Chicago Rush Game Notes

April 16, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC ... Mike Breen, Ray Bentley, Marty Snider
Radio: WAIT AM (850) ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Regular Season Series Record: 1-1
Overall Series Record: 2-1
Last Meeting: February 9, 2003 ... Dallas won 46-38
Coaches (regular season records): Mike Hohensee (65-62 — 10th season) Joe Avezzano (14-13 — 2nd season)
Officials: William Lemonnier (Referee), Jeff Carr (Umpire), Allen Baynes (Head Linesman), Dana McKenzie (Line Judge), Billy Beckett (Back Judge)

DALLAS HOPPING INTO TOWN: Chicago and Dallas will be meeting for the second time this season. In the first game, the Desperados scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Rush 46-38. Chicago was led by Antonio Chatman's 266 all-purpose yards.

Last week, the Rush scored a franchise-record 76 points in Colorado and defeated the Crush 76-58. Chicago took advantage of five Crush turnovers while not turning the ball over for the first time all season. Billy Dicken, the Game MVP, played his best game of the season, throwing for 232 yards (18-26), 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. The defense constantly pressured the Crush quarterbacks and also recorded 3 interceptions.

The Desperados lost in the final seconds to division-rival Indiana 61-57. The Firebirds' Raymond Philyaw threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Brown with 7 seconds remaining for the victory. Dallas quarterback Jim Kubiak threw for 285 yards and 6 touchdowns while defensive specialist Jermaine Jones made 8.5 tackles.

Next week, the Rush will host the Grand Rapids Rampage while the Desperados return home to play the Los Angeles Avengers.

HOHENSEE PICKS UP 70TH WIN: Head coach Mike Hohensee picked up his 70th career AFL victory last Sunday in the 76-58 victory over Colorado. With the victory, Hohensee sits in 6th place all-time in career coaching victories. Hohensee will move up to 5th place with two more wins, as he is chasing former Iowa Barnstormers/New York Dragons coach John Gregory with 72.

Hohensee recorded his 60th career victory with an overtime victory over the Dallas Desperados July 13, 2002.

MOYER TAKES OVER SACK RECORD: Rush lineman John Moyer has recorded a career-high 6.0 sacks this season, breaking Anthony Hutch's team record of 5.5 (set in 2001). Moyer set a career-high with 2.0 sacks April 4 at Detroit. His 6.0 sacks this season rank second in the league. Moyer has recorded 10.0 sacks during his one-plus seasons in Chicago to own the career sack record for the Rush.

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 65-62 (including an 21-18 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-6 mark in the postseason.
- signed a two-year contract extension through the 2005 season on August 1, 2002.
- became the sixth head coach in AFL history to achieve 70 career wins ... his 70th win was April 13, 2003, at Colorado (76-58).
- was the sixth coach in league history to record 60 regular-season victories when the Rush defeated Dallas (58-52 in overtime) July 13, 2002.

ISN'T HE SPECIAL: Offensive specialist Antonio Chatman has scored 20 touchdowns in his last 7 contests. As a receiver, Chatman has caught 45 passes for 678 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and 16 touchdowns. He is averaging 27.4 yards per kick return in the 7 games (33-905) with 4 touchdowns.

For the season, Chatman has caught 77 passes for 1,003 yards and 18 touchdowns. He is on pace to record 112 receptions and 1,459 yards, both of which would shatter existing Rush records. Chatman is also on pace to record 1,967 combined return yards, which would break his own team record of 1,608.

CHATTIN' WITH A LEAGUE LEADER: Antonio Chatman is leading the AFL with 2,179 all-purpose yards. Chatman is on pace to record 3,425 all-purpose yards, which would be the 2nd-highest total in league history (3,459 yards by Lamont Cooper in 2001).

Chatman is also among the league leaders in 12 other categories, including scoring, receptions and kick return touchdowns. Chatman has recorded at least 100 all-purpose yards in every game that he has started.

FIVE AND COUNTING: Antonio Chatman has returned a league-leading 5 kickoffs for touchdown this season. Chatman has now returned a club-record 7 kickoffs for scores. The AFL record for kick returns for touchdown in a season is 7, set in 2000 by Milwaukee's Lamont Cooper.

RUSHIN' BACK TO THE DIVISION: The Rush will play 3 of its final 5 games against Central Division opponents and 4 of the 5 contests at Allstate Arena. The Rush is currently 0-3 in the division and 1-3 at home.

BILLY'S BACK: Quarterback Billy Dicken has thrown for 13 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions in his last two contests. Dicken has completed 33-of-50 passes for 445 yards in the two Rush victories. Last Sunday against Colorado, Dicken threw for 232 yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the first game since July 13, 2002, vs. Dallas that Dicken had not thrown an interception.

Dicken suffered a fractured jaw on the first series March 1 at Buffalo but still threw for 246 yards and 6 touchdowns in the contest. Dicken served as the emergency quarterback for the next two games (March 9 vs. San Jose and March 16 at Las Vegas) before returning to the lineup March 23 vs. New York. Dicken struggled in losses to against New York and Grand Rapids (March 29) before starting his current hot streak.

Dicken will be looking for some revenge this week against the Desperados. In the first meeting, Dicken completed only 10-of-23 passes for 150 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He was pulled after the third quarter in the game and did not play the following week in Indiana.

During the first two meetings between the teams in 2002, Dicken threw for 558 yards (32-52, 62 percent), 13 touchdowns and only 1 interception.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Billy Dicken has thrown 165 career touchdown passes to 16 different receivers. Antonio Chatman has become Dicken's favorite target with 35 scoring catches followed by former offensive specialist Joe Douglass with 24 scoring strikes.

Dicken has thrown at least 4 touchdown passes in 28 of his 35 career games. Dicken has had 10 4-touchdown contests and eight 6-touchdown games. He has never had a game in which he did not throw a scoring strike. In addition, 48 of his touchdowns have come in the fourth quarter or overtime.

T-BOW: Lineman Tony Bowick scooped up a fumble and returned it 2 yards for a touchdown April 13 at Colorado. It was the first fumble return for touchdown in his 11-year career. Bowick is one of only 21 players in the history of the AFL to play at least 10 years.

FLESH WINS IRONMAN AGAIN: Wide receiver/linebacker Lindsay Fleshman has earned Ironman of the Game honors for the last two contest — April 4 in Detroit and April 13 at Colorado. In the two games, Fleshman has caught 11 passes for 115 yards and 5 touchdowns. In addition, Fleshman returned an interception for touchdown against Detroit.

Fleshman has caught 38 passes for 463 yards and 11 touchdowns in 8 games this season. In addition, he has scored 2 rushing touchdowns and returned an interception for a score. On defense, Fleshman has made 21.5 tackles and intercepted a pair of passes after missing the first three games of the campaign with a fractured left hand.

RUSH IS RUSHING: Chicago has rushed for a club-record 207 yards (66 attempts) so far this season in 11 games. Last season, the rushing attack netted 103 yards on 80 carries. The club record set in 2001 is 174 yards. The team is on pace to record over 300 yards rushing.

GISPERT IN RECORD BOOK: Kicker Keith Gispert hit a career-long and Rush record 54-yard field goal April 4 at Detroit. Gispert became the first Rush kicker to connect on a field goal of over 50 yards in team history. The kickers had been 0-for-26 from 50-plus yards. It is the longest field goal in the AFL this season. In addition, Gispert has kicked in 8 games this season to place him second on the kicker tenure list. The only kicker to play in more games for the Rush is Pete Elezovic, who participated in 12 regular-season games in 2001.

I'LL TAKE THAT: The Rush defensive unit has intercepted 14 passes in the last 8 games after being shutout in the first 3 contests of the season. Chicago is only 4 picks off the league leaders San Jose and Tampa Bay. Last season, the Rush led the AFL with 22 picks.

THIRD TIMES A CHARM: The Rush will be trying for the third time to reach the .500 mark for the year. The previous two opportunities have also come at home but each time the Rush couldn't capitalize. Chicago had a chance to even its record at 3-3 against San Jose but lost 71-49. Two weeks later, the Rush were striving for 4-4 but fell to New York 54-51.

AWARD WINNERS: The Rush has had three weekly award winners this season — Dameon Porter, Lindsay Fleshman and John Moyer. Porter (Week 4) and Moyer (Week 10) have won ADT Defensive Player of the Week honors while Fleshman earned Ironman of the Week for Week 5. In terms of game awards, Antonio Chatman has won Game MVP honors four times, with the last one coming April 4 at Detroit. Quarterback Billy Dicken earned his first Game MVP award of the season April 13 at Colorado. The Rush has had a pair of Ironman of the Game winners — Lindsay Fleshman (three times) and Anthony Ladd (one time).



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 16, 2003


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