Firebirds Beat Crush in Overtime, 45-42
April 3, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Albany/Indiana Firebirds News Release
Everyone involved with the Colorado Crush and Indiana Firebirds knew that today's game would be a tightly contested, hard fought battle and nobody left the Pepsi Center disappointed as the two teams went all the way to overtime, ending on Clay Rush's 20-yard game-winning field goal, giving the Firebirds a 45-42 win over the Crush in front of 12,238 fans at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.
Indiana QB Adrian McPherson, who was named the AFL Rookie of the Month for March earlier his week, had the first 300-yard passing game of his career, completing 28-of-35 passes for 332 yards and five touchdowns. Fellow rookie OS Anthony Hines was named Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Game as he hauled in a career-high 13 passes for 196 yards, including three touchdowns.
The Crush got on the board first as QB John Dutton found Damian Harrell for an early 3-yard touchdown toss, putting the home team ahead 7-0. After Indiana failed to convert on a fourth down on the Colorado 7-yard line, Colorado jumped out with their second score of the game. This one came on another one-handed catch by Harrell in the back of the endzone and put the Crush ahead 14-0 with under a minute to play in the opening quarter.
McPherson would answer this time when he found Hines from 11-yards out for his first touchdown of the day, getting the Firebirds within one score with twelve minutes to play in the first half.
On the ensuing kickoff WR/DB Evan Hlavacek upended a Colorado return man in the endzone, but two plays later Dutton launched a 35-yard toss to WR/DB Willis Marshall and after Anthony Brenner's extra point Colorado was ahead 21-7, the same score that Grand Rapids led the Firebirds by last week in Indianapolis before the 'Birds came back for the win.
Following a long completion to Hines that moved the Firebirds inside the Crush 10-yard line, McPherson would find lineman Bill Duff on a play action play for the 3-yard scoring toss. It was Duff's third touchdown of the season and got the 'Birds within a touchdown once again.
However, Dutton would not be outdone, going the length of the field (45 yards) and capping it off with his own touchdown run, putting the Crush up 28-14 at the one-minute warning.
With one minute to make something happen before the half, McPheron got the offense into position and found WR/LB Andy McCullough for a 15-yard touchdown with :08 on the clock. After Clay Rush's kickoff sailed over the net for the third time on the afternoon and Dutton's last-second hail mary attempt went unsuccessful, the half would end with Indiana down, 28-21.
McPherson finished the first half 12-of-19 for 136 yards with three touchdowns, while his counterpart Dutton accounted for all of Colorado's first half points in McPherson-like fashion (3 pass, 1 rush). The Crush committed no first half turnovers while Indiana hurt themselves with four penalties for 24 yards.
Anthony Derricks returned the opening kickoff of the second half to the Indiana five and McPherson took over from there. Take over he would, leading the Firebirds to their first tie of the day, 28-28, on a 2-yard run by the rookie with nine minutes remaining in the third.
A post-touchdown penalty against Indiana gave the Crush starting position at their own 15-yard line, following another Rush kick which sailed over the endzone rebound nets. Dutton took over from there and capped off the Crush's first second-half drive with a touchdown pass to WR/LB Kevin McKenzie, putting Colorado back ahead, 35-28, with 6:23 to play in the third quarter. DS Anthony Derricks was injured on the drive but would return.
On the next drive, after a potential first-down run by McPherson was negated by a holding penalty, Rush was forced to attempt a 60-yard field goal. The kick was short and Marshall brought the ball out to the 18-yard line, where Dutton would start and look to go up two scores with two minutes left in the third. When the first Crush penalty of the game, a 10-yard holding penalty, pushed them back to their own 12-yard line, Colorado was forced to attempt their first field goal of the game. The 44-yard kick by Brenner was wide left and Indiana took over to start the fourth quarter trailing by one touchdown.
The final quarter was the one that many felt would decide this game and the two teams fulfilled everyone's expectations. The Firebirds struck first when McPherson converted the team's third fourth down attempt of the game with a 6-yard completion to Hines, then followed that up four plays later with a nine-yard touchdown toss to the same guy, getting the Firebirds back into a tie, 35-35, with 7:57 left in the game.
Dutton began his next possession with a long completion to Harrell and then on three straight attempts found nobody. On fourth and goal from the five Colorado elected to go for the go-ahead touchdown, fearing that a field goal wouldn't be enough to hold up for the 3:38 left in the game. Dutton took the snap and looked for his main target Harrell, however the ball bounced off the net and rookie WR/DB Ryan Bowers hauled it in for his first career interception.
McPherson and the offense took over at their own five-yard line and had the stage set for another last-minute, come-from-behind win.
On first down McPherson hit Hines for a five-yard gain. Following an incomplete pass on second down, McPherson launched a 40-yard touchdown pass to his main-man Anthony Hines for the go-ahead score. Rush again was perfect and the Firebirds led 42-35 with one minute to play.
The offense would have liked to leave the Crush with a little less time, but will take the score nonetheless. Rush boomed his final kickoff again over the net, but Dutton moved to the Indiana 3-yard line on two consecutive completions to Harrell. On first and goal Dutton missed Harrell and on the next play found him this time for the potential game-tying score pending the point after attempt. Brenner's kick was good an the two teams were set for one more drive.
Indiana began their final drive on their own five. McPherson's first play was good for twelve yards to Brett Bech and Bech alertly stepped out of bounds stopping the clock with :31 second left. After an incomplete attempt to Hines on first down and another unsuccessful pass for McCullough on second down, McPherson was sacked at his own ten, setting the stage for another potential game-winning field goal attempt for Rush.
This 55-yard attempt missed to the left and Rashad Floyd returned it to the 13-yard line and got out of bounds with :07 seconds remaining. Dutton fired a strike to Harrell at midfield and gave Brenner a shot at the game-winning 40-yard field goal. However, Brenner's attempt, like Rush's, went wide left and the two teams headed to overtime knotted at 42-42.
In arena football both teams get a possession to score. If both teams are tied after the first two possessions, it becomes a sudden-death situation and the next score wins the game. Indiana won the toss and elected to give the ball to Dutton and the Colorado offense first.
On the third play of overtime, following two completions, a Colorado fumble gave the Firebirds the ball on their own six-yard line with a chance to end the game. McPherson began the game-winning drive with three consecutive completions of his own, moving the ball to the Crush 23. Following an Indiana off-sides penalty and an incomplete pass, Hines came through again. This time the rookie caught a McPherson pass and eluded one defender, putting the 'Birds on the Colorado 3-yard line, in overtime for the win.
The Firebirds attempted three straight running plays to set Rush up for another attempt at victory and for the second week in a row Rush came through. The league's reigning Kicker of the Year came on a calmly put his 20-yard game winner through for the 'Birds fourth straight win.
The Firebirds return home next week to face the Carolina Cobras in an Easter Sunday spectacular. The game will feature an appearance by the Easter Bunny and include a 5,000 egg Easter Egg Hunt before the game. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM (CT) and will be televised live locally on WTHR-NBC. The game can also be heard on ESPN 950 and WIJY 95.5 FM.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 3, 2004
- Crush fall at home for first time this year - Colorado Crush
- Crush Fall to Firebirds, 45-42 in OT - Colorado Crush
- Philadelphia Soul QB Todd Hammel nearing TD mark - Philadelphia Soul
- Firebirds Beat Crush in Overtime, 45-42 - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
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