Blaze Fall Victim to Big Play, Desperados
Josh Fisher
Monday February 6, 2006
Blaze offensive specialist Siaha Burley realized how important the injury to Hunter was. "Kelvin is our man back there. Losing him kind of threw off our defensive scheme," he said after the game.
Desperados’ offensive specialist Terrill Shaw also took advantage of Hunter’s injury. Shaw set a team record with 208 yards receiving. He also found the end zone four times, including a 45-yard score on the game’s opening drive.
Burley didn’t disappoint the more-than-capacity crowd. He finished the night with 13 catches for 145 yards. He also scored three times, giving him six through two games this season.
The Desperados attacked the Blaze secondary deep all night, and the four deep touchdown passes looked like instant replays. It seemed obvious that Dolezel and his receivers found a weakness in the Blaze secondary and used their speed to expose it. The motion man would fake a post, then run a corner route, finding himself wide open for a score.
Missed kicks by Blaze kicker Steve Videtich also played a role in the game. After Utah’s first score, Videtich missed the PAT, leaving the Blaze a point behind and chasing points all night. Later in the first quarter, after a Desperados fumble, VIdetich missed a 22-yard field goal that would have given Utah the lead. Although he made two field goals later in the game, 44 and 32 yards, the early misses changed the complexion of the game for the Blaze.
Utah also failed to take advantage of chances at the lead. Following a Dallas fumble, Utah gained no yards, and then came the missed field goal. Then on the opening drive of the second half, they gained just 13 yards and had to settle for a field goal.
With all the glaring mistakes, the game still came down the final drive. Utah played well and with a stop on 3rd-and-two in the final minute they could have given themselves a chance. Instead, Dolezel completed a pass to Rickie Simpkins to seal the win for Dallas.
Utah will return to the Delta Center on February 11, when they host another National East opponent, the New York Dragons.
Josh Fisher has been a fan of the AFL for as long as he can remember. He followed the Arizona Rattlers since they began playing. Josh works for the University of Utah
as their head statistician. He is also the media contact for Klub Boom
Volleyball Club and the head volleyball coach at Park City High School.
