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Chicago Rush game notes

May 19, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: None
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Overall Series Record: Rush leads 4-3
Streaks: The Rush has won two in a row
Last Meeting: February 29, 2004, Rush 49, Indiana 46
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (78-68 — 11th season)
Mike Wilpolt (8-2 — 1st season)
Officials: Bill Athan (Referee), Rick DiBernardo (Umpire), Tim Podraza (Head Linesman), Al Riveron (Line Judge), Dino Paganelli (Back Judge)

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* L 71-72 14,837
April 4 @ Las Vegas W 57-55 10,310
April 11 Tampa Bay W 51-36 11,412
April 16 @ San Jose L 43-51 12,147
April 25 Los Angeles L 35-71 13,927
May 2 @ Detroit * W 57-40 9,804
May 8 @ Grand Rapids* W 63-35 7,188
May 16 Dallas W 45-41 13,071
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 10-4-0 747 634 5-1
Colorado 9-5-0 692 655 3-3
Indiana 8-7-0 764 690 5-2
Detroit 4-10-0 655 755 2-4
Grand Rapids 1-13-0 496 771 1-6

RUSH CAN CLINCH DIVISION WITH WIN: The Rush can clinch its second Central Division title in four years this Sunday when it hosts the Indiana Firebirds at Allstate Arena. Last week, Chicago clinched its fourth-consecutive playoff berth with a thrilling 45-41 home win over Dallas. The win gave the Rush its 10th victory of the season, setting a team record for regular season wins. The Firebirds enter the game needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Since beginning the season 0-5, Indiana has gone 8-2 to climb into playoff contention.

BATTLE OF ROOKIES: This week's game will showcase two of the league's top rookies, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden and Indiana QB Adrian McPherson. Molden is Chicago's leading receiver with 89 catches for 1,117 yards and 26 touchdowns (20 receiving, five rushing, 1 return). McPherson is the spark for Indiana's offense, passing for 3,045 yards and 58 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions. McPherson also ranks second in the AFL in rushing, with 244 yards and 18 TDs.

DOWN TO THE WIRE AGAIN?: The last two contests between Chicago and Indiana have been decided on the game's final play. Earlier this season at Conseco Fieldhouse, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden returned an Indiana on-side kick 14 yards for a touchdown with just one minute remaining, giving the Rush a 49-46 lead. The game, however, came down to the final play when Indiana receiver Anthony Hines was tackled at the Rush 15-yard line. With no timeouts remaining, Indiana was unable to get off another play and Chicago escaped with the victory.

In the 2003 regular season finale at Allstate Arena, Rush kicker Keith Gispert connected on a 16-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining in overtime to give the Rush a 46-43 victory over the Firebirds and secure Chicago's spot in the 2003 playoffs.

MOYER IS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rush lineman John Moyer was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his performance Sunday in Chicago's 45-41 playoff-clinching win over Dallas. A leading candidate for AFL Lineman of the Year honors, Moyer recorded his league-leading eighth sack of the season, along with 2.5 tackles and an interception. Moyer, who also was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his Week Three performance versus Colorado and ADT Defensive Player of the Month for February, has recorded 19.5 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and four blocked kicks to accompany his eight sacks this season. His sack of Dallas QB Glenn Gauntt, the 26th of his career, moved Moyer into sole possession of ninth place on the AFL's all-time sack list.

RECORD-SETTING GROUND GAME: As a team the Rush has gained a franchise-record 438 yards and scored 43 touchdowns on the ground this season. With two games remaining the Rush is on pace to break the AFL single-season record of 47 rushing touchdowns, set last year by the San Jose SaberCats.

McMILLEN ENJOYING CAREER YEAR: Individually, Rush FB Bob McMillen is enjoying the best year of his career. McMillen, third in the AFL with a career-high 233 rushing yards this year, has set a Rush record for rushing yards in a season, breaking Jamie McGourty's team record of 122 yards set last year. In addition, McMillen has 62 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 and became just the fifth player in AFL history to rush for 1,000 career yards.

AFL Rushing Leaders:
Player Team G Att. Yards Avg. Long TD
Curran NO 14 77 300 3.9 29 21
McPherson Ind 13 62 244 3.9 37 18
McMillen Chi 14 65 233 3.6 18 19
Thomas Geo 13 44 198 4.5 17 10

MOLDEN FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Rush WR/LB Etu Molden is one of the league's leading candidates for Rookie of the Year honors. He is the team's leading receiver with 89 receptions for 1,117 yards and 20 touchdowns. Molden also has added five rushing touchdowns and one kick return TD this season. Molden ranks eighth in the AFL in receptions and receiving yards and ninth in scoring. Among rookies, Molden ranks first in receptions and receiving yards and second in scoring.

Here is how Molden stacks up against the league's other top rookie receivers:

AFL Rookie Receiving Leaders:
Player Team G Rec. Yards Avg TD
Molden Chi 14 89 1,117 12.5 20
Hines Ind 15 73 1,009 13.8 19
Fontaine Aus 11 69 1,061 15.4 21
Sippio Dal 14 61 1,008 16.5 27

Molden also does the job on defense, recording 23.5 tackles and two interceptions this season.

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS TAKING SHAPE: With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Rush is tied with San Jose and New Orleans for the AFL's best record and holds the league's second playoff seed.

Here is a look at the current seedings:
Team W L
San Jose 10 4
Chicago 10 4
New Orleans 10 4
Arizona 10 5
Colorado 9 5
New York 8 6
Austin 8 6
Los Angeles 8 6
Orlando 8 6
Indiana 8 7

IN GOOD COMPANY: Since entering the league in 2001, the Rush has been one of the most consistent teams in the league, appearing in the playoffs in each of its three seasons in the AFL. In fact, over the past three-plus seasons, only four teams have won more games than Chicago. Here are the AFL's best records since 2001:

San Jose 45-13
Arizona 39-20
Tampa Bay 35-23
Orlando 35-23
Chicago 34-24
Los Angeles 32-25

MOYER IN 9TH PLACE ALL-TIME: John Moyer recorded his eighth sack of the season last week against Dallas, moving him into ninth place in AFL history with 26 career sacks. As a team the Rush has set a team record with 21sacks this season.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) John Moyer 21.0
John Moyer 8.0 (2004) James Baron 10.0
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) Anthony Hutch 6.5
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Jamie McGourty 5.5
James Baron 4.0 (2003) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001) Tony Henderson 4.0
James Baron 3.0 (2004)
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Jamie McGourty 3.0 (2004)

1-2 PUNCH: John Moyer and James Baron might be the best pair of linemen in the AFL. Moyer leads the AFL with eight sacks, while Baron is tied for 14th with three. In addition, Baron is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles with four and the pair has combined to block six PAT attempts this year (three each). Three of the blocks have been scooped up by the Rush and returned for two points. Moyer also has blocked a field goal attempt this season.

PROTECT THAT QB: In addition to putting pressure on opposing QBs, Chicago is tied for the AFL lead in fewest sacks allowed, giving up only four QB sacks 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.

RUSH ADDS LEVERSON: The Rush added a speedy receiver this week with the signing of WR/DB Luke Leverson. Leverson is in his fifth season in the league, having spent time with the New England Sea Wolves (2000) Toronto Phantoms (2001-2002), Dallas Desperados (2003) and New Orleans VooDoo (2004). Before being released by New Orleans earlier this season, Leverson appeared in five games, catching 14 passes for 174 yards and one TD. To make room on the roster the Rush released WR/DB Leo FenceRoy.

GISPERT ON A ROLL IN MAY: Rush kicker Keith Gispert is enjoying kicking during the month of May. In the team's three games this month Gispert has converted 21 of 22 extra point attempts – including his last 17 in a row – and four of his five field goal attempts this month.
INJURY PROBLEMS: For the first time in many weeks, the Rush escaped a game with no serious injuries. FB/LB Bob McMillen did have to leave last week's game against Dallas with a slight knee sprain, but he returned to action and is expected to play this week.

Here is a recap of Chicago's main injuries this season:
8 WR/DB DeJuan Alfonzo was placed on IR May 12 with a fracture in his left hand suffered in the team's win at Grand Rapids. He is expected to miss at least two weeks.
8 DS Corey Sawyer has missed three games this season – two with a knee injury suffered against LA, and one game early in the season with a neck injury.
8 QB Raymond Philyaw missed one game after suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee April 25 against Los Angeles.
8 WR/LB Lindsay Fleshman missed two games with a hamstring injury sustained April 16 in San Jose.
8 DS Malcom Moore suffered an open fracture of the left tibia and fibula March 21 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.
8 WR/DB Donnie Caldwell suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the team's Week 3 win vs. Colorado. He underwent successful surgery and is out for the season.
8 Defensive specialist Greg Williams missed five games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his hand.
8 OL/DL Riley Kleinhesselink missed three games with a quad injury suffered at Las Vegas
8 FB/LB Jamie McGourty missed two games with a sprained ankle suffered in the team's loss at Philadelphia.
8 Offensive specialist Jeremy McDaniel missed one game with a groin injury.

BETTER AFTER THE BREAK: The Rush reached the midpoint of its season with a 6-2 record – the best record at the midpoint of a season in the team's four-year history. In each of the past two seasons the Rush has improved in the second half of the season. Here is a look at the team's record in the first and second halves of the past three seasons:

First Half Second Half Final Record
2001 4-3 3-4 7-7
2002 4-3 5-2 9-5
2003 3-5 5-3 8-8
2004 6-2 4-2 ?

SPECIAL TEAMS CONTINUE TO ROLL: The fact that the Rush special teams have blocked nine kicks this season – seven extra-point attempts and two field goal attempts – might have led to the bad snap by Dallas on a field goal attempt in the first quarter last week. The snap was picked up by Dallas kicker Carlos Martinez and hurled downfield, where Rush lineman John Moyer intercepted it. Moyer also has blocked three PAT attempts and one field goal attempt, while James Baron has blocked three PAT attempts, Frank Moore has blocked one field goal and Colin Greczek has a blocked PAT. Three of the seven blocked PATs have been scooped up by the Rush and returned for two points.

Also, the Rush has returned four kickoffs for touchdowns this season. Last season the Rush tied for the league lead, returning seven kickoffs for touchdowns.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: Last season the Rush struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away 31 times during the season. This year, however, the Rush only has turned the ball over 10 times in 14 games. The Rush leads the AFL in turnover margin with a +15 differential for the season and ranks second in the AFL in fewest turnovers behind Los Angeles.

HOHENSEE GETS 80TH: Rush head coach Mike Hohensee became just the fourth head coach in AFL history to win 80 career games, reaching the mark with the team's 51-36 win over Tampa Bay. Hohensee, in his 11th season as a head coach in the AFL, was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000. He
8 has a regular season record of 77-68 (including a
33-24 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-7 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to three-consecutive playoff berths and a 2002 Central Division title.
8 is 6-7 overall vs. the Firebirds franchise and 4-3 since the team moved to Indiana.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 165 vs. New Orleans
Danny White Arizona 133 Bye
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Rush 83 vs. Dallas
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 78 at San Jose
John Gregory 73

TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK: Lineman James Baron has played in 114 consecutive regular season AFL games, having never missed a game in his seven-year career. Including postseason, Baron's consecutive game streak stands at 127 games.

Baron has played in more AFL games than any other Rush player. Next on the Rush list for AFL regular season service are Bob McMillen (109), John Moyer (78), John Sikora (74), Frank Moore (73) and Jamie McGourty (65).

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of May 17:
Tuesday, May 18 – Players Off
Wednesday, May 19 – Players Off
Thursday, May 20 – 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Friday, May 21 – 10:30 a.m. to noon
Saturday, May 15 – 11 a.m. to noon (Allstate Arena)







TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category Indiana
14 Games 15
53.4 (4) Scoring Offense 50.9 (7)
45.3 (2) Scoring Defense 46.0 (4)
252.6 (15) Total Offense 264.8 (8)
249.9 (4) Total Defense 272.2 (16)
61-71, 85.9% Red Zone Offense 44-61, 72.1%
45-59, 76.3% Red Zone Defense 53-65, 81.5%
218.9 (18) Pass Offense 249.0 (9)
223.6 (3) Pass Defense 251.3 (15)
31.3 (T-3) Rushing Offense 38.0 (1)
26.3 (15) Rushing Defense 20.9 (9)
747 (5) Scoring 764 (4)
117 (T-4) Scoring (Kicking) 124 (2)
81-1,508-4 Kickoff Returns 84-1,482-5
18.6 Kick Return Average 17.6
86-1,583-4 Combined Returns 96-1,700-6
18.4 Combined Return Average 17.7
+15 (1) Turnover Margin +14 (2)
11-18, 61.1% Field Goals 14-33, 42.4%
84-96, 87.5% PAT Kicking 82-97, 84.5%
21-107 Sacks By 10-60
4-32 Sacks Against 13-70
41-73, 56.2% Third Down Conversion 52-108, 48.1%
8-15, 53.3% Fourth Down Conversion 15-23, 65.2%
133-795 Penalties (#-Yards) 96-516
117-699 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 112-686

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

Raymond Philyaw: average gain (6th—8.16 yards), passer rating (4th—119.9), completion percentage (4th—64.8), interceptions thrown (T-1st—4), rushing touchdowns (T-9th—9), fourth-quarter passing (2nd —128.2)

Lindsay Fleshman: interceptions (T-13th—3), interception returns for touchdown (T-3rd—1)

Keith Gispert: field goal percentage (min. 10 att.) (2nd—61.1, 11-18), scoring (kickers) (T-4th—117 points), touchbacks on kickoffs (T-5th —29)

Bob McMillen: rushing yards (3rd—233), rushing attempts (2nd—65), rushing touchdowns (3rd—18)

John Moyer: sacks (T-1st—8.0)

Etu Molden: receptions (T-8th — 89), receiving yards (8th —1,117), yards from scrimmage (8th—1,138), scoring-non-kickers (T-9th—162)

James Baron: sacks (T-14th—3.0), forced fumbles (T-1st – 4)

Jamie McGourty: sacks (T-14th—3.0)

Corey Sawyer: passes defended (T-11th – 13)

*Hamin Milligan: passes defended (T-11th—13)
*including stats from Arizona

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, 5/8 @ Grand Rapids)
Lindsay Fleshman (2/14 @ New York)
Jeremy McDaniel (3/21 vs. Orlando)
Etu Molden (4/4 @ Las Vegas, 4/11 vs. Tampa Bay)
Chad Salisbury (5/2 @ Detroit)
Keith Gispert (5/16 vs. Dallas)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Corey Sawyer (2/8 vs. Grand Rapids, 4/11 vs. Tampa Bay)
Donnie Caldwell (2/14 @ New York)
John Moyer (2/22 vs. Colorado, 4/4 @ Las Vegas, 5/8 @ Grand Rapids, 5/16 vs. Dallas)
James Baron (3/21 vs. Orlando)
Lindsay Fleshman (3/28 vs. Detroit)
DeJuan Alfonzo (5/2 @ Detroit)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Lindsay Fleshman (2/8 vs. Grand Rapids, 3/28 vs. Detroit)
DeJuan Alfonzo (2/14 @ New York, 5/2 @ Detroit)
Jamie McGourty (2/22 vs. Colorado, 5/16 vs. Dallas)
Kareem Larrimore (2/29 @ Indiana)
Bob McMillen (3/21 vs. Orlando, 4/11 vs. Tampa Bay, 5/8 @ Grand Rapids)

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, 5/15 vs. Dallas)
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)

Rookie of the Month:
Etu Molden (April)



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 19, 2004


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