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Chicago Rush Game Notes

March 25, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: Fox Sports Net ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Radio: Radio Disney 1300 AM ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Regular Season Series Record: 2-2
Overall Series Record: 2-3
Last Meeting: July 6, 2002 ... Rush won 56-50
Coaches (regular season records): Mike Hohensee (63-61 — 10th season) Michael Trigg (67-61 — 9th season)
Officials: Darrel Leftwich (Referee), Jeff Carr (Umpire), Bill Ward (Head Linesman), Jim Hatfield (Line Judge), Tony Lombardo (Back Judge)

SRO IN VAN ANDEL: Chicago and Grand Rapids will be meeting for the first time this season. The Rush and the Rampage have played some great games in the first two seasons of the rivalry. Last season, the Rush swept the Rampage, winning 71-59 in Chicago and 56-50 in Grand Rapids.

Chicago had its chance to defeat New York and even its record at 4-4 last Sunday, but it did not happen. The Rush committed turnovers on its first and last drives of the game and watched the Dragons pick up their second win of the season. With 7 seconds remaining, quarterback Billy Dicken had the ball stripped from his hand by lineman Rodney Filer. Former Rush lineman Anthony Hutch fell on the ball to seal the victory. Dicken, who was playing in his first game in three weeks, was 17-of-37 for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense was led by defensive specialist DeJuan Alfonzo, who made a career-high 10.5 tackles.

The Rampage dropped a 61-51 decision to the Avengers in Los Angeles last Sunday. Grand Rapids was led by quarterback Clint Dolezel, who threw for 290 yards (29-43) and 6 touchdowns. Steve Smith caught 3 touchdown passes and Willis Marshall added 2 scores. The Rampage was losing 30-13 at halftime.

Next week, the Rush will play a Friday morning matinee in Detroit at 10:30 a.m. Central time. The Rampage will travel south to face division-rival Indiana on Saturday night.

DOLEZEL'S ONE OF TWO: The Rush has played 36 regular season games in its two-plus year history. Chicago's pass defense has allowed only five 300-yard games with the Rush going 3-2 in those contests. Before Aaron Garcia's 339-yard performance last Sunday, the Rush had gone 10 regular-season games without allowing a 300-yard passer.

Grand Rapids' Clint Dolezel is one of only two quarterbacks to have two 300-yard games against the Rush. Dolezel and Garcia have done it once during each of the last two seasons.

Quarterback Date Yards
Clint Dolezel 7/7/01 @ Grand Rapids 342
Clint Dolezel 5/4/02 vs. Grand Rapids 321
Donnie Davis 5/18/02 vs. Georgia 304
Aaron Garcia 6/30/02 vs. New York 303
Aaron Garcia 3/23/03 vs. New York 339

THAT'S WHY HE'S SPECIAL: Offensive specialist Antonio Chatman has scored 15 touchdowns in his last 5 contests. As a receiver, Chatman has caught 32 passes for 453 yards (14.2 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. He is averaging 28.8 yards per kick return in the 5 games (23-662) with 3 touchdowns. Chatman has also returned 2 missed field goals for 56 yards.

For the season, Chatman has caught 59 passes for 743 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is on pace to record 118 receptions and 1,486 yards, both of which would shatter existing Rush records. Chatman is also on pace to record 1,946 combined return yards, which would break his own team record of 1,608.

ANOTHER RECORD FOR A.C.: Antonio Chatman has returned three kickoffs for scores this season, equaling Joe Douglass' 2001 team record. Chatman also has a club-record five career kick returns for touchdown, surpassing Douglass' four.

As a return man, Chatman has 14 100-plus yard games in his 22 career contests. He has reached the 200-yard mark in returns twice — March 9, 2003, against San Jose (263 yards) and June 15, 2002, at San Jose (245).

Chatman has recorded at least 100 all-purpose yards in every game that he has started.

CHATTIN' WITH A LEAGUE LEADER: Antonio Chatman is leading the AFL with 1,716 all-purpose yards at the halfway mark of the season. Chatman is on pace to record 3,432 all-purpose yards, which would be the 2nd-highest total in league history (3,459 yards by Lamont Cooper in 2001).

ONE MORE THING ABOUT A.C.: Antonio Chatman liked playing Grand Rapids last season. In 2 games, Chatman caught 12 passes for 217 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also returned 7 kickoffs for 203 yards and 1 score.

During his only trip to Grand Rapids July 6, 2002, Chatman recorded a club-record 5 receiving touchdowns and a career-high 152 receiving yards (on 7 catches).

LADD STILL ON HOT STREAK: Wide receiver/linebacker Anthony Ladd has scored at least one touchdown in each of his last 7 games. Ladd caught touchdown passes in 5 straight contests February 9-March 9 and added an interception return for touchdown March 16 at Las Vegas. Against New York March 23, Ladd recorded his first 2-touchdown reception contest of the season.

Of Ladd's 17 receptions this season, 7 have gone for scores. In addition, he has scored 17 touchdowns in his last 15 regular-season games dating back to June 8, 2002.

Ladd earned the Ironman of the Game award for the New York game after scoring 2 touchdowns and making 3.5 tackles. It was the first game award of his career.

DICKEN HAPPY TO SEE THE RAMPAGE: Quarterback Billy Dicken might be glad to see Grand Rapids this weekend, considering his career numbers against the Rampage. In 4 regular-season contests, Dicken has thrown for 1,067 yards (72-121), 25 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. In 2 victories last season, Dicken threw 12 scoring passes and was intercepted only once.

Dicken has one 7-touchdown contest and three 6-touchdown games against Grand Rapids. For his career, Dicken has thrown at least 4 touchdown passes in 25 of his 32 games.

Grand Rapids quarterback Clint Dolezel has almost equaled Dicken's numbers against the Rush. In 4 games vs. Chicago, Dolezel has thrown for 1,056 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions.

THE PRIDE OF INDIANA: DeJuan Alfonzo recorded a career-high 10.5 tackles last Sunday in his first Rush start at defensive specialist. He was starting in place of the injured Cedric Walker. Alfonzo made the tackles in a little over three quarters before being injured at the start of the final quarter.

Alfonzo recorded 72.5 tackles and 6 interceptions in 12 contests for the Indiana Firebirds last season as a defensive specialist. Before playing for the Firebirds, Alfonzo was an all-America selection at Indiana State.

BOBBY MAC: Fullback Bob McMillen has moved into 5th place on the AFL's career rushing attempts list with 251 attempts. McMillen moved pass Travis Pearson with last week's 2 attempts. In addition, McMillen is one yard away from moving into 7th place in all-time rushing yards. He has 792 yards with Cedric McKinnon sitting at 793 yards.

COACH MIKE HOHENSEE is in his 10th season as a head coach in the Arena Football League. Hohensee was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000.

- has a regular-season record of 63-61 (including an 19-17 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-6 mark in the postseason.

- has a 2-3 record against Grand Rapids in the regular season and a 0-1 mark in the postseason.

- signed a two-year contract extension through the 2005 season on August 1, 2002.

- became the sixth coach in league history to record 60 regular-season victories when the Rush defeated Dallas (58-52 in overtime) July 13, 2002.

SENIORITY LIST: In the franchise's 36 games, only one player has appeared in every game — Dameon Porter. Three other players have appeared in 30-plus games — Cornelius Bonner (35 games), Billy Dicken (32) and Jamie McGourty (30).

BONNER LOST ON RADAR: Cornelius Bonner, the 2nd- leading receiver for the Rush, did not catch a pass March 23 vs. New York. It marked the first time in 19 games that Bonner had been shutout. The only other game of his career that Bonner did not catch a pass was April 26, 2002, at Orlando.

For the season, Bonner has caught 23 passes for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, he has only caught 1 pass for 3 yards in the last 2 games.

RUSH TRY RUSHING: Chicago has rushed for 127 yards (45 attempts) so far this season in 8 games. Last season, the rushing attack netted 103 yards on 80 carries. The club record set in 2001 is 174 yards.

KA-LA-KNEE FOR SHORT: Halakilangi Muagututia (hah-lah-kee-LAHN-gi moo-ah-goo-too-TEE-ah) has made some big plays in his 3 games. In his AFL debut March 1 at Buffalo, Muagututia intercepted a pass toward the end of the first half. Against San Jose March 9, he recovered an Aaron Bailey fumble in the third quarter, which the Rush turned into a touchdown. In his third contest against New York, Muagututia intercepted Aaron Garcia in the fourth quarter.

SERIOUS ROAD TRIP: The Rush has won its last two road contests after starting the season 0-2 as the visitor. The Rush has been victorious at Buffalo (40-13) and in Las Vegas (68-48). The Rush will play its next three games on the road March 29-April 13 before finishing the season with 4 out of 5 home contests.

DIVISION PLAY: The Rush return to division play this week in Grand Rapids. Chicago, the defending Central Division champions, has started 0-2 in the division this season with losses at Dallas (46-38) and at Indiana (28-23). The Rush has 4 division tilts left — with 3 of them taking place at Allstate Arena. Last season, the Rush went 5-1 in division play.

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