Through five games, only the Panthers and Vegas Knight Hawks have unblemished 5-0 records.  The teams will face off Saturday at the SAP Center with first-place on the line in the Western Conference of the Indoor Football League.

Both teams are in the top three in scoring defense:  Bay Area is second at 35.6 points per game and Vegas third at 36.4 per contest.  Statistically, the Knight Hawks have been a bend-but-don't-break unit ranking 13th in yards allowed but make plays when they matter.  The Panthers are seventh in yards allowed.  Both teams get to the quarterback with nine sacks, tied for second.  The Panthers have the distinction of being the first team to record a sack against San Diego in Sunday's win. 

The Vegas offense has been more proficient with QB Ja'Rome Johnson.  The Knight Hawks are second in the league at just over 50 points per game and Johnson is second among QB's in rushing touchdowns with 10. 

Offensively, the Panthers are seventh at 45 points per game while spreading the the ball around.  Quarterback Daquan Neal is the IFL's sixth leading rusher despite missing the home win over San Diego with a quad contusion. 

'In order to win a championship, a team will have to be battle-tested with the ability to win close games in preparation for the playoffs.  Three of the Panthers' five wins have gone down to the wire,  Last-minute touchdowns to beat Arizona and the first matchup with San Diego and Sunday coming up with a stop on a two-point conversion to escape with a one-point win.  5-0 could be 2-3 but good teams win tight games.  Coach Keefe said his team has struggled in the third quarter of games and will need to clean some things up moving forward in search of consistency over 60 minutes. 

Vegas clawed past Arizona and Jacksonville in one-score games before winning their last three by an average of 21 points per game over teams that have struggled early in San Antonio, Jacksonville and Duke City. 

While the Panthers are looking to pull off the rare championship repeat, Vegas has matched last year's win total and deserve credit for staying with a respected coach in Mike Davis.  He has rewarded the organization's faith in this turnaround season. 

The Panthers won both matchups last year:  62-44 in San Jose with Dalton Sneed setting a team-record with seven touchdown passes and 56-41 in Henderson, scoring touchdowns on eight straight possessions. 

Kickoff is set for 6:05 Saturday at the SAP Center.