DENVER
– Mark Grieb threw for 258 yards and six touchdowns and the San
Jose SaberCats clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth with
a 65-49 win over the Colorado Crush on Sunday afternoon.
DENVER – Mark Grieb threw for 258 yards and six touchdowns and the San Jose SaberCats clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 65-49 win over the Colorado Crush on Sunday afternoon.
Matt Kinsinger scored on a 20-yard run, the longest of his career, early in the first quarter to stake San Jose to a 7-0 lead.
Grieb then connected with James Hundon on a 32-yard scoring play for a 14-0 lead midway through the opening stanza and the SaberCats would never trail in the ball game.
Grieb completed 10-of-12 for 131 yards with four touchdowns in the first half and a 20-yard field goal by Daron Alcorn with no time left staked the SaberCats to a 38-21 lead at the break. Grieb finished the game completing 19-of-26 attempts.
Barry Wagner added a pair of scoring runs in the second half to set a new San Jose season record with 14 rush TDs. His 3-yard run early in the third gave San Jose a 45-21 advantage.
Wagner added a 2-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to help the SaberCats establish a new league record with 42 rushing scores on the year. They broke the 1996 St. Louis Stampede record of 41.
The SaberCats ran the ball 14 times for 86 yards and totaled 341 yards of total offense. Keala Keanaaina amassed 28 yards on four carries to set a new San Jose single-season rushing record with 226 yards.
Crush quarterback John Dutton caught fire in the second half completing his first six passes for 132 yards.
His four second half scoring passes came on successive throws with his fourth being a 17-yarder to Damian Harrell to bring Colorado within 59-49.
Grieb answered with a 21 yard scoring toss to James Roe to close out the scoring.
San Jose’s Clevan Thomas, making his first appearance in three weeks, intercepted his league-leading 10th pass of the year on Colorado’s final drive to secure the SaberCats victory. Thomas missed the last two games with turf toe.
The SaberCats return home on Saturday, May 3, to entertain the Grand Rapids Rampage.
Tickets for that game and all remaining home games at HP Pavilion are available and can be purchased through all Northern California TicketMaster outlets and the HP Pavilion box office.
