by Richard Obert - May. 4, 2012 05:23 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
It was an off day Tuesday for the Rattlers, but not for coach Kevin Guy. He was bunkered up inside his Mesa office until after 9 p.m., watching film of the San Jose SaberCats.
"He doesn't get up for any more game than San Jose," team president Joe Windham said.
It may be only the eighth game in an 18-game schedule, but the intensity level should be playoff-like Saturday at 7 p.m. when the Rattlers (5-2) and the SaberCats (5-2) meet at US Airways Center with first place in the West Division on the line.
San Jose opened at home against the Rattlers and held them on a two-point conversion try in overtime for a 71-70 victory.
If the teams wind up tied at the end of the season, a tie-breaker would be used based on head-to-head scoring differential in the teams' two matchups.
So far the SaberCats hold a one-point lead.
"Our main goal is to win by two or more," Guy said.
It was all hands on deck this week for the Rattlers, who were trying to see which players could come off injured reserve and contribute.
Receiver Trandon Harvey, out the past four weeks with an injury, practiced all week. Defensive lineman Cliff Dukes gave it a go.
Rush linebacker Tyre Glasper, who has been a force the past two games, was held out of practice with an injury suffered last week against Georgia. But Guy felt Glasper could play Saturday. Safety Virgil Gray practiced for the first time in a month.
Both teams can put up points, behind two of the league's most accurate, poised quarterbacks - Arizona's Nick Davila and San Jose's Mark Grieb.
Davila hasn't had to finish the last two games, because the defense came up with stops and the Rattlers cruised to 68-34 and 60-27 wins over San Antonio and Georgia.
The SaberCats' defense came through big on the road last week, shutting out the Iowa Barnstormers in the second half of a 76-33 victory. Grieb was 19 of 24 with six touchdowns, three to Ben Nelson, who had 11 catches for 163 yards.
Nelson and the Rattlers' Maurice Purify (61 catches, 928 yards, 22 TDs) are two of the league's top receivers.
"They play aggressive and we've got to be aggressive," said Guy, who was part of Darren Arbet's coaching staff in 2008 when the SaberCats won the ArenaBowl. "They're physical and we've got to be physical.
"The mindset is that we're not trying to match them. They need to try to match our intensity. That is the mindset we've got to be in. They have good players just like we do. It's going to be a four-quarter game."
Update: The SaberCats (5-2) lead the all-time rivalry 19-17. The SaberCats have won three ArenaBowls, including two against the Rattlers. The Rattlers (5-2) have won two championships, but none since 1997. San Jose had seven sacks last week in its 76-33 win at Iowa. It has a league-best 22 sacks and is led by Joe Sykes, who has 10. QB Mark Grieb is completing 65.7 percent of his passes and has thrown 44 touchdown passes in seven games. Ben Nelson leads the SaberCats with 16 receiving touchdowns.
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