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Chicago Rush game notes

May 25, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC...Bob Papa, Ray Bentley
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Overall Series Record: Rush leads 2-0
Streaks: The Rush has won two in a row
Last Meeting: February 22, 2004, Rush 65, Colorado 35
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (79-68 — 11th season)
Mike Dailey (68-47 — 8th season)
Officials: Perry Havener (Referee), Tom Laverty (Umpire), Kelly Saalfeld (Head Linesman), Dana McKenzie (Line Judge), Jim Anderson (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* W 53-37 14,399
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 11-4-0 800 671 6-1
Colorado 10-5-0 737 697 4-3
Indiana 8-8-0 801 743 5-3
Detroit 4-11-0 697 800 2-5
Grand Rapids 1-14-0 527 807 1-6

RUSH LOOKING FOR TOP SEED: Having clinched the Central Division title with its 53-37 win over Indiana last week, the Rush looks to secure one of the AFL's top two playoff seeds in this week's regular season finale against the Colorado Crush. A Rush victory over Colorado will secure no worse than the Number 2 seed, while a Rush win, combined with a San Jose loss, will give Chicago the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Colorado enters the game winners of three of its last four games, including lat week's last-second 45-42 win at Detroit.

RUNNING GAME KEY IN FEBRUARY WIN: The Rush used its running attack to defeat Colorado when the two teams met in February at Allstate Arena. Chicago rushed for 56 yards and six touchdowns, defeating Colorado 65-35. Rush fullbacks Bob McMillen and Jamie McGourty combined to rush for 46 yards and four touchdowns, and quarterbacks Raymond Philyaw and Chad Salisbury each added rushing scores. The Rush defense played well, forcing three Colorado turnovers in the game.

MOYER AND MOLDEN LEAD RUSH OVER FIREBIRDS: Rush lineman John Moyer was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game for the third-consecutive week, recording 4.5 tackles, two sacks and a pass broken up and WR/LB Etu Molden scored four touchdowns as the Rush clinched its second Central Division title with a 53-37 win over Indiana Sunday. Moyer's sacks came on Indiana's first two possessions and set the tone as the Rush defense pressured rookie QB Adrian McPherson all afternoon.

MOLDEN NAMED IRONMAN OF THE WEEK: WR/LB Etu Molden was named U.S. Army Ironman of the Week for his performance in Sunday's win over Indiana. Molden scored four touchdowns in the victory – two receiving, one rushing and one on a recovery off the net on a kickoff – bringing his season total to 30 TDs.

MOLDEN FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Etu Molden is one of the AFL's leading candidates for Rookie of the Year honors. The team's leading receiver with 93 receptions for 1,143 yards, Molden has scored 30 touchdowns – 22 receiving, six rushing, one kick return and one recovery off of the net. He leads all rookies in receptions, receiving yards and scoring, and ranks seventh overall in the AFL in scoring, eighth in receptions and ninth in receiving yards.

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 15 93 1,143 12.3 22
Hines Ind 16 77 1,060 13.8 20
Fontaine Aus 12 70 1,062 15.2 21
Sippio Dal 15 69 1,114 16.1 29
RECORD-SETTING GROUND GAME: As a team the Rush has gained a franchise-record 491 yards and scored 45 touchdowns on the ground this season. The Rush needs just two rushing touchdowns in the regular season finale to tie 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, second in the AFL with a career-high 265 rushing yards this year, has set a Rush record for rushing yards in a season. 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 15 79 320 4.1 29 21
McMillen Chi 15 69 265 3.8 18 19
McPherson Ind 14 65 259 4.0 37 19
Thomas Geo 14 47 213 4.5 17 11

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS TAKING SHAPE: Heading into the final week of play, the Rush is tied with San Jose for the AFL's best record and holds the league's second playoff seed. Five teams have clinched playoff spots with five more (LA, Orlando, Tampa Bay, New York and Austin) competing for the final three available spots.

Here is a look at the current seedings:
Team W L
x-San Jose 11 4
x-Chicago 11 4
x-New Orleans 10 5
x-Arizona 10 5
x-Colorado 10 5
Los Angeles 9 6
Orlando 9 6
Tampa Bay 8 6
New York 8 6
Austin 8 6

x-clinched playoff spot

IN GOOD COMPANY: Since entering the league in 2001, the Rush has been one of the most consistent teams in the league, qualifying for the playoffs in each of its four seasons. In fact, over the past four seasons, only four teams have won more games than Chicago.

Here are the AFL's best records since 2001:

San Jose 46-13
Arizona 39-20
Tampa Bay 36-23
Orlando 36-23
Chicago 35-24
Los Angeles 33-25



MOYER IN 9TH PLACE ALL-TIME: John Moyer recorded two sacks against Indiana last week, giving him a career-high 10 for the season. He ranks ninth in AFL history with 28 career sacks, needing just two more to pass Joe March for eighth place. As a team the Rush has set a team record with 23 sacks this season.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 22.0
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) 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 10 sacks, while Baron is tied for 17th with three. In addition, Baron ranks second in the league 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.

GISPERT NEARLY PERFECT IN MAY: Rush kicker Keith Gispert is enjoying kicking during the month of May. In the team's four games this month Gispert has converted 27 of 28 extra point attempts – including his last 23 in a row – and five of his six field goal attempts. Dating back to April 25, Gispert has converted 32 of his last 33 extra point attempts. Last week against Indiana Gispert converted all six of his PAT attempts and nailed a season-long 52-yard field goal.

SPECIAL TEAMS CONTINUE TO ROLL: For the third time in the last four games, the Rush kickoff coverage team has given the offense an extra possession by recovering a kickoff off of the opponent's net. Last week against Indiana it was rookie Etu Molden who scooped up Keith Gispert's kick in the end zone after it bounced long off the net. Molden's TD gave the Rush back-to-back touchdowns and a 14-3 lead it never relinquished.

The Rush special teams also have blocked nine kicks this season – seven extra-point attempts and two field goal attempts. Rush lineman John Moyer has blocked four (three PAT and one FG); James Baron has blocked three (all PAT); Frank Moore has blocked one field goal and Colin Greczek has a blocked PAT. Three of the seven blocked extra points 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.

INJURY PROBLEMS: One of the keys to Chicago's success this season is the team's depth. Several key players have missed time with injuries, but role players have stepped in admirably to fill their spots.

Here is a recap of Chicago's main injuries this season:

- 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.
- 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.
- QB Raymond Philyaw missed one game after suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee April 25 against Los Angeles.
- WR/LB Lindsay Fleshman missed two games with a hamstring injury sustained April 16 in San Jose.
- 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.
- 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.
- Defensive specialist Greg Williams missed five games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his hand.
- OL/DL Riley Kleinhesselink missed three games with a quad injury suffered at Las Vegas
- FB/LB Jamie McGourty missed two games with a sprained ankle suffered in the team's loss at Philadelphia.
- Offensive specialist Jeremy McDaniel missed one game with a groin injury.

McDANIEL TOUGH DOWN THE STRETCH: Rush offensive specialist Jeremy McDaniel is playing his best football of the season as the Rush enters the stretch run. In the team's last two wins over Dallas and Indiana, McDaniel has caught 14 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns and returned five kicks (three kickoffs and two missed field goals) for 116 yards.

TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK: Lineman James Baron has played in 115 consecutive regular season AFL games, having never missed a game in his seven-year career. Including postseason, Baron's consecutive game streak stands at 128 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 (110), John Moyer (79), John Sikora (75), Frank Moore (74) and Jamie McGourty (66).

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 11 times. The Rush leads the AFL in turnover margin with a +15 differential for the season and ranks second in the AFL in fewest turnovers (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
- has a regular season record of 79-68 (including a
35-24 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-7 mark in the postseason.
- has led the Rush to four-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
- is 2-0 vs. Colorado
- needs just two victories to tie Perry Moss for third on the All-Time list.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 166 at Dallas
Danny White Arizona 133 at San Jose
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Rush 84 at Colorado
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 78 at New York
John Gregory 73

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 5-2 ?

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of May 24:
Tuesday, May 25 – Players Off
Wednesday, May 26 – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 27 – 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday, May 28 – 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 29 – Player meetings in Denver

All practices this week will be held at Allstate Arena.

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category Colorado
15 Games 15
53.3 (4) Scoring Offense 49.1 (11)
44.7 (2) Scoring Defense 46.5 (5)
248.7 (17) Total Offense 275.6 (5)
250.7 (3) Total Defense 266.8 (11)
67-77, 87.0% Red Zone Offense 45-69, 65.2%
49-63, 77.8% Red Zone Defense 58-77, 75.3%
216.0 (18) Pass Offense 260.5 (4)
223.7 (3) Pass Defense 251.3 (16)
32.7 (3) Rushing Offense 15.1 (15)
27.0 (16) Rushing Defense 15.5 (3)
800 (4) Scoring 737 (11)
126 (6) Scoring (Kicking) 123 (7)
87-1,569-4 Kickoff Returns 64-1,004-1
18.0 Kick Return Average 15.7
92-1,644-4 Combined Returns 75-1,129-1
17.9 Combined Return Average 15.1
+15 (1) Turnover Margin +13 (2)
12-19, 63.2% Field Goals 11-31, 35.5%
90-102, 88.2% PAT Kicking 90-98, 91.8%
23-133 Sacks By 13-80
4-32 Sacks Against 4-27
47-80, 58.8% Third Down Conversion 38-89, 42.7%
8-15, 53.3% Fourth Down Conversion 7-14, 50.0%
140-837 Penalties (#-Yards) 101-661
127-756 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 106-574

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

Raymond Philyaw: average gain (6th—7.98 yards), passer rating (3rd—119.9), completion percentage (5th—64.8), interceptions thrown (T-1st—4), rushing touchdowns (T-9th—10), fourth-quarter passing (3rd —128.5)

Lindsay Fleshman: interceptions (T-15th—3), interception returns for touchdown (T-3rd—1)

Keith Gispert: field goal percentage (min. 10 att.) (2nd—63.2, 12-19), scoring (kickers) (T-5th—126 points), touchbacks on kickoffs (6th —31)

Bob McMillen: rushing yards (2nd—265), rushing attempts (2nd—69), rushing touchdowns (T-2nd—19)

John Moyer: sacks (T-1st—10.0)

Etu Molden: receptions (8th — 93), receiving yards (9th —1,143), yards from scrimmage (8th—1,165), scoring-non-kickers (7th—186), first downs (8th—72), third down receiving (9th—15 rec.)

James Baron: sacks (T-17th—3.0), forced fumbles (T-2nd – 5)

Jamie McGourty: sacks (T-17th—3.0), third-and-one rushing (T-1st—5-5)

Corey Sawyer: passes defended (T-14th – 13)

Jeremy McDaniel: third down receiving (T-10th—14 rec.)

*Hamin Milligan: passes defended (T-9th—16), interceptions (T-15th—3)
*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, 5/23 vs. Indiana)
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, 5/23 vs. Indiana)
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)
Etu Molden (5/23 vs. Indiana)

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)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Week:
Etu Molden (5/23 vs. Indiana)

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 25, 2004


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