John Elway's Crush wins in playoffs

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reported from: http://www.arenafootball.com

SALT LAKE CITY – The #5Colorado Crush (7-10) bided their time Saturday throughout a topsy-turvy Wild Card game against the #4 Utah Blaze (6-11), holding on to a gritty five-point win, 49-44 in Salt Lake—its first against the Blaze organization.

The Crush waits to see who their Divisional match-up will be as the Grand Rapids Rampage and the Arizona Rattlers square off on Monday night. This is the fifth time Colorado has made the Divisional round of the AFL Playoffs in their six seasons in Denver. But it was not easy

Leading 24-14 late in the second quarter and driving, the Blaze had an opportunity to break the game wide open. On an all important fourth and one Utah QB Joe Germaine threw a deep pass intended for WR Aaron Boone that was broken up by Colorado DB Rashad Floyd.

The play gave the ball and the momentum back to Colorado with 29 seconds left in the half when QB John Dutton found an open WR Wendall Williams in the endzone to bring the score to within three. Williams finished the night with 13 receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns. The 13 catches is a new Crush postseason record.

Utah K Steve Videtich would then miss a 33-yard field goal on the ensuing Blaze drive keeping the halftime score 24-21.

“It’s playoff football,” Dutton said. “We can’t wait to next season to perform and we didn’t get anything easy today, but we kept plugging and our defense made the plays we needed them to. We didn’t get anything easy today, I’ll tell you that.”

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Utah opted for the surprise onside kick which was recovered by Blaze LB Kelvin Morris. However, littered yellow flags indicated an illegal block on the play which gave the ball back to Colorado on the Utah six yard line.

Four plays later on another fourth down, Dutton patiently completed his fourth touchdown of the day from two yards out to the outstretched fingertips of TE Chris Watton, giving the Crush their first lead of the night at 28-24.

Utah quickly answered on a Germaine to McKelvey 17-yard touchdown pass, putting the Blaze back up 31-28.

“We started off the first quarter kind of slow,” AFL All-Rookie DL John Syptak said. “Then in the third we kind of got on a roll and we really buckled down to keep it close there going into the fourth (quarter).”

Syptak, playing in his first career AFL Playoff game, added to the Colorado defensive pressure in the second half securing his first ever postseason sack on the Blaze’s final possession of the third quarter. Yet the Crush still trailed down three heading into the final stanza.

An eight play Colorado drive to start the fourth quarter was capped by another pressure filled fourth down play. Admittedly scripted by Crush Offensive Coordinator Chris Boden, Colorado FB Robert Thomas took a pitch from Dutton and threw for his first career AFL touchdown to WR Ben Nelson from one yard out. The trick play gave the Crush its second lead of the night 35-31 early in the fourth.

“We have been battling all season and to be playing well at this point is what we have been working for,” Crush head coach Mike Dailey said. “These gentlemen left it all out on the field today and you can’t ask anything more than that.”

Again the Blaze’s second team All-Arena QB would lead a seven-play drive completing his fifth of six touchdown passes on the day to McKelvey on an impressive 23-yard catch and run. Utah’s second ranked offense once again reclaimed the lead 37-35 with under four minutes to play. Germaine finished his Wild Card performance 23-of-36 passing for 252 yards and six touchdowns.

Yet, for the eighth time in franchise history the Crush would make good on another fourth quarter comeback. A four-yard Williams touchdown completed the fifth fourth quarter lead change and put the Crush back on top 42-37. On the following kickoff, Syptak recovered an errant bounce off the nets giving the Crush the ball on the Utah five yard line.

WR Willie Quinnie would score the Crush’s game winning points three plays later. Utah would get a late score and to get back within five at 42-37, but on the last ditch onside kick attempt the Blaze would come up empty. Crush LB Kevin Nagle fell on the Videtich attempt sealing the Crush’s sixth playoff win in franchise history, 49-44.