Rush tops Kats in OT
February 12, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
Cornelius White hauled in a Matt D'Orazio pass in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion 7:53 into overtime that gave the Chicago Rush a 56-55 win over the Nashville Kats on Sunday. The conversion gave Chicago (1-2) its first win of the season and handed the Kats (2-1) their first loss.
The winning points were scored just one play after D'Orazio hit C.J. Johnson in the corner of the end zone for a TD on a fourth down play that, if not completed, would have given the Kats an improbable win.
Nashville had trailed by as much as 22 points in the game and by 14 with under two minutes remaining in regulation before the Kats got some late-game heroics on both sides of the ball. Monty Montgomery forced a fumble, and T.T. Toliver hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from Clint Stoerner to cut Chicago's lead to 48-41 with just 1:23 to go.
Kats kicker Tony Dodson surprised the Rush with a hurried onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and the Kats recovered with under a minute to play. But when Nashville turned the ball over on downs with just 38 seconds left, all appeared to be lost for the Kats.
Nashville's strong defense stepped up, however, forcing the Rush to settle for a long Dan Frantz field goal attempt that missed and gave the Kats one last shot with 14 ticks on the clock. Stoerner's first long pass went incomplete into the stands. But on the last play of regulation, he hit Cory Fleming over the middle, and Fleming turned and handed the ball off to Cornelius Bonner who streaked the rest of the way for the TD. The play went for 30 yards, and the subsequent PAT tied the game and sent it into overtime.
In the extra period, Nashville took eight plays to go 45 yards and punch in the go-ahead score on a two-yard plunge by Rupert Grant. Dodson's PAT gave the Kats a 55-48 lead.
On Chicago's possession, the Rush converted two fourth downs and used 10 plays to cover the 45 yards to the end zone.
Nashville jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after Frank Carter scored on a two-yard run on the Kats' first possession. But the lead was short-lived after Tony Dodson's PAT try was blocked and the Rush drove for TD's on their first two possessions.
In the second quarter, Stoerner kept the Kats close with a seven-yard TD pass to Cornelius Bonner. But Nashville's vaunted defense found that a defensive stop in the first half was as elusive as Rush quarterback Matt D'Orazio, who repeatedly avoided would-be sacks in the backfield to gain positive yardage. For the game, D'Orazio ran nine times for 25 yards and was 21-of-29 for 210 yards passing. He was sacked four times. After the Kats cut the lead to one, he led the Rush on a nine-play, 41-yard drive, culminating in an eight-yard TD pass to Russell Shaw. The Kats looked like they had stopped that drive on two different occasions, but a James Baron sack on a third-and-long was wiped off due to a facemask foul, and the Rush converted on a fourth-and-long a few plays later to keep the drive alive.
Trailing 21-13, Nashville's second quarter quickly turned from bad to worse when the offense went three-and-out and C.J. Johnson returned a Dodson field goal try 50 yards for a touchdown. Rober' Freeman then fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and Chicago punched in a five-yard touchdown pass to Shaw on the next play to go up, 35-13.
Only a seven-yard touchdown pass from Stoerner to Bonner on the last play of the half kept the Kats within striking distance at 35-20.
The Kats threatened to turn the tide in the third quarter. After Chicago drove for another TD on its first possession of the half, Stoerner led Nashville on a scoring drive that he ended with a one-yard TD run on a bootleg to cut the lead to 15 once again. The Kats followed up the score with its first defensive stop of the game, and trimmed the lead to 42-34 after T.T. Toliver ran for a three-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Chicago extended its lead on a 30-yard TD pass to John Moyer on a screen. A subsequent two-point conversion attempt failed, however, keeping the lead at 14, and setting up the Kats' comeback that forced the game into overtime.
Stoerner finished 30-of-54 for 368 yards and four TD's. He completed 12 of his passes to Toliver, who had 144 receiving yards and scored on a rush and a reception.
The Rush offense was exceptional, scoring 56 points on a Nashville defense that had not given up more than 28 in the first two weeks. Chicago's defense also made its share of plays, especially in the first half, forcing two Kats turnovers and two defensive stops.
Nashville (2-1) returns home to host the Colorado Crush (3-0) next Saturday night at 7 p.m. Despite today's loss, the Kats can move into a tie with the Crush for the division lead with a win next week.
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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 12, 2006
- Rattlers Lose Third-straight, 58-50 - Arizona Rattlers
- SaberCats drop Rattlers 58-50 for first win of season - San Jose SaberCats
- Avengers Turn it over to Rampage, 66-41 - OSC Original by Tim Peterson
- Second half rally lifts Colorado past Las Vegas 65-55 - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Rush earns first victory - Chicago Rush
- Rampage beat Avengers 66-41 - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Rush tops Kats in OT - Nashville Kats
- Brigade lose home opener in front of capacity crowd - Kansas City Brigade
- Dramatic win moves Wranglers to 3-0 - Austin Wranglers
- Blaze fall to Dragons despite scoring 81 points - Utah Blaze
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