posted March 14, 2008 at 14:29 EST in Other Articles

Two teams in desperate need of a victory hook up in the Jungle on Friday night when the (0-2) Utah Blaze battle the (0-2) Orlando Predators. Neither team has been impressive this season, particularly on defense. If last season was any indicator, both defenses are in for long nights once again, as these two teams combined for 127 points in Utah’s 65-62 victory in Orlando.

Many thought that losing WR Siaha Burley in the offseason to Arizona would hamper Joe Germaine’s growth as an AFL QB. The former Ohio State Buckeye has proved his critics wrong, as he is averaging 305 passing yards and 6.5 TD tosses per game thus far. However, the biggest problem for the Blaze once again is their “D”. Utah’s allowed close to 58 PPG throughout the franchises two-year existence in the AFL. Adding book end pass rushers EJ Burt and Dwayne Missouri in free agency was supposed to be a massive upgrade, but the two have only combined for one sack in two games.

As for the Preds, their roster full of rookies has come up well short of expectations to date. After conceding 111 points, Orlando recorded their first stop of the season in the 3rd quarter last week against New Orleans, but the inconsistent play of QB Shane Stafford in the clutch proved too much for Coach Jay Gruden’s squad to overcome. The bright spot has been the play of rookie WR Chas Gessner, who has recorded 18 grabs and 5 TDs in his first two Arena League games. Look for him to have a great day again against a porous Blaze secondary.

Linesmakers had their work cut out for them trying to line this game between two teams that have massively overachieved, but they settled on the home team laying a TD. That has since been bet down to 4, which is available for wagering right now at BetUS.com! The ‘total’ was initially posted at a lofty 117, but has since risen to a gargantuan 120 points.

This will be the 6th time in Utah’s last 15 games that the ‘total’ posted was at least 120. The under cashed in three of the previous five instances. The Preds are traditionally an under machine, as they went on a stretch last year that saw 10 of their 11 games fail to reach the number. That said this year’s defense has only recorded three stops throughout their first two games of the season. Blaze Head Coach Danny White has owned the Preds in his history, going 8-4 SU since 1995, which includes wins in 4 of his previous 5 outings in the “Jungle”. Not bad, especially considering that the opposition has only won 36% of its games in Orlando. Expect the points to be flying onto the scoreboard quickly in what should be an incredibly competitive game.

Go to the BetUS.com online sportsbook today to bet on Arena Football. We have the most current Arena Football odds and lines. Join BetUS.com to experience the best in online sports betting action available!