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Chicago Rush game notes

February 16, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: FSN...Jeff Piecoro, Jim Lachey, Jim Day
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: Rush leads 1-0
Last Meeting: March 1, 2003, Rush 40, Buffalo Destroyers 13
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (81-70 — 12th season)
Chris Spielman (0-2 — 1st season)
Officials: Wes Fritz (Referee), Paul Frerking (Umpire), Greg Shields (Head Linesman), Dave Chesney (Line Judge), James Cole (Back Judge)

2005 Chicago Rush Schedule
January 30 @ Dallas L, 65-66 11,229
February 6 Philadelphia W, 51-41 16,036
February 13 @ Colorado* W, 51-48 16,620
February 19 @ Columbus 6 p.m. FSN
February 25 Orlando 7:30 p.m. FSN
March 6 Nashville* 2 p.m. NBC
March 13 @ Grand Rapids* 11 a.m. NBC
March 20 New Orleans 11 a.m.
March 27 BYE
April 2 @ New York 6 p.m. FSN
April 10 San Jose Noon NBC
April 17 Colorado* Noon NBC
April 23 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m. FSN
May 1 Las Vegas Noon NBC
May 7 @ Arizona 9 p.m. FSN
May 15 Grand Rapids* Noon NBC
May 22 @ Nashville* 2 p.m. NBC

*Central Division Game ... All times Central


American Conference — Central Division
2005 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
RUSH 2-1-0 167 155 1-0
Colorado 1-2-0 156 146 1-1
Nashville 1-2-0 129 156 0-0
Grand Rapids 0-2-0 94 130 0-1


RUSH HEADING EAST THIS WEEK: After spending last weekend in the mountain time zone, the Rush heads east this week for a Saturday night game at Columbus. It is Chicago's first trip to Columbus and first game against the Destroyers since the teams met in 2003 – when the Destroyers played in Buffalo.

TWO-GAME HOMESTAND NEXT: After playing three of its first four games of the season on the road, the Rush finally gets some time at home beginning next week. After Saturday's game in Columbus, the Rush returns to Allstate Arena to host Orlando on Friday, February 25 and then remains in town to host Nashville on Sunday, March 6.

GISPERT KICK CAPS COMEBACK: Keith Gispert's 21-yard field goal with two seconds remaining gave the Rush a stunning come-from-behind, 51-48 victory over the Colorado Crush last weekend at Pepsi Center. Trailing 48-40 with just 35 seconds to go, Rush QB Raymond Philyaw hit Etu Molden with a seven-yard touchdown pass. After the ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, the Rush recovered an on-side kick and moved down the field in position for Gispert's game-winning field goal. After the field goal, Rush WR/DB Russell Shaw tackled Crush OS Damian Harrell in the end zone for a game-ending safety.

RUSH WINNERS IN ONLY PREVIOUS MEETING: The Rush and the Destroyers have met only once – a March 1, 2003 meeting in New York, in which the Rush defeated the then Buffalo Destroyers 40-13. Rush QB Billy Dicken completed 21-of-32 passes for 246 yards and six touchdowns as the Rush outscored Buffalo 27-6 in the second half to pull away for the win.

TALK ABOUT A TIRED ARM: Rush quarterback Raymond Philyaw might have needed to ice down his arm after last week's performance in Colorado. After averaging 205 yards passing in 17 career regular season starts for the Rush, Philyaw passed for a career-high 409 yards against the Crush. Philyaw completed 30-of-45 passes – both highs in a Rush uniform – for five touchdowns in the game. His only other 400-plus yard performance came June 23, 2001, when as a member of the Indiana Firebirds he passed for 404 yards in a 80-74 loss at Grand Rapids.

DOUGLAS EXPLODES IN CHICAGO: Rookie offensive specialist Henry Douglas caught 19 passes for 189 yards as a backup to Chris Jackson last season in Los Angeles. This season in Chicago, the second-year OS has caught 28 passes for 378 yards and seven touchdowns, including 13 catches for 192 yards and three TDs Sunday against Colorado. He also has returned 14 kickoffs for 298 yards and has 695 all-purpose yards this season. Douglas leads the AFL in receptions, receiving yards and all-purpose yards and ranks second in the league in kick return yards. He had 323 all-purpose yards in the team's opener at Dallas, becoming only the third Rush player (Antonio Chatman, Joe Douglass) to eclipse the 300-yard mark in a single game.

NOSE FOR THE END ZONE: When the Rush needed a touchdown late in Sunday's game at Colorado, it was no surprise that Rush QB Raymond Philyaw went looking for Etu Molden in the back of the end zone. Molden has scored nine touchdowns this year (seven receiving and two rushing) and is tied for the AFL lead in touchdowns and scoring (54 points). As a rookie in 2004, Molden finished eighth in the AFL in scoring.

HOHENSEE NOW IN THIRD PLACE ALL-TIME: With last week's 51-48 win in Colorado, Rush head coach Mike Hohensee moved into sole possession of third place on the AFL's all-time wins list. Hohensee, in his 12th 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 81-70 (including a
36-26 mark with the Rush).
- has a career 6-8 mark in the postseason.
- has led the Rush to four-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
- is 5-0 all-time vs. the Destroyers.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 169 Bye
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 87 @ Columbus
Perry Moss 86
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 80 @ New Orleans
Mike Dailey Colorado 76 @ Arizona
John Gregory 73

SHAW STRONG ON BOTH SIDES: New Rush WR/DB Russell Shaw continues to make an impact on both sides of the ball for Chicago. Last week against Colorado, Shaw caught five passes for a career-high 80 yards. He also recorded 4 tackles, two passes broken up and a key interception in the end zone. For the season Shaw has 11 catches for 138 yards to go along with 11 tackles, five passes broken up and one interception. He ranks second in the AFL in passes defended (INT + PBU) with six.

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: The Rush offensive line has been one of the best in the AFL the past several years. In 2004 the line only allowed five sacks all season, good for third in the league. Through three games this season, the Rush line has allowed only one sack of Raymond Philyaw.

GROUND GAME: The Rush ground attack seems to be just as potent in 2005 as it was in 2004 when the team set an AFL record with 49 rushing touchdowns. Through the 2005 season's first three weeks the Rush has gained 94 yards on the ground and scored seven rushing touchdowns. Only Nashville (141), Grand Rapids (139) and Dallas (99) have gained more yards on the ground, while only Orlando (10), Nashville (8) and San Jose (8) have scored more rushing TDs.

KICKIN' KEITH: Rush kicker Keith Gispert continues to be one of the AFL's most consistent kickers. Last week Gispert had one of the best games of his career, converting five of six PAT attempts, all three of his field goal attempts and successfully executing an on-side kick with just 35 seconds remaining in the game. Through three games Gispert has connected on 16-of-19 extra point attempts and all five of his field goal attempts. He ranks second in the AFL in field goals made and seventh in extra points made. Last season Gispert connected on 95 of 108 PAT attempts and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.

BLOCK THAT KICK: Last season the Rush special teams blocked nine kicks – two field goals and seven extra points. In the season opener against Dallas the Rush continued its ability to put pressure on opposing kickers as lineman John Moyer blocked a Carlos Martinez 22-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half. It was Moyer's sixth blocked kick since the start of the 2004 season (including 2004 postseason).

MOYER IN 9TH PLACE ALL-TIME: 2004 AFL Lineman of the Year John Moyer finished last season with a career-high 10 sacks and currently sits in ninth place in AFL history with 29 career sacks. Moyer holds the Rush season and career records for sacks and needs just one more to pass Joe March for eighth place all-time.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 24.0
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)

FB=MC3: Perhaps the deepest position on the Rush roster is FB/LB, with AFL veterans Bob McMillen, Jamie McGourty and Travis McDonald manning the duties.
- McMillen is the first player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in six-consecutive seasons and just the fifth player in AFL history to rush for 1,000 career yards. He is playing in his 11th season in the AFL, ranking 4th in AFL history in rushing yards (1,180) and rushing attempts (364) and 5th in rushing touchdowns (66). McMillen enjoyed the best year of his career in 2004, rushing for a career-high 285 yards and 22 TDs.
- McGourty is the last original member of the Rush, entering his 5th season in Chicago. In his six-year career, McGourty has rushed for 445 yards and scored 40 touchdowns. McGourty also ranks fourth in Rush history in sacks, with 5.5.
- McDonald is the newest addition to the backfield, signing with the Rush January 10. McDonald is an eight-year veteran who ranks 15th on the AFL's all-time rushing list with 615 yards. He has played in 81 career games, scored 31 TDs and recorded 92.5 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

A VETERAN GROUP: The 2005 Rush 24-man roster features 13 players who return from last year's team along with 11 newcomers. The Rush enters the season as an experienced squad, with 22 AFL veterans and just two rookies on the roster. In fact, the Rush players have combined to play in 1,158 AFL regular season games, an average of 48 games per man. Todd Hammel leads all Rush players with 146 career games, followed by Bob McMillen (114), John Moyer (83), Travis McDonald (81), John Sikora (79) and Frank Moore (78).

OFF-SEASON MOVES RE-SHAPE TEAM: One bold move – the trade of lineman James Baron to Nashville – helped the Rush re-shape its roster this off-season. Baron was traded to the Kats in exchange for the first three picks in this year's expansion draft. The Rush used those picks to select three players: WR/DB Charles Pauley (San Jose), WR/DB Russell Shaw (LA) and QB Todd Hammel (Philadelphia). Then, Chicago hit the free agent market and signed lineman Chad Pegues from Dallas to play Baron's spot on defense, and added AFL veteran defensive specialist Jeroid Johnson. The five new players all made the team's final roster.

REVAMPED SECONDARY: The Rush used the off-season to re-tool its defensive backfield, adding veteran Jeroid Johnson and rookie Tony Lukins as the new starting defensive specialists. Johnson is a five-year veteran with 22 career interceptions who signed a free agent contract with the Rush during the off-season. Lukins originally signed with the Rush in November 2002, but has spent the past two years on the team's exempt roster while playing with the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and Rhein Fire.

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of February 14:
Monday, February 14 – Off
Tuesday, February 15 – Off
Wednesday, February 16 – 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 17 – 2:35 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Friday, February 18 – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Columbus

All practices this week will be held at the team's Hoffman Estates practice facility, Poplar Creek Sports Centre, with the exception of Friday's walk-thru at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category Columbus
2 Games 2
55.7 (2) Scoring Offense 34.5 (17)
51.7 (13) Scoring Defense 41.0 (2)
313.0 (3) Total Offense 197 (17)
308.0 (14) Total Defense 266 (6)
13-19, 68.4% Red Zone Offense 3-8, 37.5%
9-12, 75.0% Red Zone Defense 6-8, 75.0%
281.7 (4) Pass Offense 188.0 (17)
294.7 (15) Pass Defense 206.5 (2)
31.3 (3) Rushing Offense 9.0 (15)
13.7 (6) Rushing Defense 59.5 (17)
167 (2) Scoring 69 (17)
31 (2) Scoring (Kicking) 15 (T-12)
17-310-0 Kickoff Returns 9-216-0
18.2 Kick Return Average 24.0
3-16-0 Missed Field Goal Returns 0-0-0
5.3 Missed FG Return Avg. 0.0
-1 (T-12) Turnover Margin -4 (T-15)
5-5, 100% Field Goals 2-2, 100%
16-19, 84.2% PAT Kicking 9-9, 100%
2-4 yards Sacks By 1-5 yards
1-3 Sacks Against 1-4
8-16, 50% Third Down Conversion 5-15, 33.3%
2-3, 66.7% Fourth Down Conversion 2-5, 40%
20-121 Penalties (#-Yards) 15-111
20-138 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 21-149

BOLD – AFL Leader

INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2005 AFL league leaders:

DeJuan Alfonzo: forced fumbles (T-2nd—1), tackles (13th—11)

Henry Douglas: all-purpose yards (1st –695), receiving yards per game (1st--126), kick return yards (2nd -314), kick return average (12th- 18.5) scoring (9th –42 points) missed field goal returns (9th –3), first downs (2nd—20), receiving touchdowns (5th—7)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (2nd—31 points), field goals made (2nd-5), PAT percentage (7th—84.2), PAT made (T-5th—16), touchbacks (T- 4th)

Tony Lukins: fumbles recovered (t-6th –1)

Jamie McGourty: rushing attempts (T-7th —10), rushing yards (8th —38) fumbles recovered (T- 6th--1)

Bob McMillen: rushing attempts (T-5th —12), rushing yards (12th —30)

Etu Molden: scoring (T-1st—54 points), touchdowns (T-1st—7), rushing touchdowns (T-4th—2), fumbles recovered (t-6th –1), first downs (7th—17)

John Moyer: sacks (T-5th—1)

Raymond Philyaw: total offense (10th—221 yards per game), total offensive plays (10th—68), total offensive touchdowns (5th—12), total offensive yards (10th—442), completion percentage (4th—69.4), passing touchdowns (T-6th—10), passer rating (3rd—122.2), passing yards (10th—439), completions (7th—43)

Russell Shaw: passes defended (2nd—5), interceptions (T-11th—1)

John Moyer: sacks (T-7th –1), fumbles recovered (T-6th –1)

Jeroid Johnson: passes defended (T-2nd—5)

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Questionable – FB/LB Jamie McGourty (right toe strain)
Out –Todd Howard (hamstring) Scott Pospisil (right wrist) and Carlos Wright (abdominal strain)

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

Offensive Player of the Game:
Raymond Philyaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)
Henry Douglas (2/13 @ Colorado)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Russell Shaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Henry Douglas (1/30 @ Dallas)
John Moyer (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 16, 2005


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