Orlando claims 20-11 wins on the road against Salt Lake under the snow

SALT LAKE CITY – Snow is always a possibility in March when you play football in Salt Lake City.

While the Salt Lake City Stallions and the Orlando Apollos were preparing for the pre-game introductions, there was little visibility as the Rice-Eccles stadium covered the snow. The few fans who braved the cold and the snow and those who watch the NFL network from their homes could hardly see the players.

But the game continued.

And it was the visitors of the Orlando Apollos who took the win in the 20-11 win on Saturday.

The "Florida boys" will have "something to say" after winning a match in a snowstorm, said Orlando head coach Steve Spurrier.

"It was so a fun game and a good game."

The first half went to the kickers, who managed to combine three goals to give the visiting Apollos a 6-3 lead, both fouls being adapted to the field blizzard. But after the half, the conditions came out and the teams managed to get things moving.

Orlando opened the game book in the second half with a 45-yard pass from Garrett Gilbert to receiver Rannell Hall, shot on Salt Lake's 1-yard line. The game was brought back to the 20-yard line for an illegal block penalty by Orlando's Charles Johnson.

Two games later, Gilbert contacted receiver Donteea Dye Jr. for a 20-yard touchdown – the first of the night for both teams. During the ensuing 2-point conversion, Orlando took a 14-3 lead in the third quarter, which seemed an insurmountable advance given the lack of offense in the first half.

The Stallions responded for a 75-yard practice on the next set, which was tied with a 14-yard touchdown by attacking midfielder Joel Bouagnon. Quarterback stallion Josh Woodrum is paired with Terrell Newby on offense for a full 2-point run.

Orlando scored in the next series on a 2-yard touchdown by Akeem Hunt, completing an 8-game, 75-yard run to advance to 9 (20-11). Henre 'Toliver of the Stallions stopped the 2-point test that followed.

The Stallions had several opportunities to score in the game, but misunderstandings in the red zone and an inability to convert to the third try sentenced the home team. Salt Lake finished the night with a record of 9 on the third try, which, according to Stallions head coach Dennis Erickson, made all the difference.

"It's awful," says Erickson. "You can not win games by doing that."

The Apollos have a little better resistance than the Stallions in the third downhill (5 of 13) to win the victory. Orlando finished the night with a total of 240 yards in 22 of 32, passing through Gilbert.

Things went a bit wrong against the Stallions in the third quarter when their running half, Brandon Oliver, was injured in the groin and was forced to miss the rest of the game. Oliver finished the night with 71 yards in 17 races as the best striker on the team.

"I thought he had played very well when he was here," said Erickson. "He's our starter now, and he's done a lot of good things, and then he's hurt."

The Stallions will now travel to San Diego to face the fleet next Saturday at 18h. STD at stage SDCCU. The match will be broadcast on the NFL network.

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Josh Furlong