Chicago Rush game notes

Published on May 3, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts

TV: ESPN2 ¡K Mark Jones, Merrill Hoge

Radio: WCKG 105.9 FM...Tom Dore, James ¡§Big Cat¡¨ Williams

Overall Series Record: Chicago leads 5-4 (Rush leads 4-3 in the regular season, Series is tied 1-1in the postseason)

Last Meeting: May 28, 2006, Rush 63, Colorado 46 (American Conference Semifinals)

Coaches (regular season, postseason records):

Mike Hohensee (102-86, 11-9 ¡X 14th season)

Mike Dailey (96-60, 9-6 ¡X 11th season)

Officials: Bill LeMonnier (Referee), Rick Podraza (Umpire), Brent Durbin (Head Linesman), Dana McKinzie (Line Judge), Billy Beckett (Back Judge)

2007 Chicago Rush Schedule

Date Opponent Time/Score TV/Attend

March 4 @ Kansas City* L, 54-41 13,600

March 9 San Jose W, 48-45 16,201

March 18 New York W, 61-40 16,128

March 24 @ Columbus W, 55-47 16,390

April 1 Los Angeles W, 66-31 15,846

April 7 @ Nashville* W, 66-54 7,332

April 15 Bye

April 21 @ Grand Rapids* W, 75-54 10,622

April 30 Philadelphia W, 54-43 14,529

May 7 Colorado* 7 p.m. ESPN2

May 14 @ Dallas 7:30 p.m. ESPN2

May 19 Nashville* 7 p.m. CSN

May 26 @ Arizona 9 p.m. CSN

June 2 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.

June 9 Grand Rapids* 7 p.m. CSN

June 18 @ Colorado* 9 p.m. ESPN 2

June 23 Kansas City* 7 p.m. CSN

* Central Division game

American Conference ¡X Central Division

W-L-T PF PA Division

RUSH 7-1-0 466 368 2-1

Colorado 6-3-0 445 472 3-1

Kansas City 4-4-0 409 378 2-3

Nashville 4-5-0 500 505 1-2

Grand Rapids 2-6-0 427 528 1-2

RIVALRY WEEK: The Rush puts its franchise-record seven-game winning streak on the line Monday night when it hosts its biggest rival ¡V John Elway¡¦s Colorado Crush ¡V in front of another national television audience on ESPN2¡¦s Monday Night Football.

Last week, in Chicago¡¦s first appearance on Monday Night Football, the Rush erased a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Soul 54-43.

This week¡¦s game will be the first meeting of the season between Chicago and Colorado and the first since the Rush eliminated the Crush in last season¡¦s American Conference Semifinals.

Colorado enters the game in second place in the Central Division, 1.5 games behind the Rush. The Crush has won three in a row and four of its last five, including last week¡¦s 45-42 win in Kansas City.

ANOTHER COMEBACK WIN FOR RUSH: Trailing 34-20 at the half, the Rush defense outscored Philadelphia 34-9 in the second half to record its second-consecutive comeback win. Trailing 43-41 with just 3:25 left in the game, Rush linebacker John Moyer tipped a Juston Wood pass at the line of scrimmage. After the pass bounced off Rush lineman Curtis Eason¡¦s helmet, Moyer picked the ball out of the air and rumbled 39-yards for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. After the Rush defense held Philadelphia on downs, Matt D¡¦Orazio found Bobby Sippio with a 33-yard touchdown to give the Rush its final margin of victory.

TEXAS TUSSLE IN FUTURE: After this week¡¦s game against Colorado, the Rush travels to Dallas to take on the Desperados. The game, which originally was to be played at American Airlines Arena on Friday, May 11, was moved to Monday, May 14 and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. It will be broadcast to a national audience as the AFL ESPN Game of the Week.

The Desperados enter Week 10 with an 8-1 record and are 21-4 in the regular season since the start of the 2006 season.

FAST START: At 7-1 the Rush is off to its best start in team history. Previous to this season, Chicago¡¦s best start came in 2004 when the Rush began the year 7-2. That season the Rush finished the year 11-5 and advanced to the AFL semifinals before falling in San Jose.

STREAKING: Chicago¡¦s current seven-game winning streak is the longest in team history. The previous record was six games, set in 2006 when the team won its final two regular season games and each of its four playoff games.

STREAKING II: With its win Monday night over Philadelphia, the Rush has won seven games in a row at Allstate Arena. The franchise record for consecutive home wins is eight, set during the final two home games of the 2001 season and the first six home games in 2002.

HOME COOKIN¡¦: The Rush owns a 36-16 all-time record at Allstate Arena (including postseason). The team is 4-0 at home this year and was 5-3 at home last season.

NOT ONLY WINNING, BUT WINNING BIG: Not only is the Rush winning its games, but it is doing so in convincing fashion. Chicago¡¦s seven wins are by an average of 15.6 points. If you exclude the team¡¦s three-point win over San Jose in Week 2, its margin of victory jumps to 17.6 points.

TURNOVERS THE KEY: The Rush added to its league-lead in turnovers, forcing five more last week against Philadelphia (3 interceptions and 2 fumbles). The Rush now has forced 29 turnovers on the season, while only giving the ball up 13 times. The Rush also leads the AFL in turnover margin at +16. The team record for takeaways in a season is 34, set in both 2002 and 2003.

OFFENSE ROLLING: After scoring just 41 points in its Week 1 loss at Kansas City, the Rush offense is averaging 60.7 points per game during its seven-game winning streak.

OWNING THE DIVISION: In its history, the Rush has a 26-17 regular season record against the Central Division, and has won two Central Division titles ¡V 2002 and 2004. The Rush also is 2-1 in the postseason against its Central Division opponents.

COMEBACK KIDS: It has taken a big Rush comeback in each of the last two weeks to keep the team¡¦s winning streak alive. April 21 in Grand Rapids the Rush trailed by 13 late in the third quarter before going on a 34-0 run to win. The Rush trailed by 14 points at the half last week against Philadelphia, before outscoring the Soul 34-9 in the second half. Overall, the Rush won three games this season when the team trailed by at least 10 points. The third was against New York on March 18, when the Rush erased a 10-point Dragon second quarter lead to win 61-40.

THE AFL¡¦S BEST RIVALRY: This week Chicago and Colorado renew one of the AFL¡¦s best rivalries. This will be the seventh meeting between the teams since the start of the 2005 season, and the 10th overall. The two most memorable games have come in the playoffs, with each team defeating the other on its way to a championship.

Perhaps the best known game in the series is the 2005 American Conference Final, which has come to be known as the ¡§Confetti Bowl.¡¨ In the game, which was selected as the seventh-greatest game in AFL history, Colorado defeated the Rush 49-43 in overtime to advance to ArenaBowl XIX. It came after the Rush had defeated Colorado twice in the regular season.

Here is a recap of the Confetti Bowl:

June 5, 2005 ¡V After falling behind the Crush 20-0, the Rush stormed back to force overtime when kicker Keith Gispert nailed a 17-yard field goal as time expired, tying the score at 43-43. The kick came after celebratory confetti was prematurely released at the Pepsi Center and the game was stopped for several minutes.

In overtime, Rush DS Todd Howard intercepted a John Dutton pass, giving Chicago a chance to put the game away. But when Bob McMillen¡¦s 15-yard TD run was called back because of an offsides penalty, the Rush had to settle for a 35-yard field goal attempt for the win. Gispert¡¦s kick sailed wide right and the Crush regained possession. Colorado scored on its next possession when Dutton hooked up with Andy McCullough on a 22-yard TD pass, sending the Crush to ArenaBowl XIX.

RUSH WINS WHEN IN COUNTS IN 2006: Colorado swept the regular season series with the Rush in 2006, but Chicago won when it counted ¡V defeating the Crush 63-46 in the American Conference Semifinals.

Here is a recap of last season¡¦s Rush-Crush games:

January 29, 2006 ¡V In the 2006 season opener January 29 at Pepsi Center, Crush QB John Dutton hit WR Damian Harrell in the front corner of the end zone with one second remaining in the game, giving Colorado a 63-56 lead and an eventual 65-56 victory.

The Rush played the game without kicker Keith Gispert, who was injured during pregame warmups. The loss of Gispert forced the Rush to attempt two-point conversions after every score.

Down 56-42 with six minutes to play, Rush QB Matt D¡¦Orazio hit WR/LB Etu Molden for a five-yard touchdown to bring the Rush within eight, 56-48. Then, after a Russell Shaw interception gave Chicago the ball back on its 1-yard line, D¡¦Orazio led the team on a 49-yard drive punctuated with his own 1-yard TD run. After C.J. Johnson caught the two-point conversion pass, the Rush had tied the score at 56-56 with 47 seconds remaining.

However, 47 seconds was two seconds too much as Dutton marched his team right back down the field for the game winning score. On the final play, Rush return man Russell Shaw was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving Colorado its final margin of victory.

March 10, 2006 ¡V The Rush built an early 13-0 first quarter lead over Colorado but allowed the Crush back into the game in the second quarter, and eventually fell 49-42 at Allstate Arena.

The game turned with 5:30 remaining in the second quarter and the Rush leading 20-14. After a Carlos Wright 55-yard kickoff return to the Crush 3-yard line, Rush FB Charlie Cook fumbled the ball back to Colorado. The Crush scored five plays later, turning a potential 27-14 Rush lead into a 21-20 Chicago deficit.

After the teams traded touchdowns in the final minute of the first half, Colorado took a 28-27 lead into the locker room and never trailed again.

May 28, 2006 ¡V The Rush built an early 13-0 lead and never trailed as Chicago defeated the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush 63-46 to advance to the AFL semifinals.

The Chicago defense forced four turnovers ¡V two of which it returned for touchdowns ¡V and recovered a loose ball off of the net for a score in the win. With the Rush leading 6-0, DB Dennison Robinson intercepted a John Dutton pass and returned it 45-yards for a touchdown to give the Rush an early 13-0 lead.

After the Crush narrowed the score to 16-14, the Rush went on a 17-0 run to close the first half, taking a 33-14 lead at the break. One of the big keys was a goal line stand, with less than one-minute remaining, where the Chicago defense stopped Colorado four times from inside the Rush 3-yard line.

The Crush battled back to cut the score to 36-27 in the third quarter, and was threatening to score again, when Rush LB DeJuan Alfonzo scooped up a fumbled snap and returned it 20 yards to give the Rush a 43-27 lead.

With 2:06 remaining, the Crush narrowed the lead to 56-46 and recovered an onside kick to regain possession. However, Rush DS Jeremy Unertl intercepted a Dutton pass in the end zone with 47 seconds remaining to seal the Chicago win.

Here is a look at the Rush-Crush All-Time Series Results:

2003: Rush 76, Colorado 58 (April 13 @ Colorado)

2004: Rush 65, Colorado 35 (February 22 @ Chicago)

Colorado 56, Rush 47 (May 30 @ Colorado)

2005: Rush 51, Colorado 48 (February 13 @ Colorado)

Rush 75, Colorado 51 (April 17 @ Chicago)

Colorado 49, Rush 43 (OT) (June 5 @ Colorado)*

2006: Colorado 65, Rush 56 (January 29 @ Colorado)

Colorado 49, Rush 42 (March 10 @ Chicago)

Rush 63, Colorado 46 (May 28 @ Colorado)*

*AFL playoffs

FAMILIARITY BREEDS RESPECT: There are no secrets between the Rush and Crush, as the connections between the team¡¦s head coaches run deep.

Ĭ Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Crush head coach Mike Dailey are very close friends, having known each other for more than 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 15 times in the regular season and twice in the postseason, with Dailey leading the series 9-8.

ƒ¨ Three Rush players ¡V LB DeJuan Alfonzo, WR Andy McCullough and OL John Sikora ¡V have played for Dailey. Alfonzo and Sikora played for Dailey when he coached the Indiana Firebirds and McCullough played for Dailey in Colorado.

ƒ¨ On the flip side, Hohensee has coached two players who now play for the Crush ¡V WR Damian Harrell (in New England) and OL Kyle Moore-Brown (Albany).

McCULLOUGH FACING HIS OLD MATES: Rush wide receiver Andy McCullough will play against his former Crush teammates for the first time Monday night. McCullough spent the last two seasons in Colorado, catching 163 passes for 1,833 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was released by the Crush for salary cap reasons at the end of training camp this season, and signed with the Rush prior to the team¡¦s Week 2 game vs. San Jose.

McCullough has been a key player in the Colorado-Chicago rivalry in the past, and might best be remembered as the Crush player who caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime of the ¡§Confetti Bowl¡¨ ¡V the 2005 American Conference Championship game.

In his six games against the Rush, McCullough caught 40 passes for 570 yards and 11 touchdowns, including four 100-yard receiving games. He also was named Offensive Player of the Game for his performance in the Confetti Bowl.

D¡¦ORAZIO vs. CRUSH: Despite going 1-2 against Colorado in 2006, QB Matt D¡¦Orazio played well against the Crush, completing 68 of 109 passes for 805 yards and 14 touchdowns. He threw one interception, and was only sacked twice in the three games. D¡¦Orazio also rushed for 33 yards and four touchdowns against the Crush.

Here are D¡¦Orazio¡¦s career numbers against Colorado:

G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating

3 68 109 62.3% 805 15 1 115.4

Last week vs. Philadelphia, D¡¦Orazio shook off a rough start to complete 30 of 41 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns, without throwing an interception. D¡¦Orazio also rushed for six yards and a TD in the game.

For the season, D¡¦Orazio has completed 163 of 249 passes for 1,948 yards and 42 touchdowns, while only throwing seven interceptions. He also has rushed for 73 yards and 8 touchdowns

Earlier this year, the Rush rewarded D¡¦Orazio with a two-year contract extension through the 2009 season.

PROUD PAPPA: Rush QB Matt D¡¦Orazio became a father for the first time last week, as he and his wife, Nicole, welcomed a baby girl on Tuesday, April 24. Maria D¡¦Orazio measured 20-inches and weighed six pounds, nine ounces.

DUTTON vs. RUSH: Colorado QB John Dutton has played in every one of the nine Colorado-Chicago games. He also is one of nine QBs who have passed for 300 or more yards against the Rush defense, joining Donnie Davis, Clint Dolezel, Aaron Garcia, Mark Grieb, Andy Kelly, Chad Salisbury, Clint Stoerner and Juston Wood.

Here are Dutton¡¦s career numbers against Chicago:

G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating

9 202 328 61.6% 2,500 51 10 112.0

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

Mark Grieb 3/9/07 vs. San Jose 327

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

Mark Grieb 6/3/06 @ San Jose * 314

Juston Wood 4/30/07 vs. Philadelphia 308

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

John Dutton 3/10/06 vs. Colorado 300

Chad Salisbury 5/13/06 @ Grand Rapids 300

* AFL playoffs

ALFONZO NAMED IRONMAN OF THE WEEK: Rush linebacker was named the AFL¡¦s Ironman of the Week this week for his performance in the team¡¦s win over Philadelphia.

Alfonzo led the Rush with 9.5 tackles and forced two fumbles in the game. Offensively, Alfonzo entered the game as part of the goal line offense and scored two rushing touchdowns.

Through the season¡¦s first eight games, Alfonzo has recorded 55.5 tackles, intercepted four passes, recovered four fumbles, forced three fumbles and broken up a pass.

He has returned two of his fumbles and two of his interceptions for touchdowns.

He currently leads the league in fumbles recovered, is tied for fifth in forced fumbles, and ranks seventh in the league in both tackles and interceptions.

SIPPIO NAMED PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Rush wide receiver Bobby Sippio was named the AFL¡¦s Player of the Month for April. Sippio helped lead the Rush to a 4-0 record in April, catching 48 passes for 774 yards and 19 touchdowns during the month. He set a team record when he recorded 252 receiving yards at Grand Rapids ¡V the highest single-game mark in the AFL this season.

In addition, his 15 receptions in Monday night¡¦s win against Philadelphia is a team record.

Not surprisingly, he was named Offensive Player of the Game in each of Chicago¡¦s four games.

THE SIPPIO FACTOR: Since acquiring wide receiver Bobby Sippio late in the 2006 season, the Rush is 14-3, including last season¡¦s championship run.

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Including last season¡¦s regular season and playoffs, wide receiver Bobby Sippio now has played 17 games in a Rush uniform. In those 17 games Sippio has caught 150 passes for 2,294 yards and 62 touchdowns.

SIPPIO ON RECORD PACE: Midway through the season Bobby Sippio leads the league in touchdowns (35) and scoring (210 points) and is on-pace to shatter Damian Harrell¡¦s league records for both.

The AFL¡¦s Single Season Touchdown leaders

Player Season Team TDs

Bobby Sippio 2007 (projected) Chicago 70

Damian Harrell 2006 Colorado 61

Eddie Brown 1996 Albany 51

Barry Wagner 1997 Orlando 51

The AFL¡¦s Single Season Scoring Leaders

Player Season Team Points

Bobby Sippio 2007 (projected) Chicago 420

Damian Harrell 2006 Colorado 366

Barry Wagner 1997 Orlando 310

Eddie Brown 1996 Albany 308

HIGH FIVE: Rush receiver Bobby Sippio has caught five or more touchdown passes in a game five times this season and eight times in his Rush career. Chicago is 7-1 when Sippio catches five or more touchdowns in a game.

Since the start of the 2006 season nobody has as many five-TD games as Sippio.

Here are the details on Sippio¡¦s 5+ touchdown games:

Opponent Date TDs Rush W/L

Las Vegas April 23, 2006 6 W

Utah May 6, 2006 6 W

San Jose* June 3, 2006 5 W

@ Kansas City March 4, 2007 5 L

New York March 18, 2007 5 W

Los Angeles April 1, 2007 5 W

Nashville April 7, 2007 5 W

@ Grand Rapids April 21, 2007 5 W

* AFL Playoffs

SIPPIO LOVES ALLSTATE ARENA: Rush wide receiver Bobby Sippio can¡¦t explain it, but he loves playing at Allstate Arena. In his six home games as a member of the Rush, Sippio has caught 60 passes for 964 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has set the team record for receptions in a game (15) and twice set a Rush single-game record for touchdown receptions (6).

Sippio also played one game at Allstate Arena in 2004 as a member of the Dallas Desperados ¡V catching five passes for 119 yards and two TDs.

NICE DEBUT: Rookie wide receiver Rob Mager, signed just two days prior to the team¡¦s April 21 game in Grand Rapids had quite an AFL debut vs. the Rampage. Mager caught five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for six yards and two TDs in the win. Mager also threw a nice block that sprang Bobby Sippio for one of his long touchdowns.

Mager proved the opening week performance was no fluke, catching six more passes for 86 yards and a TD last week vs. Philadelphia.

Mager (6-3, 205, University of Indianapolis) comes to Chicago after spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons playing for the af2¡¦s Louisville Fire. In 2006, he was named the league¡¦s Offensive Player of the Year after catching 143 passes for 1,918 yards and 54 touchdowns.

PROTECT THAT QB: The Rush offensive line, which features two rookies, might be the one unit that has struggled at times this season. Center Frank Moore, who had started 72 of 73 games since joining the Rush in 2003, had off-season surgery on his knee and opened the season on Injured Reserve, forcing veteran John Sikora to move to center. Sikora is flanked by rookies Jason Thomas at guard and Robert Boss at tight end.

For the season, the line has given up 17 sacks in eight games. The Rush allowed a team record 24 sacks last season after giving up a total of just 26 sacks from 2003-2005.

SPEED RUSH: Rush lineman E.J. Burt continues to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. This season Burt has recorded 12.5 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles and three passes broken up in the team¡¦s eight games. Burt is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles and is tied for fifth in sacks. In addition, Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo has recovered two of the fumbles for Rush touchdowns.

At the midpoint of his fifth season, Burt already has recorded 33 career sacks, and has moved into 11th place in AFL history. He also has forced 19 fumbles in his career, good for fourth on the all-time list.

SACK MACHINES: The Rush has two players ¡V John Moyer and E.J. Burt ¡V who rank in the top 11 in AFL history in sacks. Moyer has 34.5 career sacks ¡V including 29.5 as a member of the Rush ¡V and currently is in ninth place on the AFL¡¦s all-time list for career sacks. His teammate E.J. Burt is just 1.5 sacks behind, in 11th place with 33. Moyer also is the team¡¦s all-time leader with 6.0 playoff sacks.

Here are Chicago¡¦s regular season & 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

Khreem Smith 8.0 (2006) Khreem Smith 8.0

John Moyer 6.0 (2005) Anthony Hutch 6.5

Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) Jamie McGourty 5.5

E.J. Burt 5.0 (2007) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0

John Moyer 4.0 (2002) E.J. Burt 5.0

James Baron 4.0 (2003) D.J. Bleisath 5.0

Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001) Bob McMillen 4.5

D.J. Bleisath 4.0 (2006) Tony Henderson 4.0

MOYER TO MAC: With linebacker D.J. Bleisath nursing an ankle injury sustained in Week 1 at Kansas City, the Rush turned to veteran lineman John Moyer to play the Mac linebacker position. Moyer has played the position so well, that his move to linebacker has become a permanent one.

Last week against Philadelphia Moyer made the play of the game, deflecting a Juston Wood pass and then catching it off Curtis Eason¡¦s helmet for an interception with 3:25 remaining in the game. Moyer returned the interception 39-yards for what turned out to be the game wining touchdown. It was only Moyer¡¦s third career interception, and his first since 2004. It also was the first he ever returned for a touchdown.

This season Moyer has recorded 16.0 tackles, including three TFLs, broken up two passes and recovered two fumbles, not to mention providing constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

DON¡¦T FORGET MOYER ON OFFENSE: With the changes to the substitution rules this year, lineman John Moyer has found himself playing mostly defense this season. However, Moyer has taken some snaps on offense the past few games, and on April 1 vs. Los Angeles, caught his first touchdown pass of the year. Dating back to the start of the 2005 season, Moyer has caught 13 passes, 10 of which have gone for touchdowns.

PETERS GETS AN OPPORTUNITY: With the move of lineman John Moyer to linebacker, the door was opened for Joe Peters to start on the defensive line. Peters, in his second season with the Rush, has made the most of his opportunity, recording 13.5 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass broken up. He also placed a hit on New York QB Rohan Davey March 18 that led to a Rush interception.

DAN THE MAN: Kicker Dan Frantz is having the best season of any kicker in Rush history. Through seven games Frantz has converted 56 of 62 PAT attempts (90.3%) and six of 15 field goal attempts ¡V including a team record 56-yarder vs. San Jose.

He also is making a habit of booting a field goal on the final play of the first half. So far this season, Frantz has kicked a field goal on the final play of the half three times. Dating back to last season, Frantz has converted a kick eight times in the team¡¦s last 14 games (including last year¡¦s postseason).

Frantz ranks seventh in the league in scoring among kickers with 74 points and is eighth in field goals made with six.

WORKING ON HIS SECOND 100: Chicago Rush head coach Mike Hohensee is the third-winningest coach in AFL history with 113 career victories. He is one of four coaches in AFL history with 100 or more wins, joining Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum, Utah coach Danny White and Colorado coach Mike Dailey in the 100-win club.

The only head coach in Rush history, Hohensee has guided Chicago to a 66-47 overall record and playoff appearances in each of the team¡¦s six seasons. In addition to winning ArenaBowl XX under Hohensee, the Rush has won two Central Division titles (2002, 2004) and advanced to the AFL semifinals four times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006), including each of the past three seasons.

One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league¡¦s 21 seasons, Hohensee:

Ĭ has a regular season record of 102-86 (including a

58-42 mark with the Rush).

Ĭ has a career 11-9 mark in the postseason.

Ĭ has led the Rush to six-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).

Ĭ is 5-4 all-time vs. Colorado and 8-9 all-time vs. teams coached by Mike Dailey.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches

Including Postseason

Coach Team Wins This Week

Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 181 @ Austin

Danny White Utah 153 vs. Dallas

Mike Hohensee Rush 113 vs. Colorado

Mike Dailey Colorado 105 @ Chicago

Darren Arbet San Jose 97 @ Arizona

CHASING 1,500: Rush FB Bob McMillen gained four more yards last week at Grand Rapids, giving him 45 for the season and 1,462 for his career.

McMillen, who announced he is retiring at the end of the 2007 season, is the AFL¡¦s second all-time leading rusher and needs just 38 yards to become only the second player in AFL history to rush for 1,500 career yards.

Last year, 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. Now in his 13th season, he ranks second on the AFL¡¦s all-time rushing list, second all-time in rushing attempts and fourth in rushing touchdowns. He is one of only two players (Darrin Kenney) who has won ArenaBowl championships with three different teams (1997 with Arizona, 2002 with San Jose and 2006 with Chicago).

The AFL¡¦s All-Time Rushing Yards list

Player Seasons Team Yards

Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,511

Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,462

Les Barley 1992-2001 ¡X 1,382

Chad Dukes 1996-98, 2002, 2004-07 Austin 1,271

The AFL¡¦s All-Time Rushing Attempts list

Player Seasons Team Attempts

Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 517

Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 466

Andre Bowden 1991-2004 ¡X 438

Les Barley 1992-2001 ¡X 425

The AFL¡¦s All-Time Rushing Touchdowns list

Player Seasons Team Rushing TDs

Barry Wagner 1992-2006 ¡X 127

Andre Bowden 1991-2004 ¡X 93

Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 85

Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 82

Chris Ryan 2000-2007 Grand Rapids 77

MICHNA MAKES HIS DEBUT: Rush backup QB Russ Michna made his AFL debut in the fourth quarter of the team¡¦s April 1 win over LA. On his first career pass attempt, Michna hooked up with Bobby Sippio for a 34-yard completion down to the LA 3-yard line. Two plays later, Michna dove into the end zone from the 1-yard line for his first career touchdown. The game was Michna¡¦s only action this season.

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE: The Rush starting secondary of Jeremy Unertl, Dennison Robinson and Jonathan Ordway might be the strongest in the team¡¦s history. In eight games, the trio has combined for 117.5 tackles, nine interceptions and 33 passes broken up. Add rookie James Sadler to the mix and you get 136 tackles, 10 interceptions and 34 PBUs.

As a unit ¡V working in conjunction with the great pressure the Rush line continues to put on opposing quarterbacks ¡V the secondary looks like it is on its way to being considered one of the AFL¡¦s best. Through eight games the Rush ranks second in the league in pass defense and second in scoring defense, giving up just 46.0 points per game.

Last season Unertl and Robinson were the team¡¦s two top tacklers, combining for 145.5 tackles to go along with 13 interceptions and 21 PBUs.

Ordway, who spent the first four years of his AFL career with the Tampa Bay Storm, had signed in the off-season with the Grand Rapids Rampage, but was released at the end of training camp.

Prior to coming to Chicago, Ordway played in 45 games, recording 226.5 tackles, seven interceptions and 69 passes broken up. He was the Storm¡¦s leading tackler in 2006 and finished tied for fourth in the league with 19 passes broken up.

TWICE AS NICE?: Chicago¡¦s goal for the 2007 season is simple: become the first AFL team in more than a decade to repeat as champions. In fact, only two teams in the 20-year history of the Arena Football League ¡V the Detroit Drive (1988-90) and the Tampa Bay Storm (1995-96) ¡V have been able to accomplish the feat of repeating. Interestingly, both Detroit and Tampa Bay were coached by Tim Marcum.

PLAYOFF CONSISTENCY: Chicago has never missed the playoffs, qualifying for the postseason in each of its six seasons. Orlando and San Jose are the only two AFL teams which also have made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons

2007 RUSH BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a breakdown of the 2007 Rush:

Site: Home 4-0 Road 3-1

Time: Day 2-1 Night 5-0

Opponents: vs. American Conf. 4-1

vs. Central 2-1

vs. West 2-0

vs. National Conf. 3-0

vs. East 3-0

vs. South 0-0

TALE OF THE TAPE ¡V Regular Season Numbers

Chicago

Category Colorado

8 Games 9

58.2 (6) Scoring Offense 49.4 (16)

46.0 (2) Scoring Defense 52.4 (8)

259.2 (18) Total Offense 274.3 (16)

279.0 (3) Total Defense 295.2 (10)

29-34 85.3% Red Zone Offense 19-23, 82.6%

29-35 82.9% Red Zone Defense 27-32, 84.4%

241.0 (18) Pass Offense 268.9 (9)

251.9 (2) Pass Defense 275.2 (11)

19.8 (10) Rushing Offense 5.4 (19)

27.1 (18) Rushing Defense 20.0 (11)

466 Scoring 445

74 (8) Scoring (Kicking) 83 (2)

38-666-2 Kickoff Returns 40-624-1

17.5 (9) Kick Return Average 15.6 (17)

3-84-0 Missed Field Goal Returns 3-76-0

28.0 (1) Missed FG Return Avg. 25.3 (2)

+16 (1) Turnover Margin 0 (T-10)

6-15, 40.0 Field Goals 10-18, 55.6%

56-62, 90.3% PAT Kicking 53-60, 88.3%

8-46 (10) Sacks By 8-31 (11)

17-56 (18) Sacks Against 4-10 (6)

21-48, 43.8% Third Down Conversion 22-57, 38.6%

8-11, 72.7% Fourth Down Conversion 6-14, 42.9%

67-403 (10) Penalties (#-Yards) 61-332 (6)

73-454 (4) Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 81-494 (1)

INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players rank among the 2007 AFL league leaders:

Matt D¡¦Orazio: quarterback rating (9th ¡V 117.1), fourth quarter passing (7th ¡V 118.6)

DeJuan Alfonzo: interceptions (T-7th ¡V 4), tackles (T-6th ¡V 45.5), special teams tackles (T-2nd ¡V 11.5), fumble recoveries (1st ¡V 4), forced fumbles (T-5th ¡V 3)

Dennison Robinson: tackles (T-6th ¡V 55.5), passes defensed (5th ¡V 12)

Bobby Sippio: scoring (1st ¡V 210 points), touchdowns (1st ¡V 27), receptions (T-4th ¡V 79), receiving yards (2nd ¡V 1,188), third-down receiving (1st ¡V 14 receptions for 192 yards and 9 TDs), first downs (4th ¡V 57)

Dan Frantz: touchbacks on kickoffs (T-5th ¡V 19), scoring (7th ¡V 74 points)

Jonathan Ordway: passes defensed (10th ¡V 10)

Jeremy Unertl: interceptions (T-7th ¡V 4), passes defensed (T-6th ¡V 11)

EJ Burt: sacks (T-5th ¡V 5), forced fumbles (T-1st ¡V 4)

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week¡¦s injury report to the AFL:

Injured Reserve ¡V Frank Moore (knee), Demetrios Walker (hamstring), Kevin Beard (Knee), Russell Shaw (ankle), Carl Ford (left hip flexor)

RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won individual game awards for their play this season:

Offensive Player of the Game:

Bobby Sippio ¡V 3/9 vs. San Jose, 3/18 vs. New York, 4/1 vs. Los Angeles, 4/7 @ Nashville, 4/21 @ Grand Rapids, 4/30 vs. Philadelphia

Matt D¡¦Orazio ¡V 3/24 @ Columbus

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:

Jeremy Unertl ¡V 3/9 vs. San Jose

EJ Burt ¡V 3/18 vs. New York

DeJuan Alfonzo ¡V 3/24 @ Columbus, 4/7 @ Nashville

Curtis Eason ¡V 4/1 vs. Los Angeles

James Sadler ¡V 4/21 @ Grand Rapids

John Moyer ¡V 4/30 vs. Philadelphia

Ironman of the Game:

Jonathan Ordway ¡V 4/7 @ Nashville

DeJuan Alfonzo ¡V 4/30 vs. Philadelphia

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

Offensive Player of the Week:

Bobby Sippio ¡V Week 5 (4/1 vs. Los Angeles)

ADT Defensive Player of the Week:

DeJuan Alfonzo ¡V Week 3 (3/18 vs. New York)

Ironman of the Week:

DeJuan Alfonzo ¡V Week 9 (4/30 vs. Philadelphia)

AFL MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won AFL monthly awards for their play this season:

Offensive Player of the Month:

Bobby Sippio ¡V April

ADT Defensive Player of the Month:

E.J. Burt ¡V March

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 3, 2007


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