CHICAGO — The Utah Blaze (0-3) failed to pick up their first win of 2010 as they were outscored 63-40 by the Chicago Rush (4-0) in front of 7,459 fans at the Allstate Arena on Friday night.
"This was a tough loss for us offensively and defensively," said Blaze coach Ernesto Purnsley. "We have some work to do next week to get on track and attain that first win."
The Blaze tallied the first score of the evening with a pass from Brett Elliott to Aaron Boone. Newly-signed kicker Ben Scott's PAT was successful, yet it was the only time the Blaze would hold the lead. Chicago quickly responded with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Russ Michna to Samie Parker. Chicago pulled ahead in the first quarter and continued to dominate throughout the second, outscoring the Blaze 14-7.
The teams entered the locker room at halftime with the Rush ahead, 28-14.
The Blaze capitalized on a favorable on-side kick entering the third quarter, placing them on the Rush's 5-yard line, where Elliott was able to successfully connect to Boone on the first down. However, the Blaze's attempts were unsuccessful as the Rush continued to pull ahead.
Down 43-20 entering the final quarter of play, Michna sealed Chicago's victory with a 4-yard rush touchdown in the final minutes of play.
Elliott ended the night 31-of-44 passing for 316 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Chris Francies led all receivers with 12 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Antonio Malone led the team with 8 total tackles.
Next week, the Blaze return home to the E Center to take on the Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings on April 30 with kickoff at 7 p.m.