Rush Tue May 24 2011

Win Has Rush in Arena League Playoff Position

By Etheria Modacure

Halfway through the Arena Football League's first 18-game season, the Chicago Rush are looking good in their quest for a 10th straight playoff berth. In order to do that, the team, led by Bob McMillen, the franchise's rookie head coach and all-time leading rusher, will need to develop cohesion in all three phases of the game.

Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, the Rush faced fellow Central Division contender Dallas, with both teams tied with 6-3 records and led by outstanding quarterbacks. Chicago's Russ Michna, a third-year pro out of Western Illinois University, squared off with Dallas' Dan Raudabaugh, who entered the contest with 42 passing touchdowns this season.

The Rush needed a victory against Dallas to remain in first place and pull even against divisional opponents this season. Dallas looked to keep its unbeaten record within the division intact. Unfortunately for the Vigilantes, they watched the Rush outduel them in nearly every facet of the game.

Chicago won, 69-57, taking firm control of its potential playoff seeding with eight games remaining in the season. Michna passed for seven touchdowns without an interception and linebacker Kelvin Morris returned an interception for a 55-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

"I think offensively, we're slowly coming together," Michna said. "We hit a few bumps along the road but I think we're starting to see the big picture."

What Michna is referring to was the team's inability to limit turnovers earlier in the season. After matching a franchise best start of 3-0, the Rush went 2-3 in its next five contests before defeating the Arizona Rattlers on the road, 50-49, on May 14.

In the three losses, the Rush offense threw seven interceptions and committed four fumbles against the Tulsa Talons on May 7. The offense was also held under 52 points in all three defeats to the Cleveland Gladiators, Kansas City Brigade and the Talons.

"More than anything else, we're getting a bigger understanding from everyone," Michna said. "We've got our linemen who understand what we're trying to do on each play. Our receivers are staring to understand conceptually where we need to be and what route to get there as opposed to just running routes, which makes everyone's life easier."

While the players may have enjoyed their 12-point victory over Dallas, their coach wasn't too pleased with the defense giving up more than 50 points for the fifth time this season. The final score doesn't do justice to how close this game was at halftime.

"We don't pride ourselves on giving up 57 points," McMillen said. "We were in position to make some plays and we didn't do it. I thought this was the first game that our offense played well with the exception of one turnover by [Reggie Gray]. When we don't turn the ball over, we're a pretty good football team and we're going to put points on the board."

Dallas struck the first blow in the contest and led 17-14 early in the second quarter. The Rush then traded touchdowns with the Vigilantes as they went ahead 21-17 but then relinquished that lead back to Dallas and trailed 24-21.The Rush were able to score a touchdown to close the first half and began the second half with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Michna to Gray.

The Vigilantes pulled to within four points to begin the fourth quarter and trailed by 11 midway through the period. As Dallas was on its way to score a touchdown to trim its deficit to five, Raudabaugh's pass was intercepted by Morris and returned 55 yards for a touchdown.

The Rush are ninth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 52.8 points per game. Their 69-point outburst against Dallas marked the second time the team has scored more than 60 points this season.

With a defense that ranks fourth in the AFL in scoring, allowing 47 points per game, the Rush will need to remain consistent throughout the remainder of the season. Four of the team's next eight opponents rank in the top 10 in scoring offense in the league.

The Utah Blaze, Spokane Shock, Georgia Force, and the Vigilantes average more than 55 points per game on offense. McMillen knows his team can compete the remainder of the season if they stay healthy and avoid debilitating injuries.

"We've got to worry about Tulsa this week," McMillen said. "We talk about this all the time, one practice at a time, one game at a time. It's a long second half of the season because it sure enough was long first half. We've been very fortunate to have our guys not get injured this year."