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NEW YORK - Utah Blaze (5-8) OS SIAHA BURLEY needs 125 receiving yards this week against Las Vegas (5-8) to establish a new AFL expansion-team record.
Detroit Fury OS ROBERT GORDON set the current mark of 1,630 yards in 2001. He also set expansion records for receptions (125) and touchdowns (42). Burley is on pace to break those marks as well.
Following is a statistical comparison of Gordon’s first year with Detroit and Burley’s first 13 games of 2006 with Utah:
PLAYER GP REC YDS TDS
Robert Gordon 16 125 1,630 42
Siaha Burley 13 105 1,506 35
The Blaze kept their playoff chances alive last weekend with an important road victory at the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush, 52-40. Utah still remains in the playoff hunt, and is currently tied for the sixth spot with this week’s divisional foe, Las Vegas and next week’s foe, Chicago. Las Vegas won the last meeting on a last-minute field goal block at the Delta Center, 49-47.
The Blaze are looking for a key road win that could go a long way in playoff tiebreakers against Las Vegas and Chicago. A win will give the Blaze a winning road record (4-3) and a .500 division record (4-4).
Las Vegas is trying to snap a three-game slide in its final home game after coming off a disappointing, 67-47, loss at Chicago - who is also tied with Las Vegas and Utah. The AFL’s all-time leading passer QB ANDY KELLY is 2-0 as Utah’s starter and has provided veteran leadership for a possible playoff berth as they make a final charge to the finish in their inaugural season.
UTAH’S WOODS EARNS AFL WEEKLY HONOR
Defensive Specialist Takes ADT Defensive Player of the Week
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Arena Football League Office announced Utah Blaze DS THAL WOODS (5-9, 175, Colorado State) as the ADT Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13.
Woods, who is in his third AFL season, recorded 5.5 total tackles, one interception and one pass breakup in Utah’s 52-40 win over the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush on Friday night in Denver. Woods’ second-quarter interception halted a Crush drive and helped set up a touchdown that gave the Blaze a 21-19 halftime lead.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Woods said. “It was a big win for us and the fact that it came against the defending champions made it that much sweeter. The bottom line was that our team won because of a total team effort.”
Other weekly winners included: Kansas City Brigade QB CHRIS SANDERS (Offensive) and Grand Rapids Rampage WR/DB TIMON MARSHALL (Ironman).
The Blaze continue their charge toward the postseason when they travel to Las Vegas this week and return to the Delta Center to face expansion Kansas City on May 12.
--BLAZE--
