West Division Foes Collide in Salt Lake City

Published on May 1, 2013 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Utah Blaze News Release


SALT LAKE CITY - Riding the momentum of a dominant 57-40 road victory over Cleveland in Week 6, the Utah Blaze return to Salt Lake City to face off against a bitter division rival in the West-leading Spokane Shock. Kickoff from EnergySolutions Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT this Saturday, May 4.

The Utah Blaze (2-3) versus Spokane Shock (5-1) can be seen live and locally in high-definition on KJZZ, featuring Steve Brown and Aaron Boone in the booth with Alema Harrington reporting from the sidelines. The matchup can also be heard on The Zone 97.5 FM with Scott Garrard and Riley Jensen calling all of the action.

Utah's victory over the Cleveland Gladiators was highlighted by an outstanding third quarter in which the Blaze outscored its opponent 22-0 while forcing two interceptions and one turnover on downs. The lopsided affair was Utah's most complete effort of the season.

The Spokane Shock remain atop the West Division after opening 2013 with five straight victories, but the team suffered its first defeat of the season last week at the hands of the Tampa Bay Storm. Spokane quarterback Erik Meyer threw his first two interceptions of the season in the first half of the matchup, putting the Shock in an early hole they were never able to overcome.

Meyer heads an offense that ranks second in the Arena Football League in scoring (67.7 points per game) as well as fourth in passing (293.2 yards per game). He currently leads the AFL with 1,779 passing yards and 47 touchdowns. Meyer's favorite target - wide receiver Adron Tennell - has posted League-highs with 58 receptions for 20 touchdowns while gaining 718 receiving yards through six games.

Fresh off of back-to-back seven touchdown passing performances, MVP quarterback Tommy Grady will be looking to out-duel Meyer this Saturday. Utah currently owns the AFL's top-ranked passing offense, as Grady & Co. have averaged over 300 aerial yards per game. They will have the opportunity to take advantage of Shock defense that has allowed just over 312 passing yards per game - placing next-to-last on the AFL charts.

In the receiving corps, Aaron Lesué looks as sharp as ever after missing the first two games of the season with injury. In just his third outing of the year, Lesué nearly doubled his season totals against Cleveland, hauling in 14 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns. Rookie receiver Mario Urrutia continues his hot streak and leads the team with 38 receptions for 482 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brandon Thompkins - Utah's third-leading receiver - spent the first two seasons of his AFL career with the Shock. With a chip on his shoulder, Thompkins will look to add to a campaign that has already seen him snare 27 balls for 345 yards and four scores.

The trenches will feature strength-against-strength as a productive Shock pass rush battles the stout Blaze offensive line. Led by Mac linebacker Beau Bell's 3.5 sacks, Spokane has registered 11 total sacks on the year to place third in the AFL. However, Utah's protection has surrendered a mere five sacks on the season, ranking fourth in the League. The combination of Antonio Narcisse, Shannon Tevaga, Yoshi Hardrick and Neal Tivis has stalemated opponents throughout the past two weeks, rarely letting the defense get to Grady.

Special teams may be the biggest unknown for Blaze entering this week's matchup. Kicker Adrian Trevino went down early against Cleveland, forcing defensive back David Hyland to step in and handle kickoff duties. Trevino's status this week remains uncertain and if he is unable to play, the Blaze will must find a suitable replacement as they face the AFL's top-ranked kickoff return unit.

Spokane has averaged just over 22 yards per return to place first in the Arena Football League. Defensive back Terrance Sanders is one of the most electric kickoff returners in the AFL, and has already taken two kicks back for touchdowns. In total, Sanders has gained 852 yards on 38 kickoff attempts.

As the first third of the 2013 campaign rounds out this week for the Blaze, knocking off Spokane would go a long way in setting the course towards the postseason. Although it is still early in the year, notching a victory inside the division would give Utah a leg-up on San Jose, who holds a 0-2 record inside the West.

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