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Chicago Rush game notes

May 3, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: FSN¡KKent Derdivanis, Ron Wolfley, Kevin McCabe
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Ron Gleason, James ¡§Big Cat¡¨ Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: Arizona leads 3-0 (2-0 in regular season, 1-0 in postseason)
Last Meeting: May 11, 2003, Arizona 56, Rush 44
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (87-74 ¡X 12th season)
Todd Shell (50-45 ¡X 7th season)
Officials: Tom McCabe (Referee), Matt Jordan (Umpire), Neil Brunner (Head Linesman), Bob McElwee (Line Judge), Keith Washington (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* W, 75-51 12,953
April 23 @ Los Angeles L, 49-52 11,904
May 1 Las Vegas W, 63-62 12,994
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 ¡X Central Division
2005 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
RUSH 8-5-0 660 631 4-0
Colorado 8-5-0 730 703 2-3
Nashville 5-7-1 544 585 1-2
Grand Rapids 2-11-0 606 773 1-3


OFF TO THE DESERT: The Rush travels to the desert this week to take on the Arizona Rattlers, a team the Rush has never beaten. Chicago lost to Arizona during the preseason in 2001, the regular season in 2002 and 2003 and the AFL playoffs in 2002.

Chicago enters the game with a 4-1 record since its bye week and currently sits in first place in the Central Division, while the Rattlers are struggling at 4-9. After appearing in the last three ArenaBowls, the Rattlers will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

This week¡¦s game, which originally was scheduled for Saturday night, was moved to Friday to accommodate the NBA playoffs.

THE FINAL PUSH: After Friday¡¦s game in Arizona only two weeks will remain in the regular season. The Rush will close the 2005 regular season with back-to-back games against Central Division rivals ¡V a May 15 home game against Grand Rapids and a May 22 trip to Nashville. With backup QB Todd Hammel filling in for an injured Raymond Philyaw, the Rush beat both the Rampage and Kats earlier this season.

RUSH HOLDS ON AGAINST VEGAS: Clint Dolezel¡¦s two-point conversion attempt with 17 seconds remaining fell incomplete in the end zone, giving the Rush a 63-62 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators last Sunday at Allstate Arena. Rush QB Raymond Philyaw completed 23 of 30 passes for 285 yards and six touchdowns, and Chicago scored on each of its ten possessions (9 TDs and 1 FG) before taking over and running out the clock after the failed two-point conversion.

RUSH-RATTLERS SERIES HISTORY: After playing each other three times in 12 months between 2002 and 2003, the Rush and Rattlers will meet this weekend for the first time in two years. The Arizona-Chicago series has been completely one-sided, with Arizona winning all three previous meetings. (Arizona also won a preseason game between the teams in 2001).

Perhaps the biggest game in the series came in 2002, when the two teams met at America West Arena in the AFL semifinals. Rush QB Billy Dicken threw an interception on Chicago¡¦s first offensive play from scrimmage and kicker Kenny Stucker missed a 27-yard field goal on the team¡¦s second possession, allowing Arizona to build an early 21-0 lead. Chicago eventually cut the score to 21-14 and looked to have the momentum. The Rush defense stopped the Rattlers on their final drive of the first half, forcing Arizona to attempt a 48-yard Chris Sailor field goal. However, Sailor¡¦s kick missed wide right, took an awkward bounce off the net and was recovered by Mark Tucker in the end zone, giving Arizona a 27-14 lead at the break. When the Rush was unable to score on its first possession of the second half, Arizona took a 33-14 lead and cruised to a 46-35 victory.

Here is a look at the Rush-Rattlers Series Results:
2002: Rattlers 52, Rush 41 (May 25 @ Arizona)
Rattlers 46, Rush 35 (August 11 @ Arizona)*
2003: Rattlers 56, Rush 44 (May 11 @ Chicago)
*AFL Semifinals

HOME COOKIN¡¦: With its win over Las Vegas last week, the Rush now has a 27-12 all-time record at home (including postseason). The Rush is 5-2 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 4-1 ?

PHILYAW ON FIRE: QB Raymond Philyaw has been playing his best football of the season since returning to the lineup March 20. In six games Philyaw has completed 147 of 203 passes (72%) for 1,712 yards, 31 touchdowns and only five interceptions. His quarterback rating during the last six games is 126.9, raising his overall QB rating for the season to 118.0 ¡V third best in the AFL.

PHILYAW VS. ARIZONA: Like the Rush team, QB Raymond Philyaw has not enjoyed much success against Arizona, although Philyaw has never faced the Rattlers while wearing Rush blue. As a member of the Indiana/Albany Firebirds, Philyaw played in four games against Arizona, watching his team go 1-3. Philyaw is 1-2 in his career as a starter against Arizona, defeating the Rattlers 43-37 in 2001, but losing to Arizona in both 2002 and 2003. In the 2003 game, Philyaw started 4-8 for 36 yards before breaking his finger and missing the rest of the game.

Here are Philyaw¡¦s career numbers vs. Arizona:
QB Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
Philyaw 37 84 44% 399 6 0 76.4

PAULEY OUT FOR THE YEAR: Rush WR/DB Charles Pauley will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Monday to insert a plate and screws into his broken right forearm. Pauley suffered the injury to the Radius bone in his arm making a tackle in the fourth quarter of Sunday¡¦s win over Las Vegas. For the season, the second year player from San Jose State had caught 21 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and recorded 14 tackles, one interception and four passes broken up.

RUSH HOPES TO GET MOLDEN BACK: Rush WR/LB Etu Molden missed last week¡¦s game against Las Vegas with a strained glute muscle. The injury occurred two weeks ago in Los Angeles when Molden was hit after recovering a fourth-quarter onside kick. At the time of his injury, Molden was Chicago¡¦s leading receiver, with 78 receptions for 968 yards. The Rush hopes to have Molden back for this week¡¦s contest in Arizona.

COMPLETE INJURY RECAP: The Rush currently has five players on its injured reserve list, including three who are out for the rest of the regular season. Here is a list of the team¡¦s IR players and their status.
Ĭ OL/DL Colin Greczek is out for the regular season after fracturing the Fibula in his left leg April 17 against Colorado.
Ĭ OL/DL Jon McCall had surgery to repair tendon and ligament damage in his left middle finger on March 24. He is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season.
Ĭ WR/DB Charles Pauley is out for the season after suffering a fractured Radius in his left arm May 1 against Las Vegas.
Ĭ WR/DB Greg Williams suffered a sprained ankle in practice and was placed on IR April 29. He will be eligible to return to the lineup May 15 vs. Grand Rapids.
Ĭ WR/LB Carlos Wright injured his left quad in practice March 9. He is expected to miss a few more weeks.

MOLDEN APPROACHING RUSH RECORDS: In just his second season, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden is close to becoming the team¡¦s all-time leading receiver. For the second-consecutive season, Molden leads the team in all receiving categories, catching 78 passes for 968 yards and 22 touchdowns. Overall, Molden has scored 27 TDs this season (22 receiving, 4 rushing, 1 return). With his impressive season, Molden has moved into second place in Rush history behind former OS Antonio Chatman in receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs and total TDs.

Career Numbers Chatman Molden
Receptions 197 179
Yards 2,676 2,248
Receiving TDs 52 45
Total TDs 62 59

McMILLEN TOPS 1,300 YARD MARK: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for 12 yards vs. Las Vegas, giving him 154 for the season and 1,304 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 26 yards per game over the season¡¦s final three weeks, he will finish the season as the league¡¦s all-time leading rusher.

The AFL¡¦s All-Time Rushing list
Player Seasons Team Yards
Les Barley 1992-2001 ¡X 1,382
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,304
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,244
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 ¡X 1,241

McMILLEN THIRD IN RUSHING TDs: Bob McMillen added another rushing touchdown last week against Las Vegas, bringing his career total to 74. McMillen now sits by himself in third place on the AFL¡¦s All-Time list for rushing TDs behind Barry Wagner (123) and Andre Bowden (93).

MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME: Rush lineman John Moyer recorded two sacks April 23 in LA ¡V numbers five and six on the season. Moyer now has 34 career sacks, including 29 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 35.5 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 29.0
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) James Baron 10.0
John Moyer 6.0 (2005) Anthony Hutch 6.5
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) 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)

MOYER HAS HANDS: In addition to being one of the best pass rushers in the AFL, lineman John Moyer also has the ability to be a threat on offense. Moyer has equaled his career-high this year (set in 2001 with Florida), catching seven passes for 34 yards. Moyer has proven to be a big play receiver, as five of his seven receptions have resulted in touchdowns.

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. Shaw has set career-highs by catching 35 passes for 412 yards. In addition, Shaw has recorded career-highs on defense with 46.5 tackles, nine passes broken up and three interceptions. Due to injuries to Todd Howard and Tony Lukins earlier in the season, Shaw proved his versatility, moving from WR/DB to defensive specialist for three games (April 10 vs. SJ, April 17 vs. Col and April 23 @ LA).

DOUGLAS TRULY SPECIAL: Offensive specialist Henry Douglas is thriving in the Rush system this season. Douglas is the team¡¦s leading receiver, catching 82 passes for 965 yards and 16 touchdowns. Douglas also has returned 58 kicks for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. Despite missing two-and-a-half games with a groin injury, Douglas ranks second in the AFL with 2,144 all-purpose yards.

KICKIN¡¦ KEITH: Rush kicker Keith Gispert continues to be one of the AFL¡¦s most consistent kickers. For the season Gispert has connected on 73 of 86 extra-point attempts (85%) and nine of 13 field goal attempts (69%). Last season Gispert connected on 95 of 108 PAT attempts (87.9%) and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.

THE OLD MAN CAN STILL PLAY: Backup QB Todd Hammel has played in four games for the Rush this season (two starts), including the 150th game of his career April 17 vs. Colorado. Hammel has shown that after 14 years he still can throw the ball, completing 47 of 64 passes for 649 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 ¡V 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 ¡V also on the final play of the first half. In 2004 the Rush special teams blocked nine kicks ¡V two field goals and seven extra points.

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 150 career games, followed by Bob McMillen (124), John Moyer (93), John Sikora (89) and Frank Moore (88).

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
Ĭ has a regular season record of 87-74 (including a
43-30 mark with the Rush).
Ĭ has a career 6-8 mark in the postseason.
Ĭ has led the Rush to four-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
Ĭ is 1-7 all-time against Arizona, including 0-3 with the Rush.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 174 @ Georgia
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 93 @ Arizona
Perry Moss 86
Mike Dailey Colorado 83 @ New Orleans
Darren Arbet San Jose 81 vs. Los Angeles
Michael Trigg 80



TALE OF THE TAPE:
Chicago
Category Arizona
13 Games 13
50.8 (8) Scoring Offense 50.2 (12)
48.5 (T6) Scoring Defense 51.1 (6)
302.8 (4) Total Offense 288.3 (6)
299.9 (12) Total Defense 257.7 (3)
46-55, 83.6% Red Zone Offense 44-59, 74.6%
34-45, 75.6% Red Zone Defense 64-82, 78%
278.9 (4) Pass Offense 273.1 (5)
277.5 (14) Pass Defense 245.6 (4)
23.8 (5) Rushing Offense 15.2 (13)
22.4 (11) Rushing Defense 12.1 (1)
548 (10) Scoring 568 (13)
100 (9) Scoring (Kicking) 86
79-1302-3 Kickoff Returns 76-1424-2
16.5 Kick Return Average 18.7
8-112-1 Missed Field Goal Returns 7-115-0
14.0 Missed FG Return Avg. 16.4
-3 (T11) Turnover Margin -8 (14)
9-13, 69.2% Field Goals 5-13, 38.5%
73-86, 84.8% PAT Kicking 71-84, 84.5%
10-37 yards Sacks By 15-86 yards
7-40 Sacks Against 15-86
37-71, 52.1% Third Down Conversion 47-89, 52.8%
9-18, 50.0% Fourth Down Conversion 10-22, 45.5%
109-687 Penalties (#-Yards) 123-740
107-710 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 108-646
BOLD ¡V AFL Leader

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

Henry Douglas: all-purpose yards (2nd-2160 yards), missed field goal returns (1st -6), missed field goal return yards (1st-138 yards)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (T-9th- 100 points), touchbacks (6th-30), field goals (9th-8), field goal percentage (3rd-66.7%), PAT made (9th-67)

Jeroid Johnson: tackles (14th-64), fumbles recovered (T-5th-3), passes defended (13th ¡V 11), fumbles forced (T-8th -2)

Bob McMillen: rushing (8th-154 yards)

Etu Molden: scoring (8th-162 points), first downs (11th-55)

John Moyer: sacks (5th-6), fumbles recovered (T-5th-3), tackles for loss (2nd-8)

Raymond Philiyaw: average gain per pass (4th-7.97), pass rating (3rd118.0), completion percentage (2nd- 69.6)

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, 5/1 vs. Las Vegas)
Henry Douglas (2/13 @ Colorado, 4/2 @ New York)
Etu Molden (3/6 vs. Nashville, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Todd Hammel (3/13 @ Grand Rapids)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Russell Shaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Todd Howard (3/6 vs. Nashville, 3/13 @ Grand Rapids, April 2 @ New York)
Jeroid Johnson (3/20 vs. New Orleans)
Charles Pauley (4/2 @ 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, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Bob McMillen (3/20 vs. New Orleans, 4/10 vs. San Jose, 5/1 vs. Las Vegas)

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)
Etu Molden (Week 12 vs. Colorado)

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week¡¦s injury report to the AFL.
Out ¡V Colin Greczek (left fibula fracture), Jon McCall (finger), Charles Pauley (left arm fracture), Greg Williams (left ankle sprain), Carlos Wright (left quad)
Questionable ¡V Henry Douglas (turf toe, left foot)
Probable ¡V Etu Molden (glute strain, left shoulder)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of May 2:
Monday, May 2 ¡V Off
Tuesday, May 3 ¡V 12:35 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Wednesday, May 4 ¡V 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Thursday, May 5 ¡V 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Arizona

All practices this week will be held at the team¡¦s Hoffman Estates practice facility, Poplar Creek Sports Centre, with the exception of Thursday¡¦s walk-thru in Arizona.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 3, 2005


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