San Jose, Calif. – History was not in the Colorado Crush’s favor as it faced the San Jose SaberCats in the Arena Football League divisional playoffs at the HP Pavilion on Saturday.
The Crush entered the game 1-6 all-time in the series, with losses in all four previous games at HP.
However, the lone win came just two years ago in a similar setting (albeit at home) when the Crush caught lightning in a bottle, beating the SaberCats to advance to the American Conference championship game.
Colorado erased concerns about its ability to compete in San Jose, but couldn’t quite recapture the magic of 2005, falling 76-67.
After holding the Kansas City Brigade to 42 points last week, Colorado found itself in a shootout with the AFL’s second-most prolific offense, a recipe that usually spells disaster for opponents. San Jose set a team record for postseason scoring, but the game was not decided until the final minute as John Dutton, Brad Pyatt, Willie Quinnie and Damien Harrell combined to put on a clinic of quarterback and receiver precision.
The entire league is aware of Harrell’s talent – and he didn’t disappoint with seven catches for 95 yards and three touchdowns – but it was Pyatt’s explosive output that allowed the Crush to hang tough.
“San Jose is one of the only teams that will come up and press, and (exploiting that defense) is what I’m best at,” said Pyatt, who finished with 11 catches for 208 yards and three scores. “I bring an element of speed.”
Dutton completed 29-of-37 passes for 416 yards and eight touchdowns, an even greater feat considering Colorado’s initial drive on which Brandon Kirsch replaced Dutton for one snap and turned the ball over on a fumble. The SaberCats capitalized immediately as Mark Grieb connected with James Roe for an 8-yard score on fourth down, giving San Jose the early lead.
“We knew it would come down to who won the turnover battle,” said Pyatt of a problem that has plagued Colorado all season. The team finished 2-9 in games in which it had a negative turnover margin, 6-0 when on the positive side.
Dutton hit Quinnie for a 4-yard touchdown reception on a slant over the middle on the ensuing drive, tying the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
The scoring escalated in the second quarter, as each team scored 14 points in the final minute of the half, punctuated by a 16-yard touchdown catch by Pyatt with three seconds to play to give the Crush a 35-34 halftime lead.
“We felt good at the half because they (the SaberCats) haven’t played many tight games, and that is our forte,” Pyatt said. “We’ve closed games out all year.”
It would be Colorado’s only lead. San Jose opened the second half with a score, but didn’t stay on top for good until Jason Ball had an extra point blocked for the second time in the game with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter, allowing San Jose to lead 55-54.
