Rush Game Notes
February 25, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release
TV: Fox Sports Net ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Radio: Radio Disney 1300 AM ... Tom Dore, John Jurkovic
Overall Series Record: First Meeting
Coaches (regular season records): Mike Hohensee (61-59 â 10th season) Ron Selesky (3-1 â 1st season)
Officials: Gene Hartleb (Referee), Rick Lowe (Umpire), Rod Pearson (Head Linesman), Art Lucky (Line Judge), Scott Helverson (Back Judge)
NICE TO MEET YOU: The Buffalo Destroyers have a 3-1 record and are off to the best start in franchise history. The Chicago Rush is 1-3 and off to the worst start in its two-plus year history. The teams will meet for the first time Saturday night in Buffalo.
The Rush snapped its 2003 losing streak, defeating the Los Angeles Avengers 54-53 at Allstate Arena. In a real team effort, the Rush had three players with two scores each â Jamie McGourty (2 rushing), Anthony Ladd (1 rushing, 1 receiving) and Antonio Chatman (1 receiving, 1 kick return). Dameon Porter's interception with 1:11 remaining in the contest, clinched the victory for the Rush.
Buffalo is coming off a 63-43 win over the Georgia Force. The Destroyers were led by former Rush quarterback Tim Carey who completed 16-of-25 passes for 184 yards and 4 touchdowns. Gunnard Twyner was Carey's favorite target, catching 10 passes for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns. Buffalo also scored via the onside kick â twice â and on an interception return.
The game will feature the two stingiest defenses in the AFL. The Destroyers have only given up 158 points in 4 games (39.5 average) while the Rush has surrendered 174 points (43.5).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: This game begins a streak in which the Rush will play 5 of its next 7 games on the road. Chicago is still looking for its first road victory this season.
COACH MIKE HOHENSEE is in his 10th season as a head coach in the Arena Football League. Hohensee was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000. has a regular-season record of 61-59 (including a 17-15 mark with the Rush) ... has a career 5-6 mark in the postseason. has a 4-0 record against the Destroyers. signed a two-year contract extension through the 2005 season on August 1, 2002. became the sixth coach in league history to record 60 regular-season victories when the Rush defeated Dallas (58-52 in overtime) July 13, 2002.
FLESHMAN GOOD LUCK CHARM: Lindsay Fleshman saw his first action of the season Sunday against Los Angeles. Fleshman broke his left hand during training camp and spent the first three weeks of the season on injured reserve. In his season debut, he caught 5 passes for 62 yards and 1 touchdown and made 2.5 tackles.
Before Sunday, the Rush had lost its last four contests (including the postseason). The losing streak coincided with Fleshman's absence from the lineup. He missed last season's semifinal contest at Arizona due to a left knee injury.
IT'S MC-GUR-TEE: Fullback Jamie McGourty has rushed 12 times for 30 yards and scored 5 rushing touchdowns. McGourty is the club record holder for career rushing scores with 22. Four games into the season, McGourty is on a 120-yard, 20-touchdown pace. Those numbers would shatter McGourty's existing Rush records â rushing yards for a season (67) and touchdowns (10).
McGourty rushed 3 times for 17 yards, including a 13-yard scamper for a touchdown, in Sunday afternoon's victory. The 13-yard run was the longest in club history.
McGourty and Los Angeles' Mathias Vavao share the league lead with 5 touchdowns.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Billy Dicken has thrown 8 touchdown passes to seven different receivers this season. The only player to catch more than one score is Anthony Ladd. In addition DeJuan Alfonzo, Cornelius Bonner, Antonio Chatman, Lindsay Fleshman, Dale Koscielski and Dameon Porter have pulled in Dicken touchdown passes.
Dicken has thrown 134 career touchdown passes to 15 different receivers. Chatman and former Rush offensive specialist Joe Douglass have each caught 24 scoring strikes, while Porter ranks third at 23.
Dicken has thrown at least 4 touchdown passes in 23 of his 30 career games. He has never had a game in which he did not throw a scoring strike and has one 1-touchdown game (June 15, 2001, at Indiana).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORT OF: Robert Kilow, a rookie wide receiver/linebacker, will celebrate his 27th birthday this week on February 28 or March 1. Kilow was born on a leap day (February 29) so he has celebrated on his actual birthday on seven times. Next year, he will commemorate his "eighth" birthday.
ONE POINT AFFAIR: The Rush played its first one-point game Sunday in the 54-53 victory over Los Angeles. Previously, the closest game for the Rush was a 54-52 loss to Grand Rapids May 19, 2001.
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dameon Porter has been named the ADT Defensive Player of the Week for Week 4. In Sunday's game against Los Angeles, Porter made a team-high 5.0 tackles and a game-saving interception with 1:11 left in the game. It is Porter's first Defensive Player of the Week Award.
FIRST INTERCEPTION: Dameon Porter picked the perfect time to intercept his first pass of the 2003 campaign. With Los Angeles driving for the winning touchdown, Porter stepped in front of Greg Hopkins and picked off the Tony Graziani pass with 1:11 remaining in the contest. The interception clinched the first Rush victory of the season.
Porter led the league for the second straight season in interceptions in 2002, picking off 10 passes to go with his record-tying 12 from the 2001 season. Porter became only the second player in history to lead the league in interceptions two consecutive seasons. Orlando's Kenny McEntyre led the AFL in 1999 (7) and 2000 (11). Durwood Roquemore, a member of the AFL Hall of Fame, also led the league in interceptions twice (1990 and 1994).
Porter's 22 interceptions over the two-season span broke the record for the highest total over two seasons (previously 21 by McEntyre in 2000-2001). Of Porter's 22 career interceptions, 10 have come in the fourth quarter.
NOT BAD FOR A ROOKIE: Rookie kicker Keith Gispert has enjoyed a successful first 4 AFL games. Gispert has connected on 16-of-19 extra point attempts and 2-of-5 field goal attempts. Two of the missed field goals were from over 60 yards.
Gispert kicked for the Augusta Stallions in the af2 for the last two seasons, where he connected on 176-of-203 extra point attempts (87 percent).
A RECORD HELD BY MANY: Offensive specialist Antonio Chatman added his name into another chapter of the AFL record book. Chatman returned a kickoff 58 yards for a touchdown Sunday against Los Angeles. He is also in the record book for longest reception from scrimmage (49 yards) and longest missed field goal return (58 yards).
It was Chatman's third career kick returned for touchdown. Last season, Chatman had two 55-yard returns â May 4 vs. Grand Rapids and June 30 against New York.
300-YARD PASSERS: The Rush has played 32 regular season games in its two-plus year history. Chicago's pass defense has allowed only four 300-yard games. The Rush has gone 3-1 in those contests.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 25, 2003
- Gladiators Game Notes - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Rampage Game Notes - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Fury Game Notes - Detroit Fury
- Force Game Notes - Georgia Force
- Fury Set to Take on Tampa Bay on the Road - Detroit Fury
- Dameon Porter Named AFL ADT Defensive Player of the Week - Chicago Rush
- AFL Names Players of Week - AFL I
- Rush Game Notes - Chicago Rush
- Rampage Out for Revenge on Friday - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Destroyers To Present Check To Hunter's Hope - Buffalo Destroyers
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