Sports stats



Chicago Rush game notes

February 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: Fox Sports Net ...Bill Macdonald, John Jackson, Lindsay Soto
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM...Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams
Overall Series Record: Los Angeles leads 3-2 (LA leads 3-1 in regular season, Rush leads 1-0 in postseason)
Last Meeting: May 29, 2005, Rush 52, Avengers 45 ...American Conference semifinals.
Coaches (regular season, postseason records):
Mike Hohensee (89-78, 7-9 - 13th season)
Ed Hodgkiss (39-26, 0-4 - 5th season)
Officials: Terry Brown (Referee), Rick Lowe (Umpire), Kelly Saalfeld (Head Linesman), Art Lucky (Line Judge), Scott Helverson (Back Judge)

2006 Chicago Rush Schedule
January 29 @ Colorado* L, 65-56 14,832
February 3 New York L, 51-47 14,947
February 12 Nashville* W, 56-55 (OT) 12,663
February 18 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m. FSN
February 26 San Jose Noon NBC
March 5 Dallas 11 a.m. NBC
March 10 Colorado* 7:30 p.m.
March 17 @ Nashville* 7 p.m.
March 26 Grand Rapids* 2 p.m.
April 2 @ Orlando 11 a.m.
April 9 @ Philadelphia Noon
April 15 @ Arizona 9 p.m.
April 23 Las Vegas 3 p.m.
April 29 @ Georgia 6 p.m.
May 6 Utah 7 p.m.
May 13 @ Grand Rapids* 6:30 p.m.

* Central Division game


American Conference - Central Division
2006 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
Colorado 3-0-0 191 170 1-0
Nashville 2-1-0 165 111 0-1
RUSH 1-2-0 159 171 1-1
Grand Rapids 1-2-0 139 145 0-0

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: After getting its first win of the season last week against Nashville, the Rush heads to Los Angeles for the third time in less than a year. Chicago split a pair of games in LA last season, falling to the Avengers, 52-49, during the regular season, but winning, 52-45, when in counted in the AFL playoffs.

Here is a recap of the two Chicago-LA games from 2005:

April 23, 2005 - A sloppy Rush team fell behind by 18 points before mounting a furious late-game comeback against the Avengers. The rally was not enough, however, and the Rush fell 52-49 at Staples Center.

Chicago turned the ball over four times (two fumbles and two interceptions), lost a kickoff off the net, committed 11 penalties and dropped several passes in the loss.

The turning point in the game came with 30 seconds remaining in the first half and the Rush trailing 24-21. Rush QB Raymond Philyaw found offensive specialist Henry Douglas wide open in the end zone for an apparent touchdown. However, Douglas dropped the ball. On the very next play, Philyaw was pressured and tried to force a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Damen Wheeler - his second interception of the game. Wheeler returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown and a 31-21 LA lead.

Then, on the ensuing kickoff Russell Shaw was unable to catch Remy Hamilton's kick as it took an awkward bounce off the net. Greg Hopkins scooped up the ball at the Rush four-yard line and dove into the end zone with 13 seconds remaining, giving LA a 38-21 halftime lead. The teams would exchange scores for most of the second half, until Chicago began its comeback with 6:11 remaining.

May 29, 2005 - Trailing 35-17 early in the third quarter, the Rush went on a 35-10 run in the second half at Staples Center, erasing an 18 point lead and earning a 52-45 victory over Los Angeles. The Rush defense held LA scoreless on its last four possessions of the game - forcing two fumbles and forcing the Avengers to turn the ball over on downs twice. The 18-point comeback win was the largest comeback of the season for the Rush and the second largest in team history.

Rush-Avengers All-Time Series Results:
2001: Los Angeles 55, Rush 47 (June 20 @ LA)
2003: Rush 54, Los Angeles 53 (February 23 @ Chicago)
2004: Los Angeles 71, Rush 35 (April 25 @ Chicago)
2005: Los Angeles 52, Rush 49 (April 23 @ LA)
Rush 52, Los Angeles 45 (May 29 @ LA)*
*AFL playoffs

STREAK BREAKERS: The Nashville Kats seem to be the cure for Chicago's two-game losing streaks. For the third-consecutive time the Rush snapped a two-game skid by defeating the Kats. After building a 42-20 lead early in the third quarter, Nashville battled back and eventually scored on the final play of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 48-48. The Kats scored first in overtime when Rupert Grant dove into the end zone from two-yards out to give Nashville a 55-48 lead. Rush QB Matt D'Orazio led Chicago down the field, but after two incomplete passes and a sack, found himself faced with a fourth-and-15 play from the Kats' 17-yard line. D'Orazio dropped back and found OS C.J. Johnson in the back corner of the end zone to bring the score to 55-54. Rather than kick the PAT and play on, Rush head coach Mike Hohensee elected to go for two and the win. D'Orazio hit Cornelius White with the conversion pass and the Rush notched a 56-55 win. D'Orazio completed 21 of 29 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns, without throwing an interception. He also rushed for 25 yards on nine carries in the win.

WE WERE DUE: Dating back to the American Conference final in Colorado last season, the Rush had lost three games in a row on the final play. After Nashville scored on the final play of regulation last week to send the game to overtime tied at 48-48, Chicago knew a fourth-consecutive game would come down to the last play. However, this time the Rush found a way to win the game as QB Matt D'Orazio turned a fourth-and-15 play into a Rush touchdown and then converted the two-point try to give the Rush a 56-55 victory.

Consecutive games decided on final play:
June 5, 2005 - Colorado QB John Dutton connects with Andy McCullough on a 22-yard touchdown pass in overtime for the winning score.

January 29, 2006 -Dutton hit Colorado OS Damian Harrell with an 11-yard TD pass with one-second left, breaking a 56-56 tie. After a safety on the ensuing kickoff, the Crush had handed Chicago a 65-56 defeat.

February 3, 2006 - Rush QB Matt D'Orazio's one-yard touchdown scramble as time expired was nullified by a Rush penalty, turning a 53-51 Rush win into a 51-47 loss to New York.

February 12, 2006 - D'Orazio's TD pass to CJ Johnson and two-point conversion pass to Cornelius White in overtime gave the Rush a 56-55 win over Nashville.

FINALLY AN OT WIN: Sunday's overtime win over Nashville was the first overtime victory for the Rush since it defeated Indiana May 18, 2003. Chicago had lost three-consecutive overtime games - all coming during the 2005 season. Overall, Chicago is 3-4 in OT.

THREE GAME HOMESTAND UP NEXT: After this week's trip to Los Angeles, the Rush comes home for its next three games - the longest homestand in team history. The Rush will host San Jose (Feb. 26), Dallas (March 5) and Colorado (March 10), before finally going back on the road to take on Nashville (March 17).

McMILLEN NEARING RECORD: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen is just 11 yards shy of breaking the AFL's all-time rushing record currently held by Les Barley. McMillen has carried the ball 11 times for 44 yards this season, bringing his career rushing total to 1,372 yards.

As part of the league's celebration of its 20th season, McMillen was named one of the AFL's 20 Greatest Players of all-time. In his 12th season, He ranks second on the AFL's all-time rushing list, is tied for third all-time in rushing attempts and ranks third all-time in rushing touchdowns. He has won two ArenaBowl championships (1997 with Arizona and 2002 with San Jose) and is the only player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in seven-consecutive seasons.

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Yards list
Player Seasons Team Yards
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 1,382
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,372
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,251
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 1,241

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Attempts list
Player Seasons Team Attempts
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 438
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 425
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 423
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 423

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Touchdowns list
Player Seasons Team Rushing TDs
Barry Wagner 1992-present San Jose 125
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 93
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 75
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 73
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 71

D'ORAZIO COMFORTABLE UNDER CENTER: New QB Matt D'Orazio has been solid in his first three games under center for the Rush. So far this season, D'Orazio has completed 67 of 96 passes for 726 yards and 13 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also has carried the ball 26 times for 63 yards and five TDs. He ranks second in the AFL in rushing and sixth in QB rating (116.9).

Brief D'Orazio Bio - Prior to 2006 D'Orazio spent four seasons in the AFL with Milwaukee, Buffalo and Columbus, but only played in 16 career games, with 13 of them coming last season. Entering the year he had connected on 206 of 326 passes for 2,308 yards, 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions and had carried the ball 49 times for 178 yards and seven touchdowns.

D'ORAZIO GREAT IN CLUTCH: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio is at his best when it counts the most. Through three games D'Orazio leads all AFL quarterbacks in fourth quarter passing, completing 20 of 23 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, for a QB rating of 146.6. In addition, D'Orazio is 7 of 8 on fourth down conversions this season including the fourth-and-15 play in overtime Sunday against Nashville when he found CJ Johnson in the end zone for a touchdown.

JOHNSON BECOMING A HUGE THREAT: Second year offensive specialist C.J. Johnson is proving to be a threat every time he touches the ball. Johnson is the team's leading receiver, catching 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns on the season. But running great routes is not the only way Johnson can hurt a defense - so far this season Johnson has attempted two passes, completing both for touchdowns, returned a missed field goal 50 yards for a TD and carried the ball four times for eight yards. His 17-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-15 in overtime Sunday vs. Nashville put the Rush in position to win the game with the ensuing two-point conversion.

UNERTL GIVES DEFENSE A LIFT: New Rush WR/DB Jeremy Unertl made big impact on the defense Sunday in his first game in a Rush uniform. Acquired February 7, from Columbus in a trade for Henry Douglas, Unertl was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game for his performance against Nashville. Unertl led the Rush with 6.5 tackles, broke up two passes, recovered a fumble and made several big hits in the game.

Originally signed by the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2004, Unertl (6-1, 210, Wisconsin-LaCrosse) is in his third year in the AFL. He played in six games as a rookie with Las Vegas in 2004 and split the 2005 season between Las Vegas and Columbus, playing seven games for the Gladiators and five for the Destroyers. Entering 2006, he has recorded 64.5 tackles, two interceptions and five passes broken up, and caught 14 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns.

DAN THE MAN: The Rush signed kicker Dan Frantz to a one-year contract February 11, to handle the kicking duties until Keith Gispert is healthy. Frantz immediately solidified the Rush kicking game, hitting all six of his extra point attempts and limiting Nashville to an average of 10.6 yards per kickoff return.

Frantz comes to Chicago after spending the first two years of his AFL career with the San Jose SaberCats, winning an ArenaBowl title as a rookie in 2004. In San Jose, Frantz played in 31 regular season games and converted 209 of 245 PATs (85.3%) and nine of 23 field goals (39.1 %). He tore the ACL in his right knee May 14, 2005, at Arizona and missed the team's final regular season game and the playoffs last year.

KICKER CAROUSEL: Frantz is the third kicker the Rush has had under contract this season and the 15th in franchise history. The Rush lost Keith Gispert to a pulled abductor muscle during pregame warmups Week 1 in Colorado, forcing head coach Mike Hohensee to use backup quarterback Michael Bishop and defensive specialist Todd Howard to handle kickoffs during the game. The Rush then signed Steve Azar to handle the kicking duties for Week 2, but after Azar was just 3 for 5 on PAT attempts and missed his only field goal try vs. New York, he was released.

HOME COOKIN': The Rush has a 28-15 all-time record at Allstate Arena (including postseason) and is 13-7 at home since the start of the 2004 season.

OWNING THE DIVISION: The Rush has dominated its division opponents the past two plus seasons, going 12-4 vs. the Central since the start of 2004. This year the Rush is 1-1 in Central Division games.

PROTECT THAT QB: The Rush offensive line gave up four sacks last week against Nashville - equaling the most-ever surrendered in a game by a Rush offensive line. The only other time the Rush allowed four sacks in a game was May 6, 2001 at Detroit. The last time the Rush gave up more than two sacks in a game was May 18, 2003 vs. Indiana. The Rush line now has given up five sacks this season, just three shy of the eight the team gave up during the entire 2005 season.

UNDER PRESSURE: The Rush defensive line has been causing havoc for opposing quarterbacks early in the 2006 season. Through three games the Rush has six sacks - nearly half as many as 2005 when the team finished the season with 13. D.J. Bleisath leads the team with 2.0 sacks, with Bob McMillen in second place with 1.5. Khreem Smith and Curtis Eason have each added 1 sack, while John Moyer has 0.5 sacks this season. The Rush team record for sacks in a season is 23, set during the 2004 season.

JOHN MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME IN SACKS: Rush lineman John Moyer combined with FB/LB Bob McMillen on a sack of Aaron Garcia February 3 vs. New York, bringing his career total to 34.5 - including 29.5 as a member of the Rush. Moyer is currently in eighth place on the AFL's all-time list for career sacks and needs just two more sacks to pass Andre Bowden for seventh place.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 29.5
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) Bob McMillen 4.5
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001) Tony Henderson 4.0
James Baron 3.0 (2004)
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Jamie McGourty 3.0 (2004)

CALL MOYER MR. TOUCHDOWN: Everyone knows that Moyer is one of the game's best pass rushers, but what makes Moyer special is his ability to excel on offense and special teams in addition to defense. Moyer has proven to be a very capable receiver, catching three passes for 44 yards and three touchdowns on the season, including a 30 yard touchdown pass from Matt D'Orazio last week against Nashville. Dating back to last season, Moyer has caught 11 passes with eight of them going for touchdowns.

PAIR OF JACKS: With the combination of Etu Molden and Cornelius White, the Rush might have the best pair of "Jack" linebackers in the AFL. Both Molden and White were named to the AFL's All-Ironman team in 2005 and both have started strong this season.

Through three games Molden has 13 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while White has caught eight passes for 101 yards, two TDs and the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime last week vs. Nashville. On Defense, White has recorded 5.0 tackles, forced and recovered a fumble and broken up a pass. Molden has added 3.5 tackles and recovered a fumble.

MOLDEN BREAKS CHATMAN RECORDS: Rush WR/LB Etu Molden has moved past former offensive specialist Antonio Chatman for franchise records for career receptions and total touchdowns. Molden needs just 102 yards and three receiving touchdowns to break Chatman's records for receiving yards and receiving TDs as well.

Molden led the Rush in all receiving categories in both 2004 and 2005, catching 96 passes for 1,158 yards and 25 touchdowns last year. Overall, Molden scored 30 TDs in 2005 (25 receiving, 4 rushing, 1 return).

Career Numbers Chatman Molden
Games 30 34
Receptions 197 210
Yards 2,676 2,575
Receiving TDs 52 50
Total TDs 62 64

COLUMBUS CONNECTION: The Rush now has four players on its roster that played in Columbus last year - QB Matt D'Orazio, OL/DL Curtis Eason, WR/DB Jeremy Unertl and WR/LB Cornelius White. D'Orazio was the Destroyers' starting QB, Eason one of the team's starting linemen, Unertl one of the team's WR/DBs and White the top WR/LB.

White was named to the AFL's All-Ironman team after catching a career-high 91 passes for 1,135 yards and 22 touchdowns and recording 42 tackles - his most since the 2000 season.

HOHENSEE LOOKING TO TOP CENTURY MARK: Rush head coach Mike Hohensee is the third-winningest coach in AFL history. In his 13th season, Hohensee is the only head coach in Chicago Rush history. He originally was hired on September 26, 2000. He
- has a regular season record of 89-78 (including a
45-34 mark with the Rush).
- has a career 7-9 mark in the postseason.
- has led the Rush to five-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
- is 2-3 all-time vs. Los Angeles, 1-3 in the regular season and 1-0 in the postseason.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 176 vs. Orlando
Danny White Utah 142 @ Arizona
Mike Hohensee Rush 96 @ Los Angeles
Mike Dailey Colorado 91 @ Nashville
Perry Moss 86
Darren Arbet San Jose 83 @ Grand Rapids

COWDREY JOINS STAFF: At the conclusion of the 2005 season, assistant coach Dave Witthun left the team to join Darren Arbet's staff in San Jose. Witthun was replaced by Bruce Cowdrey, who joined the team after spending six of the previous seven seasons as a head coach in Peoria (af2, UIFL and IFL), compiling a 66-35 career record and winning the IFL Gold Cup title in 2002 and the af2 ArenaCup title in 2002. Cowdrey is the team's FB/LBs coach and special teams coordinator

300-YARD PASSERS: Nashville QB Clint Stoerner passed for 368 yards against the Rush defense last week - equaling the second most ever against the Rush. Interestingly, Stoerner also holds the record for most years passing against the Rush, passing for 398 yards in 2005 when he was with Dallas. Stoerner is one of six different quarterbacks to pass for more than 300 yards against the Rush, joining Donnie Davis, Clint Dolezel, Aaron Garcia Mark Grieb and Andy Kelly.

Rush opponent's 300-yard passing games:
Player Date Yards
Clint Stoerner 1/30/05 @ Dallas 398
Clint Stoerner 2/13/06 vs. Nashville 368
Mark Grieb 4/10/05 vs. San Jose 368
Clint Dolezel 5/1/05 vs. Las Vegas 355
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
Andy Kelly 3/20/05 vs. New Orleans 311
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

TALE OF THE TAPE
Chicago Category Los Angeles
3 Games 3
53.0 (7) Scoring Offense 38.0 (18)
57.0 (15) Scoring Defense 48.0 (8)
281.7 (11) Total Offense 298.3 (9)
304.0 (15) Total Defense 188.7 (1)
13-15 86.7% Red Zone Offense 6-12, 50%
11-12 91.7% Red Zone Defense 9-13 69.2%
237.7 (14) Pass Offense 261.0 (11)
289.0 (16) Pass Defense 177.0 (1)
44.0 (1) Rushing Offense 28.3 (6)
15.0 (4) Rushing Defense 11.7 (3)
159 (7) Scoring 114 (18)
9 (18) Scoring (Kicking) 36 (1)
15-240-0 Kickoff Returns 16-192-0
16.0 (13) Kick Return Average 12.0 (17)
1-50-1 Missed Field Goal Returns 4-75
50.0 Missed FG Return Avg. 18.75
0 (9t) Turnover Margin -4 (16t)
0-3, 0% Field Goals 8-10, 80%
9-11, 81.8% PAT Kicking 12-13, 92.3%
6 Sacks By 1
5 Sacks Against 8
15-26, 57.7% Third Down Conversion 17-34, 50%
7-8, 87.5% Fourth Down Conversion 4-7, 57.1%
20-115 Penalties (#-Yards) 24-144
13-67 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 25-191
BOLD - AFL Leader
INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2006 AFL league leaders:

Matt D'Orazio: QB Rating (6th - 116.9 rating), fourth quarter passing (1st - 146.6 rating), third down passing (2nd - 143.6 rating), scoring (7th - 28 points), rushing yards (T-2nd - 63 yards)

Bob McMillen: rushing yards (7th-44 yards), sacks (T-9th - 1.5)

Khreem Smith: forced fumbles (T-1st - 2)

D.J. Bleisath: sacks (T-2nd - 2)

RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won individual game awards for their play this season:
Offensive Player of the Game:
Matt D'Orazio (2/12 vs. Nashville)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Khreem Smith (2/3 vs. New York)
Jeremy Unertl (2/12 vs. Nashville)

Ironman of the Game:
Bob McMillen (2/3 vs. New York)
John Moyer (2/12 vs. New York)

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Out - Levelle Brown (right shoulder dislocation), Charlie Cook (sternum), Keith Gispert (groin strain), Tony Lukins (ankle) and Marcus Moore (groin).
Questionable - Etu Molden (shoulder)



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 14, 2006


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