Utah 63, Grand Rapids 56

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (TICKER) —Joe Germaine tossed four touchdown passes to power the Utah Blaze to a 63-56 triumph over the Grand Rapids Rampage on Sunday.

Germaine completed 19-of-34 passes for 304 yards while connecting on a pair of touchdown passes to both J.J. McKelvey and Huey Whittaker.

Rodney Filer also ran for two touchdowns for the Blaze (4-10).

James MacPherson completed 24-of-33 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns for the Rampage (3-10).

Blaze 67, Brigade 50

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Blaze (1-9) picked up their first victory of 2008 on Saturday night against the Kansas City Brigade (1-8). Utah’s first win was witnessed by 12,208 fans at EnergySolutions Arena.

“It was great to see our guys fight for four quarters” said Blaze head coach/general manager Danny White. “We came out on the first series of the third quarter and threw an interception, and it could have been real easy for everybody to go in the tank at that point. Everyone just kept playing and stayed up the whole game.”

Offensive Player of the Game honors went to Blaze QB Joe Germaine (6-2, 238, Ohio State) who finished the night 24-of-30 passing for 337 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also recorded a nine-yard touchdown run. Blaze LB Kelvin Morris (6-3, 236, Clemson) was named Defensive Player of the Game after recording 8.0 total tackles and preventing a Brigade two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. DB J”Sharlon Jones (5-8, 188, Colorado State) was named Ironman of the Game after returning six kickoffs for 120 yards and recording 2.0 total tackles.

Kansas City tallied the first score of the evening with a 17-yard touchdown pass from QB D. Bryant (6-2, 205, Duke) to WR Ces’are Manning (6-1, 200, Indianapolis). The Blaze quickly struck back with an eight-yard touchdown strike from Germaine to WR Huey Whittaker (6-5, 228, South Florida). Blaze K Steve Azar (509, 195, Northern Illinois) missed the extra point, but Utah played a solid first quarter stopping Kansas City on downs, recording another touchdown, and forcing a Brigade fumble at the end of the quarter. The first quarter ended with the Blaze on top, 13-7.

Utah outscored Kansas City 20-14 in the second quarter to keep the lead at halftime, 33-21.

The second half started slow for the Blaze with a potential Germaine touchdown pass being intercepted by Brigade DB Travis Coleman (6-1, 195, Hampton) setting Kansas City up for a 31-yard WR Jerel Myers (5-11, 185, LSU) touchdown reception and a missed extra point. Utah answered back with a one-yard touchdown run by FB Kautai Olevao (6-2, 268, Utah) but failed to convert on their two-point conversion. The Blaze held Kansas City to a 58-yard field goal on their next possession and ended the quarter with a nine-yard Germaine touchdown run. The Blaze held on to the lead, 46-30, entering the final quarter of play.

The fourth quarter saw three scores from each team as Utah held off Kansas City, 67-50.

Voodoo 70, Blaze 56

QB Danny Wimprine was 22 of 33 for 265 yards and nine touchdowns as the New Orleans VooDoo defeated the Utah Blaze, 70-56, on Friday night at New Orleans Arena.

Soul 64, Blaze 56

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- QB Matt D'Orazio was 28 of 37 for 300 yards and six touchdowns adding a rushing score as the Philadelphia Soul defeated the Utah Blaze, 64-56, on Saturday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. WR Chris Jackson has 13 catches for 138 yards and five touchdowns.

Blaze QB Joe Germaine finished 21 of 28 for 250 yards and five touchdowns. FB Rodney Filer had six rushes for 49 yards and three touchdowns. WR Huey Whittaker had six catches for 67 yards and three scores.

Utah Blaze honors Justin Skaggs

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Last night's game between the Georgia Force and the Utah Blaze celebrated the life of fallen Blaze player Justin Skaggs. In honor of Skaggs, the Blaze were pleased to announce to the Skaggs family the retirement of his jersey number (3).
The Blaze family has worn the number 3 on helmet stickers this year and now that number — placed against a Skaggs-trademark camouflage background — will hang from the rafters.While with the Blaze, Skaggs played in 25 games and recorded 73 receptions for 856 yards and 17 touchdowns. Defensively, he tallied 72.5 total tackles, 1.0 sack and one fumble recovery.Skaggs’ wife, Tara, and their two children, Jake and Abbie, were in attendance on Saturday, along with other members of the family. Skaggs passed away on Friday, June 15, 2007, after complications relating to a brain tumor.
Skaggs did something that only 8,000 other people in the United States did last year; he saved lives through organ donation. Today, four people are alive because Skaggs and his family decided to say “yes” to organ donation.