MILWAUKEE — The Utah Blaze were in position to seal their second victory of the season against the Milwaukee Iron on Friday night.
But a late snap that led to overtime extinguished the Blaze's hopes after the Iron inched ahead with a successful two-point conversion at Bradley Center in front of 6,815 fans in a nationally televised game on the NFL Network.
"Our guys played hard but we came up short," said Blaze head coach Ernesto Purnsley. "It's really difficult loss for everyone when we had such a great chance to win."
Offensive Player of the Game honors went to Milwaukee WR Tiger Jones, who recorded seven receptions for 119 yards and four touchdowns. Utah WR/DB Brandon Hampton was named Ironman of the Game after he returned six kickoffs for 171 yards and tallied two tackles. Defensive Player of the Game honors went to Milwaukee OL/DL Khreem Smith after he recorded four tackles and two sacks.
Milwaukee tallied the first score of the evening with a 25-yard touchdown pass from QB Chris Greisen to Jones. The Iron pulled ahead 13-0 before Utah (1-4) recorded its first score of the evening with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Blaze QB Brett Elliott to WR Aaron Boone.
Milwaukee (5-1) held the lead throughout the second quarter until an interception by Blaze DB Antonio Malone provided the Blaze with an opportunity to even the score; the interception was Greisen's first of the season. The Blaze tied up the score with a touchdown pass from Elliott to Boone, entering the locker room at halftime with a score of 34-34.
Utah captured their first lead of the game with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Elliott to Boone. The Iron soon responded with a successful 3-yard touchdown carry by FB/LB Tyre Young. The teams continued to exchange scores throughout the third quarter before entering the final quarter of play tied at 41-41.
In a suspenseful fourth quarter, each team tallied one touchdown. Within the final seconds of the game, the Blaze sought to run down the clock and seal their victory with a field goal. Yet the Blaze failed to snap the ball prior to the end of the clock, sending the game into overtime.
The Blaze recorded the first score in overtime, with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Boone. However, the Iron prevailed on the first drive of the game with 43-yard touchdown pass from Greisen to Jones. Milwaukee then clinched their victory with a two-point conversion, extinguishing the Blaze, 55-56.
Elliott finished the night 23-of-32 for 273 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Malone led the defense with eight tackles, two pass breakups and one interception.
Iron WR Damian Harrell became the AFL's leader in career reception yards with 13,398. The previous record of 13,363 was held by Barry Wagner.
The Blaze hit the road again next week to take on the Spokane Shock in the two teams' second matchup of the season on Saturday, May 22. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.
The Blaze return home to Maakoa Field at the E Center to face the Arizona Rattlers on Friday, May 28. The Blaze will be hosting Military Appreciation Night and the return of former Blaze head coach Danny White.