Sports stats



Colorado Crush game notes

January 31, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Colorado Crush (1-0) at Georgia Force (1-0)

Date: February 5, 2006
Kickoff: 11:00 a.m. MT
Site: Philips Arena (18,200)
Television: NBC (Eli Gold: play-by-play, Ray Bentley: analyst)
Radio: KOA 850 AM (Marc Stout: play-by-play, Andy Lindall: color analyst)
Coaches: Mike Dailey, Colorado (89-58, 10th Year)
Doug Plank, Georgia (14-6, 2nd Year)
Series Record: Series is tied 1-1
(@ Colorado 40, Georgia 44, 2/3/03)
*(Colorado 51, Georgia 48, 6/12/06)
* indicates postseason game

THE OPPONENT:

The Georgia Force enter their ArenaBowl XIX re-match with Colorado riding an AFL best 11-game home winning streak (regular season and playoffs) at Philips Arena.

The Force are led by offensive weapons OS Chris Jackson and WR/LB Derek Lee, while on the defensive side of the ball Georgia brings a strong pass rush with All-Arena lineman Jermaine Smith and Gillis Wilson.

Georgia opened the 2006 season with a 48-31 home victory over the Orlando Predators last Saturday. The Force defense created two fourth quarter interceptions, which were both returned for scores to secure the win.

THE GAME:

The 2005 ArenaBowl Champion Colorado Crush travel east for their first road game of the season to face the Georgia Force in a rematch of ArenaBowl XIX on Sunday, February 5th at 11:00 a.m. MT in Philips Arena. This will only be the second regular season meeting between Colorado and Georgia. The Crush fell to the Force 40-44 in the team's inaugural game on February 3, 2003.

The contest will pit one of the league's top offenses versus one of the league's top defenses. Last week, Colorado scored an AFL-high 65 points, while Georgia allowed an AFL-third best 31 points. The Crush offense scored touchdowns on 9 of 10 possessions in the game against Chicago including a game winning score to OS Damian Harrell with one second remaining in the game. It was Harrell's fourth touchdown of the game and his continued his AFL record streak on consecutive games with a touchdown to 50.

For their efforts in the victory, Harrell was named the AFLWA (Arena Football League Writers Association) Player of the Week, while QB John Dutton was named AFL Offensive Player of the Week. Dutton accounted for nine touchdowns on the afternoon, eight through the air and one rushing score.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Wed, Feb. 1- Practice at Mile High Greyhound Park
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Thurs, Feb. 2- Practice at Mile High Greyhound Park
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Fri, Feb. 3- Practice at Mile High Greyhound Park
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Sat, Feb 4- Travel to Georgia

Sun, Feb 5- Colorado at Georgia, 11:00 a.m. MT

Mon, Feb 6- Travel back to Denver



THE SCHEDULE:

COLORADO CRUSH (1-0)

Date OPPONENT RESULT SCORE
Jan. 29 CHICAGO W 65-56
Feb. 5 at Georgia
Feb. 12 LAS VEGAS
Feb. 18 at Nashville
Feb. 26 at Philadelphia
March 5 GRAND RAPIDS
March 10 at Chicago
March 19 at Los Angeles
March 25 COLUMBUS
April 1 NASHVILLE
April 8 at Grand Rapids
April 16 at Kansas City
April 21 UTAH
April 28 ORLANDO
May 6 at San Jose
May 12 ARIZONA

CRUSH NEXT WEEK:

The Crush return home next week to host the Las Vegas Gladiators on Sunday, February 12th at 12:45 p.m. in the Pepsi Center. Colorado holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Las Vegas with both wins coming at home. Last season, the Crush defeated the Gladiators 61-40 on April 3rd.

STATISTICS:

A look at how Colorado and Georgia match-up on both sides of the ball based on 2006 regular season statistics:

Statistical COLORADO GEORGIA
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 1st 65.0 8th 48.0
Scoring Defense 14th 56.0 3rd 31.0
Total Offense (yds/g) 5th 295.0 12th 245.0
Total Defense (yds/g) 16th 317.0 3rd 224.0
Pass Offense 2nd 291.0 12th 239.0
Pass Defense 12th 262.0 4th 189.0
Rushing Offense 16th 4.0 15th 6.0
Rushing Defense 18th 55.0 14th 35.0
Kickoff Returns 18th 8.0 9th 15.4
Turnover Margin 7th 0 5th +1
Field Goals 16th 0-0 1st 1-1
First Downs 10th 17.0 12th 16.0
Opp. First Downs 16th 23.0 5th 16.0

THE CRUSH THIS SEASON ARE:

O H R
Overall Record 1-0 1-0 0-0
Overtime Games 0-0 0-0 0-0
Score first 0-0 0-0 0-0
Opponent scores first 1-0 1-0 0-0
Score 40+ points 1-0 1-0 0-0
Score less than 40 points 0-0 0-0 0-0
Games decided by 10+ pts 0-0 0-0 0-0
Games decided by 7 pts or less 1-0 1-0 0-0
Games decided by 3 pts or less 1-0 1-0 0-0
Lead at halftime 0-0 0-0 0-0
Trail at halftime 0-0 0-0 0-0
Are tied at halftime 1-0 1-0 0-0
Lead after 3rd quarter 1-0 1-0 0-0
Trail after 3rd quarter 0-0 0-0 0-0
Are tied after 3rd quarter 0-0 0-0 0-0
Lead time of possession 0-0 0-0 0-0
Trail time of possession 1-0 1-0 0-0
Positive turnover margin 0-0 0-0 0-0
Negative turnover margin 0-0 0-0 0-0
Even turnover margin 1-0 1-0 0-0
More total yards offense 0-0 0-0 0-0
Less total yards offense 1-0 1-0 0-0
On Fridays 0-0 0-0 0-0
On Saturdays 0-0 0-0 0-0
On Sundays 1-0 1-0 0-0
vs. American Conference 1-0 1-0 0-0
vs. Central Division 1-0 1-0 0-0
vs. Western Division 0-0 0-0 0-0
vs. National Conference 0-0 0-0 0-0
vs. Eastern Division 0-0 0-0 0-0
vs. Southern Division 0-0 0-0 0-0

CONNECTIONS:

Crush WR/DB Willis Marshall and Force FB/LB Robert Thomas are first cousins. While Marshall wears No. 22, Thomas played with the Dallas Cowboys from 1998-2002 where he was the lead blocker for another 22, Emmitt Smith...Colorado WR/LB Andy McCullough began the 2004 season with Georgia before being traded to Indiana on 3/11/04. McCullough appeared in just two games with the Force, totaling 11 catches for 101 yards with Georgia.

HEAD COACHES:

MIKE DAILIEY, Colorado (89-58, 10th Year): Dailey enters his third season in Colorado and tenth as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach.

One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in AFL history, his teams have made seven postseason appearances and he has won four division titles and two championships.

Last season under Dailey's guidance, the Crush captured their first Central Division title en route to claiming a 51-48 victory in ArenaBowl XIX giving Colorado their first AFL championship in only their third year of existence. With the team's win over Chicago in the American Conference championship game on June 5th, Dailey became the fourth winningest coach in AFL history surpassing Perry Moss.

In his first season in Colorado, Dailey helped guide the Crush to the largest turnaround in AFL history, inheriting a 2-14 team and leading them to an 11-5 record in 2004, tied for the best in the league. He also led the Crush to their first playoff appearance and first win, advancing to the AFL Semifinals.

In 1999, Dailey led the Firebirds to their only ArenaBowl championship and was named AFL Coach of the Year. Before being named head coach of the Firebirds in 1997,
Dailey served as an assistant in Albany for five seasons.

Dailey began his AFL coaching career with the Washington Commandos where he served as offensive/defensive line coach in 1990. He joined the Firebirds organization in the same capacity in 1991.

Prior to the AFL, Dailey worked as an assistant coach at Towson State University and was the offensive coordinator at Montgomery College-Rockville (Md.). Dailey got his start in coaching in 1981 as a 22-year-old assistant at Georgetown Prep High School in Rockville, Md. The move to coaching followed a semi-pro football career in the Washington D.C. area.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason

Rank Name-Team Wins
1. Tim Marcum- Tampa Bay 176
2. Danny White- Utah 142
3. Mike Hohensee- Chicago 95
4. Mike Dailey- Colorado 89
5. Perry Moss- not active 86
6. Darren Arbet- San Jose 82
7. Michael Trigg- not active 80
8. John Gregory- not active 73


DOUG PLANK, Georgia (14-6, 2nd Year): Doug Plank enters his second season as head coach of the Georgia Force in 2006. In his first season as an AFL head coach, Plank led the Force on a magical ride to ArenaBowl XIX. Plank was voted 2005 AFL Coach of the Year thanks to the unprecedented success of the Georgia Force. Plank led the Force to a league best 11-5 regular season record and a 13-6 record overall.
Plank has coached in four straight ArenaBowls. Plank helped lead the Arizona Rattlers to the three previous ArenaBowls as their defensive coordinator. In his final season with the Rattlers the team finished with an 11-5 record and earned the top seed in the AFL playoffs.
A former member of The Ohio State University football team, Plank played in three consecutive Rose Bowls, 1973, 1974, and 1975. While at Ohio State, he played for legendary coach Woody Hayes.
Plank brings with him a wealth of football experience that includes an impressive career in the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1975 NFL Entry Draft and started at safety for eight seasons. The "46 Defense" created by Buddy Ryan was named for Plank's jersey number and aggressive style of play. Plank was also the first Bears rookie to ever lead the team in tackles.

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET:

LAS VEGAS -- Clay Rush drilled a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colorado Crush a 51-48 ArenaBowl XIX win over the Georgia Force at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday afternoon, giving the Crush its first-ever Arena Football League championship in just its third year of existence.

Rush's connection gave the Crush its final lead of a game in which the team never trailed, building an 11-point lead in the second and third quarters before withstanding a rally in which the Force forged three tie scores in the final period -- at 34-, 41- and 48-apiece. The final deadlock came with 18 seconds remaining after Matt Nagy found Chris Jackson for a 20-yard score, but it left just enough time for the Crush to strike back.

Colorado got the ball back with 18 seconds left at its 5-yard-line, and quarterback John Dutton capitalized on man-to-man coverage to find wide receiver/linebacker Kevin McKenzie for a 37-yard reception that moved the Crush to the Georgia 8-yard-line. An illegal-hands-to-the-face infraction against Georgia moved Colorado to the Georgia 4, setting up Rush's final-play kick.

Colorado's defense kept the Force in check early, recording stops on two of Georgia's first three drives. The Crush opened the second half with another defensive stand when Rashad Floyd swatted away a fourth-down pass at the goal line 5:33 into the third quarter.

In a rare reversal of Arena Football form, it was the ground attacks that dominated throughout the first half, as all six of the touchdowns in the game's first 30 minutes came on runs. That represented the most rushing touchdowns in an ArenaBowl since the Dallas Texans and Detroit Drive combined for eight rushing scores in ArenaBowl IV (dubbed ArenaBowl '90 at the time).

Colorado's Willis Marshall ran for three scores in the first half, the most for one player in an ArenaBowl since Detroit's Art Schlichter ran for four touchdowns in ArenaBowl IV. He also snared six passes for 111 yards and a score, and added four total tackles as he took away Ironman of the Game and Offensive Player of the Game honors.

The Crush concluded its championship season at 13-6. Georgia, which posted the league's best regular-season record this year, also finished at 13-6. The season was the Force's first plus-.500 campaign.

LAST WEEK:

DENVER -- Damian Harrell snared four touchdown receptions, including a tiebreaking score with one second left, to help give the Colorado Crush a 65-56 win over the Chicago Rush in a season-opening rematch of the 2005 American Conference championship game in front of 14,832 at Pepsi Center on Sunday afternoon.

Harrell's score capped a tit-for-tat duel between the Central Division rivals that saw just one defensive stop between the two teams, who spent most of the afternoon exchanging touchdowns.

The streak of scores finally ceased when Colorado's Saul Patu jarred the football loose from Chicago's Henry Douglas late in the third quarter, allowing the Crush to recover and gain possession at the Chicago 8-yard-line. Three plays later, Harrell scored his third touchdown of the third quarter to give the Crush a 49-36 lead, its largest to that point in the game.

Colorado would increase its lead to 14 points at 56-42 before the Rush rallied with back-to-back touchdown drives sandwiched around a Russell Shaw interception at the Chicago 1-yard-line.

Chicago played without injured kicker Keith Gispert, forcing Todd Howard and Michael Bishop into emergency kicking duties. The duo split work on kickoffs, while Howard attempted an extra point that missed wide left. The absence of a full-time kicker forced Chicago to go for it on four fourth downs -- all of which they converted.

John Dutton completed 22-of-34 passes for 291 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception for the Crush; he also ran for another score. Chicago quarterback Matt D'Orazio made his starting debut for the Rush and completed 22-of-32 passes for 265 yards and five scores. He also ran for three touchdowns and finished as the game's leading rusher with 23 yards on 10 carries.

Colorado featured a pair of 100-yard receivers: Harrell, with 111 yards on seven receptions, and wide receiver/linebacker Andy McCullough, who grabbed seven passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

THINGS TO WATCH:

BUILDING A WINNING TRADITION:

The Crush are the winningest team in the AFL since head coach Mike Dailey's arrival, having tied for the league's best record in 2004 (11-5) and finishing with the American Conference's top seed in 2005 (10-6).

Team 2004 2005 2006 Total
Colorado 11 10 1 22
San Jose 11 9 0 20
Chicago 11 9 0 20
New Orleans 11 9 0 20
Orlando 10 10 0 20
Los Angeles 9 10 1 20
New York 9 10 0 19
Tampa Bay 9 10 0 19

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH:

After finishing their inaugural season 0-8 at home, the Crush are now 16-3 under Mike Dailey (2-0 in the postseason) at the Pepsi Center. Two of the three losses consist of an overtime field goal by Indiana's kicker Clay Rush (now with Colorado) in 2004, and a 51-48 Chicago win in 2005 on a field goal with 3 seconds remaining.

CRADLE OF COACHES:

Strangely enough, little Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Md., is the cradle of AFL coaches. Crush head coach Mike Dailey (offensive coordinator) and Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee (quarterbacks coach) were assistants on the same staff there. Los Angeles head coach Ed Hodgkiss also coached there. Seven future NFL players played at Montgomery as well as Columbus quarterback John Kaleo, who finished his collegiate career at Maryland after leading Montgomery to the national championship game. Sadly, despite all of these successes and an all-time record of 315-154-13, Montgomery JC discontinued the football program in 2002.

Former Montgomery Junior College Coaches
Mike Dailey (current Colorado head coach) Ernesto Purnsley (1997-98, 2000-03)
Mike Hohensee (current Chicago head coach)
Ed Hodgkiss (current Los Angeles head coach)
Brent Winter (current Los Angeles assistant head coach)
Earl Hoffman (former Albany Firebirds quarterback coach)

STEEL CURTAIN:

After allowing 14 sacks in 2003 (12 on Dutton), the Crush pass protection has been stellar under head coach Mike Dailey. The team allowed just four sacks in 2004, and none after Week 6 at San Jose (3/14/04). Colorado did not allow a sack in their final 446 offensive plays of the 2004 regular season (10+ games).

The Crush allowed just six sacks in 2005, which includes an unforced fumble by QB John Dutton that the Crush recovered, on the opening play vs. Los Angele (2/27/05). On the 2005 season, Colorado held 10 opponents sackless.

The Crush have now allowed just six sacks in their last 25 regular season games (total of 1,188 plays).

MAN OF STEEL:

A true AFL Ironman, Kyle Moore-Brown is in his 12th season in the league and has never missed a game. ArenaBowl XIX marked his AFL record 176th consecutive start. The first 139 all came with the Firebirds organization before he signed with the Crush prior to the 2004 season.

With Grand Rapids OL/DL Otis Moore missing two games in 2005, Moore-Brown now stands alone in the record books with 159 straight regular season games. Each had appeared in every game since 1995, with Moore-Brown having the overall edge with more playoff appearances.

AFL Record for Consecutive Games
Player (current team) Reg. Season Playoffs Total
Kyle Moore-Brown (Colo.)* 159 17 176
Otis Moore (Gra.) 153 1 155
*streak current

TACKLING MACHINE:

After setting an AFL record with 122.0 tackles in 2004, Rashad Floyd smashed his record while recording the second most tackles in the league, 129.5, for the 2005 regular season. Floyd made a league-leading 123 solo tackles. This despite missing almost the entire game vs. Columbus (3/20) and being inactive in the game at Grand Rapids (4/30). Floyd also set an AFL record with 17.5 tackles vs. Los Angeles (2/27), besting the previous record of 17.0 set by L.A.'s Kevin Cobb at Houston (6/23/00). Floyd finished 30.0 tackles ahead of second place in 2004 Indiana's Anthony Derricks (93.0).

AFL Record - Most Tackle in a Season
Player Team Year Total Gms Avg.
Damon Mason Orl/GRR 2005 133.5* 17 7.85
Rashad Floyd Colorado 2005 129.5 15 8.63
Rashad Floyd Colorado 2004 122.0 16 7.63
Cornelius Coe Indiana 2001 121.5 14 8.68
Damon Mason Orlando 2000 108.0 14 7.71
Damon Mason Orlando 1999 103.0 14 7.36
Damon Mason Orlando 2001 101.0 14 7.21
* After being released by Orlando at the midway of the point of the season, Mason joined Grand Rapids for the team's final nine games. Mason missed both teams' bye week, therefore, he played in 17 games. Typically, regular season statistics are based on a 16-game season.

JUST FOR KICKS:

Crush kicker Clay Rush is among the all-time great AFL kickers. A two-time AFL Kicker of the Year, Rush currently ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list by kickers and fifth for field goals made.

AFL All-Time Leading Scorers (Kickers)
Rk Player Years Pres. Tm Points
1. Mike Black 1993-04 n/a 1,240
2. Steve Videtich 1996-pres. Utah 1,264
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 1,079
4. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 928
5. Daron Alcorn 1997-04 n/a 771
6. Kenny Stucker 1994-99, 2003 n/a 754

AFL Most All-Time Field Goals Made
Rk Player Years Pres. Tm FGM
1. Mike Black 1993-04 n/a 175
2. Steve Videtich 1996-pres. Utah 160
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 137
4. Kenny Stucker 1994-99, 2003 n/a 118
5. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 111
6. Daron Alcorn 1997-04 n/a 100

A BROKEN RECORD:

Damian Harrell has caught a touchdown pass in an AFL record 50 straight regular season games, including all 47 games as a member of the Crush. That streak is also the longest active streak of consecutive games scoring a TD. He broke the record for consecutive games with a receiving touchdown on 4/3/05 in the win over Las Vegas. It is also second-longest streak of consecutive games with a TD. Harrell's streak began with the Toronto Phantoms vs. Carolina on 7/4/02.

AFL Consecutive Games with a TD Reception
Year (Week)
Player (team) Stk began Stk ended # Games
Damian Harrell (Tor/Col) 2002 (Wk 12) --- 50
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1997 (Wk 3) 2000 (Wk 1) 41
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1994 (Wk 1) 1996 (Wk 14) 33
Chris Jackson (LA) 2000 (Wk 1) 2002 (Wk 7) 28

AFL Consecutive Games Scoring a Touchdown
Year (Week)
Player (team) Stk began Stk ended # Games
Eddie Brown (Alb/Ind) 1997 (Wk 3) 2002 (Wk 3) 65
Damian Harrell (Tor/Col) 2002 (Wk 12) --- 50
Chris Jackson (LA) 2000 (Wk 1) 2003 (Wk 14) 47
Barry Wagner (Orlando) 1992 (Wk 10) 1996 (Wk 11) 43
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1994 (Wk 1) 1996 (Wk 14) 33

AND THE AWARD GOES TO:

The Crush have been recognized for some of their achievements this season, both as a team and as players by being honored with the following awards:

AFLWA Top 12 Team Poll
#1 ranking- Week 1

AFLWA pre-season Offensive Player of the Year
Damian Harrell

AFLWA pre-season Defensive Player of the Year
Rashad Floyd

AFLWA Player of the Week- Week 1
Damian Harrell

AFL Offensive Player of the Week
John Dutton- following Week 1



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 31, 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 Colorado Crush Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central