It came against the second-worst team in the Arena Football League in front of the smallest home crowd in franchise history (12,208), but the Utah Blaze weren't about to downplay their first win of the season on Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
    Instead, they said it could be the start of something special.
    Getting some key defensive stops and playing almost flawlessly on offense, the Blaze scratched out a 67-50 victory over the Kansas City Brigade to snap their nine-game losing skid and put an end to the "Will-they-ever-win?" question that's been bugging them for more than a month.
    "It feels like King Kong just jumped off my back," said coach Danny White, who went around to every player after the game, hugged him, and said thank you.
    Utah's offense returned to its usual high-powered self, but the defense's four stops are the reason the Blaze are now 1-9.
    The biggest of those stops came in the first quarter, with Utah clinging to a 13-7 lead. The Blaze's Vaka Manupuna popped the ball from Chris Avery as the Kansas City fullback was inches from the goal line, and Chris Janek recovered.
    "That gave us the separation that we were able to hold on to the rest of the game," White said. "Having the lead, that's a different world. That's a world we're not used to."
    The game's other big sequence came early in
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the third quarter. Utah got the ball first in the second half, leading 33-21, but Joe Germaine's pass was intercepted by Travis Coleman, after getting tipped by Huey Whittaker.
    Kansas City scored on the next play, a 31-yard bomb from D. Bryant to Jerel Myers, and it appeared the Blaze were on the verge of another collapse. But they drove for a touchdown, then held the Brigade to a 58-yard field goal to regain control.
    "It feels good to win, obviously," Germaine said. "We've been trying so hard, for so long. Finally to have something go our way, it feels good."
    Had the game been closer, the Blaze would have been lamenting three failed extra-point attempts. Two of Steve Azar's kicks were wide, and a bobbled snap killed another try.
    "That could have been a killer," White acknowledged.
    Offensively, Utah was stopped just once, on the Coleman interception.
    Germaine completed 24 of 30 passes for 337 yards and eight touchdowns, and rising star Huey Whittaker caught 11 passes for 117 yards and four touchdowns, including a spectacular one-handed grab.
    "We are going to go on a little run and make it to the playoffs," Whittaker predicted. "And we are going to do well in the playoffs. . . . We started with the one [win], and now we plan on going all the way."
    drew@sltrib.com
   
   
    * The Blaze get their first win of the season in front of a franchise-low 12,208 fans at EnergySolutions Arena.
    * Utah's defense gets four key stops and the offense plays almost flawlessly in the 17-point win.
    * Utah's Joe Germaine throws eight touchdown passes.