It was the battle of backup quarterbacks in San Jose as the Sabercats (8-3) hosted the Pittsburgh Power (3-8). In the end San Jose’s Mitch Mustain got the better of Pittsburgh’s Derek Cassidy and the SaberCats won 68-54 in a game that came down to the final play.
Both teams traded scores back and forth until Pittsburgh failed to score on the final possession of the first half. They were also stopped on the first possession of the second half.
Two miscues by the Sabercats gave the Power new life in the fourth quarter. A fumble near the end zone by Jabari Fletcher was recovered by Pittsburgh who drove the length of the field to score. Then with San Jose trying to finish off the Power, Mitch Mustain was picked off by Sergio Gilliam who returned the ball 46 yards for a Power score to tie the game. Julian Rauch missed the PAT kick and the Power had to try and stop the SaberCats from scoring.
They were unable to do so and former Power Jason Willis drove a dagger into the hearts of the Power by scoring a touchdown with 12 seconds left. The Power still had one last chance for heroics but Huey Whittaker picked off Derek Cassidy and returned it for a touchdown and gave us the final result.
Derek Cassidy got his first start of the season and finished 19 of 41 (46%) for 261 yards and 6 passing touchdowns, an interception and 3 sacks. He also added 22 yards and a score on the ground. He missed a few easy throws and had receivers drop a few more but overall he played well enough to give his team a chance to win.
Mike Washington finished the day with 7 catches for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns, Oderick Turner added 6 catches for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. Julian Talley and Jason Thomas both had a touchdown reception as well.
Mitch Mustain, filling in for the injured Russ Michna, finished the day 21 of 37 (57%) for 250 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. Mustain did a great job spreading the ball around to Jason Willis (8 catches, 96 yards, 2 TD), Fred Williams (8 catches, 86 yards, 3 TD), and Amarri Jackson (5 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD).
The loss drops the Power out of the 4th playoff spot in the American Conference. They currently lose the tiebreaker with Orlando by virtue of the Predators head-to-head victory earlier in the year.
The Power return home to take on the Philadelphia Soul in a divisional matchup Saturday June 15th at 7 PM. The Power defeated the Soul 53-48 in their earlier meeting this year. The first 5,000 fans through the gate will receive a free Power umbrella courtesy of ThisTV Pittsburgh.
Photo Courtesy Of Pittsburgh Power Facebook Page
