Kelly, who began the season as a member of the Brigade, came back to have an outstanding game against his former teammates. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns as he improved to 4-1 as the Blaze starter.

"I feel very blessed and fortunate to be here in Utah," said Kelly, who had a battle this week with Joe Germaine for the starting job. "I'm just happy to help this team get to the playoffs. It's been a blessing so far."

Siaha Burley, as usual, was Kelly's top target. He finished the game with 13 catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns to become the all-time receiving leader in AFL history for an expansion franchise in yardage, catches and scores.

The Brigade, the other first-year team in the AFL, finished the year just 3-13. Kansas City entered the game with little on the line, but it played hard all game. Quarterback Raymond Philyaw threw five touchdowns — all to Boone, a former Millard High and Snow College star.

The Brigade did a good job keeping the ball away from the Blaze in the first half. Kansas City, using a short passing attack as well as a running game, had the ball for more than 21 of a possible 30 minutes in the opening two quarters. Utah was still able to score 24 points in the opening half and was down by four at intermission.

Kelly completed his first seven passes in leading Utah to a 21-14 lead. But after the Brigade knotted the game at 21, Kelly threw his first incompletion — and it was costly. His pass intended for Burley in the end zone was short, and Kansas City's Calvin Spears intercepted it with 2:28 remaining in the second quarter.

The Brigade was able to take advantage of the interception by scoring with 41 seconds left in the half when fullback Byron Douzart scored on a 2-yard run to give Kansas City a 28-21 lead. Utah drove down the field quickly, but had to settle for a 21-yard Steve Videtich field goal with four seconds left in the second quarter, making it 28-24 at the half.

BLAZE BRIEFS: Olsen, the former BYU lineman, was playing with a heavy heart after his beloved bulldog had passed away earlier in the day. "I debated being out here, but I had to come out to be with my teammates," he said ... Pace, in addition to catching the game-winning pass, had a big night on kick returns. He had four returns on the night for 121 yards ... Utah could still host next week's playoff game if both Chicago and Nashville lose today.

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E-mail: lojo@desnews.com