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Utah Blaze game notes

March 7, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Utah Blaze News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (4-2) at Utah Blaze (2-4).
Date: Friday, March 10, 2006.
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (MT).
Site: Delta Center (15,577)
Officials: Referee: David Cutaia; Umpire: Doug Wilson;
Head Linesman: Greg Shields; Line Judge: Dave Chesney; Back Judge: James Cole
Television: None
Radio: Utah's flagship station 1280 The Zone will broadcast the game live with Ryan Hatch (play-by-play) and Keith Embray (commentary).
Blaze Coaches' Show: Ryan Hatch hosts the Blaze Coaches' Show every Wednesday night on 1280 The Zone at 7-8 p.m.
Internet: Log on to www.1280thezone.com to hear a live webcast of Saturday's game.
Series Record: First meeting between both teams
Coaches: Utah, Danny White (14th season; 123-59 regular season, 143-69 overall). Nashville Pat Sperduto, (5th season: 42-29-1 regular season, ???).
League Stats:
http://www.aflmedia.com/public/leaders/confstat.htm

OVERVIEW: The Blaze are seeking their first home win at the Delta Center after a disappointing 65-50 loss against divisional foe San Jose last Saturday. The Blaze had a chance to tie the game in the final minute despite starting the fourth quarter down 27 points, but were unsuccessful on their final onside-kick attempt. Nashville comes into Salt Lake City with one of the best defenses and overall teams in the AFL after losing a close battle at Arizona last weekend, 51-49. The Kats have only lost two games by a total of three points and are just one game behind defending champion, Colorado, in the Central Division. The Kats are looking for an important road win to keep up with the Crush. It should be a battle of one of the best offenses in the AFL up against arguably the best defense.

THE SERIES: This will mark the first meeting between the two teams. Blaze head coach DANNY WHITE is 3-2 against the Kats in his head coaching career and 2-1 overall against Pat Sperduto in his career (1-1 in the regular season).

WHAT'S AHEAD: The Blaze will play two of their next three games on the road as they travel to Grand Rapids on March 16 for a Thursday night game. The Blaze then return home for their final game in March against divisional foe, the Las Vegas Gladiators, at the Delta Center on March 24. The Blaze will then travel across the country to take on Tampa Bay on April 1 looking to for their first win against a National Conference foe.

THE SCHEDULES:

2006 Utah Blaze (2-4)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 @ San Jose Won 48-35
Feb. 4 DALLAS Lost 53-56
Feb. 11 NEW YORK Lost 81-84
Feb. 18 @ Arizona Lost 38-45
Feb. 25 @ Los Angeles Won 68-66
Mar. 4 SAN JOSE Lost 50-65
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Mar. 10 NASHVILLE 7:00 p.m. 1280
Mar. 16 @ Grand Rapids 5:00 pm 1280/FSN
Mar. 24 LAS VEGAS 7:00 p.m. 1280/KJZZ
Apr. 1 @ Tampa Bay 5:30 p.m. 1280
Apr. 7 ARIZONA 7:00 p.m. 1280/FSN
Apr. 15 LOS ANGELES 7:00 p.m. 1280/KJZZ
Apr. 21 @ Colorado 7:00 p.m. 1280
Apr. 28 @ Las Vegas 8:30 p.m. 1280
May 6 @ Chicago 6:00 p.m. 1280/FSN
May 12 KANSAS CITY 7:00 p.m. 1280/KJZZ

2006 Nashville Kats (4-2)
Game Opponent Time (CT) TV
Jan. 28 @ New York Won 57-28
Feb. 3 COLUMBUS Won 53-27
Feb. 12 @ Chicago Lost 55-56 (OT)
Feb. 18 COLORADO Won 58-36
Feb. 25 GRAND RAPIDS Won 47-31
Mar. 4 @ Arizona Lost 49-51
Game Opponent Time (ET) TV
Mar. 10 @ Utah 8:00 p.m.
Mar. 17 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 SAN JOSE 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 @ Las Vegas 9:30 p.m.
Apr. 14 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 21 KANSAS CITY 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 29 @ Grand Rapids 7:00 p.m.
May 6 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.
May 13 TAMPA BAY 7:00 p.m.

NOTABLES: 2005 AFLWA Offensive player of the Year OS SIAHA BURLEY will look to establish some new expansion records in 2006. Burley, who had 117 receptions for 1,542 yards and a league-leading 45 touchdowns, figures to be a threat to re-write the books... The expansion records Burley will be chasing are held by former Detroit Fury OS ROBERT GORDON who tallied 125 receptions for 1,630 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2001... Burley is currently on pace to shatter all AFL records with 163 receptions (MARCUS NASH, Las Vegas, 2004 holds the record at 154), 2,272 yards (CALVIN SCHEXNAYDER, Arizona, 1998 holds the current record at 1,982 yards) and 56 touchdowns (five players are currently tied with 46)... Burley currently leads the league with 61 catches, 852 yards, 21 TDs, and 1,113 all-purpose yards ... Burley set the single-game expansion record for receiving yards (259) and tied the single-game touchdown mark (6) in week two against New York... QB JOE GERMAINE set the single-game expansion mark for completions (35) and tied the single-game expansion mark for touchdowns (10)... Germaine is currently on pace to record 621 attempts, 421 completions, 5,389 yards (MARK GRIEB, San Jose, 2005 holds the record at 4,796) and 93 TDs.

LAST WEEK:

TURNOVERS DENY BLAZE WIN AT HOME
Five Turnovers key in 50-65 defeat to San Jose.

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Blaze lost their third consecutive home game to division rival San Jose SaberCats, 65-50, in front of a sellout crowd 16,395 fans at the Delta Center on Saturday night. A late comeback came up short but the Blaze still maintain tied for the Western Division lead with a 2-4 record.

"On paper, it's a game of turnovers. Three fumbles lost and two interceptions, you don't win many games in this league, or any league," Blaze head coach/general manager DANNY WHITE said. "The real root of the problem is up front. We are not protecting the quarterback and we are not getting pressure on their quarterback."

The Blaze started the fourth quarter down 27 points, but cut the lead down to eight with less than a minute in the game. The onside kick attempt was unsuccessful and denied the Blaze their first home win at the Delta Center.

"I saw positive things even though we lost the game," said OS SIAHA BURLEY, who finished with four touchdown receptions. "We had five turnovers and we were still in the game. That shows a lot for our character."

QB JOE GERMAINE finished 28-of-43 passing with 367 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT led the receiving corps with nine catches for 115 yards. DS THAL WOODS recorded two onside kick recoveries for the second consecutive game.

"We want to win here very much. We really appreciate our fans coming out to support us, more than anything," Germaine said about the sellout crowd. "We want to win at home for these guys. We want to feel that we have the best home field in the league."

THE IFS...:
If Utah defeats Nashville it would...
*Give Utah its first home win in the Delta Center (1-3)
*Be Utah's first win against an Central Division opponent (1-0).
*Give Utah its first win against teams with a winning record (1-1)
*Give Utah a 1-0 all-time home record against Central Division teams.
*Give Utah a 3-4 all-time regular-season record.
*Maintain Utah's tie for the Western Division lead.

THE COACHES:
Utah - Danny White, 14th season
123-59 (.676) reg. season; 143-69 (.675) overall
3-2 career vs. Nashville
White is currently in his 14th season as an AFL head coach and first with the Blaze. White has compiled a record of 142-68 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs in 12 of the previous 13 years (hasn't missed the postseason since 1992). Prior to joining the Blaze, White was the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers for 13 seasons (1992-2004). The AFL Hall of Fame coach has two titles (1994 and 1997) to his credit and has made five ArenaBowl appearances (1994, 97, 2002-04). During his last season in Arizona in 2004, White compiled a 13-6 record and made his third straight ArenaBowl appearance. White, won AFL "Coach of the Year" award in 1993. White officially became the head coach of the Blaze on April 21, 2005. He played quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys (1976-88) and helped lead the Cowboys to the postseason five times and won three NFC East titles during his tenure as starting QB. In his first year as a starter (1980), White set the club single-season record for touchdown passes (28) and then broke the record (29) in 1983. Those records still stand as the top two single-season marks in franchise history. He still owns eight Cowboy records and is the member of FOUR Halls of Fame (Arizona Sports, Arizona State, College Football and Arena Football).

Nashville - Pat Sperdut, 5th season
42-29-1 (.583) reg. season
0-0 career vs. Utah
Pat Sperduto now enters his fifth season as head coach of the Nashville Kats, already putting together one of arena football's best coaching careers. Sperduto was at the helm of the original Kats team from 1999-2001, and joined the staff of the NFL's Tennessee Titans after the Kats franchise was sold and moved to Atlanta in 2001. He was hired to oversee the startup process of a new AFL team to be placed in Nashville, and last season he returned to the sidelines as head coach of the new Nashville Kats. Sperduto, who assisted the Titans' coaching and scouting staffs during his three-season absence from the AFL, has compiled a 38-27-1 record in his first four years as head coach of the Kats, and he led his team to back-to-back appearances in the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001. Sperduto replaced Eddie Khayat as head coach in 1999 and posted the best record of seven AFL coaches who took over new teams in 2000. Sperduto spent his first two years as defensive coordinator for the Kats and was elevated to assistant head coach in 1998. He is a three-time ArenaBowl World Champion, winning twice as a player for the Tampa Bay Storm (1991 and '93) and once as an assistant coach with the Storm (1994). Sperduto began his professional career as a player with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions before joining the Tampa Bay Storm in the AFL from 1991-93.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Feb. 7 Awarded OL/DL Ernest Grant (Georgia) and OL/DL Sean Guthrie (Orlando) from waivers. Placed WR/LB Sale Key on the IR. Waived WR/DB Erin Damond.
Feb. 9 Signed WR/DB Justin Taplin. Activated WR/LB Ryan Dennard from the IR. Placed OL/DL Ernest Grant and OL/DL Sean Guthrie on the Refused to Report List.
Feb. 10 Placed OL/DL Jason Andersen on the IR.
Feb. 16 Signed DS Sullivan Beard. Awarded FB/LB Josh White (Austin) from waivers. Activated OL/DL Ernest Grant from the Refused to Report List. Activated and waived OL/DL Patrick Hughes. Placed DS Kevin Moffett on the IR.
Feb. 17 Traded FB/LB Josh White to Dallas for past considerations.
Feb. 20 Awarded OL/DL John Culp (Columbus) from waivers. Activated OL/DL Jason Andersen and placed him on recallable waivers.
Feb. 21 Released FB/LB Jermaine Younger.

INJURY REPORT - League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for at least two weeks. WR/LB SALE KEY and OS TROY MASON are eligible to be activated to the active roster in time for Utah's March 10 game vs. Nashville.

Player Injury Status
Troy Mason Left ankle sprain OUT (IR)
Sale Key Right ankle OUT (IR)
Kevin Moffett Hamstring OUT (IR)

SIAHA RELIEF: OS SIAHA BURLEY, who leads the AFL in scoring (126), touchdowns (21), all-purpose yards (1,113), receptions (61) and receiving yards (852), has scored at least two touchdowns in each of Utah's last six games, including four last week against San Jose.

SPEAKING OF LEADING THE AFL... The Utah Blaze currently lead the Arena Football League in average attendance (16,104) and have drawn 48,313 fans in just three games. The Blaze have recorded two sellouts (Dallas on Feb. 4 and San Jose on March 4) and will host Nashville this Friday at the Delta Center.

LUCKY 1,300 - STEVE VIDETICH became the AFL's all-time scoring leader for kickers (surpassing MIKE BLACK's 1,253) this season and currently has 1,300 points.

ALL-TIME CAREER SCORING (KICKING)
Rank Player Points
1. Steve Videtich, Utah 1,300
2. Mike Black 1,253
3. Remy Hamilton, Los Angeles 1,205
4. Clay Rush, Colorado 1,102
5. Steve McLaughlin 792

THE ‘O' SHOW: WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT has recorded at least 60 receiving yards for a string of eight games dating back to last season. His last game under the 60-yard mark was Week 15 as a member of the Arizona Rattlers in a 61-43 win over the Chicago Rush. Bryant led the Blaze with nine catches for 115 yards against San Jose last weekend.

2006 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category Blaze (Rank) Kats (Rank)
Scoring Offense 56.3 (2) 53.2 (8)
Scoring Defense 58.5 (17) 38.2 (1)
Total Offense 330.3 (2) 261.8 (14)
Total Defense 307.3 (15) 253.3 (3)
Pass Offense 321.0 (2) 236.2 (15)
Pass Defense 299.5 (16) 237.5 (4)
Rushing Offense 9.3 (17) 25.7 (6)
Rushing Defense 7.8 (1) 16.0 (5)
Interceptions 2 (18) 11 (1)
Kickoff Return Avg. 15.4 (16) 19.1 (3)
Def. KO Return Avg. 17.8 (11) 17.4 (11)
Turnover Margin -4 (t-14) +11 (1)
3rd Down Conversions 50.0% (7) 38.2% (15)
4th Down Conversions 50.0% (t-10) 28.6% (16)
Sacks By 3 (t-15) 13 (1)
Sacks Against 12 (t-15) 6 (t-12)

BLAZE LEADERS IN 2006
Player Category No.
Germaine Total Offense 2023
Germaine Completion Pct. 67.8
Germaine Pass TDs 35
Germaine Passer Rating 123.33
Germaine Passing Yards 2020
Germaine Pass Completions 158
Germaine Pass Yards/Game 336.7
Burley Scoring 126
Burley Touchdowns 21
Burley Receptions 61
Burley Receiving Yards 852
Burley TD Receptions 21
Clemens, Germaine Rush TDs 3
Burley KO Returns 17
Burley KOR Yards 261
Beard, Bryant Tackles 18

EXPANSION TEAMS IN ARENABOWL: The Blaze will be in elite company if they make it to the ArenaBowl XX in Las Vegas on June 11. In the 20-year history, only the expansion Detroit Drive won an ArenaBowl title in their inaugural season in 1988.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE: QB JOE GERMAINE led the Arizona Rattlers to a victory over the Nashville Kats in his only meeting against Nashville. Germaine had one of his best games of the season against the Kats as he threw six touchdowns in the game.

SETTING THE PACE: WR/LB TOM PACE scored five touchdowns against the four Central Division opponents. In the game against the Kats, Pace was solid recording five receptions for 71 yards in the game.

STORYLINES:

UTAH'S BURLEY EARNS AFL MONTHLY HONORS
Offensive Specialist Takes Offensive Player of the Month

The Arena Football League Office announced Utah Blaze OS SIAHA BURLEY (6-0, 185, Central Florida) as Offensive Player of the Month for February.

Burley currently leads the AFL in scoring (126), touchdowns (21), all-purpose yards (1,113), receptions (61) and receiving yards (852). Utah is 2-5 and leads the Western Division.

"This is a tremendous honor," Burley said. "This is an award that wasn't earned alone. My teammates and coaches were all a part of this and hopefully we will continue to play together toward the common goal of winning an ArenaBowl title."

HEY COACH! Blaze head coach DANNY WHITE is currently in four Halls of Fame (Arizona Sports, Arizona State University, College Football and Arena Football). He has 13 years of experience in the AFL and owns two ArenaBowl titles (1994 and 1997), while not having a losing season since 1992. But, did you know that the assistant coaching staff has a combined total of 33 years of Arena Football experience?

Offensive/Defensive Line coach, FLINT FLEMING, played in six ArenaBowls and has three titles (1990, 1992 and 1997) during his 16 years in Arena Football. He was also named to the AFL's 15th Anniversary Team. Offensive coordinator and future AFL Hall of Famer, HUNKIE COOPER, is the AFL's all-time all-purpose yards leader (20,587), two-time Ironman of the Year (1999-2000) and AFL MVP (1993) during his 13 years in the AFL. Assistant Offensive/Defensive Line coach, LINDSAY HASSELL, played four years with the Oklahoma Wranglers (2000-01) and Arizona Rattlers (2002-03).

Despite being in his first season of coaching Arena Football, assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, LEE LESLIE, brings 21 years of coaching experience, including 14 championship titles and a year of coaching in the NIFL (Utah Warriors).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS - Head coach DANNY WHITE picks up where he left off after a year absence from the AFL coaching ranks. The AFL Hall of Fame coach is currently No. 2 on the league's all-time coaches win list. Below is a list of the all-time winningest coaches in AFL history.

ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES
Coach, Team Victories This Week
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 178 DALLAS
Danny White, Utah 143 Nashville
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 98 COLORADO
Mike Dailey, Colorado 93 @ Chicago
Perry Moss 86 --
Darren Arbet, San Jose 84 LOS ANGELES

IT'S A NUMBERS GAME - What's the big deal about a number? If you ask Utah Blaze head coach/general manager DANNY WHITE, it means a lot. One of the interesting stories early in the Blaze's inaugural season involves rookie OL/DL GARRETT SMITH. Smith is not only trying to make and immediate impact, but also trying to "earn" his number. Smith wants to wear Coach White's old number (11), but will be wearing No. 12 against Los Angeles. "Coach (White) made it clear that choosing a uniform number is not a right, it's a privilege," Smith said. "It will be something that I have to earn and I don't plan on letting him down. I intended on earning it at some point this season."

EXPANSION TEAMS REGULAR-SEASON RECORDS
TEAM YEAR RECORD
UTAH BLAZE 2006 2-4
Kansas City Brigade 2006 1-5
New Orleans VooDoo 2004 10-6
Austin Wranglers 2004 8-8
Philadelphia Soul 2004 5-11
Colorado Crush 2003 2-14
Dallas Desperados 2002 7-7
Detroit Fury 2001 7-7
Chicago Rush 2001 7-7
Los Angeles Avengers 2000 3-11

SAN JOSE PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB CLINT STOERNER - Stoerner currently leads 4-2 team going 114-of-189 passing for 1,447 yards with 27 TDs and 7 INTs. He has completed over 60 percent of his passes with a 104.5 QB rating.

DS MONTY MONTGOMERY - Montgomery currently has six interceptions on the season and leads the AFL in that category and is the leader of the top-ranked defense in the league. He is also currently second in the AFL with 46 .0 total tackles.


WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose QB Joe Germaine, Utah
DALLAS OS Terrill Shaw, Dallas
NEW YORK QB Aaron Garcia, New York
@ Arizona OS Damien Groce, Arizona
@ Los Angeles QB Sonny Cumbie, Los Angeles
SAN JOSE QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
NASHVILLE
@ Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS
@ Tampa Bay
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES
@ Colorado
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose DS Kelvin Hunter, Utah
DALLAS DS Jermaine Jones, Dallas
NEW YORK DS DaShane Dennis, New York
@ Arizona DS Joe Todd, Arizona
@ Los Angeles DS Ricky Sharpe, Los Angeles
SAN JOSE DS Clevan Thomas, San Jose
NASHVILLE
@ Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS
@ Tampa Bay
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES
@ Colorado
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose WR/DB Orshawante Bryant, Utah
DALLAS WR/DB Will Pettis, Dallas
NEW YORK WR/LB Mike Horacek, New York
@ Arizona WR/DB Randy Gatewood, Arizona
@ Los Angeles WR/LB Greg Hopkins, LA
SAN JOSE WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
NASHVILLE
@ Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS
@ Tampa Bay
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES
@ Colorado
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

THE BLAZE RECORD WHEN...:

Scoring Allowing
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-0
30-39 points 0-1 1-0
40-49 points 1-0 0-1
50-59 points 0-2 0-1
60-69 points 1-0 1-1
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-1 0-1

GAMES DECIDED BLAZE COACH WHITE
by 7 or fewer points 2-3 44-25
by 3 or fewer points 2-2 20-12

Leading/Tied after the 1st 1-1 84-22
Trailing after the 1st 0-3 38-37

Leading/Tied at Half 1-1 97-21
Trailing at Half 0-3 25-38

Leading/Tied after the 3rd 1-0 107-16
Trailing after the 3rd 0-4 15-43

Lead/Tied Turnover Ratio 1-3 93-25
Trailed Turnover Ratio 1-1 30-34

Scoring More Than 10 2-4 123-59
Scoring More Than 20 2-4 123-58
Scoring More Than 30 2-4 121-51
Scoring More Than 40 2-4 115-31
Scoring More Than 50 1-3 87-17
Scoring More Than 60 1-1 35-4
Scoring More Than 70 0-1 11-1
Scoring More Than 80 0-1 3-1
Scoring More Than 90 0-0 0-0

Monday games 0-0 3-1
Wednesday games 0-0 1-0
Thursday games 0-0 6-2
Friday games 0-0 31-13
Saturday games 2-4 64-31
Sunday games 0-0 18-12

vs. West 2-2 42-21
vs. Central 0-0 26-9
vs. South 0-0 19-9
vs. East 0-2 21-10

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