With Week 4 of the Alliance of American Football underway, Saturday’s action wraps up with a game between the Orlando Apollos and Salt Lake Stallions. While the Apollos enter this matchup with an impressive 3-0 mark, Salt Lake is coming off a week in which they picked up their first win of the season over the Arizona Hotshots Orlando is led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who entered the week as the AAF’s leading passer in Steve Spurrier’s high-octane offense. Running back D’Ernest Johnson also impressed last game by totaling 79 rushing yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Salt Lake got quarterback Josh Woodrum returned from injury last week and threw for 178 yards and one score. He showed an impressive connection with wideout De’Mornay Pierson-El, who caught all eight of his targets for 90 yards and one score. They’ll look to build off that connection in a tough home game Saturday night. We’re going to keep a running tab on the Apollos vs. Stallions matchup by breaking down the updated score and highlights throughout the game. Stats will also be provided, and they will be updated at halftime and then again after the game. Updated Score & Highlights: Orlando Apollos vs. Salt Lake Stallions Note: Highlights courtesy of the Alliance of American Football, The Athletic’s Arif Hasan or Breaking Football’s Jonathan Valencia. Apollos Convert on 4th Down & Score First Points The @aafAPOLLOS convert the 4th down and later finish off the drive with the first points of the game – 3-0 after Q1 pic.twitter.com/DkpCA8r45F — PFF_AAF (@PFF_AAF) March 3, 2019 First Half Highlights for Orlando Apollos on the Move Temps are frigid but the action is heating up in The Alliance. ❄️ @aafapollos on the move. pic.twitter.com/Fc9NH9gmUw — The Alliance (@TheAAF) March 3, 2019 Garrett Gilbert Tosses First TD of Game to Donteea Dye: 14-3 Salt Lake Responds With Joel Bouagnon TD Run: 14-11 Akeem Hunt Responds With TD Run to Extend Apollos Lead: 20-11 Snow is piling up and so are the points in this one. Touchdown, @aafapollos! #ORLvsSL pic.twitter.com/jEalLrt3l7 — The Alliance (@TheAAF) March 3, 2019 Final score: Orlando Apollos 20, Salt Lake Stallions 11 Orlando Apollos vs. Salt Lake Stallions Notable Final Stats *All stats and box scores from No Extra Points and will be updated at halftime and then after the game. Quarterbacks ORL: Garrett Gilbert – 22/32, 244 yards, one touchdown SL: Josh Woodrum – 16/22, 161 yards Running Backs ORL: De’Veon Smith – 12 carries, 51 yards ORL: Akeem Hunt: eight carries, 35 yards, one touchdown ORL: D’Ernest Johnson – eight carries, 31 yards SL: Branden Oliver – 17 carries, 71 yards SL: Joel Bouagnon – eight carries, 30 yards, one touchdown Wide Receivers, Tight Ends & Running Backs (Receiving) ORL: Charles Johnson – nine catches, 105 yards ORL: Rannell Hall – four catches, 57 yards ORL: Jalin Marshall – four catches, 27 yards ORL: Donteea Dye Jr. – one catch, 20 yards, one touchdown SL: Adonis Jennings – two catches, 43 yards SL: Brian Tyms – four catches, 32 yards SL: Kenny Bell – three catches, 25 yards SL: De’Mornay Pierson-El – two catches, 24 yards READ NEXT: Notable Players & NFL Talent in Alliance of American Football<doc-sep>While much of the focus today has been on the NFL Combine, there is actual football being played today. Earlier in the day, an untelevised AAF game saw the Memphis Express score 11 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the San Diego Fleet, 26-23. But up next is an important contest between the unbeaten Orlando Apollos and the 1-2 Salt Lake Stallions. Head coach Steve Spurrier has his Apollos rolling behind former SMU, Texas and Raider QB Garrett Gilbert, who has been gashing teams through the air and, surprisingly, with his legs as well. He scored a long rushing touchdown last week. Apollos receiver Charles Johnson has been a revelation and will surely get some attention from NFL teams this offseason. Salt Lake will look to get back to .500 with the aid of former NFL running backs Branden Oliver and Matt Asiata. This game will be on at 5 p.m. Pacific on the NFL Network.<doc-sep>Via https://www.sunherald.com One of the two teams in the AAF that is still undefeated three weeks into the season will look to continue with their winning ways when they travel to take on the Salt Lake Stallions on Saturday evening. The Orlando Apollos remain undefeated after beating the Memphis Express 21-17 last Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Salt Lake looks to earn their second straight victory after upsetting the Arizona Hotshots last weekend, 23-15. Saturday, March 2, 2019, at 8:00 ET at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Apollos Hold Off Late Rally to Down Express, 21-17 The Orlando Apollos jumped out to a 9-0 halftime lead over the Memphis Express on Saturday, and looked like they would roll to victory behind a dominating defense. However, a quarterback change at halftime helped spark Memphis as Orlando would have to hang on for the 21-17 victory. Garrett Gilbert would have a solid afternoon, completing 14 of 28 passes for 207 yards. Gilbert through for a touchdown and provided the winning touchdown with a 21 yard scamper in the fourth quarter. D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Rannell Hall had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Orlando defense recorded two sacks and two interceptions. Sign up for a FREE Trial Consultation to start working with Legendary Sports Bettor Jon Price Orlando has been the best team offensively in the AAF this season. Gilbert has thrown for 827 yards, completing 59.3% of his passes. He leads the league with five touchdown throws and has yet to throw an interception this season. His primary target has been Charles Johnson, who has 14 catches for 305 yards, a 21.8 yards per reception average. Johnson is 26 carries for 171 yards, a 6.6 yards per carry average. The team has 386 yards rushing through their first three weeks of the season. It was expected when the season began that Terence Garvin would be a difference maker, and he is proving to be just that. Garvin is first on the team in total tackles with 21 and has three interceptions this season as well. Stallions Gallup to Victory in Home Opener, 23-15 The first professional football team in Utah history had their home opener on Saturday, and they sure made the most of it as the Salt Lake Stallions upset the Arizona Hotshots, 23-15. Salt Lake would jump out to a 9-0 lead behind a 54 yard field goal by Taylor Bertolet and a 25 yard touchdown pass by Josh Woodrum. Arizona would battle back to tie the score just before the half, but Salt Lake would regain the lead with a pair of touchdown runs in the second half to earn the victory. Woodrum had his best game of the season, completing 22 of 31 passes for 178 yards. The running attack for the Stallions had just 95 yards on 31 carries, but scored two touchdowns. De’Mornay Pierson-El had eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Woodrum has completed 60.4% of his passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He looks to be the starter moving forward for Salt Lake. Joel Bouagnon leads the team in rushing with 39 carries for 154 yards. He has scored twice. Branden Oliver follows close behind with 37 carries for 139 yards and a score. Pierson-El leads the team in receptions with 13 for 125 yards. The defense has struggled to generate turnovers this season, creating just two. Greer Martini leads the team in tackles and has the Stallions only interception this season. The Winner Prediction It may have seem like a disappointing crowd for Salt Lake that they drew just a little under 11,000, but that group made a difference in the Stallions victory over Arizona. No doubt they can have a dramatic impact on this game as well, but the big difference here is that Orlando has the most consistent offense in the league. College Legend Steve Spurrier has done an amazing job in assembling this team, and they are likely only going to get better with each passing week. It may be cliché, but you go with the undefeated team until somebody proves they can beat them. The Pick:Orlando Apollos (-4.5) (-110) The Total The total is set for 41.0 for this game, and we believe that that total is going to go way over. Orlando is averaging nearly 350 yards per game of offense, and they are facing a Salt Lake team that is having trouble pressuring the quarterback and creating turnovers. That means Orlando will get a full complement of opportunities to score in this game. Salt Lake looks so much better with Woodrum as the quarterback. He’s not going to be able to generate enough firepower to win this game, but he’ll put up some points. Look for the Orlando Apollos to remain undefeated with a 31-21 victory. The Pick: Over 41.0(-110)<doc-sep>
The Orlando Apollos will look to stay undefeated when they head to Salt Lake City to take on the Stallions Saturday night. Steve Spurrier’s Apollos have gotten to 3-0 behind the Alliance of American Football’s (AAF) top offense (98 points, 1,179 yards) while Dennis Erickson’s Stallions (1-2) are coming off of their first win of the season. For all of the attention the Spurrier-coached Orlando offense gets, the defense has done its job as well, holding teams to less than 18 points per game. Salt Lake has turned up the defensive intensity lately (27 points allowed in last two games) and has been the stingiest team against the run in the early going. The Stallions knocked off previously undefeated Arizona last week at home. Can they make it two weeks in a row against the Apollos? Orlando at Salt Lake Kickoff: Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City) TV: NFL Network Three Things to Watch 1. How do you slow down Orlando’s offense? That is the primary challenge that awaits Salt Lake. The Apollos’ offense has been far and away the AAF’s most productive through the first three weeks of the season. They have scored 98 points, 25 more than the next team (Arizona). In fact, Orlando has outscored both Atlanta and Memphis combined (65 points) and those two teams have played three games each. The Apollos have gotten contributions from quarterback Garrett Gilbert (827 passing yards, 5 TDs, no INTs); running back D’Earnest Johnson (171 rushing yards, 6.6 ypc), and the wide receiver trio of Charles Johnson, Jalin Marshall, and Chris Thompson (27 catches for 555 yards and 3 TDs combined), so there’s no one aspect the Stallions can focus on. Instead Dennis Erickson’s team needs to build on the success it has on defense the past two games, holding Birmingham and Arizona to a total of 27 points, and then take things to another level. 2. Expect the Stallions to run the ball One way that Salt Lake can keep Orlando’s offense off the field is to try and control the clock and game flow with its running game. Behind Joel Bouagnon and Branden Oliver, the Stallions are averaging 111 rushing yards per game, one of the reasons why they are second in time of possession (32:37). If Salt Lake can find success running the ball against the Apollos, who are giving up 129 yards per game on the ground, it should lead to fewer opportunities for Gilbert and company on offense. 3. Somebody’s defense could step up While both teams have made some noise with their offenses, neither defense can be completely ignored. For all of the points Orlando has scored, the defense is holding opponents to less than 18 per game. The Apollos also have already picked off six passes, with linebacker Terrance Garvin an cornerback Keith Reaser responsible for five of those. They also are the only players in the AAF that have returned a pick for a touchdown thus far. Salt Lake has done a good job of getting to the other team’s quarterback as Karter Schult leads the league with four of the team’s eight sacks. The Stallions have been particularly stingy in the fourth quarter (12 points allowed) and have given up just two touchdowns combined in the last two games. Will either defense steal the show on Saturday night? Final Analysis This could be the best game of the Week 4 slate, so it’s no surprise the AAF flexed it from it’s original Saturday afternoon kickoff to the primetime slot on NFL Network. But Orlando is undefeated for more reasons than just Steve Spurrier’s offense. The Apollos are balanced, disciplined and have too much talent on both sides of the ball. Salt Lake keeps things close but in the end the Apollos keep the train moving. Prediction: Apollos 28, Stallions 23 — Gabe Salgado is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. He's also written for NBC, Fox, The Sporting News, The Sports Journal, The Undefeated and Complex. He's a co-host of The Rewind Sports: 60. Follow him on Twitter @GabeSalgado82. (Top photo courtesy of AAF.com)