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Chicago Rush game notes

April 13, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC...Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Lewis Johnson
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: Chicago leads 3-1
Last Meeting: February 13, 2005, Rush 51, Crush 48
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (85-73 — 12th season)
Mike Dailey (78-48 — 9th season)
Officials: Pat Garvey (Referee), Jeff Carr (Umpire), Bill Ward (Head Linesman), Wayne Mackie (Line Judge), Dino Paganelli (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 L (OT), 40-46 13,614
March 27 BYE
April 2 @ New York W, 44-43 11,719
April 10 San Jose W, 55-39 14,865
April 17 Colorado* Noon NBC
April 23 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m. FSN
May 1 Las Vegas Noon NBC
May 6 @ 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 8-2-0 586 481 2-1
RUSH 6-4-0 473 466 3-0
Nashville 2-7-1 399 461 1-2
Grand Rapids 1-9-0 460 610 0-3


CENTRAL DIVISION BATTLE: Chicago's stretch of tough games continues this week as the Central Division-leading Colorado Crush visits Allstate Arena Sunday afternoon. The Crush has won seven games in a row, and holds a two-game lead over Chicago in the division. The Rush enters the game winners of four of its last five, and armed with the knowledge that Chicago was the last team to beat Colorado.

GISPERT KICK CAPS FEBRUARY 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 February 13 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.

In the game Philyaw completed 30 of 45 passes for a career-high 409 yards and five touchdowns. The 409 yards is the most by any quarterback in the AFL this season.

FINALLY!: QB Raymond Philyaw passed for six touchdowns and ran for a seventh as the Rush finally found a way to defeat the San Jose SaberCats 55-39 last Sunday at Allstate Arena. The Rush had never beaten San Jose – losing to the SaberCats four times, including twice last season. In addition, Rush head coach Mike Hohensee had never beaten San Jose, entering the game with an 0-8 career record against the ‘Cats.

PHILYAW NAMED OFFENSIVE POTW: QB Raymond Philyaw was named AFL Offensive Player of the Week for his performance Sunday in Chicago's win over San Jose. Philyaw enjoyed perhaps his best game of the season, opening the contest by completing his first 17 passes, before finishing the game 27 of 35 for 264 yards. Philyaw threw six touchdown passes and rushed for a seventh score in the game.

PHILYAW LOOKING GOOD: In the three games he has played since returning from a sprained MCL in his right knee that caused him to sit out Chicago's March 6 game vs. Nashville and March 13 game at Grand Rapids, QB Raymond Philyaw has looked great. Philyaw has completed 71 of 99 passes for 773 yards, 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

PHILYAW VS. CRUSH: Rush QB Raymond Philyaw is 2-1 in his career against Colorado, with all three games coming while with the Rush.

Here is a look at Philyaw's numbers vs. Colorado:
Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int. Rating
66 105 62.8 808 10 2 102.4

Philyaw also has carried the ball seven times for eight yards and two touchdowns against the Crush.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS RESPECT: There are no secrets between the Rush and Crush, as the connections between the teams run deep.
8 Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Crush head coach Mike Dailey are very close friends, having known each other for nearly 20 years. The pair first met in 1985 while coaching at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Maryland. When Hohensee was hired as the head coach of the Washington Commandos in 1990, he brought Dailey with him as his line coach. From 1991 through 1993 the two served together as assistant coaches on the staff of the Albany Firebirds. In 1994 Hohensee was promoted to head coach, with Dailey as his assistant head coach. When Hohensee left after the 1996 season, Dailey was promoted to head coach. Dailey then hired Hohensee as his offensive coordinator for the 1998 season. As AFL head coaches the pair has squared off against each other 12 times in the regular season, with the series between them tied 6-6.
8 Rush QB Raymond Philyaw began his AFL career playing for Mike Dailey when both were with the Albany and Indiana Firebirds. Dailey was Philyaw's coach for four seasons.
8 Four other Rush players – DeJuan Alfonzo, Jamie McGourty, John Sikora and Greg Williams – played for Dailey when he was the head coach of the Firebirds.

TOUGH PATH AHEAD: After defeating the Eastern Division-leading New York Dragons and the Western Division-leading San Jose SaberCats in the past two weeks, one would think the Rush schedule would get easier. However, that is not the case. After the Rush plays the Central Division-leading Crush this week it faces two more tough games – back-to-back contests against Western Division opponents Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The combined record of Colorado, LA and Las Vegas is 20-11.

THREE'S A CHARM: The Rush currently is enjoying its third two-game winning streak of the season, but has yet to win three games in a row in 2005. In its history the Rush has had five streaks in which it has won three games or more – two in 2001 (both 3 games), one in 2002 (four games) and two in 2004 (both four games).

HOME COOKIN': With its win over San Jose Sunday, the Rush now has a 25-12 all-time record at home (including postseason). The Rush is 3-2 at home this year and was 7-2 at home in 2004, including a 59-49 win over Orlando in the AFL quarterfinals.

OT NOT KIND: The Rush has struggled in overtime in 2005, falling in both of its chances this year. The Rush lost the season opener in Dallas, 66-65, when Etu Molden's game-winning two-point conversion attempt fell one-yard short of the end zone. Against New Orleans on March 20, Rush QB Raymond Philyaw threw his only interception of the game on Chicago's first possession in OT, and VooDoo QB Andy Kelly capitalized, leading New Orleans on a 47-yard drive for the game-winning TD.

BETTER AFTER THE BREAK?: The Rush reached the midpoint of its season with a 4-4 record. Here is a look at the team's record in the first and second halves of the past four 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 5-3 11-5
2005 4-4 2-0 ?

ZERO SUM GAME: For most the 2005 season, the Rush has found itself on the negative side when it comes to turnover margin – quite a change from last year when the Rush finished tied for the league lead in turnover margin at +15. However, since the bye week the Rush is beginning to turn things around. The Rush only has turned the ball over once since the bye week, while forcing four opponents' turnovers. The team's turnover margin now is a –1 for the season, ranking the Rush 10th in the AFL.

MCMILLEN AIMS FOR TOP SPOT ALL-TIME: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for 8 yards vs. San Jose, giving him 118 for the season and 1,268 for his career. He is the first player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in seven-consecutive seasons and currently sits in second place all-time on the league's career rushing list. Les Barley is the AFL's all-time leading rusher with 1,382 career yards. If McMillen averages 19 yards per game over the season's final six weeks, he will finish the season as the league's all-time leading rusher.

MOLDEN MAKING PLAYS: WR/LB Etu Molden showed why he is one of the top two-way players in the AFL with his play on defense against San Jose Sunday. Early in the fourth quarter with the Rush leading the SaberCats 41-33, Molden intercepted a Mark Grieb pass in the end zone, putting an end to a San Jose drive. It was Molden's career-high third interception of the season. On offense, Molden leads the team in receptions (66), and receiving yards (774) and has scored 20 touchdowns this season.

DOUGLAS TRULY SPECIAL: Offensive specialist Henry Douglas is thriving in the Rush system this season. Douglas is the team's second-leading receiver, catching 62 passes for 767 yards and 14 touchdowns. Douglas also has returned 38 kicks for 726 yards and two touchdowns. Despite missing two-and-a-half games with a groin injury, Douglas ranks 6th in the AFL with 1,537 all-purpose yards.

HOW ABOUT J-MAC: After only being on the field for one play against New York, Jeremy McDaniel came back strong against San Jose last week. McDaniel caught eight passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 24 receptions for 303 yards and seven TDs on the season.

KICKIN' KEITH: Rush kicker Keith Gispert continues to be one of the AFL's most consistent kickers. Gispert connected on seven of eight PAT attempts last Sunday against San Jose, bringing his season totals to 53 of 58 extra-point attempts and eight of 11 field goal attempts. Last season Gispert connected on 95 of 108 PAT attempts and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.

CAREER YEAR ON BOTH SIDES FOR SHAW: Given an opportunity to play for the first time in his five-year AFL career, WR/DB Russell Shaw is making the most of his opportunity. Through ten games, Shaw already has set career-highs by catching 30 passes for 369 yards. In addition, Shaw has recorded career-highs on defense with 32.0 tackles, eight passes broken up and two interceptions. Last week, Shaw even proved how versatile he was, moving to DS against San Jose to fill in for the injured Todd Howard.

THE OLD MAN CAN STILL PLAY: Backup QB Todd Hammel has played in three games this season (including two starts), while filling in for an injured Raymond Philyaw. Hammel has shown that after 14 years he still can throw the ball, completing 46 of 63 passes for 647 yards and 12 touchdowns and posting a passer rating of 125.5. He is 2-0 as a starter this year and was named Offensive Player of the Game after completing 21 of 25 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns and leading the Rush to a 48-45 win in Grand Rapids March 13.

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.

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 85-73 (including a
41-29 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 is 3-1 all-time vs. Colorado and 6-6 all time vs. Mike Dailey.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 172 @ Austin
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 91 vs. Colorado
Perry Moss 86
Mike Dailey Colorado 83 @ Chicago
Michael Trigg 80

MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME: Rush lineman John Moyer recorded his fourth sack of the season April 2 against New York. The sack was Moyer's 32nd of his career and 27th 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 34.5 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 (2005) Jamie McGourty 5.5
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
James Baron 4.0 (2003) Tony Henderson 4.0
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001)
James Baron 3.0 (2004)
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Jamie McGourty 3.0 (2004)

THE OLD GUYS: In addition to the six rookies on the Rush roster, the 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 (121), John Moyer (90), John Sikora (86) and Frank Moore (85).

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Out – Jon McCall (finger), Jamie McGourty (toe), Johnathan Taylor (elbow), Carlos Wright (left quad)
Doubtful – Todd Howard (right hip flexor strain)

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago Category Colorado
10 Games 10
47.3 (13) Scoring Offense 58.6 (1)
46.6 (5) Scoring Defense 48.1 (7)
294.9 (6) Total Offense 261.6 (16)
298.7 (11) Total Defense 312.5 (16)
43-52, 82.7% Red Zone Offense 44-50, 88%
32-41, 78.0% Red Zone Defense 46-54, 85.2%
269.3 (7) Pass Offense 252.0 (11)
275.3 (11) Pass Defense 288.0 (15)
25.6 (5) Rushing Offense 9.6 (17)
23.4 (10) Rushing Defense 24.5 (13)
473 (13) Scoring 586 (1)
77 (8) Scoring (Kicking) 106 (2)
59-926-2 Kickoff Returns 49-781-1
15.7 Kick Return Average 15.9
5-60-0 Missed Field Goal Returns 3-60-0
12.0 Missed FG Return Avg. 20.0
-1, (10) Turnover Margin +13, (2)
8-11, 72.7% Field Goals 12-23, 52.2%
53-58, 91.4% PAT Kicking 70-78, 89.7%
7-24 yards Sacks By 15-65 yards
5-28 Sacks Against 2-13
33-57, 57.9% Third Down Conversion 29-54, 53.7%
5-12, 41.7% Fourth Down Conversion 0-1, 0%
84-516 Penalties (#-Yards) 84-494
85-570 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 86-479
BOLD – AFL Leader

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

DeJuan Alfonzo: forced fumbles (8th-2)

Henry Douglas: all-purpose yards (6th-1537), missed field goal returns (7th-3), kick return touchdowns (4th-8)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (9th-77 points), touchbacks (7th-22), field goal percentage (2nd-72.7 percent)

Jamie McGourty: fumbles recovered (T-13th-2)

Bob McMillen: rushing attempts (6th-42), third and one rushing (7th-4)

Etu Molden: receiving yards (16th-774), interceptions (19th-3), fumbles recovered (T-13th-2), first downs (12th-46), scoring (12th-120 points), yards from scrimmage (14th-793)

John Moyer: sacks (T-4th—5), fumbles recovered (4th-3), tackles for loss (2nd-6.5), combined special teams tackles (15th-6), forced fumbles (T-3rd-3), sacks (T-7th-1)

Raymond Philyaw: completion percentage (4th-66.3), passer rating (8th-68.2 percent), completions percentage (3rd-68.2 percent)

Jeroid Johnson: combined tackles (15th-49), passes defended, fumbles recovered (T-13th)

Todd Hammel: completion percentage (1st-73 percent)

Jeremy McDaniel: yards per rush (3rd-9)

Charlie Cook: yards per rush (4th-8)

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, 4/10 vs. San Jose)
Henry Douglas (2/13 @ Colorado, 4/2 @ New York)
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, April 2 @ New York)
Jeroid Johnson (3/20 vs. New Orleans)
Charles Pauley (April 2 @ New York)
Etu Molden (4/10 vs. San Jose)

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)
Bob McMillen (3/20 vs. New Orleans, 4/10 vs. San Jose)

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

Offensive Player of the Week:
Raymond Philyaw (Week 11 vs. San Jose)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of April 11:
Monday, April 11 – Player Meetings 10 a.m.
Tuesday, April 12 – Off
Wednesday, April 13 – 12:35 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Thursday, April 14 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Friday, April 15 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, April 16 – 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.

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