Blaze Burn Rampage, 83-42

Published on March 23, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Blaze scored 27-consective first-half points en route to a 83-42 victory over the Grand Rapids Rampage at the EnergySolutions Arena tonight. Utah's 83 points were the most ever surrendered in Rampage history.

Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine passed for eight touchdowns in the win, giving him 29 on the young season. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids quarterback Michael Bishop (Willis, Texas) struggled in his first start of the season, tossing three interceptions and fumbling once. Rampage receiver Timon Marshall (Kingston, Jamaica) returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and logged 227 all-purpose yards in the defeat.

Marshall, who led the Arena Football League in all-purpose yards entering the game, started the game off with a bang, taking the opening kickoff back 58-yards for a touchdown. The return set a Rampage record and tied an AFL record for the longest return in league history.

The Blaze (3-1) tied the score on Frank Carter's one-yard touchdown plunge. But the Rampage (1-3) got great field position for a second time when Jerome Riley (Los Angeles, Calif.) recovered an onside kick attempt and brought it inside the Utah's 10-yard line. Riley and the Rampage scored two plays later on a short one-yard pass from Bishop.

Utah receiver and Ironman of the Game Ryan Dennard brought in a long 28-yard bomb on the next drive, knotting the score at 14-14. On the following kickoff, Rampage defensive lineman Greg Scott (Courtland, Va.) suffered an injury to his left knee. Scott would not return, forcing rookie lineman LaWaylon Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) into extended action.

The second quarter saw the Blaze jump out to their first lead of the game when Justin Skaggs collected a six-yard strike from Germaine. Then, following a Bishop fumble at the Rampage four-yard line, Utah made the score 27-14 on a rushing score by Kevin Clemens.

Siaha Burley's five-yard touchdown reception with just under three minutes remaining in the first half gave the Blaze 27 consecutive points and a 34-14 lead. Marshall got the Rampage back on the board at the 1:00 mark, catching Bishop's pass in open space at the 12-yard line and bursting into the end zone. But Utah responded once again, as Germaine found Aaron Boone open along the sidelines for a 28-yard touchdown to close the half.

The Blaze kept on firing on all cylinders to begin the second half, as Skaggs pulled in his second touchdown on a 17-yard strike from Germaine. Marshall's second kickoff return score tied Steve Smith (April 17, 2004) for the most in a single game in team history, and a two-point conversion made the score 47-29. But Utah's Burley found the end zone for a second time, giving the Blaze a 26-point lead midway through the third quarter.

Chris Ryan's (Lake Charles, La.) three-yard sweep for a touchdown cut the Blaze lead to 19 points and marked his 40th rushing touchdown in Rampage history, a Grand Rapids record. The former record holder, Chris Avery (Grenada, Miss.), was injured during the team's training camp in February and will miss the entire 2007 season.

A pair of Blaze touchdowns by Burley and Skaggs put the game well out of reach, giving Utah a 69-36 lead with 10:34 remaining in the game. Utah backup Jason Gesser extended the home team's advantage with a 24-yard pass to Burley. The game's Defensive Player of the Game, Orshawante Bryant, then took back an Bishop interception 12 yards for a score, giving the Blaze 83 points and breaking the record for most points allowed by the Rampage in a single game.

Ryan's 34-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the night, closed the game's scoring. Grand Rapids 41-point loss marked the fifth-largest margin of defeat in team history. The Rampage will next welcome the New York Dragons back at Van Andel Arena on April 7 following their bye week.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 23, 2007


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