Rush Come back to Win in Second Half, Again
Mary-Ann Williams
Wednesday July 3, 2002
And per their usual M.O., the Rush came back from the break in rare form, turning the tide of the game and winning 55-45. “I’m tired of making the same half-time speech,” laughed Hohensee.
The second half became a showcase of the Rush talent pool. DS Marvin Taylor picked off two interceptions in the second half jump-starting the Rush defense. This after sitting out the first quarter and a half of the game. (More on that later.) OL/DL John “The Hulk” Moyer caught a short pass, then leaped over a Dragon player and ran another yard, going 12 yards before finally being taken down by Dragon’s WR/DB Chris Clopton and OL/DL Sean Tremblay. OL/DL Anthony Hutch recorded his first sack of the year in the third quarter. OL/DL James Baron also grabbed his first sack, this time in the middle of the fourth quarter, handing New York a fourth down, which K Clay Rush couldn’t convert into a field goal. DS Cedric Walker picked up an interception two plays after losing the ball to New York on a DS Shea Showers interception.
As per every game, except San Jose, the Rush had to feel the pain of losing before they could turn up the intensity. Even in San Jose, where they played one of their most complete games this season, they had to come from behind to challenge the undefeated SaberCats. Should they continue on this pace, they may find the playoffs more of a challenge than they need to be for such a talented team.
"With wins like this the last couple weeks, this week`s going to be easy to get ready for Grand Rapids," said Hohensee. "Our guys are motivated. I know they want to sweep those guys. They swept us last year.
"Right now we`re in the position [where] we don`t have to count on anybody else to win or lose," said Hohensee. "We can worry about ourselves and play our kind of football."
Marvelous Marvin Makes the Difference
DS Damien Marzett suited up to play in his first Arena Football game against the Dragons, taking over for DS Verone McKinley. While McKinley hasn’t been a dominating force for the Rush, he has been reliably average, something that cannot be said about Marzett’s play Sunday. Marzett’s miscues and blown coverages allowed New York to move quickly into a big lead.
After watching Marzett’s disgraceful play for one and a half quarters, Hohensee called in WR/DB Marvin Taylor for the DS spot. Good thing he did. Taylor’s first career interception in New York’s end zone six minutes into the third quarter set up the Rush to get back in the game. Quarterback Billy Dicken heaved a bomb to WR/DB Dameon Porter for a TD on the next play, bringing Chicago to within four points after Cool’s PAT.
The next Dragon drive ended with yet another Taylor interception, which ended with another TD. For his heroics, Taylor walked away from the game with MVP honors, and the starting position next week against Grand Rapids.
Mary-Ann Williams lives in Chicagoland with her four children, Carter, Jackson, Jeremy, and Riley Jade. As a freelance writer, she`s written articles for the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the Daily Herald. She also serves as editor of the AFL-side of Arenafan Online, and covers the Chicago Rush.
