Chicago Advances To ArenaBowl With 59-56 Win Over San Jose
June 3, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 3, 2006) - Quarterback Matt D'Orazio threw six touchdown passes and ran for another lifting the Chicago Rush to a 59-56 win over the San Jose SaberCats in the Arena Football League's American Conference Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
The win advanced the Rush its first ever ArenaBowl and snapped San Jose's 8-game winning streak.
D'Orazio competed 21-of-36 attempts for 219 yards in the game with five of his scoring tosses going to OS Bobby Sippio. Sippio totaled seven catches in the game for 78 yards.
San Jose took its largest lead of the game early in the second quarter when Mark Grieb tossed a 19 yard scoring pass to Kevin McKenzie for a 21-10 advantage with 9:08 left in the quarter. Grieb completed 28-of-36 for 314 yards and five touchdowns and also scored on a 10-yard run.
But Chicago's DeJuan Alfonzo countered with a 51-yard kickoff return score on the ensuing kick and a sack and forced fumble by John Moyer on San Jose's next possession resulted in a 1-yard scoring run by D'Orazio helping the Rush reclaim the lead at 22-21 with 3:45 left in the first half.
The teams traded touchdowns until early in the fourth quarter when, following a San Jose turnover on downs, D'Orazio hit Sippio on a 17-yard scoring toss for a 52-42 Rush lead with 7:35 remaining.
San Jose countered when Grieb hit a streaking McKenzie down the sideline for a 40-yard scoring play after a Rush defender fell down.
McKenzie figured in the scoring late in the fourth by returning a kickoff 58 yards for a score bringing San Jose within three with 27 seconds left, but Brian Schmitz' onside kick attempt was recovered by Sippio and the Rush ran out the clock to advance to the ArenaBowl on Sunday, June 11 against the winner of Sunday's Dallas/Orlando game.
The SaberCats played the entire second half without FB/LB Brian Johnson, who sustained a knee injury late in the second quarter, and OL/DL Rex Richards, who injured his calf. Roe also sustained an injury early in the fourth and didn't return and Barry Wagner played sparingly throughout the contest.
NOTES: The SaberCats fell to 2-4 all-time in semifinal round playoff games...Kevin McKenzie scored four TDs in the game, two receiving, one rushing and one kickoff return...Rookie Marquis Floyd had a career-high 10 receptions in the game...San Jose was penalized 12 times to just four for Chicago.
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