Rush holds off SaberCats, 48-45, in home debut
March 9, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release
Armed with the Arena Football League championship trophy it won last season, the Chicago Rush made its 2007 home debut a success with a 48-45 victory over the San Jose SaberCats before 16,201 fans at the sold-out Allstate Arena.
After a somewhat inconsistent effort in the Week One loss at Kansas City, Mike Hohensee's team came up with a very emotional effort in beating a competitive SaberCat team.
Quarterback Matt D'Orazio kept his cool throughout the game and threw five TD passes and was picked off just once. He was at his best in the fourth quarter when the SaberCats rallied to cut what had been a 17-point deficit to three when San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb hit James Roe with an 11-yard TD pass at the 5:32 mark of the fourth quarter.
San Jose head coach Darren Arbet elected to attempt an onsides kick, but the Rush ruined the strategy by recovering the ball at the San Jose 10-yard line. D'Orazio made the SaberCats pay when he hit Andy McCullough with an 8-yard TD pass, giving the Rush a 48-38 lead with 3:07 remaining.
That was McCullough's second TD catch of the night -- coming on his second day of employment with the team. McCullough had been signed earlier in the week to replace Buchie Ibeh, who had been placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. McCullough ended up as the leading receiver for the Rush with seven catches for 39 yards.
Grieb was able to cut the final margin to three points when he connected with Ben Nelson on a 5-yard TD pass with 43 seconds to go, but the Rush had no problem running the clock out after another failed onside kick attempt.
Chicago got off to a quick start as a result of aggressive play by the defense. On San Jose's opening possession, Rush DB Dennison Robinson punished wide receiver Rodney Wright, who caught a pass from Grieb three yards behind the line of scrimmage and forcing a fumble. Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo picked up the ball and returned it to the Chicago 24-yard line as the big crowd roared its approval.
D'Orazio took the field to a loud ovation in his first home game following the dramatic run to the championship last summer. On the third play of the drive, D'Orazio gave the fans what they wanted when he found a wide-open Bobby Sippio running down the right sideline. San Jose defensive back Omarr Smith had lost his footing on the play so it was easy for D'Orazio to loft in a 23-yard TD pass and Sippio had no problems bringing it in.
Grieb, a 10-year AFL veteran, was not about to let an early turnover get to him. He quickly went downfield and hit big tight end George Williams with the tying 5-yard touchdown pass.
The Rush stalled on its next drive, but placekicker Dan Frantz put the Rush back in front when he blasted a 56-yard field goal through the uprights. Ironically, Frantz had missed a 51-yard attempt on the previous snap but officials ruled the play dead because the Rush had been flagged for a delay of game penalty. Frantz took a deep breath and connected on the long kick, a Rush record.
San Jose responded as Grieb went deep and hit a wide open Rodney Wright with a 43-yard TD pass that gave the SaberCats a 14-10 lead. The margin did not last even one play as speedy kick returner Jonathan Ordway took the ensuing kickoff 58 yards for a touchdown..
The big play stunned San Jose and they were unable to do anything offensively the rest of the first half until placekicker A.J. Haglund connected on a 25-yard field goal with 9 seconds left.
But the Rush did not have any offensive problems. D'Orazio hit Sippio with a 3-yard TD pass - the combination's second scoring hookup of the game - and Frantz hit a 39-yard field goal at the end of the first half to give the Rush a 27-17 halftime lead.
RUSH NOTES: The Rush played before their third straight sellout crowd at home and the attendance of 16,201 was the second-highest in team history. The only larger crowd was April 23, 2006 when the Rush defeated Las Vegas 67-47 in front of 16,230 fans. ... Jeremy Unertl had an unsettling effect on the San Jose offense. The Rush defensive back intercepted two Grieb passes in the first half. ... Sippio had three TD catches and was named the offensive player of the game. ... Grieb was impressive in defeat, throwing for 327 yards and connecting on 6 TD passes. ... The win evened the Rush record at 1-1. Chicago hosts the New York Dragons March 18.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 9, 2007
- Soul quiet Kats, 63-30 - Philadelphia Soul
- Rush holds off SaberCats, 48-45, in home debut - Chicago Rush
- New Orleans Evens Record At 1-1, Defeats Columbus 52-45 In First Game Back At Arena - New Orleans VooDoo
- Soul soar away from Kats after halftime break - Nashville Kats
- Columbus Destroyers Fall To New Orleans VooDoo, 52-45 - Columbus Destroyers
- Chicago Edges SaberCats, 48-45 - San Jose SaberCats
- Kansas City Brigade game notes - Kansas City Brigade
- Rush re-signs WR Andy McCullough - Chicago Rush
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.
