The ArizoHotshots c out the Alliance of American Football's opening weekend with a 38-22 victory over the Salt Lake Stallions at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona quarterback John Wolford opened the scoring when he hit tight end Gerald Christian for a five-yard TD with 1:03 left in the first quarter. The pass capped off a 95-yard drive. Matt Asiata replied for Salt Lake with a one-yard scoring run in the second period to knot the game at 8-8. Following a stalled drive, Wolford made Salt Lake pay for a muffed punt when he hit Rashad Ross in stride for a 36-yard touchdown on the next play. Nick Folk's 53-yard field goal pushed the Hotshots' advantage to 19-8 at 3:25 of the second quarter. Josh Woodrum connected with Jordan Leslie for a score with 13 seconds left in the second quarter, and the two-point conversion brought Salt Lake within 19-16 at the half. Unfortunately for the Stallions, Woodrum injured his hamstring right before the half. Matt Linehan replaced him to open the third quarter. Wolford went right to work after the break. He hit Ross again with 2:52 left in the third for a four-yard score to make it 27-16. The Hotshots De'Mornay Pierson-El intercepted Linehan on the following play, and Wolford immediately found Pressley for a 30-yard touchdown to push the advantage to 35-16. The two TD passes came just 14 seconds apart on the game clock. Linehan responded with a seven-yard dart to Nick Truesdell in the back of the end-zone to cut the Arizona deficit to 35-22 with 11:37 left in the game. Folk connected from 32 yards out with 6:07 remaining for the final points of the game. The veteran kicker finished his night two-for-three, including a 53-yarder. Wolford stole the show, completing 18 of 29 throws for 275 yards and all four Hotshots' touchdowns. Ross was on the receiving end of five of those balls for 103 yards and two scores. The AAF does not use extra points. Arizona finished the night four-for-four on their two-point conversion attempts while Salt Lake went two-for-three. News Release
