Chicago Rush game notes
March 1, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release
The Quick Facts
TV: NBC ...Bob Papa, Ray Bentley, Mike Adamle
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM...Dan Bernstein, James "Big Cat" Williams
Overall Series Record: Tied at 3-3 (Dallas leads 3-2 in regular season, Rush leads 1-0 in postseason)
Last Meeting: January 30, 2005, Dallas 66, Rush 65 OT
Coaches (regular season, postseason records):
Mike Hohensee (91-78, 7-9 - 13th season)
Will McClay (18-18-1 - 3rd season)
Officials: Tom McCabe (Referee), Paul Frerking (Umpire), Brent Durbin (Head Linesman), Bob McElwee (Line Judge), Keith Washington (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 W, 65-46 12,554
February 26 San Jose W, 54-48 (OT) 12,950
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
Nashville 4-1-0 270 178 2-1
Colorado 4-1-0 275 266 1-1
RUSH 3-2-0 278 265 1-1
Grand Rapids 2-3-0 236 244 0-1
STREAKING RUSH LOOKING FOR #4: The Rush looks to extend its winning streak to four games this Sunday when it hosts the Eastern Division-leading Dallas Desperados at Allstate Arena. The Rush enters the game as the hottest team in the AFL, while the 4-1 Desperados are coming off a 55-48 win over Las Vegas that was not as close as the final score would indicate.
HISTORY SUGGESTS CLOSE GAME: If history is any guide, this week's game between the Rush and Desperados could go into overtime. The teams have met six times, with three of the games heading into overtime and five of the six being decided by 8 points or less.
In last season's opener at Dallas, the Desperados used a first quarter interception and a fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown to build an early 35-13 lead. However, the Rush battled back to not only tie the game, but take a 56-48 lead in the fourth quarter. The Desperados then sent the game to overtime tied at 59-59 when Carlos Martinez hit a 22-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in regulation. Dallas scored first in the extra period to take a 66-59 lead. The Desperados score was followed by a Rush TD from Etu Molden to make it 66-65. However, when Molden's two-point attempt fell one yard short, the Desperados escaped with the victory.
In 2004, the Rush defeated Dallas 45-41 at Allstate Arena when QB Raymond Philyaw hit OS Jeremy McDaniel with a 37-yard TD pass with 38 seconds remaining. Dallas had one last opportunity, however, but Glenn Gauntt's 9-yard pass to Bobby Sippio in the endzone fell incomplete as time expired.
Rush-Desperados All-Time Series Results:
2002: Rush 58, Dallas 52 (OT) (July 13 @ Chicago)
Rush 60, Dallas 47 (August 5 @ Chicago)*
2003: Dallas 46, Rush 38 (February 9 @ Dallas)
Dallas 60, Rush 54 (OT) (April 20 @ Chicago)
2004: Rush 45, Dallas 41 (May 16 @ Chicago)
2005: Dallas 66, Rush 65 (OT) (January 30 @ Dallas)
*AFL playoffs
FRIENDS ON THE SIDELINE: Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Dallas head coach Will McClay have been good friends since 1997 when Hohensee was the head coach in Anaheim and McClay was his defensive coordinator. The pair only coached together for one season, but they remain close friends.
ANOTHER FANTASTIC FINISH: After each of Chicago's first three games of the 2006 season were decided on the final play, the Rush decided to give its fans a week off when it played the Los Angeles Avengers February 18, securing a relatively easy 65-46 win at Staples Center.
However, last week against San Jose, the cardiac kids returned, pulling out a thrilling 54-48 OT win over the SaberCats when quarterback Matt D'Orazio connected with Cornelius White on a 27-yard touchdown pass.
The game-winning TD came only after the Rush had scored with 11 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 48-48, and defensive specialist Jeremy Unertl had intercepted a Mark Grieb pass in overtime (his second INT of the game) to give the Rush offense the ball on its own 23-yard line.
It was the fourth time in five games this season that the final play of the game was the deciding one. Dating back to last season's American Conference Semifinal in Colorado, five of Chicago's last six games have been decided on the final play.
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 49-43 win.
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.
February 26, 2006 - D'Orazio's 12-yard TD pass to Buchie Ibeh with 11 seconds remaining forced overtime vs. San Jose. Then, after a Jeremy Unertl interception on San Jose's first possession of OT, D'Orazio's 27-yard TD pass to Cornelius White gave the Rush a 54-48 win.
TALK ABOUT A TOUGH STRETCH: Chicago's next three games are against the three of the toughest teams in the AFL - Dallas, Colorado and Nashville. Going into this weekend Dallas leads the Eastern Division, while Colorado and Nashville are tied atop the Central. All three have 4-1 records.
OVERTIME TURNAROUND: Entering the season the Rush was 2-4 all time in overtime and had lost its last three overtime games overall. This year, however, things are different as Chicago has won both times it has gone to OT. Chicago's February 12 overtime win over Nashville was the first overtime victory for the Rush since it defeated Indiana on May 18, 2003.
HOME COOKIN': The Rush has a 29-15 all-time record at Allstate Arena (including postseason) and is 14-7 at home since the start of the 2004 season.
STREAKING: Chicago's current winning streak is the team's longest since it won three in a row during the middle of the 2005 season (April 2 @ NY, April 10 vs. San Jose and April 17 vs. Colorado). The Rush has had three winning streaks of four games in its franchise history, one in 2002 and two different four-game streaks in 2004.
HIGH SCORING OFFENSE: The Rush offense has scored 278 points in the season's first five weeks, an average of 55.6 points per game. Only Danny White's expansion Utah Blaze has scored more points than Chicago, racking up 288 points for an average of 57.6 ppg. The Rush franchise record for points scored in a season is 847 (52.9 ppg) set during the 2004 season.
HOHENSEE EXTENDED THROUGH 2009: The Rush announced last week it has extended head coach Mike Hohensee's contract through the 2009 season.
The only head coach in Rush history, Hohensee has guided Chicago to a 51-39 overall record and playoff appearances in each of the team's five seasons. During his tenure the Rush has won two Central Division titles (2002, 2004) and advanced to the AFL semifinals three times (2002, 2004, 2005).
One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 20 seasons, Hohensee has taken his teams to the playoffs nine times and won five division titles in his 12 previous seasons as a head coach. His 97 career victories rank him third in AFL history behind Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum and Utah's Danny White.
Hohensee originally was hired on September 26, 2000. He
8 has a regular season record of 91-78 (including a
47-34 mark with the Rush).
8 has a career 7-9 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to five-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
8 is 3-3 all-time vs. Dallas and 1-1 all-time vs. teams coached by Will McClay.
All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 177 @ Kansas City
Danny White Utah 143 vs. San Jose
Mike Hohensee Rush 98 vs. Dallas
Mike Dailey Colorado 92 vs. Grand Rapids
Perry Moss 86
Darren Arbet San Jose 83 @ Utah
LET'S GET McMILLEN THE RECORD (PART 2): Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen took a pitch from QB Matt D'Orazio early in the third quarter last week vs. San Jose and rumbled two yards, giving him 1,384 for his career and breaking Les Barley's all-time rushing record. The game was stopped and McMillen was given the ball, which he handed to his son, Bobby, in the stands. Two plays later, however, McMillen was trapped behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of eight yards, dropping his career total to 1,376 and giving the record back to Barley.
As he enters this week's game vs. Dallas, McMillen needs seven yards to, once again, break the record. On the year, McMillen has carried the ball 19 times for 48 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 second 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 1,376
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,278
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 1,241
The AFL's All-Time Rushing Attempts list
Player Seasons Team Attempts
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 438
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 431
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 430
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 425
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 77
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 75
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 71
CAREER DAY FOR D'ORAZIO: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio had the best day of his career in last week's win vs. San Jose. D'Orazio completed a career-high 29 of 39 passes for a career-high 351 yards, and equaled his career high with seven touchdown passes. D'Orazio also rushed for 26 yards in the game.
After a rough performance in Week 2 vs. New York, D'Orazio has been on fire the past three weeks, completing 70 of 94 passes (74.5%) for 812 yards and 14 touchdowns, without throwing an interception. In fact, dating back to the second quarter of the New York game, D'Orazio has attempted 117 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, and his quarterback rating during the past three games is an incredible 139.7.
D'Orazio enters this week's game ranked third in the AFL in QB rating (127.0) and first in the league in rushing (98 yards).
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 five games D'Orazio leads all AFL quarterbacks in both third down passing and fourth quarter passing. D'Orazio is 22 for 27 for 288 yards and six TDs on third down this season and has completed 27 of 35 passes for 313 yards and six touchdowns in the fourth quarter. In addition, D'Orazio is 7 of 9 on fourth down conversions this season, including the fourth-and-15 play in overtime February 12, 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 28 passes for 339 yards and four 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 and returned a two missed field goals for TDs (50-yard return vs. Nashville and a 56-yard return vs. San Jose). His 17-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-15 in overtime February 12, vs. Nashville might be the team's biggest catch of the season, putting the Rush in position to win the game with the ensuing two-point conversion.
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: New Rush DS Jeremy Unertl has spent three games in a Rush uniform since his trade from Columbus and has been named ADT Defensive Player of the Game all three times. Last week vs. San Jose he recorded 4.0 tackles, one pass broken up and two crucial interceptions. His second INT of the game - and third as a member of the Rush - came on San Jose's first possession in overtime and set up the Rush offense which scored to win the game two plays later.
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 has done exactly what he has been asked, converting 20 of 21 extra point attempts and three of five field goal attempts in his three games with Chicago. February 18 in Los Angeles, Frantz was 8-for-8 on PATs and 3-for-3 on field goals for 17 points, breaking Gispert's record of 15 kicking points in a game set at Detroit on May 2, 2004. Frantz's three field goals also tied the Rush record for field goals in a game held by Gispert and David Cool.
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.
BISHOP HOME GRIEVING: Rush backup QB Michael Bishop is home in Texas after the sudden death of his mother, Ethel Bishop, February 25. Bishop left the team prior to its game vs. San Jose and is expected to return after the funeral on Saturday, March 4.
WRIGHT MAN FOR RETURNS: With the trade of Henry Douglas to Columbus on February 7, the Rush coaches turned to Carlos Wright to handle kickoff returns. After three games, Wright is proving to be a wise choice for the job. Last week against San Jose, Wright returned four kicks for 72 yards. Overall, Wright has 13 kick returns on the season for 247 yards, including a 55-yard return for his first career touchdown.
PROTECT THAT QB: The Rush offensive line has given up nine sacks in the last three weeks and a total of 10 sacks so far this season. The Rush line only gave up eight sacks during the entire 2005 season. The Rush record for sacks allowed is 19, set in the team's inaugural 2001 season.
UNDER PRESSURE: The Rush defensive line has been causing havoc for opposing quarterbacks early in the 2006 season. Through five games the Rush has 10 sacks -nearly as many as last season when the team finished the year with 13. Rookie Khreem Smith leads the club with 3.5 sacks and D.J. Bleisath is second with 3.0 sacks. The Rush team record for sacks in a season is 23, set during the 2004 season.
TURNOVER TURNAROUND: One of the best trends through the first quarter of the 2006 season involves Chicago's success on the turnover front. After finishing the 2004 season tied with Los Angeles for the best turnover ratio in the AFL at +15, the Rush dipped to 16th last year with a -6 ratio. Through five games this season the Rush is tied for second in the league with a +4 ratio.
ROOKIE SMITH A FORCE ON D-LINE: After winning the af2's Lineman of the Year award in 2005, Rush rookie lineman Khreem Smith is showing AFL teams his 19 sacks in 16 regular season games last year was no fluke. So far this season, Smith has caused constant problems for opposing offensive lines, registering 8.5 tackles, a team-leading 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one pass broken up and one blocked kick. Smith thought he had sacked San Jose QB Mark Grieb for a safety on the last play of regulation last week, but Grieb was ruled down at the 1-yard line and the game was forced into overtime.
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) D.J. Bleisath 4.0
Khreem Smith 3.5 (2006)
D.J. Bleisath 3.0 (2006)
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 February 12, against Nashville. Dating back to last season, Moyer has caught 11 passes with eight of them going for touchdowns.
COOK BACK HEALTHY: Rush FB/LB Charlie Cook saw his first action of the season last week against San Jose after missing the first four games of the year with a fractured sternum suffered in training camp. Cook's return allowed D.J. Bleisath to move back to his natural position on the line, therefore strengthening two positions.
IT'S PRONOUNCED BOO-CHEE E-BAY: Rush rookie WR/DB Buchie Ibeh had quite an impressive debut Sunday vs. San Jose. Promoted from the practice squad the day before the game, Ibeh caught eight passes for 102 yards and three TDs and recorded 3.0 tackles against the SaberCats.
INJURIES TAKING THEIR TOLL: The Rush was missing three of its starters when it played San Jose last week- WR/LB Etu Molden, DS Tony Lukins and OL/DL Curtis Eason. Molden (shoulder) and Lukins (ankle and hamstring) have missed the team's last two games with injuries suffered February 12 against Nashville. Eason missed the San Jose game with a shoulder injury suffered in Los Angeles. The Rush hopes to have Molden back this week against Dallas, but Lukins and Eason were placed on the AFL's Injured Reserve list last week and must miss at least one more game.
In addition, FB/LB Levelle Brown and kicker Keith Gispert remain on the team's injured reserve list. Brown dislocated his shoulder when the team was practicing in Columbus in January and Gispert was hurt in pregame warmups prior to the season opener in Colorado.
THREE JACKS: With the combination of Etu Molden, Cornelius White and DeJuan Alfonzo, the Rush might have the best trio of "Jack" linebackers in the AFL. Both Molden and White were named to the AFL's All-Ironman team in 2005 and Alfonzo always seems to make something happen when he is on the field.
White is tied for the team lead with six touchdowns and leads the team in scoring with 40 points.
Despite missing the last two games, Molden has 13 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Alfonzo missed the team's first three games while nursing an Achilles injury, but returned February 18 at Los Angeles. He has recorded five catches, 8.0 tackles and scored two touchdowns in his two games.
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
300-YARD PASSERS: Dallas QB Clint Dolezel has passed for 300 or more yards against the Rush defense four times in his career - more than any other opposing quarterback. Dolezel is one of six different quarterbacks to pass for more than 300 yards against the Rush, joining Donnie Davis, Aaron Garcia, Mark Grieb, Andy Kelly and Clint Stoerner. Overall Dolezel has faced the Rush nine times in his career and has a 4-5 record against Chicago.
Here are Dolezel's career numbers against the Rush:
Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
192 304 63.2% 2,474 46 6 119.98
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 San Jose
4 Games 4
55.6 (2) Scoring Offense 54.0 (6)
53.0 (11) Scoring Defense 47.8 (8)
294.2 (5) Total Offense 312.0 (3)
292.8 (14) Total Defense 277.8 (8)
22-25 88.0% Red Zone Offense 19-21, 90.5%
20-21 95.2% Red Zone Defense 19-22 86.4%
260.6 (10) Pass Offense 302.0 (3)
279.2 (14) Pass Defense 267.8 (11)
33.6 (2) Rushing Offense 10.0 (15)
13.6 (6) Rushing Defense 10.0 (2)
278 (2) Scoring 270 (6)
32 (17) Scoring (Kicking) 42 (8)
29-469-2 Kickoff Returns 30-461-0
16.2 (9t) Kick Return Average 15.4 (14)
2-106-2 Missed Field Goal Returns 2-20-0
53.0 Missed FG Return Avg. 10.0
+4 (2t) Turnover Margin 0 (8t)
3-6, 50% Field Goals 2-5, 40.0%
23-27, 85.2% PAT Kicking 36-38, 94.7%
10-55 (2) Sacks By 4-23 (11t)
10-33 (15t) Sacks Against 2-6 (3t)
26-41, 63.4% Third Down Conversion 16-29, 55.2%
7-9, 77.8% Fourth Down Conversion 5-8, 62.5%
40-205 (13) Penalties (#-Yards) 35-216 (15)
23-134 (17) Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 28-167 (14)
BOLD - AFL Leader
INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2006 AFL league leaders:
Matt D'Orazio: QB Rating (3rd - 127.0 rating), third down passing (1st - 150.7 rating), fourth quarter passing (1st - 143.2 rating), rushing yards (1st - 98 yards)
Bob McMillen: rushing yards (T-8th - 48 yards)
Khreem Smith: sacks (3rd - 3.5), forced fumbles (2nd - 3)
D.J. Bleisath: sacks (T-4th - 3)
C.J. Johnson: missed field goal returns (1st - 53.0 avg)
Carlos Wright: kickoff returns (9th - 19.0 avg.)
Jeremy Unertl: interceptions (T-2nd - 4)
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, 2/18 @ Los Angeles)
C.J. Johnson (2/26 vs. San Jose)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Khreem Smith (2/3 vs. New York)
Jeremy Unertl (2/12 vs. Nashville, 2/18 @ Los Angeles, 2/26 vs. San Jose)
Ironman of the Game:
Bob McMillen (2/3 vs. New York)
John Moyer (2/12 vs. New York)
Dennison Robinson (2/18 @ Los Angeles)
INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Out - Levelle Brown (right shoulder dislocation), Curtis Eason (shoulder), Keith Gispert (groin strain) and Tony Lukins (right ankle, left hamstring).
Questionable -Etu Molden (left shoulder)
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