TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona Hotshots, coached by Rick Neuheisel, one of eight teams in the newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF), defeated the Salt Lake Stallions, coached by former Arizona State football coach Dennis Erickson, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ on Sunday evening, February 10, 2019 by a score of 38-22.Familiar names took the field Sunday on a beautiful winter day with the temperatures hovering around 60 degrees at the start of the game. The Hotshots have 14 players who were once picked in the NFL Draft. There are 18 players from the Pac-12 Conference including Rashad Ross (WR), Robert Nelson Jr (DB), Carl Bradford (LB), Will Sutton III (DT), and Marcus Hardison (DT) from Arizona State.
Some rules that are different include no kickoffs, two-point conversions only after touchdown, onside kick conversions, defense restrictions for rushing, and the overtime. All of these rule changes are to make the game faster and safer for the players.
After a slow start by both teams and just over a minute left in the first quarter, the Hotshots drove 95 yards in 7 plays to score the first touchdown of the season from John Wolford (Wake Forest) to Gerald Christian (Louisville) for a 5 yard pass over the middle. The Hotshots led 8-0 after Larry Rose III (New Mexico State) pounds it up the middle for the two point conversion.
The Stallions answered in the second quarter on a two yard run up the middle by Matt Asiata (Utah) followed by an off tackle run by Josh Woodrum (Liberty) which tied the score 8-8 with 10:28 left on the clock for the first half.
After recovering a punt return fumble, the Hotshots score on a 36 yard touchdown pass from Wolford to Ross, Jhurell Pressley (New Mexico) rushes for the the two point conversion and take the lead 16-8.
Former NFL veteran Nick Folk (Arizona) kicked a 53 yard field goal putting the Hotshots up 19-8.
The Stallions scored just before the end of the half on a 2 yard pass from Woodrum to Jordan Leslie (BYU) closing out the half 19-16 after succeeds from a rush by Branden Oliver (Buffalo) converting the two point conversion.
After the half, the Hotshots moved the ball into field goal range but missed a 46 yard field goal which hit the left upright.
With 2:52 left in third quarter, the Hotshots scored on a four yard touchdown pass from Wolford to Ross for his second touchdown of the night. The Hotshots made the two point conversion when Wolford passed to Thomas Duarte (UCLA) which extended the lead to 27-16.
On the next play, the linebacker Steven Johnson (Kansas) grabbed an interception giving the Hotshots the ball at Stallions' 30 yard line. The first play from the Stallions 30 was a touchdown pass from Wolford to Pressley and the two point conversion from Wolford to Richard Mullaney (Oregon State) set the score to 35-16.
The Stallions scored on a touchdown pass from Matt Linehan (Idaho) to Nick kTruesdell (Grand Rapids JC) in the back of the end zone but missed the two point conversion, cutting into Hotshots' lead 35-22 with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.
The final score of the game came off a 32 yard field goal by Hotshots' Folk, finishing out the game 38-22.
The Stallions travel to Birmingham to play the Iron on Feb 16, 2019 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.
The Hotshots are away next week, traveling to take on the Memphis Express at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
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