Blaze Crush Champs
Josh Fisher
Monday April 24, 2006
It was apparent early that the Blaze defense wanted to prove they could slow down the Crush. On two if their first three possessions Colorado had to settle for a field goal attempt, making one and missing one. In fact, Colorado only scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions once in the entire game.
Blaze quarterback Andy Kelly looked even better in his second start for the Blaze. Kelly finished 27-of-37 for 314 yards and four touchdowns. Of his 10 incompletions, six were balls that he just threw away to avoid the rush, or to run out the clock at the end of the game. He also threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Utah scored on its first two possessions, the first taking almost seven minutes off the clock and the second taking almost five minuets. It appeared that the Blaze wanted to slow the game down and keep the Crush offense off the field.
"It wasn’t something we did consciously," Kelly said. "It just kind of worked out that way."
Utah failed to score on its next two possessions, but then controlled the game by scoring on the team’s next six possessions to end the game. During that same stretch, Colorado only scored on three of its possessions.
Colorado offensive specialist Damien Harrell was held to just 79 yards on eight receptions, but he grabbed three touchdowns. The third score set an Arena Football League record for most touchdowns in a single season.
The win kept the Blaze playoff hopes alive, and with three games to play they are tied for the fifth and sixth spot in the American Conference. They have three games remaining, the next two against the two teams they are currently tied with.
"We need to win," Kelly stated. "We are in the same situation now we were in when I got here two weeks ago."
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.
