Sports stats



Chicago Rush game notes

March 15, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC ... Tom Hammond, Ray Bentley, Lewis Johnson
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: This is the first meeting between the teams
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (83-72 — 12th season)
Mike Neu (22-15 — 3rd season)
Officials: Bill Athan (Referee), Tim Morris (Umpire), Tim Podraza (Head Linesman), Tom Symonette (Line Judge), Greg Wilson (Back Judge)

2005 Chicago Rush Schedule
January 30 @ Dallas L (OT), 65-66 11,229
February 6 Philadelphia W, 51-41 16,036
February 13 @ Colorado* W, 51-48 16,620
February 19 @ Columbus L, 39-52 17,171
February 25 Orlando L, 35-48 14,126
March 6 Nashville* W, 45-38 15,881
March 13 @ Grand Rapids* W, 48-45 8,110
March 20 New Orleans 11 a.m. NBC
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
Colorado 4-2-0 330 290 2-1
RUSH 4-3-0 334 338 3-0
Grand Rapids 1-5-0 316 378 0-2
Nashville 1-6-0 283 345 0-2


RUSH GETS FIRST TASTE OF BLACK MAGIC: The Rush returns to Allstate Arena Sunday to host the New Orleans VooDoo in the first-ever meeting between the teams. New Orleans enters the game on the heels of a 63-52 loss to the Orlando Predators, dropping it into a three-way tie with Orlando and Georgia for first place in the AFL's Southern Division. The Rush is riding its second two-game winning streak of the season, posting consecutive wins over Nashville and Grand Rapids, and sits in second place in the Central Division.

TIME FOR SOME REST: After Sunday's game against New Orleans the Rush will enjoy its bye week before resuming its schedule April 2 at New York.

RUSH HOLDS ON IN GRAND RAPIDS: After falling behind 24-13 at the half, the Rush outscored the Grand Rapids Rampage 21-7 in the third quarter to take a 34-31 lead, before holding on for a 48-45 win at Van Andel Arena Sunday. With less than one minute left to play in the game and the Rush poised to score, the Rampage stopped Chicago on fourth and goal from the one-yard line. Six plays later, with one second remaining on the clock, the Rampage had moved into position for a game-tying field goal. However, Peter Martinez's 33-yard attempt missed wide right, and the Rush secured its fourth victory of the season.

HAMMEL MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW: Backup QB Todd Hammel started his second-consecutive game in place of Raymond Philyaw, leading the Rush to a 48-45 win in Grand Rapids. Hammel raised his career record against the Rampage to 4-1 and was named Offensive Player of the Game after completing 21 of 25 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns. In his two starts this year Hammel has completed 41 of 56 passes for 571 yards and 11 TDs, while posting a QB rating of 122.8.

MOLDEN STREAKING: WR/LB Etu Molden has been playing some of his best football during the team's current two-game winning streak. Named U.S. Army Ironman of the Game in back-to-back weeks, Molden caught 15 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns, and recorded six tackles and an interception in the games against Nashville and Grand Rapids. Molden leads the team in receptions (49), and receiving yards (570) and has scored 16 touchdowns this season, ranking seventh in the AFL in scoring with 96 points.

DOUGLAS RETURN ADDS SPARK: After missing the team's last two games with a groin injury, offensive specialist Henry Douglas returned last week to give the Rush offense a spark. Douglas caught five passes for 89 yards and three touchdowns and returned six kicks for 123 yards. Despite missing two and a half games this year, Douglas still ranks sixth in the AFL in all-purpose yards with 995.

HOME COOKIN': The Rush loves playing at Allstate Arena, posting a 24-11 all-time record at home (including postseason). The Rush is 2-1 at home this season and was 7-2 at home in 2004.

HOWARD HITTIN' HARD: Defensive specialist Todd Howard has played in two games since being activated from injured reserve and has been named ADT Defensive Player of the Game in both. He has recorded 12 tackles, one interception and four passes broken up in his two games.

PHILYAW STILL RECOVERING: Starting QB Raymond Philyaw missed his second-consecutive game last week while nursing a sprained MCL in his right knee. Philyaw injured his knee in the team's February 19 loss at Columbus. He played through the pain February 26 against Orlando, but sat out against Nashville and Grand Rapids. He is listed as questionable for this week's game against the VooDoo.

MCMILLEN MOVING UP CHARTS: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for 20 yards last week in Grand Rapids, giving him 1,233 for his career and moving him into third place all-time, passing Arizona FB Bo Kelly (1,228). McMillen needs just nine yards Sunday to pass Andre Bowden (1,241) and move into second place. Les Barley is the AFL's all-time leading rusher with 1,382 career yards. If McMillen averages 17 yards per game over the season's final nine weeks, he will finish the season as the league's all-time leading rusher.

FB=MC2: Perhaps the deepest position on the Rush roster is FB/LB, with AFL veterans Bob McMillen and Jamie McGourty manning the duties.
8 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 3rd in AFL history in rushing yards (1,233) and rushing attempts (378) and 5th in rushing touchdowns (68). McMillen enjoyed the best year of his career in 2004, rushing for a career-high 285 yards and 22 TDs.
8 McGourty is the last original member of the Rush, entering his 5th season in Chicago. In his six-year career, McGourty has rushed for 455 yards and scored 40 touchdowns. McGourty also ranks fourth in Rush history in sacks, with 5.5.

COOK MOVED TO FB/LB: After beginning the season on Chicago's defensive line, Charlie Cook has been moved to FB/LB. The switch is not new for Cook, who played both as a lineman and FB/LB in his rookie season with Indiana last year. Cook carried the ball 11 times with the Firebirds in 2004, gaining 35 yards and scoring one TD.

KICKIN' KEITH: Rush kicker Keith Gispert continues to be one of the AFL's most consistent kickers. Through seven games this season, Gispert has connected on 36 of 41 extra point attempts, including 18 of his last 19, and six of eight field goal attempts. Last season Gispert connected on 95 of 108 PAT attempts and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.

HOHENSEE NOW IN 3RD PLACE ALL-TIME: With Chicago's 51-48 win in Colorado February 13, 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
8 has a regular season record of 83-72 (including a
39-28 mark with the Rush).
8 has a career 6-8 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to four-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
8 has never faced a Mike Neu coached team.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 171 @ Philadelphia
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 89 vs. New Orleans
Perry Moss 86
Michael Trigg 80
Mike Dailey Colorado 79 vs. Columbus

MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME: Rush lineman John Moyer recorded his third second sack of the season February 25 against Orlando. The sack was Moyer's 31st of his career and 26th as a member of the Rush. This season Moyer has moved past Joe March into eighth place all-time. Next up for Moyer is San Jose's Joe Jacobs with 32.5 career sacks. Moyer holds both the Rush season and career records for sacks.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 26.0
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
John Moyer 3.0 (2005)
James Baron 3.0 (2004)
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Jamie McGourty 3.0 (2004)

COSTLY TURNOVERS: Last season the Rush was one of the best teams in the AFL at taking care of the ball. The Rush only turned the ball over 15 times all season, and finished the year tied for the lead in turnover margin (+15). This year, however, the Rush already has turned the ball over 13 times in seven games, while only forcing 10 turnovers, giving the Rush a turnover margin of –3. Rush QB Raymond Philyaw has thrown five interceptions this season – one more than he threw all last season – while backup QB Todd Hammel has thrown three.

BLOCK THAT KICK: March 6 against Nashville, lineman John Moyer blocked his second kick of the season, and seventh since the start of the 2004 season – a Gary Kral extra-point attempt on the final play of the first half. In the season opener against Dallas, Moyer blocked a Carlos Martinez 22-yard field goal attempt – also on the final play of the first half. In 2004 the Rush special teams blocked nine kicks – two field goals and seven extra points.

J-MAC BACK, THEN GONE: Jeremy McDaniel, Chicago's second-leading receiver in 2004, saw limited action in the team's first three games this season. Then, when Henry Douglas was injured February 19 at Columbus McDaniel jumped in and picked up right where he left off last season. In two games as the team's offensive specialist McDaniel caught 14 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. However, McDaniel injured his knee in practice March 4 and was placed on injured reserve. If healthy, he is eligible to return to the lineup March 20 against New Orleans.

SHAW STRONG ON BOTH SIDES: New Rush WR/DB Russell Shaw continues to make an impact on both sides of the ball for Chicago. Shaw already has set career-highs by catching 27 passes for 342 yards on the season. In addition, Shaw has recorded 18.5 tackles, a career-high five passes broken up and two interceptions.

THE OLD GUYS: In addition to the six rookies on the Rush roster, team also features many players with a wealth of AFL experience. Todd Hammel leads all Rush players with 149 career games, followed by Bob McMillen (118), John Moyer (87), John Sikora (83) and Frank Moore (82).

TAYLOR SIGNED, PLACED ON IR: Late last week the Rush signed lineman Johnathan Taylor to its roster and placed him on injured reserve. Taylor, a 2002 fourth-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, spent the 2004 AFL season as a rookie with the Los Angeles Avengers, playing in 11 games and recording 8.0 tackles and one sack. In college at Montana State, Taylor was an all-Big Sky selection who finished his career with 149 tackles, 16 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He still is recovering from a broken arm suffered earlier this season in training camp with the Avengers.

300-YARD PASSERS: VooDoo quarterback Andy Kelly is one of only five men to pass for more than 300 yards against the Rush defense. Kelly accomplished the feat last season while with Detroit in a 72-71 win at Allstate Arena. Desperados rookie QB Clint Stoerner passed for 398 yards against the Rush in the 2005 season's opening week – the most ever by an opposing QB, and the only 300-yard game allowed by the Rush this season.

Rush opponent's 300-yard passing games:
Player Date Yards
Clint Stoerner 1/30/05 @ Dallas 398
Clint Dolezel 7/7/01 @ Grand Rapids 342
Aaron Garcia 3/23/03 vs. New York 339
Clint Dolezel 5/4/02 vs. Grand Rapids 321
Clint Dolezel 3/29/03 @ Grand Rapids 317
Andy Kelly 3/28/04 vs. Detroit 306
Donnie Davis 5/18/02 vs. Georgia 304
Aaron Garcia 6/30/02 vs. New York 303

KELLY VS. RUSH: While New Orleans QB Andy Kelly holds most of the AFL's career passing records, the Rush has had success defending against him over the past four seasons. The Rush is 4-1 when Kelly starts at quarterback for the opponent, including a 60-47 AFL quarterfinal playoff win over Kelly's Dallas Desperados in 2002.

Here are Kelly's career numbers against the Rush:
G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
5 100 160 62.5% 1,067 16 5 93.9

FAMILIAR FACES: The New Orleans roster features several players familiar to Chicago Rush fans.
8 VooDoo backup QB Billy Dicken was Chicago's starting quarterback from 2001 to 2003, playing in 40 games and leading the Rush to the playoffs in all three seasons.
8 OL/DL Furnell Hankton is on the VooDoo's practice squad after spending three seasons (2001-2003) in Chicago.
8 Kicker Brian Schmitz grew up in nearby Park Ridge, just minutes from Allstate Arena. A starting receiver, punter and kicker for Maine South High School, he was named a second-team USA Today All-American at kicker. In 1995, he led the Hawks to the 5A State championship, kicking game-winning field goals in both the semifinals and the finals. He was named the kicker on the Chicago Tribune's All-Century Illinois High School Team.

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Questionable – QB Raymond Philyaw (MCL, right knee),
Out – Tony Lukins (ankle), Jeremy McDaniel (knee), Johnathan Taylor (elbow)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of March 14:
Monday, March 14 – Meetings and Film – 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 15 – Players Off
Wednesday, March 16 – 12:35 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Thursday, March 17 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Friday, March 18 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, March 19 – 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

All practices this week will be held at the team's Hoffman Estates practice facility, Poplar Creek Sports Centre.

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category New Orleans
7 Games 7
47.7 (13) Scoring Offense 54.1 (5)
48.3 (6) Scoring Defense 49.1 (11)
298.1 (3) Total Offense 305.3 (2)
295.1 (13) Total Defense 257.0 (5)
29-36, 80.6% Red Zone Offense 29-34, 85.3%
24-30, 80.0% Red Zone Defense 28-35, 80.0%
274.9 (5) Pass Offense 294.1 (2)
264.4 (10) Pass Defense 233.6 (3)
23.3 (6) Rushing Offense 11.1 (15)
30.7 (14) Rushing Defense 23.4 (12)
334 (9) Scoring 379 (1)
54 (7) Scoring (Kicking) 65 (2)
39-680-1 Kickoff Returns 36-584-1
17.4 Kick Return Average 16.2
4-35-0 Missed Field Goal Returns 2-9-0
8.8 Missed FG Return Avg. 4.5
-4, (T-13) Turnover Margin +0, (T-9)
6-8, 75.0% Field Goals 6-9, 66.7%
36-41, 87.8% PAT Kicking 47-50, 94.0%
5-19 yards Sacks By 9-50 yards
4-24 Sacks Against 6-47
20-39, 51.3% Third Down Conversion 25-50, 50.0%
4-9, 44.4% Fourth Down Conversion 6-13, 46.2%
62-383 Penalties (#-Yards) 47-275
57-400 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 64-380
BOLD – AFL Leader

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

DeJuan Alfonzo: forced fumbles (T-9th—1)

Henry Douglas: kickoff returns (5th—22), kickoff return yards (4th—494), kick return touchdowns (T-6th—1)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (7th—54 points), field goals made (T-4th—6), PAT percentage (9th—87.8), PAT attempts (9th—41), PAT made (9th—36)

Todd Hammel: passing yards per attempt (1st—10.3), passing yards per catch (3rd—14.1), pass completion percentage (1st—73.0), fourth quarter passing (4th—120.1)

Jeroid Johnson: passes defended (T-10th—8), tackles (T-12th—35.5)

Jamie McGourty: fumbles recovered (T-3rd—2)

Bob McMillen: rushing attempts (5th—26), rushing yards (6th—83)

Etu Molden: scoring (T-7th—96 points), touchdowns (T-7th—16), receptions (9th—49), receiving touchdowns (T-8th—14), interceptions (T-9th—2), first downs (T-6th—35), third down receiving (T-8th—8 rec.)

John Moyer: sacks (T-5th –3.0), tackles for loss (T-6th—4.0), fumbles forced (T-3rd—2)

Raymond Philyaw: completion percentage (7th—66.3)

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)
Etu Molden (3/6 vs. Nashville)
Todd Hammel (3/13 @ Grand Rapids)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Russell Shaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)
Todd Howard (3/6 vs. Nashville, 3/13 @ Grand Rapids)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Henry Douglas (1/30 @ Dallas)
John Moyer (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)
Etu Molden (3/6 vs. Nashville, 3/13 @ Grand Rapids)

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 15, 2005


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.

Other Recent Chicago Rush Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central