Shock prepare for third West Division matchup in four weeks
Published on April 30, 2013 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, WA (April 30, 2013) - The Spokane Shock (5-1) take on the Utah Blaze (2-3) for their third West Division matchup in four weeks.
Last week, in only their second home game of the season, the Shock fell to the Tampa Bay Storm 70-62 after scoring only one touchdown in the first half. Quarterback Erik Mayer completed 21 of 35 attempts for 258 yards and 7 TDs, but his first 2 interceptions of the season made the difference in the game. Spokane's defense was unable to corral Storm quarterback Adrian McPherson who completed 21 of his 36 passes for 310 yards and 7 touchdowns, as well as added 17 rushes for 50 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite the shortage of scoring in the first half, the two teams would go on to set a new AFL single-game record for most combined points in a half through the final two quarters of plays with 97 points, breaking the previous record set in 2005 between San Jose and Las Vegas (95).
In Week 6, the Utah Blaze defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 57-40 to record their second road win of the season and still have yet to win at home. Against the Gladiators, Blaze quarterback Tommy Grady completed 30 of 42 attempts for 300 yards, 7 touchdowns, and one interception. Wide receiver Aaron Lesue hauled in 14 receptions for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns. Despite having possession of the ball for only 3 minutes in the first quarter the Blaze would go on to dominate the 2nd and 3rd quarters, keeping possession of the ball for 21 minutes and 45 seconds as they went on their way to putting up 28 unanswered points.
Blaze quarterback Tommy Grady shattered AFL single season records in 2012 for passing touchdowns (142), total touchdowns (149), passing yards (5,870), pass completions (507), pass attempts (743) and tied the single-game record for touchdown passes (12) in week 19 versus the Cleveland. He also set postseason single-game records for touchdowns (10) and attempts (63). In 2013, however, Grady has been off to a less than stellar start and is tied for the league lead in interceptions (13) after only five games in the first six weeks of the season. The Blaze return their 2012 leading receiver in Aaron Lesue (has played only 3 games) and have added former Shock wide receiver Brandon Thompkins and Mario Urrutia (leads the team after 5 games with 13 touchdowns) after losing former receiver Tysson Poots to Arizona through off-season free agency.
Despite leading the league as the top passing offense (300.6 yds/G), the Blaze are tied for a league's worst turnover margin (-8) and are the most penalized team in the league (59.8 yds/G). The Shock will enter the game as the second most efficient passing offense (128.3) behind Arizona, a turnover margin of +9, and are the second highest scoring team in the league (67.7).
During the 2012 season, Utah handedly won the team's first meeting by a final score of 84-63. After forcing a safety on Spokane's opening possession, Utah never looked back and went on to outscore the Shock 43-21 in the first half. Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley was able to throw for 9 touchdowns but would be intercepted three times in the contest while Blaze quarterback Tommy Grady would throw for 11 touchdowns on the day. In the team's second meeting of the season, back and forth action would continue throughout the game as the teams would not see more then a 6 point separation. In the final 40 seconds, Spokane would take an 11 point lead at 55-44 and seemingly take control of the game. After a three play drive by Utah that would culminate in a 2-yd touchdown pass from quarterback Tommy Grady to Aaron Lesue, Utah would fail the two point conversion and leave the Shock lead at 55-50. With 18 seconds remaining the Blaze would go on to recover an onside kick, drive the remainder of the field and score with 3 seconds remaining on a 3-yd pass from Tommy Grady to take the lead and win the game by a final score of 58-55 at Spokane Arena.
After suffering their first loss of the season last week to Tampa Bay, the Shock will have to regroup and stay focused to get the win and stay atop the West Division. "This is a division game which makes it more important than any other. We have an opportunity to go 3-0 in the west and put Utah at 0-3 which makes it a must win situation no matter what our overall record is right now," said Shock Head Coach Andy Olson. Olson added, "They're [Utah] the best 2-3 team in the league. Grady is a great quarterback and they have a talented wide receiver group with Lesue's experience and Urrutia coming into his own. On the other hand, they've struggled at home this season and we plan to keep that streak going against them this week."
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, May 4th at 6:00 PM at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, UT and will be available for on SWX TV, streaming at shock.arenafootball.com/allaccess, and available for your listening pleasure on 700AM ESPN radio.
Arena Football League Stories from April 30, 2013
- Shock prepare for third West Division matchup in four weeks - Spokane Shock
- McPherson and Hills Honored by the AFL - Tampa Bay Storm
- Sharks' Tracy Belton Named Defensive Player of the Week - Jacksonville Sharks
- McPherson, Belton and Gray Earn Weekly Honors - AFL
- Storm Faces the VooDoo Saturday - Tampa Bay Storm
- VooDoo Aquire FB Jeramie Richardson - New Orleans VooDoo
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.
