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SALT LAKE CITY - In the second highest scoring game in the 20-year history of the AFL, the Utah Blaze became only the second team in league history to score more than 80 points in a losing effort on Saturday night to the New York Dragons, 84-81, in front of 15,213. With five and a half seconds left in the game, QB Joe Germaine threw an incomplete pass as the clock expired for the second straight three-point heartbreaking loss at the Delta Center.
"It's unfortunate. The guys played really hard tonight," head coach Danny White said. "Things can change very, very quickly in this game. This was a pretty emotional game. We have to get it out of our system quickly and get ready for the next one."
Germaine set career highs in attempts (45), completions (35), yards (444), and touchdowns (10) in the losing effort. His 10 touchdowns are tied the mark for second-highest game total in league history. His 35 completions tied the third-highest total in league history. His 444 passing yards is the seventh-highest total in league history.
Offensive specialist Siaha Burley also enjoyed a career day on the field setting career best in receptions (16), yards (259) and tied his career TD total (6). His 16 receptions is the fifth-highest game total in league history, and his 259 receiving yards is the third highest. His six TDs rank second-highest in league history. But even with these impressive performances, only one thing remained on the players and coaches minds after the game.
"We are very disappointed. I had an opportunity on the last play to win and I didn't get it done," Burley said afterwards. "That is what is in my head right now"
"We didn't win, first and foremost. It was a back and forth game," Germaine said. "We didn't make the play at the end of the game to win it."
For the second consecutive game, the Blaze allowed the visiting team to score first as the Dragons capitalized on an early fumble to jump out to an early 7-0 lead. The teams traded touchdowns until the final 13 seconds of the half, when great special teams took over the game. Burley caught his fourth TD of the half after a successfully recovered an onside kick. The Blaze then recovered an awkward bounce off the goalpost on the kickoff and score on a 5-yard TD to Tom Pace, Germaine's sixth TD pass of the half. On the very next play, the Kevin Moffett recovered another Blaze bounce in the end zone for a 21-point swing to build a 49-34 lead heading into the break.
The Dragons were able to tie the game at the end of the third quarter with two late touchdowns including a 54-yard kickoff return by Kevin Swayne. Both teams traded three touchdowns apiece in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons ended up on the winning side of the scoreboard as they won the battle of PATs. The Blaze had a PAT kick blocked on the first TD of the quarter and failed on their second PAT two-point conversion on an incomplete pass. However, the Dragons were able to capitalize on a two-point conversion to WR Mike Horacek and that proved to be the difference in the ball game.
