AFL:
The Chicago Rush Defeat the Nashville Kats by a score of 56 to 55 in OT. When
entering the Allstate Arena today the undefeated Nashville Kats had no idea that
Grabowski's hammer would fall on
them.
Final play name of game for
Rush February 12,
2006
By Lisa
Rybak
If you’ve missed
the last minute of any Chicago Rush game this season, then you’ve missed
it all.
The Rush went into
Sunday’s game against the Nashville Kats at home still looking for their
first victory after two dramatic losses facing the Colorado Crush and the New
York Dragons that were both decided in the last few
seconds.
The Rush seemed to be
on the verge of their third loss when the Kats tied the game at the end of the
fourth quarter. Kats Quarterback Clint Stoerner completed a pass to WR Cory
Fleming who relayed the ball to Cornelius Bonner, the former Rush WR. Bonner
maneuvered his way into the end zone to send the game into
overtime.
After the Kats scored
again on their first overtime possession, Rush Quarterback Matt
D’Orazio’s 17 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 15 to RB
C.J. Johnson pulled them within one point. Coach Mike Hohensee’s decision
to go for the two point conversion was not surprising given the outcome of the
previous two games and the aggressive Kats offense posing a scoring threat on
the next possession. Hohensee stayed true to the sentiment expressed in the
locker room before the game when he told his players, “The only outcome we
will accept tonight is a
win.”
D’Orazio’s
sharp pass to WR Cornelius White with a minute left in overtime gave the Rush a
56-55 victory.
The Nashville
Kats had come out clawing and scored first in the game, but a blocked extra
point pushed the momentum in the direction of the Rush. D’Orazio responded
with his own scoring drive that was capped by Johnson’s first touchdown
reception of the year. Newly acquired place kicker Dan Frantz’s kick was
good, and the Rush took the lead 7-6. Frantz went on to be a perfect 6-6 on his
extra-point attempts .
Johnson
was proving that his second year would live up to his first as he continued to
make solid plays throughout the game. He returned a missed field goal attempt 50
yards to score his second touchdown with 37 seconds left in the 2nd Quarter. He
also threw his own touchdown pass to WR Russell Shaw to put the Rush ahead
35-13.
Recently acquired
Defensive Specialist Jeremy Unertl also contributed to the Rush’s overtime
win. He led the team with 6 tackles and nearly picked off two passes thrown by
Kats QB Stoerner. The new DS came over in a deal that sent OS Henry Douglas to
Columbus. Douglas’ departure paved the way for Johnson to emerge as the
offensive leader of the
team.
All eyes were focused on
fan favorite FB Bob McMillen who at the start of the game was 21 yards shy of
breaking the all time arena rushing record. His day was cut short after a
sprained right ankle injury limited his play.
McMillen’s next chance
will come Saturday when the Rush face the Los Angeles Avengers. Just make sure
to watch the game until the final
play.
