Force Rally Late, Fall Short

Sunday July 10, 2011

Over 9,000 on hand for regular season home finale

Duluth, GA (July 9, 2010) - A sellout crowd of nearly 10,000 filled The Arena at Gwinnett Center for the final regular season home game hoping to see the Force take another step toward clinching a playoff spot. Instead, Georgia was unable to fight back from an early deficit in their 51-41 loss to the Chicago Rush on Saturday night.

The 9,723 in attendance saw the Force score with 20 seconds left. Georgia then had a chance to narrow the deficit to one possession with a two-point conversion, but the ball was batted away by a Chicago defender to seal the result.

“The turnovers killed us,” said Force head coach Dean Cokinos. “This is a game of possessions. We turned the ball over seven times and still had a chance...at the end. We played sloppy early, and it’s hard to win like that.”

It was a valiant effort for the hometown club, who trailed by as many as 30 early in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Darnell Kennedy played well down the stretch in relief of starter Brett Elliott, completing 15 of 25 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Elliott was lifted after suffering through five interceptions. In total, the Rush forced seven turnovers on the night.

“I don’t know if [Kennedy] gives us a different dimension,” said Cokinos, “but we just needed to change things up. We weren’t making plays.”

The Force never led on Saturday, trailing after having their first two possessions halted by an interception and a fumble respectively. Chicago turned both possessions into gold, spotting themselves to a 14-0 lead before five minutes had passed.

C.J. Johnson led Georgia offensively, racking up 111 receiving yards and 88 return yards on 15 total touches, including a touchdown. Larry Shipp caught six balls for 81 yards and a score, while Alonzo Nix caught a half-dozen more for 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Reggie Gray, Chicago’s leading receiver, caught 11 passes from Rush quarterback J.J. Raterink for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Raterink finished with 223 yards on 20 of 30 passing with four scores.

The Force will have to wait at least one more week to lock down a playoff spot. A win tonight, coupled with a Pittsburgh loss tomorrow night, would have punched Georgia’s ticket for the postseason. Instead, the Force now turn their attention to Tampa, where they will take the field a week from tonight with a chance to clinch a playoff spot with wins in each of their final two games.