THE FIRST play from scrimmage went for a touchdown. Utah Catzz quarterback Lee Leslie found Tyler Anderson downfield all by his lonesome, and professional football was a reality in Utah. One play, one touchdown, as advertised. In fact, the Catzz scored on their first two possessions and nailed down a safety on the first Texas possession. Ball control? Run out the clock? Get real.
The first-ever professional football game in Utah came off Saturday night in predictable style - as in a combined 69 points and 10 touchdowns. There was enough passing to render LaVell Edwards unconscious. It looked like Ty Detmer in practice. The Catzz beat the Texas Bullets 47-22 in an exhibition game at the McKay Center in Orem, in exactly way they had hoped - by rolling up the numbers.If ever there were a sport made for the video-game generation, the Professional Indoor Football League is it. And you thought run-and-gun basketball was frantic. These guys score touchdowns when they aren't even trying. At the half it was 34-16. Not exactly pinball, but close.
"Once we get polished," said Catzz coach Gordon Hudson, "there's going to be some high scores."
The PIFL, an Arena Football spinoff, was meant to be that way. It's regular football with a heavy dose of caffeine. Played on a 50-yard field, with dasher pads on the sidelines like a hockey arena, there is no such thing as a punt. In fact, there's barely such thing as a fourth down. Kicking a field goal is a last resort. If you don't hit 40 points you've had a bad game.
The night started off with the sort of hype one might expect. The lights were dimmed and fireworks shot off during introductions. There was a cannon, smoke, rock 'n' roll music and the usual speeches by officials, promising a new and exciting level of sports in Utah. A crowd of 4,851 showed up at the UVSC basketball arena to see if that were true.
Not everything went off as smoothly as planned. For instance, the game started 40 minutes late, in part due to the speeches and fireworks, and in part due to the fact that the Texas Bullets didn't have any pants. Their uniform pants were waylaid somewhere in an airport en route to Utah. The Bullets finally borrowed Orem High's practice pants and wore them during warmups. The official game pants arrived just in time for kickoff.
In terms of making good on promises, the Catzz didn't disappoint. The first half alone included field goals, touchdowns, safeties, fumbles, interceptions, two-point conversions and tackles into the dasher boards that looked as much like hockey as football. The second half included a rumble on the sidelines after a particular vigorous hit and a field goal attempt that hit the hanging scoreboard. After Catzz defensive back Mike Burke intercepted a pass in the fourth period, he spiked the ball nearly to the ceiling. The officials said nary a word.
In this league, there's no such thing as too much grandstanding.
This, of course, isn't the first time a fledgling professional sports team has found its way to Utah. In fact, Utah is the Ellis Island of pro sports. They come from all walks of life and all nations just to play games here. If you have a team, Utah has an opening.
This is where the Golden Spikers, a soccer team, played games at the State Fairgrounds. Unfortunately, there were usually larger crowds at the needlework display. The RollerBees, a roller hockey franchise, competed for a year in the parking lot of the South Towne Mall. Imagine eating your pregame meal at Hot Dog on a Stick.
Pro volleyball, soccer and rodeo came and went - and in some cases came, went, came and went again. In 1996 there was a move afoot to bring an Arena Football League team to Salt Lake, but it never got off the ground.
Still, Utah is a natural for indoor football, and particularly Utah County, where people have been in love with the forward pass for a long time. This is a place where the only thing better than passing on first down is passing on second, third and fourth downs. What could be better than 50 passes in a game? Seventy-five, of course. And even better than that, in the PIFL you can take them off the dasher boards.
Said Hudson, "I don't know how other people feel, but I get an adrenalin rush every time I go out and watch this."
Certainly the PIFL isn't for everyone. It isn't the NFL, or even the NCAA, for that matter. Many of the players are obscure former college players, trying to find something competitive to play. The Catzz quarterback is a 34-year-old high school football coach. It isn't a good risk for an insurance company or a good way to wind down before going to bed.
But it is something that will leave you feeling like you spent three hours inside a video arcade, bells ringing, lights flashing and your head spinning.
Thus, the Catzz debuted in a way they had hoped: with things getting a little crazy. That's what they promised and that's what they delivered.