Rampage Remain Only Winless Team
Randy Snow
Monday March 15, 2004
The first fumble occurred on the second play from scrimmage by Grand Rapids quarterback Anthony Buich. It was recovered by Los Angeles, who subsequently scored a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead.
The Rampage got on the scoreboard later in the first quarter when rookie wide receiver/defensive back Josh Bush caught his only pass of the night, a 25-yard touchdown pass. The extra point try was no good and Grand Rapids trailed 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. Bush had his best game of the season last week in Dallas, when he caught 7 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’m getting more comfortable now,” said Bush. “The game is just coming to me now. All I gotta do is catch the ball really, and the rest happens on its own.”
On the Rampage’s second possession, Buich threw the first of his two interceptions. The Rampage forced the Avengers to try a 25-yard field goal, but the kick was no good.
On the first play of the second quarter, Buich threw his second interception. Offensive specialist Steve Smith also had a fumble later in the second quarter that eventually lead to another Los Angeles touchdown and a 20-6 lead by the Avengers. Grand Rapids trailed 27-13 at the half.
Trailing 34-13 early in the third quarter, Grand Rapids managed to battle back to get to within 8 points of Los Angeles with 6:01 to play in the game. With the score 41-33, the Avengers ate up the clock and scored the final points of the game with 1:51 left to play making the final score 48-33.
Rampage quarterback Anthony Buich completed 20 of 38 passes for 248 yards and finished with five touchdowns, four passing and one rushing. Wide receiver/linebacker Shawn Foreman had 6 catches for 84 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Avengers quarterback Tony Graziani completed 18 of 25 passes for 266 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game. Avenger WR/DB Kevin Ingram caught 6 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns and was named Ironman of the Game. Rampage lineman Rod Manual, who had 4 solo tackles and 2 sacks, was the Defensive Player of the Game.
Not only are the Rampage winless this season, but they also remain winless when playing on NBC over the last 2 seasons. Luckily, this was the last television game schedule for the Rampage this season.
Post Game Concert
The Grammy winning group Blues Traveler performed a concert after the game. Front man John Popper also played the National Anthem on the harmonica prior to the start of the game.
Next Game
The Rampage have a bye next week before traveling to Indiana for their next game on March 26. The Firebirds (1-5) won their first game of the season on Sunday by beating the Austin Wranglers (3-2) in Texas by a score of 64-41. After losing the first 5 games this season, the Firebirds rookie head coach Steve DeBerg was fired last week and replaced by defensive coordinator Mike Wilpolt. The Firebirds play host to the Georgia Force (4-2) on March 20 before the Rampage come to town.
Next Home Game
The next home game for Grand Rapids is on Sunday, April 4 at 3:00 pm against the Arizona Rattlers. Fans are being asked to wear the team colors of either Michigan State University or the University of Michigan to the game. Michigan running back Chris Perry and Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker will be on hand for the game.
Randy Snow covered the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League for ArenaFan from 2003-2008. He also covered the Fort Wayne Fusion of arenafootball2 in 2007. From 2004-2008 and in 2010, he was a member of the Arena Football League Writer’s Association and, since 2011, has been a member of the Professional Football Researchers Association. Randy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan but will travel just about anywhere for a football game or a great football story. He runs the web site www.theworldoffootball.com and hosts a podcast with his son, Adam, called “This Week in The World of Football.”
