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Spokane Shock

Shock out to prove point against dominant San Jose

By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

One more time, Spokane and San Jose. Maybe two.

For the third time in seven weeks, the Shock (4-8) and SaberCats (12-1) will square off, the latest meeting unfolding tonight at the Arena. San Jose handed Spokane the worst loss in franchise history in mid May and a 29-point setback three weeks ago.

“Huge game, not to them but to us probably,” Shock coach Andy Olson said. “We want to prove a point. We believe that we can compete with these guys; we felt like we did down in San Jose the last time.”

The Shock, who handled Portland last week, haven’t won back-to-back games this season and they’re just 2-4 at home. They’re 1-5 versus teams with winning records, the lone victory a 56-55 thriller over 7-6 Orlando.

“We need to start taking care of our home field,” linebacker Kevin McCullough said. “We have a great fan base and we need to put on a good show for them. We need to carry that momentum (from the Portland win) and show what we’re capable of doing.”

San Jose and Arizona are almost certain to be the top two seeds in the National Conference and play at home in the opening weekend of the playoffs. If Spokane reaches the postseason, it would likely face a road game against San Jose or Arizona.

San Jose leads the Arena Football League in scoring offense (59.4), scoring defense (37.2), pass-efficiency defense (75.1), interceptions (24), third-down conversions (55.6 percent) and sacks (32).

San Jose’s Erik Meyer, the former Shock and Eastern Washington University standout, has 61 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He’s third in the league with a 121.1 passer rating.

The Shock scored a season-high 69 points against Portland. Quarterback Carson Coffman, in his first start since May 2, tossed nine touchdown passes, five to Nick Truesdell.

“They play a lot of man-to-man and they do it best in the league,” Coffman said of the SaberCats’ defense. “Truesdell showed how dominant he can be. If they want to man him up, go ahead and we’ll see if he can do it again this week.”