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Chicago Rush game notes

March 24, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: None
Radio: ESPN Radio 1000 ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Overall Series Record: Rush leads 3-2
Streak: Chicago has won three in a row
Last Meeting: April 4, 2003 in Detroit, Rush 62, Detroit 45
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (73-65 — 11th season)
Tom Luginbill (2-4 — 1st season)
Officials: Craig Wrolstad (Referee), Rick Lowe (Umpire), Gary Cavaletto (Head Linesman), Rusty Baynes (Line Judge), Scott Helverson (Back Judge)

Detroit
Jason Miller...248-377-8704 (w), 248-318-5968 (c) jmiller@palacenet.com
2004 Chicago Rush Schedule
February 8 Grand Rapids* W 50-30 15,552
February 14 @ New York W 56-54 10,720
February 22 Colorado* W 65-35 15,406
February 29 @ Indiana* W 49-46 12,198
March 7 @ Philadelphia L 47-53 17,597
March 14 BYE
March 21 Orlando W 58-15 14,552
March 28 Detroit* 2 p.m.
April 4 @ Las Vegas 5 p.m.
April 11 Tampa Bay 2 p.m. NBC
April 16 @ San Jose 9:30 p.m.
April 25 Los Angeles 2 p.m. NBC
May 2 @ Detroit * 2 p.m. NBC
May 8 @ Grand Rapids* 6:30 p.m.
May 16 Dallas 2 p.m. NBC
May 23 Indiana* 2 p.m. NBC
May 30 @ Colorado* 3 p.m. NBC

*Central Division Game ... All times Central


American Conference — Central Division
2004 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
RUSH 5-1-0 325 233 3-0-0
Colorado 5-2-0 307 328 2-1-0
Detroit 2-4-0 275 291 1-1-0
Indiana 2-5-0 334 305 0-2-0
Grand Rapids 0-6-0 195 332 0-2-0



TIME FOR THE FURY: Chicago's two-game homestand continues Sunday as the Rush hosts the Detroit Fury. Despite its current three-game losing streak, the Fury (2-4) enters the game with the league's second-ranked offense. QB Andy Kelly has completed 149 of 254 passes for 1,745 yards and 29 touchdowns in six games.

RUSH DEFENSE KEYS ROUT OF ORLANDO: Chicago's defense forced six turnovers and recorded a team-record seven sacks Sunday en route to a 58-15 win over Orlando. After scoring on its first possession of the game, the Rush held Orlando scoreless for nearly 50 minutes before allowing a fourth-quarter touchdown. It was the widest margin of victory in Rush team history.

VIVA LAS VEGAS: Next week the Rush heads to Las Vegas for a game against the Gladiators. The Rush has won both of its meetings against the Gladiators, winning 68-48 last season at the Thomas & Mack Center.

NO TV THIS WEEK: Due to NBC's coverage of The Players Championship this weekend, the network will not broadcast AFL games Sunday. It will mark the first time this season the Rush will not be televised. For the year, Chicago's six games have averaged a 2.4 rating in Chicago, a 75% jump over last season's average rating.

McMILLEN APPROACHING 1,000: Rush FB Bob McMillen, who currently is fourth in the AFL in rushing, needs just 18 more yards to become the fifth player in AFL history to rush for 1,000 career yards. Last week, McMillen carried five times for 12 yards and two TDs. He has 51 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks him 6th on the AFL's all-time list. Earlier this season, McMillen became the first player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in six-consecutive seasons.

AFL Rushing Leaders:
Player Team G Att. Yards Avg. Long TD
Curran NO 7 36 155 4.3 20 12
McPherson Ind 5 33 143 4.3 27 10
Thomas Geo 7 26 121 4.7 14 6
McMillen Chi 6 32 118 3.7 9 8

McMILLEN GETS DEFENSIVE HONOR: McMillen also is getting the job done on defense. Tuesday, McMillen was named the AFL's ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his performance vs. Orlando. McMillen was one of several Rush players who excelled during a record-setting day for the Rush defense. In the game, McMillen recorded three tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered.

PHIL-YEAH!: QB Raymond Philyaw has been the catalyst for Chicago's early-season success. Philyaw has completed 93 of 142 passes for 1,208 yards and 18 touchdowns. Philyaw also has rushed for 24 yards and eight touchdowns, equaling his career-best for rushing touchdowns in a season with 10 games to play.

PHILYAW vs. DETROIT: Philyaw has enjoyed great success against Detroit, going 4-1 and never throwing an interception in his five games against the Fury. Here are his combined stats from his games vs. Detroit:

Games Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int
5 123 189 65% 1,346 26 0

NO PICKS: The Rush is one of only two teams in the AFL that has not thrown an interception this season (Los Angeles). Philyaw has opened the season with 142 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, and dating back to last season, has thrown 168 consecutive passes without being picked off. Previous to this year, the Rush had never played more than three games in a row without throwing an interception.

M*A*S*H UNIT: Rush defensive specialist Malcom Moore and FB/LB Levelle Brown are the latest members of the Rush to go down with serious injuries this season. Moore suffered an open fracture of the left tibia and fibula while breaking up a pass intended for Orlando receiver Sean Riley. Moore underwent successful surgery to insert a stabilizing rod and will miss the remainder of the season. As for Brown, he left Sunday's game after suffering a sublexation of his right shoulder. He will be re-evaluated later this week.

Here is a rundown of Chicago's other injuries:
- 8 FB/LB Jamie McGourty missed the game with Orlando due to an ankle injury suffered in Chicago's loss in Philadelphia March 7.
- WR/DB Donnie Caldwell was placed on IR February 26 and is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee vs. Colorado (2/22). At the time of his injury, Caldwell was the team's second-leading tackler, recording 11.5 tackles and an interception.
- WR/DB Josh Phillips suffered a shoulder injury February 14 at New York and was placed on IR February 19. He is out indefinitely.
- DS DaShane Dennis suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee February 14 at New York. He was placed on IR and is out until late-March.
- DS Greg Williams ruptured the flexor tendon in his left ring finger and underwent successful surgery February 10. He was placed on IR and will be out until at least mid-April.
- In addition, defensive specialist Kareem Larrimore missed one game with a sprained ankle and offensive specialist Jeremy McDaniel missed one game with a groin injury.

ROSTER MOVES: After placing Malcom Moore on Injured Reserve this week, the Rush added lineman Matthew Walls to its practice squad.

SACK ATTACK: The Rush defense recorded a team-record seven sacks last week against Orlando. John Moyer led the Rush attack with two sacks, followed by James Baron, Lindsay Fleshman (1st career), Bob McMillen, Frank Moore and John Thomas with one. For the season the Rush team ranks second in the AFL with 12 sacks. Baron, a six-time All-Arena performer ranks 5th on the AFL's career sack leaders list with 35.5 career sacks.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) John Moyer 17.0
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) James Baron 9.0
John Moyer 4.0 (2004) Anthony Hutch 6.5
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
James Baron 4.0 (2003) Tony Henderson 4.0
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001) Jamie McGourty 3.5
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Riley Kleinhesselink 2.5 (2001)

PROTECT THAT QB: In addition to putting pressure on opposing QBs, Chicago leads the league in fewest sacks allowed, giving up only one QB sack this season. In 2002 the Rush led the league, allowing only three QB sacks all season. Last season, the Rush ranked fifth in the AFL, giving up 12 sacks.

SAWYER ANCHORS SECONDARY: The one constant in Chicago's secondary this season has been DS Corey Sawyer. Sawyer recorded a career-high 10.5 tackles and two passes broken up Sunday vs. Orlando. He leads the Rush in tackles with 35 and is tied for the AFL lead in passes defended with 13.

MOLDEN EMERGING: Rookie WR/LB Etu Molden has emerged as one of Chicago's valuable receivers. For the season, Molden ranks third on the team in receptions (25) and receiving yards (288) and has scored eight touchdowns (seven receiving, one return).

HEAD COACH MIKE HOHENSEE is in his 11th season as a head coach in the Arena Football League. Hohensee was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000. He
- has a regular season record of 73-65 (including a
29-21 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-7 mark in the postseason.
- has led the Rush to three-consecutive playoff berths and a 2002 Central Division title.
- became the sixth head coach in AFL history to achieve 70 career wins (postseason wins included) ... his 70th win was April 13, 2003, at Colorado (76-58).
- is 3-2 all-time vs. Detroit.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 157 at Georgia
Danny White Arizona 126 at Colorado
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Rush 78 vs. Detroit
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 76 at Austin
John Gregory Carolina 73 at New Orleans

TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK: Lineman James Baron has played in 106 consecutive regular season AFL games, having never missed a game in his seven-year career. Including postseason, Baron's consecutive game streak stands at 119 games.

Baron has played in more AFL games than any other Rush player. Next on the Rush list for AFL service are Bob McMillen (101 regular season games), John Moyer (70), John Sikora (66), Frank Moore (65) and Jamie McGourty (58).

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category (Rank) Detroit
6 Games 6
54.2 (4) Scoring Offense 45.8 (13)
38.8 (1) Scoring Defense 48.5 (10)
246.0 (13) Total Offense 302.5 (2)
208.8 (1) Total Defense 248.5 (6)
31-33, 93.9% Red Zone Offense 22-33,66.7%
19-25, 76.0% Red Zone Defense 17-24,70.8%
211.0 (16) Pass Offense 285.3 (2)
180.2 (1) Pass Defense 213.3 (4)
35.0 (2) Rushing Offense 17.2 (12)
28.7 (17) Rushing Defense 35.2 (19)
325 (10) Scoring 275 (17)
47 (11) Scoring (Kicking) 51 (7)
33-591-2 Kickoff Returns 31-476-0
17.9 Kick Return Average 15.4
35-591-2 Combined Returns 37-585-0
16.9 Combined Return Average 15.8
+11 (T-1) Turnover Margin -11 (T-18)
4-8, 50% Field Goals 6-11, 54.5%
35-42, 83.3% PAT Kicking 33-35,94.2%
12-55 Sacks By 7-46
1-9 Sacks Against 4-33
16-29, 55.2% Third Down Conversion 21-45,46.7%
4-6, 66.7% Fourth Down Conversion 6-11, 54.5%
49-310 Penalties (#-Yards) 41-243
42-223 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 53-298
Bold – Leads League

INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2004 AFL league leaders.

Raymond Philyaw: average gain (2nd—8.51 yards), passer rating (T-3rd—123.8), completion percentage (5th—65.5), interceptions thrown (T-1st—0), rushing touchdowns (T-3rd—8)

Lindsay Fleshman: interceptions (T-6th-2), interception return for TD (T-2nd—1)

Keith Gispert: field goal percentage (T-5th—50, 4-8), scoring (kickers) (11th—47 points), touchbacks on kickoffs (6th—12)

Bob McMillen: rushing yards (4th—118), rushing attempts (3rd—32), rushing touchdowns (T-3rd—8), fumble recoveries (T-6th—2)

John Moyer: fumble recoveries (T-6th—2), sacks (T-3rd—4.0)

Donnie Caldwell: fumble recoveries (T-6th—2)

Kareem Larrimore: kickoff return average (8th—20.4), kickoff returns for touchdown (T-8th— 1)

Etu Molden: interceptions (T-6th— 2)

RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won individual game awards for their play this season:

Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game:
Raymond Philyaw (2/8 vs. Grand Rapids, 2/22 vs. Colorado)
Lindsay Fleshman (2/14 @ New York)
Jeremy McDaniel (3/21 vs. Orlando)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Corey Sawyer (2/8 vs. Grand Rapids)
Donnie Caldwell (2/14 @ New York)
John Moyer (2/22 vs. Colorado)
James Baron (3/21 vs. Orlando)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Lindsay Fleshman (2/8 vs. Grand Rapids)
DeJuan Alfonzo (2/14 @ New York)
Jamie McGourty (2/22 vs. Colorado)
Kareem Larrimore (2/29 @ Indiana)
Bob McMillen (3/21 vs. Orlando)

AFL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won AFL weekly awards for their play this season:

ADT Defensive Player of the Week:
John Moyer (2/22 vs. Colorado)
Bob McMillen (3/21 vs. Orlando)

AFL MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won AFL monthly awards for their play this season:

ADT Defensive Player of the Month:
John Moyer (February)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of March 22:
Tuesday, March 23 – Players off
Wednesday, March 24 – 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 25 – 10:15 a.m. to Noon
Friday, March 26 – 10:15 a.m. to Noon
Saturday, March 28 – 11 a.m. to Noon

Practice will be at Allstate Arena on Wednesday, the teams Palatine practice facility, Soccer Enterprise, on Thursday and Friday and at Northwestern University on Saturday.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 24, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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