Even at 1-3, Salt Lake Stallions one game back of West ahead of clash with San Diego

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SALT LAKE CITY — There’s always something, or someone, or some recently unearthed connection that gets you to the next game, gives you a reason to pay attention, or a desire to tune in.

In an eight-team league like the Alliance of American Football, with head coaches who have been around the sport for decades, there’s always a reason to give a nod to the brand-new startup league.

Last week, head coaches Dennis Erickson and Steve Spurrier faced each other for the first time as the Salt Lake Stallions hosted the league-leading Orlando Apollos.

It was Spurrier’s first-ever visit to Utah, and his Apollos made good way of it with a 20-11 win at the snow-clad Rice-Eccles Stadium to move "The Old Ball Coach" to 1-0 all-time against Erickson.

Football doesn’t stop. And neither do those friendships across the nascent startup league that plays from February through April.

The Stallions will travel to San Diego for a critical game Saturday against the Fleet (6 p.m. MST, NFL Network) that could boast significant playoff implications. Of course, in a four-team western division with three teams at 2-2 and the Stallions just one game behind at 1-3, every game could have those same implications.

“There are two that go to the playoffs, and that is what everyone wants,” Erickson said this week after practice. “We’re 1-3, but we’re only a game back. A lot of things can happen in the next six weeks, so you’d better not lay back on your laurels.

“You have to play good every week. It’s a heck of a challenge.”

San Diego Fleet running back Ja'Quan Gardner (32) tries to stiff arm San Antonio Commanders offensive lineman Mason Gentry (57) during a run after the catch in the second half during a San Antonio Commanders at San Diego Fleet AAF football game, Feb. 24, 2019, at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego. (Photo: Peter Joneleit, AP)

The Fleet (2-2) aren’t as dynamic as the Apollos (4-0) on offense, averaging 21.0 points on 147 rushing yards per game.

But San Diego also boasts the AAF’s leading rusher through four games in Ja’quan Gardner, the 5-foot-7, 205-pound graduate of Humboldt State who averages 6.5 yards per carry for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

They’ll be led by quarterback Mike Bercovici, who started in the season opener but was replaced by Alex Ross with an injury for the past three weeks. Erickson knows Bercovici well, too; he recruited the 6-foot signal caller to Arizona State during his time as head coach in the Valley of the Sun from 2007-2011.

Erickson is also good friends with San Diego coach Mike Martz; the former Utah offensive coordinator was coaching at Fresno State and San Jose State from 1976-81.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another, right?

“When you’re my age, there’s always something,” Erickson quipped.

To beat the Fleet, the Stallions will need to get more out of its offense. With one of the lowest scoring teams in the league at 16.3 points per game, there’s plenty of room to improve.

Chunk plays, high yardage gains, and improving on a 1-of-9 effort on third downs from a week ago will be key for Salt Lake, according to Erickson.

But the Stallions don’t feel like they’ve played their best game yet as the league approaches the midway mark of the inaugural season.

“We really felt like we beat ourselves and let ourselves down in the first game, and we felt like we should’ve beat Birmingham,” Stallions quarterback Josh Woodrum said. “We just need to play well in all three phases.”

The Alliance of American Football is about extending careers, helping players get back into the NFL with a group of coaches who have been there before.

But it’s not “life-or-death” situations, Erickson said. Players, coaches and personnel alike aren’t in the game for the money, the prestige or the national television contracts.

If you love the game, it will love you back, Stallions defensive coordinator Ronnie Lee said.

“We, of course, want to improve weekly,” he told aaf.com. “I want them to continue to play hard and to continue to have passion for the game and play well together.”

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The Stallions announced Friday that running back Branden Oliver has been placed on injured reserve.

Oliver, a 5-foot-8, 208-pound running back who played collegiately at Buffalo before spending parts of three seasons in the NFL with the Chargers organization, ran for 210 yards in four games for the Stallions. While never scoring a touchdown, he led the team in rushing twice, including last week when he ran for 71 yards on 17 carries against Orlando.

Oliver did not practice this week with a groin injury. Former BYU wide receiver Jordan Leslie was limited in Friday's practice and is questionable with a rib injury for Saturday's game.