The most positive of characterizations might be to say that Saturday night’s AAF game between Salt Lake and San Diego was a defensive struggle.
But you can bet that’s not how it’ll be viewed by either of the head coaches, both noted for their offensive schemes and talents, or likely by the 8,405 people in the stands at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The Salt Lake Stallions scored the game’s only touchdown near the end of the first half, converted the required two-point try, and that’s all they needed for an 8-3 victory over the visiting Fleet.
Salt Lake (3-5) moved into a tie in the standings with San Diego (3-5) as a result.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, but I don’t if I’ve seen anything like that,” said Fleet coach Mike Martz, who once parlayed his offensive mindset into a head coaching job with the St. Louis Rams. “We practiced as well as we’ve practiced this week on offense. To come out there and play like that, it boggles my mind.”
The winning side had a similar stance for the game, which featured 264 yards of total offense for visiting San Diego and even less — 250 yards — for the victorious Stallions.
“I think defensively, we’re one of the better teams in the league. We’re real physical up front,” said Salt Lake coach Dennis Erickson, offensive coordinator for several schools before a long stretch of head coaching jobs in college and the NFL.
“Offensively, we were good the first part of the game. Then we had a turnover and kind of played terrible the rest of the way,” Erickson added. “We did not have a good effort at a lot of positions.”
Even the one touchdown play in the game was sort of a scene of discombobulation in football terms.
At the San Diego 2-yard line with 4:18 left in the second quarter, Salt Lake quarterback Josh Woodrum bobbled the snap from center and even went to one knee before managing to hand the ball off to running back Joel Bouagnon.
As he crossed over the goal line, Bouagnon lost control of the ball. But the fumble, after review, was ruled after the ball crossed into the end zone and the touchdown stood. Woodrum then found Jordan Leslie in the back of the end zone for a completion on the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
One offensive series prior to that, the Stallions blew a chance for another touchdown. Woodrum, with a clear path to paydirt on a quarterback sneak, fumbled the ball into the end zone. San Diego’s Ryan Moeller recovered and that ended a 16-play drive that had started at Salt Lake’s own 6.
“I’ve seen it all this year. I mean, I have. I freakin’ wake up at night, when I sleep, but I didn’t think at 72 years old I’d see anything quite like the game today and then the last three or four games,” Erickson said.
The teams combined for six turnovers and, as a result of one, San Diego got possession at the Salt Lake 35 five minutes into the second half. But the Fleet, after immediately moving to the 8 on one pass play, then bogged down and ended up missing a 25 yard field goal try.
“They’re a good team, defensively they’re real good,” said Martz of the Stallions. “But I’m upset at the opportunities we had and we failed to make. I’m upset not making a field goal from the five-yard line.
“I’m upset with guys going the wrong way, dropped balls, this or that. We’re too far into the season for good players to be doing that.”