Ken Cornist leads Cobras past Utah in league opener

 RENTON — Ken Cornist hadn't seen his family in four months, but his dad flew north from San Diego to watch the running back play in the Seattle-Tacoma Cobras' league opener Saturday night.

A little extra motivation never hurts.

Cornist cut through the Utah Argos' defense 24 times for 176 yards and five touchdowns, Kelvin Miller intercepted two passes and blocked a field goal, and the Cobras pulled away in the second half to win 37-22 at Renton Memorial Stadium.

In a game that was sloppy at times with penalties and turnovers, the Cobras (2-0, 1-0 PDFL) maintained control.

"We know how to respond to adversity," said Tyree Kellogg, the team's head coach and general manager. "They didn't let all the flags and penalties get to them. We do have that fight, that spirit not to give up."

Cornist led the charge. He had 97 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and he knew he'd get the bulk of the carries after former NFL running back Mike Bell went down with just less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Bell, who had just two carries, started to his right and crumpled to the ground as he attempted to reverse field on a 5-yard loss. He was helped off the field with what was later discovered to be a fractured right ankle, Kellogg said on Sunday. Bell wasn't able to put weight on his foot as he hopped down the stairs to the locker room. He may miss the rest of the season.

The emphasis stayed on the running game out of the spread formation, and quarterback Justin Walz used the read option effectively as he repeatedly handed the ball to Cornist, who busted through with eight runs of 10 or longer.

"The spread offense means there are less (defenders) in the box, and that makes my job easier," said Cornist, the former Idaho State Bengal.

"The offensive line did a great job up front," he added. "We actually came together as a unit this week." READ MORE