I couldn't think of a snazzy headline so I went generic, sorry. For the second consecutive season the World Bowl was played in New Orleans, a fortuitous break for the New Orleans VooDoo, or was it? Two previous World Bowls were played in a team's home stadium and both times the "home" team lost, Tampa bay in World Bowl V, and Washington in World Bowl XVII. The San Jose SaberCats and the VooDoo were both #1 seeds but only one would hoist the trophy at the end of the game.
San Jose SaberCats 16 New Orleans VooDoo 7
Defense ruled the day today as neither team surpassed 280 yards of offense. San Jose got the ball first and punted, as did New Orleans. On the Sabercats second possession Jake Plummer was intercepted by Kevin Higgs, setting up the VooDoo in scoring position. The offense then faced a 4th and 1 from the 19 and failed to convert, turning it over on downs. We then had a punt, the end of the 1st quarter, and another punt before San Jose's first scoring chance. The SaberCats like to go for it on 4th down, but on a 4th and 10 from the VooDoo 31 they opted for a FG try but Robert Rodriguez was wide left and we were still scoreless.
New Orleans took over after the missed FG and went on a 13 play TD drive that ended on a Steven McCurdy 1 yard run and a 7-0 New Orleans lead. Two more uneventful drives bled the clock and our halftime score was 7-0 VooDoo.
I would have liked to be a fly on the wall during halftime because the San Jose defense came out for the 3rd quarter with their pants on fire. First, Wendell Vaughn intercepted Charles Crase to give San Jose great field position. Facing a 4th and 1 from the 29, and with a kicker who already missed a FG, the SaberCats went for it but failed, giving the ball back to New Orleans. This drive, it was Christopher Miller intercepting Crase to give San Jose the ball in New Orleans territory. It took San Jose 11 plays, but Craig Icenhour finally got the SaberCats on the board with a 3 yard TD run. Frank Huber ran in the 2 point try and San Jose took the lead 8-7. San Jose would get the ball back after a punt and went on another long drive that took us to the 4th quarter.
San Jose's drive lasted 15 plays, covering 75 yards and took more than 8 minutes off the clock, and John Gates extended the lead with a 2 yard TD run. Craig Icenhour ran in the 2 point try and the SaberCats lead was now 16-7. New Orleans had time for a comeback, but Frank Donald lost a fumble and Christopher Miller intercepted Crase for the 2nd time as the San Jose defense held up, giving the SaberCats their first ever championship.
Christopher Miller was named World Bowl MVP thanks to his 2 interceptions and 5 tackles. Miller drives away in a brand new 2001 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.
