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The Utah Blaze was thinking upset, but Desperados offensive specialist Terrill Shaw was thinking touchdown.
Shaw led the way with four scores as Dallas spoiled the Blaze's inaugural home opener, 56-53, Saturday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Utah (1-1) cut the Desperados' lead to three with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Clint Dolezel and the offense ran out the clock to give Dallas its second 2-0 start in franchise history.
"What we talked about before the game in our pre-game meeting is you have to win on every play," Desperados head coach Will McClay said. "We're trying to win on every play but we definitely have to win the crucial plays, and we did a good job of that."
Shaw, who was named Offensive Player of the Game for the second straight week, set a Desperados' receiving record with 208 yards on 11 catches. Dolezel completed 21 of 31 passes for 343 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Desperados WR/DB Will Pettis earned U.S. Army Ironman of the Game honors yet again, catching four passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns on offense and recording three tackles on defense. Desperados DS Jermaine Jones was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game with a game-high nine tackles. He also helped slow down Blaze OS Siaha Burley in the second half.
Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine threw for 350 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Burley finished with a game-high 13 catches for 145 yards and three scores.
The Desperados took a 7-0 lead on their first drive and held a slim margin for the rest of the first half. On the third play from scrimmage, Dolezel hit a streaking Shaw for a 45-yard touchdown.
Both teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter until Desperados FB/LB Merrill Robertson lost a fumble at Utah's 7. But the Blaze couldn't reach the end zone and eventually missed a 22-yard field goal.
The Desperados took a 35-30 lead into halftime and extended it to 49-33 thanks to a couple of key defensive stops in the third quarter. Dallas held Utah to a field goal on the opening drive, and DS Bobby Perry intercepted Germaine on the Blaze's next series.
Utah never got closer than within two points in the fourth quarter. The Desperados never trailed in the game.
