The Quick Facts TV: None Radio: None Webcast: www.arenarush.com Les Grobstein Overall Series Record: Series Tied 1-1 Series Streaks: Utah won the last meeting Last Meeting: May 24, 2008, Utah 51, Rush 48 Coaches (regular season, postseason records - AFL only): Mike Hohensee (120-94, 12-11 16th season) Ernesto Purnsley (0-2, 0-0 1st season) Officials: Tom McCabe (Referee), Pat Bayers (Umpire), John Quinn (Head Linesman), Jacob Kemp (Line Judge, Larry Orrico (Back Judge) 2010 Chicago Rush Schedule Date Opponent Time/Score TV/Attend April 2 @ Iowa * W, 61-43 12,184 April 9 Cleveland * W, 59-56 8,075 April 17 @ Arizona W, 70-56 14,994 April 23 Utah 7:30 p.m. May 1 Bye May 7 @ Milwaukee* 7:30 p.m. May 15 Iowa* 7 p.m. May 22 @ Dallas 7:30 p.m. May 29 @ Cleveland* 6 p.m. June 4 Jacksonville 7 p.m. NFL Net June 12 @ Utah 8 p.m. June 19 Milwaukee* 7 p.m. June 26 Orlando 7 p.m. July 2 @ Tampa Bay 7 p.m. NFL Net July 10 Arizona 7 p.m. July 17 Dallas 7 p.m. July 23 @ Spokane 7 p.m. NFL Net * Midwest Division game Midwest Division 2010 Standings W-L-T PF PA Division RUSH 3-0-0 190 155 2-0 Milwaukee 2-0-0 139 100 1-0 Iowa 0-2-0 91 126 0-2 Cleveland 0-2-0 116 120 0-1 LOOKING TO KEEP THE STREAK GOING: Chicago returns to Allstate Arena this week looking to continue its fast start to the 2010 season. The Rush looks to improve to 4-0 for only the second time in franchise history when it hosts the Utah Blaze at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Allstate Arena. Chicago heads home after posting an impressive 70-56 win over the Arizona Rattlers last Friday in Phoenix, while the Blaze comes to town still in search of its first win of the season. TIME FOR AN EARLY BREAK: After this week's home game against Utah, the Rush will hit the first of its two bye weeks this season. Immediately after the bye week, the Rush takes the short drive north to Milwaukee for a Friday, May 7, matchup with the Milwaukee Iron. RUSH BITES RATTLERS IN DESERT: The Rush used a strong defensive performance to remain undefeated, knocking off the Arizona Ratters 70-56 last Friday at U.S. Airways Center. The Rush defense was the story of the game, returning two interceptions for touchdowns, and holding Arizona to 0-3 on fourth down conversions, resulting in five defensive stops for the game. With Arizona trailing by seven, 63-56, and threatening to tie the game with less than three minutes remaining, Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo intercepted a Nick Davila pass at the Chicago 2-yard line and returned it 48-yards for a touchdown. It was Alfonzo's second interception return for a TD this season. The interception was big because it came just one play after Rush QB Russ Michna had thrown his second interception of the game, spotting the Rattlers inside the Chicago 10-yard line. But Alfonzo wasn't the only story for the Rush. It was the defense, in general, which helped turn the tide of the game in Chicago's favor. With the Rush trailing 28-21 midway through the second quarter, the Rush went on a 21-0 run that put it in the driver's seat for the remainder of the game. After a Michna TD pass to Kenny Higgins tied the score at 28-28, DB Nygel Rogers recorded his league-leading fourth interception of the season. Rogers returned the pick 14 yards for a TD and a 35-28 Chicago lead. On Arizona's next series, the Rush defense forced the Rattlers to turn the ball over on downs. Chicago took over on the Rattlers' 14-yard line, and two plays later Michna hit Nichiren Flowers with a 7-yard TD pass to put the Rush up 42-28. Arizona had a chance to climb back into the game at the end of the half, however. The Rattlers scored on the final play of the first half to cut the score to 42-35 at the break. Then, Arizona received the opening kickoff of the second half with a chance to move down the field and tie the score. The Rush defense was up to the task, holding Arizona on fourth down again. The Rush offense was able to capitalize, scoring on a 23-yard TD to go up 49-35. From that point on the teams traded scores until Michna's interception late in the fourth quarter. OFF TO A FAST START: The Rush is off to a 3-0 start for only the second time in team history. The only other season in which Chicago started this quickly was in 2004, when the team began the season 4-0 on its way to an 11-5 regular season. In 2004, the Rush advanced to the AFL semifinals before losing in San Jose, 49-35. NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Chicago's Week 2 home win over Cleveland raised the team's all-time record at Allstate Arena to 48-19 (including postseason). It also was the team's eighth-consecutive regular season win at Allstate Arena. OWNING ITS DIVISION: It is no surprise that the Rush is off to a great start against its Midwest Division rivals, as Chicago has a history of playing its best football within the division. In fact, dating back to 2004, the Rush is 30-9 against its Central Division or Midwest Division rivals, including a 6-2 record in 2007, a 6-1 record in 2008, and now a 2-0 record this season. RUSH AMONG THE BEST YEAR AFTER YEAR: The Rush has a tradition of fielding winning teams year after year. In fact, during its first eight seasons in the AFL, only San Jose had a better regular season record than Chicago. The AFL's best regular season records (2001-2008): San Jose 88-35 RUSH 74-50 Orlando 74-50 Tampa Bay 70-54 Dallas 69-38-1 GETTING AHEAD EARLY: The Rush has had no problems getting on the scoreboard early this season, scoring on the first official play from scrimmage in each of the season's first three games. Week 1 in Iowa, linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo intercepted a pass on the first official play from scrimmage and returned it for a touchdown. Then Week 2 at home against Cleveland, QB Russ Michna connected with WR Samie Parker on a 42-yard touchdown pass on the game's first play. Finally, last week in Arizona, Michna hooked up with Nichiren Flowers on a 45-yard TD strike on the game's first play. SHORT HISTORY BETWEEN RUSH & BLAZE: The Rush and Utah Blaze have met only twice before, with the teams splitting the series. In 2006, the Rush set a franchise record for points scored in an 84-48 rout of the Blaze. In 2008 at Utah, the Blaze evened the series at 1-1, winning 51-48 when Utah kicker Steve Videtich kicked an 18-yard field goal as time expired. Here is a look at the Rush-Blaze Series Results: 2006: Rush 84, Blaze 48 (May 13@ Chicago) 2008: Blaze 51, Rush 48 (May 24 @ Utah) FRIENDS ON THE SIDELINES: Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Utah head coach Ernesto Purnsley have been friends since both served on the staff of the Albany Firebirds during the 1998 season. Hohensee was the team's offensive coordinator that season, while Purnsley was the special teams and fullback/linebackers coach. In fact, Hohensee hired Purnsley as Chicago's defensive line coach in August 2008. But since the 2009 AFL season was never played, Purnsley only spent a few months during the off-season as a member of the Rush. TURNOVERS A RUSH TRADEMARK: The ability to force turnovers has been a long-standing trademark of the Rush defense. In the season's first three games, the Rush has continued that tradition, forcing 11 turnovers - 10 interceptions and 1 fumble - an average of 3.6 turnovers per game. In fact, the defense set a Rush team record with its five interception performance in the opener at Iowa. If it continues its current pace, the Rush will finsh the season with 58 turnovers forced, shattering the league's single-season record of 49 set in 1988. In 2007, the Rush led the AFL in forced turnovers with 44 - 20 fumbles and a league-high 24 interceptions. The following season, the Rush defense forced a total of 33 turnovers, again ranking among the league leaders. AFL's Single Season Takeaways Team Season Takeaways Pittsburgh Gladiators 1988 49 Columbus Destroyers 2006 46 San Jose SaberCats 2008 45 Albany Firebirds 1996 45 Chicago Rush 2007 44 Dallas Desperados 2006 44 ALFONZO AT IT AGAIN: Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo was up to his old tricks again last Friday at Arizona. Alfonzo has a reputation for always being around the ball and making things happen and last week's game was no exception. With less than three minutes remaining in the game and Arizona poised to score the game-tying touchdown, Alfonzo intercepted a Nick Davila pass at the Chicago 2-yard line and returned it 48-yards for a touchdown, sealing a 70-56 win. It was Alfonzo's second interception return for a TD this season. Regarded as one of the best all-around players in the league, Alfonzo was named First Team All-Arena at Jack linebacker in both 2007 and 2008. In fact, Alfonzo set an AFL record in 2007 by scoring five defensive touchdowns - three via interceptions and two via fumble recoveries - and tied an AFL record by recovering six fumbles. Along with his play at linebacker, Alfonzo is the team's holder on field goals and extra points and, if needed, can play both wide receiver and defensive back. Additionally, Alfonzo is one of the team's top special teams players - both on kickoff coverage and kickoff return. THE NEW GLOVE: Through three games, rookie DB Nygel Rogers might be the biggest surprise on the Rush roster this year. Rogers currently leads the league with four interceptions, including a 14-yard interception which he returned for a touchdown last week at Arizona. For the season, the rookie has recorded 18 tackles, four interceptions, two passes broken up and 1 forced fumble. FERGUSON NOT FAR BEHIND: Rookie DB Josh Ferguson is pushing his fellow DB Nygel Rogers for top rookie DB on the squad. Through three games, Ferguson leads the team with 30 tackles and has added two interceptions and four passes broken up. Ferguson currently leads the league in tackles and is tied for second in interceptions. PRESSURE UP FRONT: Perhaps one reason the Rush leads the AFL in interceptions with 10, is the fact that the team ranks second in the league in sacks with five. The team's defensive line and MAC linebackers have gotten solid pressure on opposing QBs, forcing quick throws in addition to the sacks. Through three games Michael Alston and Clifton Smith are tied for the team lead with two sacks, while Joe Peters has one. GOOD AS GOULD: Rookie kicker Chris Gould, brother of Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould, is off to a fast start in his first season with the Rush. Gould has started the season by connecting on 25 of 26 PAT attempts, including his last 20 in a row. In addition, Gould has been good on three of five field goal attempts, including the game-winning 20-yard field goal April 9 vs. Cleveland. To date his only misses have come from 38 yards (vs. Cleveland) and 62 yards (at Iowa). Gould got his first taste of Arena Football in 2009, playing in 4 games for the af2's Milwaukee Iron. In his brief stint with the Iron, Gould converted 19 of 20 PATs and 1 of 9 field goal attempts. A 2008 graduate of the University of Virginia, Chris began his college career as a punter before adding the placekicking duties as a junior. IT MUST BE IN THE GENES: It should not come as any surprise that Rush kicker Chris Gould was able to ignore the pressure and boot a game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining April 9 against Cleveland, since his brother, Robbie, is known for his pressure kicks with the Bears. In his five-year career, Robbie has connected on eight game-winning field goals, most recently a 44-yarder with 15 seconds remaining on September 20, 2009 to give the Bears a 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. MICHNA FINDING OLD MAGIC: While his numbers weren't out of this world in last week's win at Arizona, QB Russ Michna again found a way to lead the Rush to victory, raising his career record as a starter with the Rush to 11-3. For the season, Michna has completed 52 of 81 passes for 791 yards and 21 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. Here are Michna's career numbers: G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating 22 293 433 67.7% 3,556 78 10 122.6 PARKER A BIG PLAY THREAT: Wide receiver Samie Parker, who joined the Rush just after training camp started, has emerged as the team's big-play receiver. Parker has been the team's leading receiver in two of the three games this season, catching 18 passes for 285 yards and six TDs on the season. A fourth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, Parker spent four seasons in Kansas City, catching 110 passes for 1,529 yards and seven TDs. After leaving KC, Parker had stints with the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders before playing with the UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives in 2009. FLOWERS BREAKS OUT: WR Nichiren Flowers enjoyed a breakout game last week at Arizona, catching five passes for 107 yards and four touchdowns. Flowers' night in Phoenix got off to a great start when he caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Russ Michna on the game's first offensive play. For the season, Flowers has caught 15 passes for 276 yards and six touchdowns. Flowers was a rookie with the Los Angeles Avengers in 2007, before spending 2008 and 2009 playing in af2 with Central Valley and Boise. HIGGINS HOBBLED: The man who was projected to be the team's top receiver, Kenny Higgins, has been slowed at the start of this season by a hamstring injury suffered during training camp. Higgins missed the second half of last week's game at Arizona when he aggravated the hamstring again. Prior to the injury, Higgins had two receptions for 37 yards and a TD in the game. For the season, Higgins has 13 catches for 145 yards and five TDs. Higgins, who was named Second Team All-Arena in 2008 after catching 112 passes for 1,552 yards and 39 touchdowns as a member of the Grand Rapids Rampage, was one the the first players to sign with the Rush back in November. Rush fans will remember Higgins' performance at Allstate Arena in 2008 when he caught 14 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns in a Rampage upset of the Rush in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. HE'S THE BOSS: Fan favorite Robert Boss returns to the Rush, but not at his familiar tight end position. Despite being one of the league's most-dangerous pass-catching tight ends - catching 15 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in 2008, Boss has moved to fullback in 2010. In his three weeks at FB, Boss has proven he can be a weapon at fullback, rushing for 14 yards and a touchdown, and catching two passes for 28 yards and a TD. NEW LOOK LINE: The new Rush offensive line continues to improve with each game. Returning center Beau Elliott is playing with a new linemate on either side of him - tight end Palauni Ma Sun and guard Thaddeus Coleman. In its first game as a unit April 2 at Iowa, the Rush offensive line had its ups and downs, allowing two sacks and losing three fumbles on bad QB-center exchanges. Week 2 against Cleveland was much better, as the line allowed only one sack and no bad QB-center exchanges. Week 3 at Arizona was the team's best performance yet, not allowing a sack of QB Russ Michna. STILL ON THE SIDELINE: While many of the faces have changed, one aspect of the Rush remains the same - head coach Mike Hohensee. Hohensee, the only head coach in Rush history, is back on the sidelines running the team. Now in his ninth season with the Rush, Hohensee has posted an 86-57 overall record, and has led the team to the playoffs in each of its first eight seasons. In addition to winning ArenaBowl XX, Hohensee has led the Rush to four Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007, 2008) and has helped the team advance to the AFL semifinals five times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). Hohensee ranks third in AFL history in career victories, behind Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum and former Utah and Arizona coach Danny White. One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 23 seasons, Hohensee: has a regular season record of 121-94 (including a 76-50 mark with the Rush). has a career 12-11 mark in the postseason. has led the Rush to eight-consecutive playoff berths and four Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008). is 1-1 all-time vs. Utah All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches Including Postseason Coach Team Wins This Week Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 200 @ Tulsa Danny White - 161 Mike Hohensee Rush 133 Utah Darren Arbet - 121 Mike Dailey - 116 A LITTLE BANGED UP: The Rush enters this week's game vs. Utah a little banged up. Rush LB Clifton Smith missed last week's game at Arizona with a groin injury and WR Kenny Higgins is still nursing a hamstring injury that forced him to sit out the second half of last week's game. Higgins originally injured the hamstring during training camp. FAMILIAR FACES: Five members of Chicago's 23-man roster are very familiar to the fans, having played for the Rush before. Quarterback Russ Michna, linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo, FB Robert Boss, and linemen Beau Elliott and Joe Peters are all back in Rush blue. OTHER AFL EXPERIENCE: In addition to the five returning Rush players, Chicago's roster features four other AFL veterans - wide receiver Kenny Higgins, defensive back Chris Martin, linebacker Clifton Smith and wide receiver Nichiren Flowers. Both Higgins and Martin spent the 2008 season with the Grand Rapids Rampage, while Smith won an ArenaBowl title as a member of the Philadelphia Soul. Flowers spent time with the Los Angeles Avengers in 2007. PEORIA CONNECTIONS: Two Players on the 2010 Rush roster played for head coach Mike Hohensee last season as members of the af2's Peoria Pirates - DB Josh Ferguson and defensive lineman Darnell Whitley. Ferguson played in eight games for Peoria, recording 50 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes broken up. He also forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble which he returned for a touchdown. Whitley appeared in three games for the Pirates, playing on both the offensive and defensive line. 2010 RUSH BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a breakdown of the 2010 Rush: Site: Home 1-0 Road 2-0 Time: Day 0-0 Night 3-0 Opponents: vs. Midwest 2-0 vs. West 1-0 vs. East 0-0 vs. South 0-0 INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2010 AFL league leaders: Russ Michna: passing yards (4th - 791), total offense (4th - 818 yards), rushing yards (4th - 27) Chris Gould: field goals made (1st - 3), scoring for kickers (1st - 34 points) DeJuan Alfonzo: interceptions (T-2nd - 2) Nygel Rogers: interceptions (1st - 4) Josh Feguson: interceptions (T-2nd - 2), tackles (1st - 30) Samie Parker: receiving yards (4th - 252) Michael Alston: sacks (T-1st - 2.0), tackles for loss (1st - 3.5) Clifton Smith: sacks (T-1st - 2.0) RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won individual game awards for their play this season: Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game: Russ Michna - 4/2 @ Iowa Samie Parker - 4/9 vs. Cleveland Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Chris Martin - 4/9 vs. Cleveland DeJuan Alfonzo - 4/2 @ Iowa, 4/16 @ Arizona Ironman of the Game: Robert Boss - 4/9 vs. Cleveland AFL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won AFL weekly awards for their play this season: Riddell Defensive Player of the Game: Chris Martin - 4/9 vs. Cleveland
