2008 Utah Blaze season

Last updated
2008 Utah Blaze season
Head coach Danny White
General managerJeff Russell
Home field EnergySolutions Arena
Results
Record6–10
Division place3rd
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(Crush) 44–49

The 2008 Utah Blaze season was the third season for this Arena Football League franchise. Despite losing their first nine games, the Blaze were able to finish the regular season with six wins in their last seven games, earning them a playoff berth as the fourth seed in the American Conference. In their wild card round game, however, they were defeated by the Colorado Crush, 44–49.

Contents

Standings

Western Division
TeamWLPCTPFPADIVCONFHomeAway
San Jose SaberCats (2)115.6889458756–09–16–25–3
Arizona Rattlers (3)88.5008429071–53–73–55–3
Utah Blaze (4)610.3759419592–46–44–42–6
Los Angeles Avengers 511.31384710043–34–64–41–7

Regular season schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordLocationAttendanceRecap
1March 1 Arizona Rattlers L 62–630–1 EnergySolutions Arena 15,106 Recap
2March 9at Cleveland Gladiators L 63–660–2 Quicken Loans Arena 14,765 Recap
3March 14at Orlando Predators L 61–690–3 Amway Arena 11,861 Recap
4March 21 Columbus Destroyers L 49–520–4EnergySolutions Arena13,717 Recap
5March 29 Georgia Force L 49–700–5EnergySolutions Arena15,240 Recap
6April 5at Philadelphia Soul L 56–640–6 Wachovia Spectrum 16,390 Recap
7April 12at Los Angeles Avengers L 62–790–7 Staples Center 14,861 Recap
8April 18 San Jose SaberCats L 40–610–8EnergySolutions Arena14,701 Recap
9April 25at New Orleans VooDoo L 56–700–9 New Orleans Arena 15,041 Recap
10May 3 Kansas City Brigade W 67–501–9EnergySolutions Arena12,208 Recap
11May 10 Colorado Crush W 71–362–9EnergySolutions Arena13,787 Recap
12May 17at San Jose SaberCats L 64–742–10 HP Pavilion 13,252 Recap
13May 24 Chicago Rush W 51–483–10EnergySolutions Arena15,295 Recap
14June 1at Grand Rapids Rampage W 63–564–10 Van Andel Arena 5,252 Recap
15June 9 Los Angeles Avengers W 65–565–10EnergySolutions Arena16,054 Recap
16Bye Week
17June 21at Arizona Rattlers W 62–456–10 US Airways Center 13,542 Recap

Playoff schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultLocationAttendanceRecap
AC Wild CardJune 28 Colorado Crush (5)L 44–49 EnergySolutions Arena 10,073 Recap

Staff

2008 Utah Blaze staff
Head Coach

Offensive Coaches

Defensive Coaches

  • Defensive coordinator – Jeff Russell
  • Special teams coordinator – Scott Lieber

[1]

Final roster

2008 Utah Blaze roster
Quarterbacks

Fullbacks

  • 43 Kautai Olevao

Wide receivers

  • 23 Tom Pace
Offensive linemen
  • 98 Rob Gatrell

Defensive Linemen

  • 95 John Culp
  • 52 Chris Janek
Linebackers
  • 19 Corey Dodds

Defensive backs

  •  9 Eddie Canonico
  • 42 J'Sharlon Jones

Kickers

Injury reserve
  • 59 Eddie Keele OL (IR) Injury icon 2.svg

Refused to report

  • Currently vacant

Other league exempt

  • Currently vacant

Suspension

  • Currently vacant

Practice squad

  • --Kyle Gunther OL

Rookies in italics
Roster updated October 7, 2008
24 Active, 3 Inactive, 2 PS

More rosters

Stats

Regular season

Week 1: at Utah Blaze

1234Total
ARZ1421141463
UTA212171362

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: March 1
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 15,106
Game information

Week 2: at Cleveland Gladiators

1234Total
UTA141572763
CLE923132166

at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: March 9
  • Game time: 12:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 14,765
Game information

Week 3: at Orlando Predators

1234Total
UTA728141261
ORL1421211369

at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida

  • Date: March 14
  • Game time: 7:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 9,722
Game information

Week 4: vs. Columbus Destroyers

1234Total
CLB137141852
UTA142101449

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: March 21
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 13,717
Game information

Week 5: vs. Georgia Force

1234Total
GA1421142170
UTA72102149

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: March 29
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 15,240
Game information

Week 6: at Philadelphia Soul

1234Total
UTA1414141456
PHI1620141464

at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: April 5
  • Game time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 16,390
Game information

Week 7: at Los Angeles Avengers

1234Total
UTA211372162
LA232128779

at Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: April 12
  • Game time: 10:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 14,861
Game information

Week 8: vs. San Jose SaberCats

1234Total
SJ72732461
UTA10176740

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: April 18
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 14,701
Game information

Week 9: at New Orleans VooDoo

1234Total
UTA77142856
NO721281470

at New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: April 25
  • Game time: 8:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 15,041
Game information

Week 10: vs. Kansas City Brigade

1234Total
KC71492050
UTA1320132167

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: May 3
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 12,208
Game information

Week 11: vs. Colorado Crush

1234Total
COL7715736
UTA102063571

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: May 10
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 13,787
Game information

Week 12: at San Jose Sabercats

1234Total
UTA142871564
SJ1428151774

at HP Pavilion at San Jose, San Jose, California

  • Date: May 17
  • Game time: 10:30 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 13,252
Game information

Week 13: vs. Chicago Rush

1234Total
CHI618101448
UTA211371051

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: May 24
  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 15,295
Game information

Week 14: at Grand Rapids Rampage

1234Total
UTA212114763
GR77212156

at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan

  • Date: June 1
  • Game time: 2:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 5,252
Game information

Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Avengers

1234Total
LA1416141256
UTA1414172065

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: June 9
  • Game time: 10:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 16,054
Game information

Week 16

Bye Week

Week 17: at Arizona Rattlers

1234Total
UTA14240038
ARZ01319032

at US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona

  • Date: June 21
  • Game time: 10:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 13,542
Game information

Playoffs

American Conference Wild Card: vs. (5) Colorado Crush

1234Total
(5) COL71472149
(4) UTA141071344

at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: June 28
  • Game time: 4:00 PM EST
  • Game attendance: 10,073
Game information

Related Research Articles

The 2008 Kansas City Brigade season was the third season for the franchise, second in the American Conference's Central Division. After starting the season with 6 consecutive losses, the Brigade finished the season with a 3–13 record, however still the worst record in the American Conference.

The 2008 Chicago Rush season was the eighth season for the franchise. The Rush finished the regular season 11–5, making the playoffs again as they have in every year of their existence. They won their second consecutive Central Division title, and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the American Conference. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the Divisional round by the Grand Rapids Rampage, 41–58.

The 2008 Colorado Crush season is the sixth season for the franchise. The Crush finished the regular season with a 6–10 record, good enough for the playoffs as the 5th seed in the American Conference. In the Wild Card round, they defeated division rival Utah, 49–44. In the Divisional round, they were defeated by the defending champions, the San Jose SaberCats, 51–64.

The 2008 Grand Rapids Rampage season is the 11th season for the franchise. The Rampage finished the regular season 6–10, earning them a spot in the playoffs as the 6th seed in the American Conference. In their Wild Card playoff game, the Rampage upset the Arizona Rattlers, 48–41. In the Divisional round, the Rampage won in a bigger upset against the top seeded Chicago Rush, 58–41. The Rampage's playoff run was cut short however, after losing the American Conference Championship to defending champion San Jose SaberCats, 55–81.

The 2008 Arizona Rattlers season was the 17th season for the franchise. The Rattlers finished the regular season 8–8, and made the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the American Conference. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the Wild Card round, losing to the Grand Rapids Rampage, 41–48.

The 2008 Los Angeles Avengers season was the ninth and final season for the franchise. The Avengers finished the season with a 5–11 record, and failed to make the playoffs. Two days after the final regular season game, head coach Ed Hodgkiss and two assistants were fired from the team. Also, the team folded 10 months later.

The 2008 San Jose SaberCats season was the 14th season for the franchise. The SaberCats looked to improve on their 13–3 record from 2007 and defend their ArenaBowl title. Finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, though not as successful as the previous season, still won them a third consecutive Western Division title, and they went into the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the American Conference. In their Divisional round game, they defeated the Colorado Crush, 64–51, to advance to the American Conference Championship. In that game, the SaberCats defeated the Grand Rapids Rampage 81–55, to advance to their second consecutive ArenaBowl. The SaberCats played the Philadelphia Soul in ArenaBowl XXII, which they lost, 59–56.

The 2008 Columbus Destroyers season was the 10th season for the franchise, their fifth season in Columbus. The Destroyers finished the season tied for the worst record in the league.

The 2008 Philadelphia Soul season was the fifth season for the franchise. The Soul started the season by winning their first nine games. Finishing the regular season with a 13–3 record, this was the Soul's best regular season to that point in their then-short history. They won their first Eastern Division title, and went into the playoffs as the top seed in the National Conference. Against the New York Dragons, the Soul won their Divisional round game by a score of 49–48 to advance to the National Conference Championship. They won that game on July 12, 2008, against the Cleveland Gladiators, 70–35. They won ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans on July 27, 2008, against the defending champion San Jose SaberCats.

The 2008 Georgia Force season was the seventh season for the franchise. Starting the season 3–5, the Force finished the regular season with 7 wins in their last 8 games, ending with a 10–6 record, and winning their second consecutive Southern Division title, allowing them to enter the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the National Conference. They were eliminated from the playoffs in their first playoff game of the season by the Cleveland Gladiators, by a score of 73–70.

The 2008 Orlando Predators season was the 18th season for the franchise. Finishing the regular season with a 9–7 record, the Predators made the playoffs for the 17th consecutive year. In this season, they made the playoffs as the 5th seed in the National Conference. The Predators were eliminated in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, losing to the Cleveland Gladiators, 66–69.

The 2008 Tampa Bay Storm season is the 22nd season for the American Arena Football League franchise, their 18th season in Tampa, Florida. The Storm were able to finish the season with an 8–8 record, but missed the playoffs due to losing a tiebreaker with the New Orleans VooDoo and New York Dragons, both teams finishing with the same record as the Storm. This was only the second time ever that the franchise had failed to make the playoffs, the first time being in 2006.

The 2008 New Orleans VooDoo season is the fourth and final season for the franchise. The Voodoo started the season with a 7–2 record, but lost 6 of their last 7 games, finishing with an 8–8 record. This caused them to miss the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker scenario with the New York Dragons who had finished with the same record, and had defeated the VooDoo in the regular season. The team folded 4 months later, but will return in 2011.

The 2011 Tampa Bay Storm season is the 24th season for the franchise, their 20th in the Tampa Bay region. The team is coached by Dave Ewart and plays home games at the St. Pete Times Forum on the Amalie Motor Oil Field, sponsored by the Amalie Oil Company.

The 2011 New Orleans VooDoo season was the fifth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Derek Stingley until his firing on June 26. Jon Norris, who coached the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings in 2010, stepped down from his General Manager position with New Orleans to become the team's interim head coach. The VooDoo played their home games at New Orleans Arena. This was the first season for the VooDoo since 2008, after the league went on hiatus in 2009 and the franchise was not active in 2010. The VooDoo went 3–15, missing the playoffs, and finishing with the worst record in the league.

The 2011 Milwaukee Mustangs season is the third season for the franchise, and the second in the Arena Football League (AFL). This is the first season for the team as the Mustangs, having previously been known as the Milwaukee Iron. The team is coached by Bob Landsee and plays their home games at Bradley Center. The Mustangs finished 7–11, missing the playoffs.

The 2011 Pittsburgh Power season was the first season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Chris Siegfried and played their home games at Consol Energy Center. In their inaugural season, the Power finished 9–9, missing the playoffs.

The 2011 Arizona Rattlers season was the 20th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Kevin Guy and played their home games at US Airways Center. In the regular season, the Rattlers won a league-record 16 games, having lost only two, to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They defeated the Spokane Shock in the conference semifinals before beating the Chicago Rush in the conference championship. In ArenaBowl XXIV however, they fell to the Jacksonville Sharks, giving up a game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.

The 2011 Spokane Shock season was the sixth season for the franchise, and the second in the Arena Football League, coming off of their victory in ArenaBowl XXIII. The team was coached by Rob Keefe and played their home games at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The Shock finished the regular season 9–9, qualifying for the playoffs as the 4th seed in the National Conference. They lost to the Arizona Rattlers in the conference semifinals, 33–62.

The 2011 Utah Blaze season was the fifth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Ron James and moved back to EnergySolutions Arena for home games, after playing at Maverik Center in 2010. The Blaze finished the season 9–9, missing the playoffs.

References

  1. "Coaching Staff". www.utahblaze.com. Utah Blaze. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2017.