The Utah Blaze (0-2) suffered their second loss of the season to the Alabama Vipers (2-1), 63-54 in front of 4,898 fans Saturday night at the E Center. WR Aaron Boone led the Blaze (0-2) with eight catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns, while WR Wendell Williams had seven catches for 90 yards and one touchdown. Blaze QB Brett Elliott finished the night completing 21-of-38 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. "We have some work to do this upcoming week offensive and defensively," Utah Blaze head coach Ernesto Purnsley said. "But the more time these guys have together the more we can improve in future weeks." The Blaze opened the scoring for the night with an interception that was returned for a touchdown by WR/DB Brandon Hampton. The Vipers responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from QB Kevin Eakin to WR/DB Larry Shipp. The Blaze kept up with the scoring after Hampton, recipient of the JLS Ironman of the Game, returned a kick for a touchdown. The teams exchanged scores throughout the second quarter and entered the locker room at half-time with the Vipers on top, 35-32. The Vipers inched ahead in the second half of play with four touchdowns, two of which were rushing touchdowns by FB/LB Dan Alexander. The Blaze only connected on three touchdown passes throughout the second half, two of which were to Boone. Shipp led the Vipers in receiving and was named the Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game. He recorded 8 catches for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Vipers OL/DL Eric Crosby had 6.0 total tackles, one interception and one pass breakup, earning the Riddell Defensive Player of the Game honors. The Blaze finished with 237 yards total offense, while Alabama tallied 409. The Blaze hit the road next week to take on the undefeated Chicago Rush (3-0). The following week, the Blaze return to Maakoa Field at the E Center to take on the Bossier- Shreveport Battlewings on Friday, April 30 with kickoff at 7 p.m. Single-game tickets can be purchased through www.ticketmaster.com. Group and season tickets are also available by calling 888-99BLAZE or information can be found at www.utblaze.com.
