Sabercats 44, Brigade 36

KANSAS CITY – Fullback Brian Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and the San Jose defense limited Kansas City to 15 second half points en route to a 44-36 Arena Football League win on Saturday night.

Johnson scored the first three touchdowns of the game for the SaberCats (3-2) all on short yardage plunges as the defending ArenaBowl champions built a 21-14 lead midway through the second quarter.

San Jose kicker A.J. Haglund drilled a 21-yard field goal as time expired in the first half giving the SaberCats a 24-21 lead. Haglund was perfect on all three field goals and five PATs in the game and hasn’t missed a kick all season.

Following a 14-yard scoring pass from John Fitzgerald to Charles Frederick that gave the Brigade (0-4) a 28-24 lead early in the second quarter, the SaberCats used a 20-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to build a 44-28 lead and held on.

Rodney Wright led all receivers with a career-high 14 receptions for 165 yards. Mark Grieb threw for 257 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-38 passing and also led San Jose with 17 rushing yards. James Roe dressed for the SaberCats but did not play after aggravating a hamstring injury in pre game warm-ups.

One week after allowing the second-most points in AFL history, the Brigade held San Jose to its lowest point total of the season and the fewest since a 54-44 loss at Arizona on May 14, 2005.