Blaze lose division contest on the road, 75-55

Saturday April 9, 2011

Utah Falls to 2-2 with Second-Consecutive Road Loss

 SALT LAKE CITY— The Utah Blaze (2-2) lost their first divisional contest to the San Jose SaberCats (3-2) in front of 8,763 fans at the HP Pavilion Friday night, 75-55. This marks the team’s second-consecutive loss on the road.

Eleven-year AFL veteran QB Mark Grieb (6-2, 200, UC Davis) started out the scoring for the evening with 3-yard handoff to FB Chad Cook (6-1, 263, Murray State). Blaze QB Tommy Grady (6-7, 245, Utah) responded with 14-yard touchdown pass to WR Ernie Pierce (6-3, 215, Kansas). The teams exchanged another touchdown before ending the first quarter of play tied, 14-14.

DL Gabe Long (6-3, 290, Utah) turned up the heat at the start of the second quarter, sacking Grieb on the second play of their first drive. San Jose K Juan Gamboa (5-8, 195, Sacramento State) missed two consecutive extra points early in the quarter, giving the Blaze a two-point advantage. However, the Blaze failed to hold on to the lead following a missed opportunity with an onside kick and turnover on downs. The teams entered the locker rooms at half with San Jose leading, 40-28.

San Jose kept up the pressure during Utah’s first possession of the third quarter with a quarterback sack and another turnover on downs. The SaberCats started their first drive of the quarter on Utah’s 10-yard line, setting them up for a 9-yard touchdown pass from Grieb to WR Samora Goodson (6-3, 205, Southeast Missouri). Utah’s offense sparked momentarily on their second possession with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Grady to second-team All-Arena WR Aaron Boone (6-3, 215, Kentucky).

Despite a 55-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown by WR Alvance Robinson (5-9, 165, Alabama State) with 28 seconds remaining in the final quarter, the Blaze was unable to close the gap, falling 75-55 to the SaberCats.

Grady finished the night completing 27-of-48 passes for 321 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, keeping him on track to break former Blaze QB Joe Germaine’s record of passing for over 300 yards in five consecutive games. Boone led the receiving corp with 11 receptions for 147 yards and three touchdowns. DB William Mulder (6-0, 190, Campbellsville) led the defense with 7.5 total tackles.

ABOUT THE BLAZE
The Utah Blaze enter their fifth season in the Arena Football League in 2011 and were recipients of the Best Support Staff Award for the 2006 and 2007 seasons as recognized by the League office. The Blaze look to continue their perfect home record as they return to EnergySolutions Arena next week to face the ArenaBowl XXIII Champion Spokane Shock on Friday, April 15th, 2011. The Blaze are proud to be under new ownership and making notable strides in providing fans with a premier Arena Football experience. Make sure to follow the Blaze on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news on the team. 2011 Blaze Season & Single-game tickets are on SALE NOW! Call 888-99BLAZE to reserve your seat in the action or information can be found at www.utblaze.com.