, the SaberCats would tack on to their lead with yet another Reggie Gray touchdown for the opening score of the second half. But that would be all the offense that the quarter would see.
The Shock opened up the fourth quarter looking to make up for lost time, and did just that as Nick Truesdell shrunk San Jose’s lead with a 4-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the quarter, pulling his team to a 35-20 deficit. The SaberCats would respond following big plays by Gray to set up FB Odie Armstrong for a one yard lumber into the end zone.
The Shock would go on to score again on a highlight reel catch by Jabin Sambrano, but again, the SaberCats would respond with a touchdown of their own, disallowing Spokane to amass a late game comeback. Spokane had one final chance to score with less than a minute to go, but LB Mike Williams, who made his first start of the game sealed the win with a leaping reception in the end zone to close the game out.
Game Notes:
The SaberCats remain undefeated on the year, while also hosting a 4-0 record against Pacific Division rivals.
Reggie Gray, who leads all WR’s in touchdowns this year, tacked on two more to bring his total to 26 on the night.
San Jose came into the game allowing a league best 37.9 points per game. They improved on that number by allowing the Shock to score just 26 points in the contest.
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