Mustangs Fall to Rush in Season Opener
March 14, 2011 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Milwaukee Mustangs News Release
Monday night football, Arena Football League style, rolled into the Bradley Center on Monday night as the Milwaukee Mustangs opened the season against their arch rivals from the south, the Chicago Rush. In front of 3,157 fans in attendance, the Rush would seize control in the second half and would hold on to a 49-41 win.
Mustang and Arena Football League great Damian Harrell would score the first touchdown of the season on a nice one handed grab from newly acquired quarterback Eric Ward to give the Mustangs an early lead. That lead would be short lived as Chicago Rush quarterback Russ Michna hit Reggie Gray for a 27 yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven. After getting the ball back on a missed Mustang field-goal attempt by Garrett Lindholm, the Rush would take the lead on a 10 yard touchdown reception by Charles Dillon. Jason Simpson would intercept Eric Ward on the Mustangs next position which one play later lead to a Michna to Reggie Gray touchdown, and as the first quarter came to an end, the Mustangs found themselves down by 14.
Early on in the second quarter, Ward would throw a beautiful 47 yard touchdown pass to Antoine Burns which cut the lead to seven at 21-14. The Rush answered with a 3 yard run by Johnnie Kirton which once again pushed their lead to 14. After a Brent Holmes touchdown catch, a Chicago Rush turnover, and a Mustang touchdown by Eric Ward, Milwaukee found themselves down by one going into half-time as Garrett Lindholm missed the extra point.
The Rush wasted no time getting into the end-zone to start the second half. It would only take them two minutes has Russ Michna threw a strike to Charles Dillon and the Rush were up 35-27. The Rush would follow that up by forcing the Mustangs to give the ball back to them after the defense turned Milwaukee away on their 15 yard line. The Rush would once again use the combination of Michna to Gray, this time for 11 yards as Chicago increased their lead to 42-27 to close out the 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter would start off with a bang as Eric Ward hit Brent Holmes for 46 yards and a score which brought the Mustangs back within eight. The Mustangs, after a Kelvin Rogers interception had an opportunity to get within one but couldn't mount anything offensively and immediately gave the ball back to the Rush. It would only take the Rush one play as Michna hit Dillon for 24 yards and increased the lead to 49-34. The Mustangs would make it a bit closer as Ward hit Antoine Burns from 15 yards to close the gap to 49-41. After a failed field goal attempt by the Rush, the Mustangs had an opportunity with 25 seconds to go in the game. The Mustangs were unable to capitalize and fell to 0-1.
The Mustangs unfortunately looked out of sync both offensively and defensively. Penalties, turnovers, and assignment miscues hampered the Mustangs throughout the game. The Mustangs will try and rebound this Saturday as they take on the Arizona Rattlers.
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Arena Football League Stories from March 14, 2011
- Chicago Rush Defeat Milwaukee Mustangs - Chicago Rush
- Mustangs Fall to Rush in Season Opener - Milwaukee Mustangs
- Mustangs Game Notes - Milwaukee Mustangs
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