Blaze Spoil Barnstormers' Home Opener
March 18, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Iowa Barnstormers News Release
Des Moines, Iowa - It wasn't the St. Patrick's Day green beer specials, but rather the dismal Barnstormers performance that left the opening night crowd of 8,258 feeling a little nauseous as they left Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night. The Barnstormers proved to be no match on this night for the fierce Utah Blaze pass rush, which recorded 8 sacks in route to a 69-49 victory over Iowa.
The Barnstormers jumped out to their only lead, 7-0 when QB J.J. Raterink connected with WR Jesse Schmidt for a 5 yard touchdown just :57 seconds into the game. However, Utah responded with three straight touchdown drives to go ahead 20-7 and never looked back. Blaze QB Tommy Grady had the hot hand, throwing for 282 yards and 5 touchdowns while running for 2 additional scores.
In typical Arena Football fashion, the teams traded each other score for score for much of the next two quarters. Iowa closed to within 6 points 41-35, when DL Justin Mincey fell on a Grady fumble in the endzone for a Barnstormers touchdown. However Utah dominated the fourth quarter outscoring the Iowa 28-14 to seal the victory.
With the victory, Utah improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Barnstormers fall to an identical 1-1 record. Iowa has a bye next week, before returning home two weeks from tonight, Saturday March 31 when they take on the Chicago Rush at 7:05pm. Great seats are available for purchase at the Wells Fargo Arena box office, by calling the Barnstormers at 515.633.2255 or online at www.theiowabarnstormers.com.
Arena Football League Stories from March 18, 2012
- Blocked Field Goal Lifts Soul to 63-62 Win Over VooDoo - Philadelphia Soul
- VooDoo Fall in Nail-Biter to Soul, 63-62 - New Orleans VooDoo
- Right Man For The Job - New Orleans VooDoo
- Rattlers Win Home Opener On St. Patty's Day - Arizona Rattlers
- Mustangs Fall Short in Snake Pit, 71-65 - Milwaukee Mustangs
- Bighorns Fall Behind Early, Lose to Wizards - Arizona Rattlers
- Defense Ignites in Win Over Barnstormers - Utah Blaze
- Blaze Spoil Barnstormers' Home Opener - Iowa Barnstormers
- Spokane Earns "Team Win" Over Talons, 63-60 - Spokane Shock
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
